Message from Sharat Digumarti: Updated Seller Non Performance Policy

[sapana@ebay.com]

Hello everyone…over past few months we have been making various changes on the site to improve the buyer and seller experience to make eBay the most preferred online shopping destination for shoppers.

While improving functionality on the site is critical, a big part of the buyer experience is in our sellers’ hands. We recently launched Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs) to give buyers more information about the kind of service they can expect from a seller and help differentiate sellers who deliver a great buyer experience from those who do not. While the vast majority of eBay sellers deliver consistently positive experiences to buyers, a very small minority -- just 1% -- of sellers currently cause fully 35% of bad buying experiences. This small minority not only damage their own reputations, but also indirectly damage all of the good sellers who benefit from a strong and vital eBay marketplace. To address this problem, we have begun enforcing our Seller Non-Performance policy in stricter ways than in the past by considering a seller’s buyer dissatisfaction rate.

What is the updated Seller Non-Performance Policy?
With the updated policy, all sellers who have more than 5% dissatisfied buyers over the past 90 days will be subject to reduced listing volume or temporary 14-day restrictions in the form of selling sanctions. Sellers with dissatisfaction rates that are 10% or greater will be subject to indefinite restrictions until they improve their buyer dissatisfaction rates to less than 5%. The buyer dissatisfaction will be calculated based on the following:

1. Item not received (INR) disputes
2. Item significantly not as described (SNAD) disputes
3. Negative or neutral feedback.

Why neutral feedback?
Some of you have asked why neutral feedback ratings have become a part of measuring buyer dissatisfaction. Through our quantitative research as well as many conversations with community members, we have found that neutral feedback is most often an expression of deep buyer dissatisfaction. Therefore, leaving it out of the calculation would mask a significant part of the issue. Ultimately, only positive feedback is an indication of satisfied customers.

Will DSR’s (Detailed Seller Ratings) be included to calculate Bad dissatisfaction?
Detailed Seller Ratings are not used in our buyer dissatisfaction calculations currently, however, as we gain experience and data, DSRs look very promising. We expect them to eventually become an additional input in our calculation of buyer dissatisfaction. We will keep you updated on adding DSRs as part of our calculations, and how they will impact a dissatisfaction rate.

Helping sellers improve their satisfaction rates and become successful is goal #1
Please know that our goal in restricting or sanctioning sellers is always to drive sellers to resolve their business challenges, improve their satisfaction rates, and remain in the marketplace as successful sellers. Our communication to impacted sellers spells out specific actions they should take to improve their rates, such as settling any open buyer dispute issues, refunding buyers when appropriate, asking for mutual feedback withdrawal when disputes have been resolved, etc.

Please remember that this new enforcement impacts the bottom 1% of current sellers, who cause 35% of the negative buying experiences on the site. The vast majority our sellers provide great buyer experiences by following these and other best practices:
• They accurately represent the condition, size, and quality of the item directly in the listing.
• They accept payment for an item at the end of a successful sale.
• After payment is received, they promptly ship the item with proper packaging.
• They proactively and professionally communicate with the buyer throughout the transaction.

We believe that the initiative to crack down on bad buyer experience in this way will benefit the whole of eBay India, and especially the 99% of our good sellers. If you have a question around this policy, please feel free to post it here. I will try to revert back on them as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
Sharat Digumarti
Senior Manager, Trust & Safety

[snrama]

Hi,

I had an idea of this one getting launched. But it will be use full for sellers who are prompt and honest.

This policy is more than welcome. But what about buyers who doesn't make the payment and leave the feedback?

I have specified in most of my listings that Cash on Delivery is not offered.

I offer PaisaPay, DD, Cheque, Other (ATM Drop Box and Money Order).

But buyers make order by selecting other and demand the product through COD though its specified as not offered.

If this has happens and the buyers leaves a neutral / negative feedback with out any of our fault, Why should we suffer as eBay thinks that the our performance is not good.

There should be some protection to sellers (like buyers who doesn't pay should not have the rights to leave feedbacks).

If this applies, then this policy will be outstanding. ---------------
With Regards,
Navaneeth (snrama) 😉

[36sareescom]

ODR's got a great future now ... as it seems that would be the only recourse
Even Getting Neutrals resolved.
more and more ways of concentrating on a number of things
And loosing concentration on core activity of selling
i hope buyers are educated as well about the implications of a neutral

[amitava123gems]

Dear Sharatji,
Ebay must be very specific about shipping calculator.If you remove listing for higher shipping,you must have a specific guideline to determine the correct shipping cost.
This is to include the cost of packing and local conveyance.If you are in Mumbai,you must add the cost of going to GPO and coming back.
Othrwise,it becomes vague.
Many sellers had bad experience of getting rude alert and their listings removed.
My question is:::Can you do it without a specific guidelines???
You get your listing removed for shipping cost of INR 60.The seller next to you is listing the same item comfortably for INR 100.
You are trying to introduce good buying experience.But at the same time,there should be an effort on your part to introduce good selling experience.
I am not asking for much.
I am asking for prudence.If there is no specific policy,how can you possibly pull up a seller for violation??
Thanx,
Truly,
Amitava

[coolbrasco]

Dear Snrama,

About COD problem, always send a revised invoice with details about your payment methods and at the end, tell in bold letters "NO CASH ON DELIVERY", "NO VPP" SORRY, if you don't like to do it. You have to explain little bit, or write a standard email and keep it why you don't like to send COD. Also tell the customer, it will be cost effective and time saving if he drop a DD/CHEQUE in the bank than sending to your address. Also explain him about online tracking facility after shipping and your insurance coverage if any, you should basically convince him that your shipping method is more safer and make him confident that he will definitely receive goods after payment. Basically new sellers have this problem. It works.

