Just a monthly summary of “You were marked down twice for quality and once for damaged” or similar would at least be useful to know.

But, if ebay have a system in place (even partly) it could be rolled out easily & most importantly the seller should be sent a copy at least of the answers, then at least they could act on them.

Would it surprise you to know that eBay do ask questions if you leave a one star, at least for description?

PERHAPS EBAY Should adopt a question & answer thngy, when a buyer attempts to leave a 1 – 2 rating.

DESCRIPTION; Q; PLEASE TELL US WHAT IS WRONG IN THE LISTING?.

COMMUNICATION; Q; PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE SELLERS COMMS?.

DISPATCH TIME; ‘fact’ All business (BIN’s)listings have to have a Dispatch time, which the seller has agreed & is held to in the sale email & by ebay. If the buyer has marked the item sent & it is within the time scale allowed, the buyer cannot down rate the seller to a 1-2 without full comment to reasons.

P&P CHARGES; ‘Fact’ ALL listings have P&P charges + additional items set out clearly. ALL buyers have a choice not to buy From a CERTAIN SELLER, the buyer cannot down rate the seller to a 1-2 without full comment to reasons.

1st, this type of system would stop alot of the petty marking, ie: just had a tiff with the missus so someone has to get it in the neck.

2nd, As generally 1-2s are minimum against 3-5s the system would not take alot of space or time to set up.

3rd, AND PROBALY THE MOST IMPORTANT, If a buyer genuinely feels aggrived & fills in the questions, that answer sheet should be sent to the seller so at least they can either act on it/see what is wrong.

The BUYERS ID is likely to remain incognito, & as ebay state buyers can sometime leave feedback weeks/months later their ID is safe EVEN IF THEY ARE COWARDS FOR HIDING BEHIND DSRs & NOT CONTACTING THE SELLER IN THE 1ST Place. PLACE.

The DSR system is so open to manipulation & abuse by both buyers & other sellers(competitors??), ebay should act now on this, as come Jan’ 1st, none qaulifying TRSs sellers will start to loose £000′s each month in PS discounts, beyond loosing business & customers.

My thought anyway.

I also just wanted to add to my note that i left yesterday that as a former Top-seller on eBay, i do think DSRs are generally fair, sellers ‘generally’ get what they deserve and customers should be encouraged to be honest and fair at all times.

As a sole trader on eBay I simply need access to realtime detailed information to address any mishaps when im selling, who left the low DSR and why, i think the whole process should go to a dispute system if eBay will not reveal the buyer details. I do not think that a negative dsr (1 or 2′s) left by a buyer should go unchallenged or arbitrated between the seller and buyer. This is surely the best way for fair online trading, give both the buyer and seller a chance to sort any issue out if communication breaks down.

If eBay are to see a low DSR for any reason as a negative against a seller, then this arbitration must be in place to fairly protect the discounts or status of the seller. Of course if a genuine c%*& up has been made by a seller then fairplay, mistakes happen in business as in life, sellers are humans not perfected auto e-robots, no high street store is either.

Arbitration also gives the seller something to work on to improve, there is nothing to gain by not learning from any feedback or having any unhappy customer.. Likewise, If a buyer is placing impossible demands or has unrealistic expectations on a seller then they should be dealt with in the same process. Its also very open to pathetic tit for tat public attacks of inter-seller abuse…

If the process for arbitration on low dsr’s / negatives is not in place then i really cant see how eBay expects any seller to really improve seller performance effectively. As a business seller on eBay i want to have the opportunity to know why, when, who and what to do about it.

If eBay are serious about supporting sellers of all shapes and sizes then they need to provide the tools for the job, not base seller performance on lob sided flimsy dead end measures that do not carry any facts or allow for recent events or real issues. Let alone ones that permit no remedial action. I would rather have a happy customer than an unhappy one..

Low DSRs need to be 100% transparent and enabled for detailed investigation so that a resolution between a buyer / seller can always be made or at least attempted.

Ebay acknowledge in a letter to royal mail http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200910.shtml#2009-10-08133018 on the 7th of october.
Regional postal strikes have been ongoing for months, look on the cwu website, you can find regional strikes going back to July relating to pay and conditions.. eBay are slow to react as ever, they are falling short of providing a current marketplace. I think in retrospect this measure should have been removed on the same day as this announcement. I get the impression that this was nothing more than a half hearted PR attempt, a lightweight gesture for ebays sellers?? A bit like the governments involvement in the postal dispute..

one way or another eBay needs to address the DSR system now to give sellers and buyers confidence for buying or selling in their marketplace especially with the current postal situation, the financial climate and christmas peaks. It needs to adapt in real time to support a shrinking economy not make it worse with a flakey system…

well thats what i think, but im only a business systems analyst ( possibly available for consultancy work after christmas) …

I can’t help thinking My Herpes or My Hemroids

(I would like to point out that I have never suffered from herpes)