eBay UK recently announced a raft of changes to its site which will reward the sellers who provide the best customer service to the millions of buyers who use the site every week http://pages.ebay.co.uk/businesscentre/2008bsrl/overview.html
Changes to eBay’s Feedback system
What?
- From May, sellers will be unable to leave negative or neutral Feedback for buyers
- eBay will make it easier for sellers to report ‘bad’ buyers and will remove unfair Feedback left for sellers
Why?
- A small but significant number of sellers manipulate their Feedback ratings by threatening to leave unfair ‘retaliatory’ neutral or negative Feedback for buyers if the buyer is minded to leave them an honest negative comment about the purchase
Impact
- Buyers have greater confidence in leaving honest Feedback about the transaction without fear of retaliation and can have greater confidence when reviewing a sellers’ Feedback before buying off them
- Sellers who offer good customer service will stand out even more as bad sellers won’t be able to manipulate their ratings
How will sellers be protected from ‘bad’ buyers?
- eBay is introducing easier reporting procedures for sellers
- We will remove malicious buyer Feedback and remove from the site buyers reported to eBay, who regularly fail to pay
- An enhanced PayPal seller protection programme of up £3250
Changes to Selling Fees on eBay.co.uk
What?
- eBay fees are divided in two – an upfront Insertion Fee and a Final Value Fee due when an item sells
- From 20th February Insertion Fees will be reduced by up to 33%, balanced by higher Final Value Fees (on average from 5.25% to 7.25%) and discounts of up to 40% for professional, high volume sellers
Why?
- The changes will reduce the upfront risk when listing an item, so that the bulk of Fee payment is weighted towards only when an item sells
Impact
- The majority of business and volume sellers will see their overall fees decrease or stay the same
- The maximum overall fee reduction sellers will be up to 40%
- Casual sellers will enjoy up to 33% fee reductions to list an item and an overall average fee rise of two per cent if their item sells.
- The total sum of all fee changes announced by eBay in the UK will be revenue neutral
Quotes
“Good customer service from sellers keeps buyers coming back again and again, and these changes mean sellers who offer this will increasingly stand out from the crowd.”
“From May buyers will also be able to leave honest and accurate Feedback on their purchase without fear of reprisal, and will be able to choose who they buy from with even greater confidence that they’ll get the great service they expect.”