So farewell then, 100% feedback
15/05/2008 at 19:43
The new feedback scoring system has finally launched on eBay UK. Despite some Support staff telling sellers earlier this week that neutral feedbacks would not be “counted as negatives”, the formula being used is that announced earlier this year: total positive feedback, divided by total feedback received (positive + neutral + negative). In other words, a neutral will have the same effect on your percentage as a negative does.
Predictably, sellers are up in arms about this. Many – if not most – of us have lost 100% scores that we felt proud of, even if they didn’t exactly pay the bills. Others – “a few sellers”, according to Richard Ambrose – have lost their PowerSeller status due to the recalculation.
Perhaps even more predictably, there is confusion over exactly how the numbers work; here’s a shot of my feedback page this afternoon:
(click for the full version)
Here’s the reason for the discrepancy. The number shown on the feedback scorecard is all the positive feedback ever received: if a buyer bought ten things in one hit and left ten feedbacks, that counts ten.
But the number for the percentage calculation is the same as the number used to calculate your headline feedback score: if a buyer bought ten things in one hit and left ten feedbacks, that only counts for one. But if that same buyer comes back a week later and buys ten more things and leaves ten more feedbacks, that will count for another one.
For those who don’t trust eBay’s maths, Nick from iposters has provided eBay sellers with a couple of Excel calculators to check what your feedback percentage should be:
eBay Feedback Calculator for Office 2007
eBay Feedback Calculator for Office Pre 2007
And finally, if numbers make you happy, the promised lifetime feedback recalculation seems to be happening at long last, though obviously recalculating several billion feedback isn’t going to be done overnight. My own score jumped 5000 this afternoon, which doesn’t cover all the positives I’ve ever received, but might make me feel a little better about those two terrible neutrals dragging me down 
How did it go for you today? Have you lost a cherished 100%, or an even more cherished PS discount? Leave us a comment.
Niel H says
8:01 pm on 15/05/2008
Not too bad, %age went down from 99.9 to 99.7 but I got an extra 1800 feediebacks for repeats which gave me my shooting star.
Have only had the one neut in the last 6 months so that 99.7% will rise back up again when the other 6 & 1 neg start to roll off.
My fear now of course is whether the 2 private feedback bidiots who filed and lost Paypal SNAD claims over issues that were indicated in the 2 auctions are saving up negs for me in the next few days……….
DBL says
8:03 pm on 15/05/2008
I’m mourning my 100% down to 99.7. Through 7 neuts, 3 by the same person who didn’t like the colour and all no contact neuts.
I’ve always felt good about the 100% but one thing I have thought of is that buyers are having their FB recalculated too …
Oh FB has jumped by 2000, would like my full lifetime whack though.
KMU says
8:11 pm on 15/05/2008
Yes, like DBL I am sad to see my cherished 100% go and would like my lifetime whack too. However, even if buyers f/bs are recalculated so long as they remain buyers and not sellers they will never receive another neut (grey neg) or red dot.
Sean Mewse says
8:13 pm on 15/05/2008
All I can think is thank goodness it’s over. In a way now that the 100% is a thing of the past (for most ID’s) we can concentrate on the important aspect of selling. I feel the DSR are far more important than the 100%
Sean
Caroline says
8:16 pm on 15/05/2008
Down to 99.7 from 99.9, but over the next three months I lose 2 negs and a few neutrals as they slide over the 12 month bar, so I’m not overly bothered. Feedback score has jumped by nearly 2,000
but despite nearly 19,000 lifetime positives, I still didn’t go shooter 
whirly says
8:32 pm on 15/05/2008
Previous FB 98.9%, now 96.6%, DSR up from 4.6.4.6.4.0.4.3 to 5.0.5.0.4.7.4.9 in the last 3 months. Why do I bother?
As long as we get traffic I will continue to use eBay, when the traffic stops I’m off.
I still believe eBay is the most cost effective advertising platform on the web today.
Des says
8:35 pm on 15/05/2008
Lost my 100% which I was very proud of, but looking at my main competitors, they seem to have come off a lot worse with some below now 98%. Hopefully when the fuss settles down the buyers will keep on returning.
Biggles says
8:35 pm on 15/05/2008
Pretty good at this end.. my feedback increased by about 30 % and my score went up to 100%. No sign of that one retaliatory neg I received about 6 years ago – unless you go trawling through my feedback.
It’s good to see the emphasis on recent feedback ( i.e. 12 month performance), while many may argue having a neg from years ago had no effect on sales, it sure as hell annoyed me everytime I saw the 99.9%.
I have also changed my feedback automation to leave poz automagically on payment. (it used to be automatic on me receiving feedback first).
