Proof that eBay is not a level playing field

[glasser]

One core foundational concept of eBay is that it was started with the idea that it was a level playing field.  Big time or small seller you competed equally.  We are so far from that folks and here's something I just noticed.

I was looking for a small TV for the kitchen and searched for a 24" TV and what comes up first but BestBuy. Ok I could understand that a bit. However, looking at the listing BB gets to do thing we never could

Note: BB's Feedback score is not visible on the page. You need to hover over the logo to get FB score (97.6% btw, which is not so hot. in days of yore, you got kicked off below 98%). 

Further note: they only offer 14 day returns and buyer pays shipping.  I am always pinged by eBay when I put in 14 day returns (still allowed in some categories) in a category not allowed. I would think these two factors would impact search performance. 

This makes me wonder whether in fact BB has been able to negotiate lower FVF, more free listings, etc.

Yes they 700K transactions but they shd be held to same standard as everyone else.

[reallynicestamps]

EBay is not a level playing field.

I get perks for being a Top Rated Seller.

And since I am not a US seller, my Global TRS is easier to get than a US seller would get.

And I get discounts on shipping. If I sold more and used more shipping labels I would get more perks.

And my Store subscription not only gives me lower FVF, but also coupons for branded shipping supplies.

So yeah.

Best Buy is worth having as a customer to eBay and they get treatment based on that.

[chapeau-noir]

I think the feedback issue is a temporary glitch due to back-end work - mine comes and goes.  IAC, it has been a long LONG time since eBay has been what eBay was in 2000 - the drive to get big brands and stores on here started back in Whitman's day.  Also, I'm still stumbling on a 24" TV being 'small' (but I don't even own a TV so I'm out of the loop).

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

No, ebay is not a "level playing field." I've been here since the early days, and the fact that ebay is not a level playing field is neither news to me nor do I frankly care much one way or the other. Even if ebay were somehow a "level playing field", ecommerce is not, and we all compete within the world of ecommerce (and commerce generally). Competition is a basic element of capitalism, and that competition rarely plays out on a level playing field. 

[rockmafia5]

Same with LKQ and car parts.  You don't see their feedback at all unless you wade into their store to find their  95% feedback.  They also have some kind of deal with ebay where they can sell all kinds of airbags that no one else can even list because the came out of cars on the recall list.

http://www.ebaystores.com/LKQonline

[m60driver]

A level playing field is a bold myth that ranks right up there with the even bolder myth of a free market.

[tdumonde2014]

Sell 500,000 items and the field will be "Leveled" for you.

[kensgiftshop]

---

@glasser wrote:

Note: BB's Feedback score is not visible on the page. You need to hover over the logo to get FB score (97.6% btw, which is not so hot. in days of yore, you got kicked off below 98%). 

---

I've seen a few of the larger sellers feedback like that.

I don't know if they do it to hide their bad feedback score or what the reason is.

[reallynicestamps]

Optimistically, a low FB rating may be because the more you sell, the more you are likely to have the "cannot be pleased" customer. The "I want to speak to your manager" haircut.

When we read negative and neutral FB, we have to look for patterns.

• Poor communication (meh)
• Item Not Received (customer doesn't know how to use Resolution Centre)
• slow shipping/delivery (seller's responsibility but not necessarily his fault)
• poor quality goods (important)
• sent wrong item (important)
• refused refund (could be problem or not).

Reading a seller's FB for false positives is harder, but there is good reason why insulted sellers are told not to leave Responses to negs.

[glasser]

@m60driver 

No myth at all. In days of yore, the field was level if not slightly tipped to the smaller seller. Bid brands were totally confused by eBay when it started. They had no idea how to make things work they way smaller, creative sellers did.  Later, eBay caved into bigger sellers that wanted something in exchange for being a big seller. And since the search algorithms were more pure. You could stand side-by-side with a big seller and win. Small sellers were more efficient.

And as for the feedback at 95%. That's like 35K negatives on 700K overall. Probably a fair representation of the buying experience at BB brick and mortar location. Given how hard some sellers work to maintain 100% feedback, this dilutes FB for everyone. BB already has the brand advantage so trust is likley part of the consumer evaluation of them as a seller.

I am not pining for the good old days. But too many don't know the eBay origin story and Pierre's ideas that led to eBay success. Remember back then most people said you can't make money on the internet and eBay was the innovator and disrupter that proved the naysayers wrong.

[chapeau-noir]

Well, it's several generations back in ecommerce years (kind of like dog years, only it goes at the speed of light).  When eBay filed for IPO it was pretty clear which way this was going to go, the same way an IPO always goes, which isn't in favour of a 'level playing field.'  

[dhbookds]

Remember feedback is based on those that leave feedback......... so you're seeing about 50% of the total sales of any seller (based on what sellers here report).  Since one would assume unhappy buyers are more likely to leave feedback than satisfied buyers........that would skew the % .........which I'm sure is the reason Ebay doesn't pay any attention to feedback #'s anymore...........and probably the reason they don't show it on large accounts.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@chapeau-noir  And Amazon started as an online book store. etsy started as a site for handmade, with the only manufactured goods being vintage (20 +years old) or craft supplies. I remember in the early days, a seller was given the boot over the holidays because , to meet the holiday rush for handknitted mittens (I think that's what she was making) her mother helped her. Nope, handmade by the seller meant handmade by the SELLER, not her mom. 

Bezos, of course, was never going to stop with books, and never intended to. And I predicted early on that eventually etsy would want to "scale" the business, and that just wasn't going to happen with the ONLY handmade rule, so they would drop that rule at some point. Which they did.

None of this is meant as criticism. It's just the nature of business. We all live in a world of competition, and we need to adapt to the realities of the marketplace if we hope to succeed, just as ebay and the other marketplace sites themselves have to adapt to the realities of the overall marketplace. 

[coolections]

People do not get kicked off for having a score of 98 %. Also best buy has just as much right as you do to sell on Ebay.

[yuzuha]

---

@reallynicestamps wrote:

Optimistically, a low FB rating may be because the more you sell, the more you are likely to have the "cannot be pleased" custom 

---

Electronics especially are bad for that because let's face it, customers are stupid. They buy something that's incompatible with the thing they want to use it with, they buy the wrong model, they think the item is bad because they can't figure out how to set it up, etc.