eBay claims that most of the changes it has made in 2008 are being made to help eBay buyers. It is true that many of the changes will help eBay buyers get better prices and perhaps also avoid fraud more easily. However, the changes will also have unintended consequences for both doll buyers and doll sellers on eBay that may not all be positive. Here, I’ll focus on six of the eBay changes that I believe
Changes To Feedback
Since June 1008, eBay sellers can no longer leave negative feedback for eBay buyers. It doesn’t matter what an eBay buyer does—they can use someone else’s credit card without authorization, defraud a buyer out of money, never pay a seller after a purchase, badger the seller for special treatment, etc. Additionally, an eBay buyer can leave a seller a negative feedback for any reason at all…even for a false or unjustified reason, and the seller cannot respond. Fortunately, the vast majority of eBay buyers are honest and do not abuse this power that eBay has given them. Unfortunately, there is a tiny percentage of buyers who have abused this privilege and have ruined the reputation of good sellers.
eBay claims that they have had to do this because of the small percentage of sellers who abused the feedback system and left buyers retaliatory negatives even when they (the sellers) deserved the negative feedback. This made buyers as a whole unwilling to leave justified negative feedbacks and therefore undermined the entire feedback system, in eBay’s eyes. Of course, sellers were also not likely to leave justified negative feedbacks for the very same reason. In any event, the new rule is, no negatives (or neutrals) for buyers, no matter what.
As a doll buyer or seller, what this means is that you have to really “read between the lines” on feedback now. When a seller you wish to purchase from gets a negative, you should try to put in the perspective of their other feedback. When you are a seller and someone is bidding on an expensive item, you might want to check the feedback left by the buyer—do they have a record of unwarranted or numerous negatives left for eBay sellers? If so, you might want to cancel their bid and put the buyer on your blocked buyer list.
Checks and Money Orders Will Not Be Accepted
As of January 1, 2008, the only forms of payment that will be allowed on eBay will be PayPal, ProPay and merchant credit cards (only those which allow online electronic processing).This is a huge change for doll buyers and sellers. Many doll buyers prefer to pay via money orders or personal checks. Personal checks are especially prevalent for high-value items such as antique or artist dolls that can cost several thousand dollars. Additionally, some older doll buyers refuse to use any types of electronic payment system. For sellers, checks and money orders do not carry the PayPal fee, which adds to the already high percentage (as high as 12%) sellers must pay eBay for a sale. Also, for doll sellers selling a few dolls out of their personal collection on eBay, they will have no choice but to use PayPal for those payments (no one uses ProPay—with their monthly subscription fees, they are even more expensive than PayPal).
The DSR System: Unfair to Sellers?
The new DSR (“detailed seller rating”) has buyers rating sellers on a 5-star system for Item Description, Communication, Shipping Time and Shipping and Handling Cost. It has just been announced by eBay that if a seller has under a 4.3 rating in any one of these four categories within a 30-day period, they will not be allowed to sell on eBay. Doll buyers may be shocked to learn this, as I know many that are extremely pleased with their eBay transactions and that rate their sellers with 4-stars across the board. And, why shouldn’t they—eBay describes 4 stars to the buyer’s as follows: 4 stars for Description means ‘accurate” description. 4 stars for Communication means “satisfied.” 4 stars for how quickly the item is shipped means “quickly” and 4 stars for Shipping and Handling charges means ‘reasonable.” So, given the very description eBay gives buyers for 4 star DSRs it may come as a shock to buyers that by leaving those 4 stars for a favorite seller, they are actually rating the seller BELOW the level that can get that favorite seller actually banned from selling on eBay. As a doll buyer, until this system is fixed by eBay, if you truly are pleased with your transaction it seems that 5-star DSR ratings are your only option.
Increases in Fees: Increases in Doll Prices?
Although front-end listing fees for fixed-price items are being reduced by eBay, back-end fees after a sale is made will be going up considerably—for instance, an eBay seller will pay a $6 fee for the sale of a $50 doll on eBay after September 16th. This may lead to price increases for dolls on eBay, depending on the sell-through rate for fixed priced items after the change is made.