Josordoni says
8:46 pm on 15/05/2008
down from my precious 100% to 99.9, but feedback up over 2000, so I have my shooter now…
the whole sorry saga reminds me of the heartache when I got my first neg… the indignant anger that lasted …ooohhhh… roughly 3 seconds …
Andy Toogood says
8:53 pm on 15/05/2008
It’s not all doom and gloom everyone. In typical ebay fashion the scores have been increased to include all feedback in the last 12 months but the percentage calculation in actual item listings still appears to be based on the old formula.
So we’ve gone from 99.9% to 100% in item listings – just cracking open another bottle of bubbly!!!
Nick Talley says
8:56 pm on 15/05/2008
My score is down from 99.9 to 99.6 but am I boverd? Does my face look boverd?
It’s the same for everyone. Some “not so good” sellers and those that only sell a couple of high value items per month may loose PS status. No bad thing imo.
I have always grumbled about PS status being given to sellers that don’t work for it.
fedupwithebay says
9:06 pm on 15/05/2008
I felt a bit better when I remembered that the neg/neut feedback those who have been suspended will be removed by end of this month/June. So the plonker who left me 7 neuts (who collected not a one from me, but managed to get suspended for rubbing 5 other sellers up the wrong way
) will disappear from my feedback page a lot sooner than anticipated. 
Some members who have lost ps status through the changes might find themselves back in the club in a few weeks.
northumbrian says
9:18 pm on 15/05/2008
I have 10 negatives lost somewhere
I want them back
I paid dear and worked hard for them where are they
whirly says
9:23 pm on 15/05/2008
@Nick
I could not care less about PS status or the icon that you get, traffic and phone calls are my fix.
If you have to work harder to sell 10k’s worth of gear than I do thats your look out. As a eBay shareholder my 1k a month in fee’s should be just as valuable as yours whether I sell 10 baths and you sell 500 posters(have no idea how many posters you sell) status means nothing £notes mean everything.
Nick Talley says
10:10 pm on 15/05/2008
Hi Whirly
We have spoken in the distant past and got on well, so no hard feelings. My post was not intended to offend.
Maybe I did not put my point across very well.
From my view point I see this.
If I sell to a thousand plus eBayers in a month with all the associated emailed questions, phone calls and lost mail issues it stands to reason that its is much more work than doing the same for ten eBayers.
I was trying to point out that any seller could be a powerseller just by selling one item at £750 which in my opinion is not very fair.
Good on you if you can sell high value items. I know for a fact that if I could I would not have to put so many hours in every week
Swan says
10:22 pm on 15/05/2008
My first ID has gone from its never lost 100% down to 99.6 with the neutrals
Not to worried about that but feel more upset that the FB which I have nurtured over 3 years and got to 4600 has leapt to 4870. These are unearned FB and against the spirit of the slow build to bogey.
I know the repeat sellers love this feedback boost but I feel it discriminates against high value unique item sellers that have very few repeat customers (almost all the stuff this ID sold is still under warrenty and most people only ever get the one)
My other ID gained nearly 15% extra FB to 7000 odd but I still feel it debases the scores
vzaar Jamie says
10:23 pm on 15/05/2008
Done well out of it…my personal account has passed 1,000 at last so a nice red star and my % has gone up to 100! They should do these changes more often
Andy Toogood says
10:32 pm on 15/05/2008
Jamie,
Working for vzaar shouldn’t you still be at the pub at this early hour on a Thursday night?
Sue Bailey says
10:43 pm on 15/05/2008
They have wifi in pubs these days, Andy
Patty says
10:44 pm on 15/05/2008
My feedback score dropped today from 99.3% to 97%.
Im pretty shocked to say the least and tomorrow im off to call Amazon about opening a shop there.
Im totally pissed off with ebay lately, sick of being blackmailed over negative feedback and silly people leaving the wrong feedback.
Its about time ebay took their heads out of their arses and listed to the customers that pay their bills. I spend anything between £2000 and £4000 a month on fees. Non payers are on the rise with us to 30% meaning we are loosing out on every £9+ we pay to feature an auction. We are now having to feature every single auction, add a reserve and add a buy it now to each and every listing otherwise we get no placement in the wonderful ‘best match’.
The only thing best match actually matches is those that pay the most fees into ebays bloody pockets.
Im sick of having no control over my own business.
Where did ebid go to lol
Don says
11:48 pm on 15/05/2008
I’ve had a few heated discussions over this, but it’s simple, all the time ebay is profitable for my business I have no complaints
Chris Dawson says
12:23 am on 16/05/2008
Come on… there must be someone out there???
