A better eBay Feedback Workflow Proposal

[0np0intparts]

I am proposing this workflow to promote small businesses that care, and support eBays selling community.  This workflow should increase the opportunity to build relationships through resolution and reduce the opportunity for emotional decisions to have a great impact on eBay seller’s performance.  This workflow will stimulate the seller and buyer to positively explore solutions, encourage buyers to give the seller an opportunity to make it right, and, bolster the eBay buying experience and community.

1. Buyer receives item and is displeased and initially decides to leave a neutral or negative feedback.
   1. Buyer selects reason for dissatisfaction from a drop-down menu.
      1.      Wrong item ordered
      2.      Item arrived damaged

•      Item not as described

1.      Item doesn’t work/fit

1. Buyer has opportunity to upload picture(s) and describe issue(s) in order to provide seller information regarding their dissatisfaction with the goods and/or services provided.

1. Buyers feedback is immediately placed on hold.
2. Seller is immediately notified of buyer’s dissatisfaction and intent of feedback.
   1. Seller has three business days to address the buyers concerns and feedback intent.
      1.      If the buyers feedback intent is not addressed in a professional manner (see eBays policies) the neutral or negative feedback is posted to the sellers account.
      2.      Seller addresses the feedback with the buyer by exploring seller solutions as offered in the original listing.
         1. Exchange
         2. Free return
         3. Refund
         4. Buyer pays for return
      3. Buyer has three business days to respond to the solutions provided by the seller.
         1. If buyer does not respond in a professional manner (see eBays policies) regarding the solutions the feedback intent is disregarded.
         2. If the buyer responds in an unprofessional manner (see eBays policies) or refuses to explore the seller solutions as offered in the original listing, the feedback intent is disregarded, and the buyer receives a negative feedback.
         3. If the buyer ignores the sellers attempts to reach out or ignores the seller solutions as offered in the original listing, the buyers feedback intent is disregarded, and the buyer receives a neutral feedback.
         4. If the buyer is working through the seller solutions as offered in the original listing and a resolution is made the feedback posted to the sellers account is neutral.
            1.      The negative feedback turns to neutral.
            2.      Neutral feedback is posted as-is.
         5. If the seller finds a solution that is above and beyond the seller solutions as offered in the original listing and the buyer agrees to that solution, the seller receives a positive feedback.

If the seller provides a solution and the buyer accepts, both parties have found common ground and the feedback should be left as neutral.  This demonstrates the seller is, at least, willing to work through customers issues.  It is my opinion negative feedback is a necessary part of online buying and selling and critical to assessing a buyers and seller’s performance.  It is also my opinion that negative feedback should be used in situations where customers concerns were not addressed in a professional manner or no resolution(s) were offered or explored.  This new workflow forces the opportunity to work through a solution and provides a win-win-win scenario.

1. The customer wins as they will have resolution to their concern.
2. The seller wins as they have the opportunity to make it right before the feedback has a negative impact on their seller performance.
3. eBay wins by providing a buying and selling community that promotes a solution-based workflow that benefits everyone.

After all the buyer purchased the item understanding, committing, and agreeing with seller solutions as offered in the original listing to begin with and the seller should have the chance to correct any issues before their store performance is negatively impacted as part of that understanding, commitment, and agreement.

[motivatedauto]

Yes! This needs to happen on eBay. I hope eBay takes this into consideration.

[salvageparts631]

This is such a great idea. I have been selling on ebay since 2001 and this has not been addressed at all since then. All too often, buyers will drop a neutral or negative feedback on the seller before giving the sellers an opportunity to make things right. 
giving sellers a heads up will most certainly keep them aware of their performance and also open options for them to explore with the buyers. Customer satisfaction is paramount in an ever increasingly competitive online marketplace such as ebay. This will also decrease the amount of phone calls needed to be made to ebay about situations and feedback revisions. If the sellers don’t comply, then they deserve the feedback they receive. 
it will also help with some of the fraudulent complaints and returns as well as the blackmailing threats of leaving a negative feedback. The system has been geared in favor of the buyers as long as I can remember. This would help level the playing field and give sellers the power to feel in control of how they are rated. Us sellers make a living from these sales and any and every neutral or negative feedback has a direct impact in both the sales and morale in the everyday setting. So please ebay, don’t bat an eye at this post. Truly take it into careful consideration. Thank you !!!!

[motivatedauto]

I agree. Most buying/selling platforms handle feedback like people handle road rage. This would really separate the eBay platform by providing a structured format for dissatisfied patrons to resolve the issues with sellers.

[gracieallen01]

Unless one were to look really good in dusky blue, one might be wise to not hold their breath.

