eBay's INAD Seller Metric HAS TO GO!!!!

[mr_lincoln]

The INAD metric HAS TO GO, it is subjective and relies on the honesty or dishonesty of the Buyer and since every return does not come with the Buyer's Lie Detector test results on their reason for the return NOBODY knows the truth.  Who in their right mind would grade one party on the subjective reason from another party?  Who?

And forget all those magic peer group comparison formulas eBay's brain trust has created ... they are just as subjective since their data relies on the same Buyers processing returns ...

I have read a number of threads from Sellers who have dropped in their Status and some to the point where they are being charged the extra FVF % ... the latest one (just yesterday) that triggered my desire to post this thread was an automotive parts Sellers, HUGE Seller, who is now paying the extra FVFs and not happy with it ... NOR SHOULD THEY BE.  This has got to be one of THE most unfair ways to grade Sellers.

[aldente28]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

In general (not just SNAD), I thought this article on Amazon's SFP (Seller Fulfilled Prime) that I read today to be interesting, and shows how difficult it is for 3rd party sellers to fulfill a ridiculous turn-around time.  This basically is what eBay really wants from us, but the structure of this site makes this impossible, and we don't have the infrastructure.

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Maybe if there was some reward (rather than just punishment) for the behavior ebay wants, there would be better compliance.

If there is a reward, I don't see or experience it. With my same-day shipping, 100% on time, 100% tracking uploaded, 100% positive feedback, all I feel is the sting of punishment for "Very High" INR seller metrics, and for the mere act of a customer opening any other inquiry (like NAD).

Ebay's mode appears to be compliance through punishment. Give customers what we want them to have or face negative consequences.

This is a race to the bottom. It creates a situation where there will be more and more bad actors needing more and more negative reinforcement to refrain from acting badly, as bad actors do, and fewer and fewer good actors, who are put off/pushed away by the constant drumbeat of punishment.

I keep hoping for the best. But I've been dealing with a related issue for a while now, and no help has come. I want ebay to fix these issues, but I am frustrated by what seems to be a lack of progress.

[aldente28]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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@3rdandwestervelt wrote:

I agree.  Sales are tough to begin with.  Almost all of my returns are remorse returns but they are opened incorrectly stating and for something like it not fitting or for things that are clearly stated.   It does feel like a gut punch and the thing that is really frustrating is that the actual service at eBay is so lacking.  They never meet the standard they expect of sellers.  I’ve started to move product to a different site and am having some luck.  I’ve been selling on eBay for well over a decade,  but it’s just impossible to do these days .  

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You touched on a good point, eBay not hitting standards they expect Sellers to hold to ... I want to quote from another member's post on another thread, " Sellers ARE eBay!".  We're not children, we're business people on all different levels ... we can make sensible decisions but to be held accountable for someone else's honesty or lack there of just takes the cake ...

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If ebay created a system of reward for good sellers who do the things ebay wants sellers to do, I suspect they might find a very large group of sellers (people) who are on their side.

[gwzcomps]

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@aldente28 wrote:

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

In general (not just SNAD), I thought this article on Amazon's SFP (Seller Fulfilled Prime) that I read today to be interesting, and shows how difficult it is for 3rd party sellers to fulfill a ridiculous turn-around time.  This basically is what eBay really wants from us, but the structure of this site makes this impossible, and we don't have the infrastructure.

---

Maybe if there was some reward (rather than just punishment) for the behavior ebay wants, there would be better compliance.

If there is a reward, I don't see or experience it. With my same-day shipping, 100% on time, 100% tracking uploaded, 100% positive feedback, all I feel is the sting of punishment for "Very High" INR seller metrics, and for the mere act of a customer opening any other inquiry (like NAD).

Ebay's mode appears to be compliance through punishment. Give customers what we want them to have or face negative consequences.

This is a race to the bottom. It creates a situation where there will be more and more bad actors needing more and more negative reinforcement to refrain from acting badly, as bad actors do, and fewer and fewer good actors, who are put off/pushed away by the constant drumbeat of punishment.