Even some old customers send me a message just to check i am dead or alive before payment. I have to tell them i am still alive and in good shape :), then only they pay. It is bit of a human psychology, if they don't see anything real they don't trust.

In other way around some customer they just buy and pay every month, they never contact, never give feedback. They are like Fairy's :). You don't know when they come.

Other point you told about customer leaving -ve feedback before payment is unjustifiable, i do agree. I think it is too much freedom for a buyer, against good sellers like you. Probably eBay should allow the customer to leave feedback before payment to non-PowerSellers. It make sense, because PowerSellers always keep the eBay policy, and Community values. In case if a PowerSeller try to trouble customer using this PowerSeller previlage, should be punished by eBay.

My arguement is what if a fraud seller take money from innocent customer, and run away after making unpaid strike. Either side 1% bad cases available, eBay always test first on sellers only :), because we are poor Genia Pigs. In long run eBay have to give customer a complete confidence and protection to increase trust on eBay and sellers. That can give us more business than ever.

eBay is cracking down bad sellers because once a customer had bad experience he will never return to eBay. Even customer having higher feedback, say Goodbye to eBay. It is the sad part. In long run it is good for us. But only thing eBay should consider is block leaving a -ve feedback for a PowerSeller by a unpaid customer. I think this can balance both sides.

Please feel free and post your comments for this post.

Kind regards,
CoolBrasCo.

[indianrailstuff]

Hello,

There is another aspect which I feel is often overlooked.

I have had experiences (as a buyer) where the seller has been incommunicative, and just do not deem it necessary to answer to mails. I did get the product and well within reasonable time frame and I left a positive feedback since I did not want to play spoilsport and mar the seller's good 100% positive feedback history. I thought maybe it was a temp problem. After I left him feedback, he refused to do so for me and even threatened to leave me negative feedback. By then it was too late for me to do anything. This incident was downright unpleasant and the unfortunate part is there is no way to address such issues.

In another incident, a power seller was not communicative regarding a request and there queries I had made after I had won an item. I wrote to them over 3 times, but to no avail. I refused to make payment (I had reason to since to since he was not making in invoice without VAT). I got an unpaid strike which was removed by courteous eBay executives when I explained my situation. I did not not leave feedback knowing they would have left me a negative. I saw the seller had a few negatives... but since he had so many hundreds of positives, the negatives had to be searched for.

I think there has to be a compilation of people's buying experience towards a seller in some form.

In addition, there seriously needs to be a link which shows up the negative / neutral feedback received by seller at a glance. I have at times had to sift through 50 odd pages of feedback!

I hope something will be done.

Regards
Samit

[gouse_it]

hello,
I understand that ebay is working a lot to maintain good buyer/seller experience.But ebay has to put strong rules upon shipping of items.Sellers are sending costly items like handycams by declaring that the parcel contains plastic goods.If buyer doesnt recieve the item then there is no clue whether it has been thefted by the courier department or the item was not sent at all.This is a clear sign of fruad happening at ebay which ebay is not restricting.

[silvexindia]

Dear Mr Sharat,
How can ebay put Netural & Negative feedbacks in same category, and then why there is a need/option of Neutral feedback? Why not Only Positive & Negative?

I think that ebay should remove the option of neutral feedback.

Ankur Treasure Hut
Http://Stores.Ebay.In/TreasureHut-India

[cameras_n_such]

Neutral Received today:

The item was shipped quickly..

[nakoda_creation]

Dear sharatji,

We too agree that neutral has to be excluded from it , as some time for minor things buyers put neutral , why should seller suffer for it.

we hope u should think about it & make some way for it.

We would like to congratulate for your good tools & rules , we hope for more improvement in TnS .

Regards

mahavir computers Pvt ltd

mumbai

[3dcollectibles]

Hi,

I too agree that Neutral should be lifted off if it is treated same as NEGETIVE.

I think ebay should implement the SNP issues when they make Buyer aware about the feedbacks.

If All buyer gives feedback genuinely then I think almost 99.5% of sellers won't get the SNP from ebay.

As per view I only see that Ebay has been only making policies for Sellers and making aware Sellers about feedback but they have done nothing for Buyer till date.

I complete over 60 orders in a months but I hardly get 20-25 feedbacks from buyer after continous followup with them.

I hope other sellers would also agree on this. And I hope ebay would be thinking to change the ways for the benefit for all of us.

Thanks

Deepak
http://stores.ebay.in/systeminflow