There is nothing in it for ebay that is better or works faster than what they have now.  Three parties need to be willing to take the time to participate, just for starters.

(personal opinion - your mileage may vary)

[luckythewinner]

Your entire proposed flow assumes that a seller being "willing to worth with" the buyer magically prevents that transaction from being considered a negative experience for the buyer. 

I absolutely 100% disagree with that assumption.

I have "accepted" seller remedies for bad transactions, and those sellers were still lying sacks of garbage who deserved negatives.  

[femmefan1946]

Feedback is not used by eBay to assess a seller's account.

Frankly it would be better just to drop it entirely because almost no one leaves it and fewer read it and even fewer understand it.

My suggestion would be a Successful Transaction Rate for both buyers and sellers.

If I have 100 transactions as a seller with no Disputes (win or lose) I have a 100% STR.

If I have 100 transactions as a sellerwith five Disputes (win or lose) I have a 95% STR.

If I have 100 transactions as a seller with no Disputes (win or lose) I have a 100% STR.

If I have 100 transactions as a buyer with five Disputes (win or lose) I have a 95% STR.

And my STR would be expressed as eg Selling 100%/Buying95%.

This would flag constant complainers as well as sellers who lose their tempers. 

It's not great, but I think it is better than the current FB, which is a relic of the 20th century internet.

[18704d]

It sounds to me like your procedure is in contrast to eBay's Money Back Guarantee.

If a Not As Described item is received by a buyer, your rules seem to say...

(among others) that the seller can select Buyer Pays Return Shipping.

If the buyer ignores the sellers attempts to reach out or ignores the seller solutions as offered in the original listing, the buyers feedback intent is disregarded, and the buyer receives a neutral feedback.

So .. if the seller's listing says something like "you are responsible for return shipping in all disputes"

then, a seller could get out of a Neg by buyers following the MBG .. AND

the BUYER would get a Neutral.

Right?

Or am I reading it wrong?

Thanks,

Lynn

[pburn]

I think this would be a good start on creating your own marketplace platform. I wouldn't use it because it's way too subjective, IMO, but maybe someone would.

As far as eBay being interested? You might want to take a gander at this:

Unsolicited idea submissions policy 

[vintagecraze50]

The sellers who would take advantage of buyers would become RAMPANT on here and HURT all of us. 

[pburn]

And where would you rather purchase something? Target, where you can return it by taking it to your local store's customer service counter and dropping it off? Or go through all the steps listed in that outline?

Um, let me think a minute . . . Oh, I know!

[japan-treazures]

@0np0intparts 

Although I do agree with you.

This is the community boards where you can seek help, advice or ask questions where experienced sellers/buyers volunteer and try to help. 

No eBay staff really read these boards. So if you are hoping that eBay staff will read this post this won't happen.

If you decide to send it to eBay. Here is part of what it states in their unsolited ideas policy.

What happens if I send a suggestion to eBay?

We appreciate your input, but we can't respond to suggestions that are sent to eBay. We might have been working on a similar idea internally already, and want to avoid any potential misunderstandings around ownership of the idea. If you do send us an idea, we won't be able to consider it as your property or as confidential information.

If you use my suggestion on eBay, will you pay me?

No. If you send us an unsolicited idea, we won't pay you for it, even if we use a similar idea on eBay.

Here is the link to the full policy:

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/unsolicited-idea-submissions-policy?id=4...

Hope this helps!

[0np0intparts]

Ebay's policies and seller's original listing options still stand when the buyer enters into the purchasing agreement of that listing. This just provides the seller the opportunity to explore all options to make it right and to address all concerns that the buyer might have before the feedback is permanently posted to their account.

[fern*wood]

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@0np0intparts wrote:

Ebay's policies and seller's original listing options still stand when the buyer enters into the purchasing agreement of that listing. This just provides the seller the opportunity to explore all options to make it right and to address all concerns that the buyer might have before the feedback is permanently posted to their account.

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What about sellers abiding by ebay policies?    I'm asking because you are suggesting a list of rules for buyers to follow, but I see problems with your listings when it comes to free returns, unless the rules are different under ebay motors.

Sellers can't ask buyers to jump through hoops with new rules if we aren't playing by already established rules.  I think Lynn touched upon some of those rules earlier.

[furrakooki_0]

No, that will NOT help.

Dropdown menus often do not include the one option that actually describes the issue.

That is frustrating to buyers, also this is merely an attempt to mitigate negative feedback by reducing the opportunity to make the process simple...

We all know the more complicated we make it, the less likely the buyer is to follow through.

Yes, I realize buyers of late have been leaving more negative feedback than usual but who cares, let them do that, soon it will be everyone has some negs and then all is same as before.