I keep hoping for the best. But I've been dealing with a related issue for a while now, and no help has come. I want ebay to fix these issues, but I am frustrated by what seems to be a lack of progress.

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Alternatively I wonder what happens if a seller chooses to go the 💩💩ty route and just says F the metrics?  Take the 5% hit in fees and build it into your item price.  The TRS protections aren't worth that much.  Feedback is of questionable value.  I wonder if a seller could make more money by being the worst seller?

That might be my goal if I ever go below standard.  I could pump out 900% more inventory if I don't test or clean anything.

[mr_lincoln]

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@aldente28 wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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@3rdandwestervelt wrote:

I agree.  Sales are tough to begin with.  Almost all of my returns are remorse returns but they are opened incorrectly stating and for something like it not fitting or for things that are clearly stated.   It does feel like a gut punch and the thing that is really frustrating is that the actual service at eBay is so lacking.  They never meet the standard they expect of sellers.  I’ve started to move product to a different site and am having some luck.  I’ve been selling on eBay for well over a decade,  but it’s just impossible to do these days .  

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You touched on a good point, eBay not hitting standards they expect Sellers to hold to ... I want to quote from another member's post on another thread, " Sellers ARE eBay!".  We're not children, we're business people on all different levels ... we can make sensible decisions but to be held accountable for someone else's honesty or lack there of just takes the cake ...

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If ebay created a system of reward for good sellers who do the things ebay wants sellers to do, I suspect they might find a very large group of sellers (people) who are on their side.

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You know, this is a REALLY good point ... given good incentives PLUS having reasonable NON-subjective metrics eBay might be pleasantly surprised by the results ...

[aldente28]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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know, this is a REALLY good point ... given good incentives PLUS having reasonable NON-subjective metrics eBay might be pleasantly surprised by the results ...

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I had a bit of an epiphany that I expressed on another thread, but it started here (and other places).

And this epiphany is that while sellers have been pushed to the side as selling platforms (like ebay) cater more and more to buyers in their competition to attract and keep them, the same pressures that created competition for buyers is forming (or has formed) for sellers.

But not all sellers - Good Sellers. Sellers are infinite, as there will always be an infinite loop of short-term profiteer sellers moving in and out of the market. However, Good Sellers are not infinite. In fact, there are fewer Good Sellers than buyers. Good sellers are, in fact, scarce.

Therefore, good sellers are where selling platforms like ebay will capture market share from their competitors. Good sellers are where marginal gains will occur, and this will have major impacts on the selling platforms that capitalize on it.

And capitalizing on it means getting there first. You listening, ebay? This is how you distinguish yourself from your competition. You attract and maintain sellers who are intrinsically motivated to do good. The bad sellers who need you to whip them in shape with punishment - they are secondary. They will always be here no matter what you do, as they will always be on every platform.

Good sellers - that's how you distinguish yourselves. That's how every platform will distinguish themselves, in whole or in part.

[burns4thewin]

Some people only sell on one venue because they also have FT actual paid jobs etc etc and only have the emotional energy to keep track of one venue.

[burns4thewin]

Not going to happen. The entire ebay corporate structure itself appears to be built on rewards for bad performance (ie those golden parachutes and bonuses) and the concept of reward rather than punishment to incentivise good behavior seems to be beyond them.

Look what happens to ebay employees who actually do go above and beyond to do their jobs (the seller protection team from years ago comes to mind), their "reward" is to be removed from those positions (or have the positions evaporate).

[chapeau-noir]

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@burns4thewin wrote:

Some people only sell on one venue because they also have FT actual paid jobs etc etc and only have the emotional energy to keep track of one venue.

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Dunno - I worked two jobs for years and sold on more than one site the entire time, so I guess I never saw the problem.  The energy needed to expand is minimal - I expect it's more the 'unknown' aspect and what actually people are selling (some markets still really are best selling here - as I say, more specialist stuff). But I've never sold just for fun so I've been pretty motivated to hustle so there may be that, too.