Who just got a shooting star today from the feedback recalculations?
Ed says
1:30 am on 16/05/2008
Chris, you really should have gone to specsavers!!!
Josordoni says earlier in the thread they got a shooter out of it.
Chris Dawson says
1:37 am on 16/05/2008
Ta Ed, I’m a numpty
Congratulations Lynne
Dan @ vzaar says
1:40 am on 16/05/2008
Percentage down a tiny bit…but that neg will expire soon, net feedback up. But annoyingly Jamie hit the grand before me….
I wonder what buyers who have been fastidious about only buying from 100% sellers will do now? ;O)
Mark Classic says
1:55 am on 16/05/2008
I hate to point forwards folks, but those neutrals and negatives are very likely to start rolling in soon.
Especially with some of the encouragement to downgrade sellers that people are experiencing from Ebays new pop ups.
In six months from now, I suspect a 98% will be very good…
Maybe even less.
We lost our 100% today after 5 years.
Sad to see it go.
But this is just the start, expect to see a steady decline in feedback when the buyers can leave negs with impunity…
I wonder how much support there will be then for these changes?
All you need is a few bad buyers in one month…
Then what happens?
I would not want to be trading in certain categories right now.
Mark
Dan @ vzaar says
1:58 am on 16/05/2008
Mark,
I think we’ll see about that. While I am certain all sellers will see more negs and neuts, I’m by no means as pessimistic as some. It will be be interesting to visit these discussions in a year.
)
Mark Classic says
2:02 am on 16/05/2008
The neutrals were a mistake Dan.
Buyers do not know that leaving a neutral is leaving a neg.
This is a knife in the side for many sellers.
Communicating to the community is paramount.
Yet Ebay are communicating falsehoods to the community.
When the truth comes out, we are going to see feedback warfare from certain groups of buyers. They will revel in this activity and the complainers have been given free reign to ruin a sellers livelyhood.
Tis the nature of man.
We are all basically bad…
Mark
northumbrian says
6:16 am on 16/05/2008
we got another shooting star
but so what
shooting stars mean nowt these days
and will ,mean even less in future
schuhstore says
7:52 am on 16/05/2008
Our percentage dropped from 99.8 to 99.1, which is not to bad, but it does make us think that we have to re-think our selling strategy a bit more, to make sure we dont get any more avoidable neg/nut feedback…
On the repeat feedback credit…we were 120’000 at 9am and by 5pm we were witting at just over 170’000. So i think the extra 50’000 is a small compensation for dropping a few points on our feedback score…we deserved the feedback credit, as we have a loyal customer base who we have service successfully on more than one occasion.
I think sellers just have to stop and take a minute to see what has happened, then re-think their strategies, whether its inventory or listings…and then make the improvements needed to add some points back onto their feedback scores! In all, i feel like others were saying, DSR’s are more important that having a shooting star, but at the end of the day, if you drop below a % on your feedback, its game over!
Change is good…change is challenging…we like a change!
Ed says
9:01 am on 16/05/2008
I think you have to look at the big picture…
Until now at least, many buyers have been reluctant to hand out negs and eBay want to make it easier to differentiate between good and bad sellers, so including neutrals adds to the desired effect…
Everything is relative so good sellers will still look good no matter what the percentage and I believe eBay will (as pinks have said) make adjustments as and when necessary in order to maintain their planned percentage of PS’s & discounts.
My main concerns for the future are…
1. Buyers not returning after leaving genuine negs or neutrals due to being hastled by indignant sellers.
2. NEW SEARCH!!!
gerry007 says
2:00 pm on 16/05/2008
All in all, it seems to have gone OK.
Thankfully Ebay recalculated the multiple + feedbacks for everyone before changing the feedback calculations. So it seems although many have lost their 100%, many have gained extra feedback.
It still concerns us greatly what the future holds, with buyers being able to ‘slag’ off a seller, & the seller cannot then have the same right to reply. As we all know, there are some ‘nutters’ out there, that because they spend say, 99p with you, think they own you forever.
We are only a small seller on ebay & obviously like all do not like bad comments in feedback, particularly when they are not true.
Ebay fail to assist with feedback withdrawal. We have just spent £15 with square trades to resolve a -, and the buyer would not even participate.
Ebays’ fees are OK generally, as most will agree, BUT our bottom line is ‘are we making money out of this’. If we have to start empolying more man hours sorting out problems (like items delayed in the Post…..Not an uncommon event!!!)
& buyer get the hump, because we posted the item & the PO delayed delivery…. what can we do……NOT A LOT NOW!!!!!.
gerry007 says
2:10 pm on 16/05/2008
Just another thing;
Why not an ebay forum or similar to score feedback for the delivery/courier companies we all have to use. PO can deliver 2nd class the next day & yet 1st class can take 5-7 days in some cases. DHL pick up & say 24 Hrs’ later the buyer gets the item, quite often this can be 3-5 days. So come on ebay start a reliability forum for the delivery companies. After all they are part of our dealings on ebay.
Chris says
2:35 pm on 16/05/2008
Most of you seem to be high volume seller so I don’t think most of you are feeling the full impact of what has been done. I am currently selling a few items as I clear my house for sale. I had intended trying to build a business on ebay after I move. Now I’m not sure that I can take the risk, when a couple of silly neutrals, which buyers have been educated to believe have no overall impact on feedback, could see me suspended and kicked of the site, when I am providing an excellent service.
whirly says
3:27 pm on 16/05/2008
I’ll be feeling it more than most Chris, low volume high value sales will be my downfall on eBay they don’t want our money or our products it seems.
Thankfully eBay’s biggest competitor in the UK market bit our hands off when we rang them so we now have a good spread of the online market available to us.
Still using eBay and it’s still producing good traffic, along with Amazon, our websites and shopping comparison sites we are in a strong position for the future.
Quite why eBay don’t want our money is for the board and the people who vote for them to sort out.
Uncle Sam says
3:49 pm on 16/05/2008
Am pretty chuffed – we don’t get a fraction of the negs we did a few years ago but still haven’t been able to get our rating above 98.8%, so am rather pleased it’s now gone up to 99.2%
Interestingly, one of my DSR’s has improved on my personal account as well, despite my not having had any buyer Feedback for 10 days. I didn’t think these changes would affect DSR’s or perhaps it’s a coincidence?
gerry007 says
5:32 pm on 16/05/2008
Sue,
I too wondered what the calculations were in the drop down box, in ‘what the scores means’
I just looked at a couple of sellers that I still have in myebay, and am even more confused now.
I am pasting here the feedback no’s & the drop down boxes.
1.A/
Recent Feedback Ratings (last 12 months)
1 month 6 months 12 months
Positive 9 35 47
Neutral 0 0 0
Negative 0 0 1
1B/
The Positive Feedback percentage is calculated based on the number of positive, negative and neutral ratings (including Repeat Feedback) received in the last 12 months as folows:
Positives
Positives + Neutrals + Negatives
Member’s 12 Month Feedback ratings
Positives:44Neutrals:0Negatives: 0
Member’s Positive Feedback percentage
44 = 100.0%
44 + 0 + 0
———————————————————-
2A/
Recent Feedback Ratings (last 12 months)
1 month 6 months 12 months
Positive 39 308 388
Neutral 0 2 4
Negative 2 5 5
2B/
The Positive Feedback percentage is calculated based on the number of positive, negative and neutral ratings (including Repeat Feedback) received in the last 12 months as folows:
Positives
Positives + Neutrals + Negatives
Member’s 12 Month Feedback ratings
Positives:373
Neutrals:4
Negatives: 4
Member’s Positive Feedback percentage
373 = 97.9%
———————————————————-
This is not the only example of the detailed ratings in the drop down box are different to the overall ratings…..
Am I going down the wrong road!!!!
Owen says
5:49 pm on 16/05/2008
I’m one of the ones who trys to sell one or two high value items a month and if I could find a niche for something new that I could stick in a jiffy bag I’d do it in a shot. It would make a change from heaving 400Kg machines about.
Nick, to say that I don’t work hard is an insult. You have no idea how many emails & phone calls I have to make to sell one of my items. Probably as many as you do to sell all yours.
You have no idea how hard it is to actually make the sale either.
I chose my market just the same as others did, and as far as I’m concerned I pay my fees, I make the sales to be a Powerseller. When I don’t make the sales I won’t be one, but that won’t be down to lack of work.
Owen says
5:54 pm on 16/05/2008
Sorry for the rant but it really gets my goat when people think that volume is the only thing that matters and denigrate those who don’t sell in volume.
canvasrepublic says
6:16 am on 17/05/2008
I quite like our new 100 percent rating and green star. Long may it continue!!!.
gerry007 says
2:13 pm on 17/05/2008
Yesterday afternoon I was quite happy we the new feedback scores. Because of a couple pf problems our 2nd account score had 99.10% (after a few negociations in Mutual feedback withdrawal).
After the recalculations it rose to 99.60% which was a relief. At that time the 12months scores were; P = 592 Nu = 6 Ne = 2. All Ok
The drop down calucation said; P = 494 Nu = 6 Ne = 2.
I did and do not understand the difference, but thought ‘oh well best left alone’.
TODAY, after receiving a POS overnight, the rating has crashed to 98.40% (from 99.60%). 98.40% is the rating that shows on listings, so unless I reading all this wrong I lost big time out of this.
gerry007 says
3:56 pm on 17/05/2008
Also,
Has anyone noticed the line of ‘historic feedback’ record has now Gone in memders feedback profile!!.
abs says
11:53 pm on 17/05/2008
Hi All,
Ok I maybe wrong here, if so can sue and chris and the other experienced ebayers correct me please.
My understanding is that eBay got the feedback % messed up back in the day. Wasnt it always meant to show only positive feedback % scores, but they let the neutrals slide. NO MORE THo.
So its simple, ur 99.5% feedback score etc, is your TRUE positive score!!! the remaining .5% is obviously the remaining that was not positive. Its not that the neutral is the new negative, its just that the correct formula has been put in place!!! because Neutral is NOT a positive, so why should that be included in your Positive Score.
Do i make sense here? Hope so???
I like the new changes!!!! happy buyers = $$$£££$$$$
Sue Bailey says
12:02 am on 18/05/2008
Abs, when they introduced f/b percentages (2001 or 2002, I forget exactly), the outcry was JUST as bad as what we’re hearing now. eBay didn’t really justify or explain how they were making the calculation, or not the I remember reading. It all depends on how you’re defining what you want; neutrals used to be considered pretty meaningless, but now they’re trying to clean up the site a bit, they’re taking them more seriously.
abs says
12:13 am on 18/05/2008
thanks sue. since the DSR ratings came into play, ive always addressed my neutrals. not because they where neutrals on my feedback profile, but more so that if the buyer left a neutral, they obviously left me low DSR too (if any). I dont know were i stand now tho with no MWF. im sure futher protections will come into play down the line! WELL I HOPE SO
northumbrian says
7:39 am on 18/05/2008
I think many are missing the point here
thesedays its not about how high your feedback score is
its how your buyers rate you over the last30/ 90days and your neutrals and negs over the last 12 months,
bunging a few repeat feedbacks to your score from years ago is meaning less
MORAL says
6:39 pm on 18/05/2008
I am both a PS and a frquent buyer, so I think I know the pyschological working on both sides. In my mind, the eBay market place before any changes is not perfect, but I cannot see how the changes will make the better with out any very negative impacts:
Re Selling: There has been market research into feeback % ratings and that is still the PRIMARY benchmark buyers look at. When buyers need to evaluate hundreds of items all with the same name and image the difference comes down to the percentage, which is a fast means of evaluation without digging into the histories which as a buyer can be very time consuming. Let’s face it, no one digs into histories buying a pair of 99p AA batteries. However if the deal turns nasty you know what will happen under the new policies. On the other hand, like any community, an offence in my opinion, regardles of how long ago it took place, should be recorded and refelcted to the community. I believe in repent, but let what s/he does afterwards do the justice, NOT time! Will you not be a bit more wary with a 20-year old ex-paedophile, now seemingly kind 60-year-old, sits your daughter? I also see the trend of rogue sellerrs having tens of accounts, leaving badly scored accounts to ‘cool-off’ during the 12 months while operating others, and reoperate the accounts in 12 months, vice versa. Buyers will ahve absolutely no idea that they are dealing 100% +ve rogue sellers, nothwithstanding there are limited monitoring by eBay which I know is very unreliable.
Re buying: With the already-meaningless buyer account, where each can be set up in 5 mins without ANY identification in many eBay sites depending on countires, the new policies mean that there will be more rogue buyers using these new ’0′ feedback accounts as ‘Kamikaze accounts’, leaving bad comments and -ves for sellers they want to get rid of for their revenge on a deal they were not ahppy about. It is suicidal, the account gets suspended who cares – another will be up and running in 5 mins. Yes Sellers can limit buyers, but where does it stop..? Limitation can affect turnover drastically. Moreover, a high feedback buyer can have an army of rogue buyer accounts behind him. He does not need to temper with his ‘polished’ account. So all PSs, I guess you can see the total collapse of the feedback system, can you not?
Sorry to sound pessimistic and evil, but I think know eBay long anough as a PS… Let alone those who is sceptical about all these possibilities these are happening every second on eBay. All I can say is, I think eBay is trying to fix something that is not broken… more blatantly, I think it is more of a resouce decision in eBay. Do you not notice that many decisions can reduce human input in those departments, namely dispute reslutions, which is extremely costly and time consuming.
Good Luck all eBayer, buying or selling, just be vigilent!