How can we support eBay to achieve a more reliable service for buyers?

[melto_62]

Dear eBay buyers

I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with unreliable purchases on eBay and would like to start a conversation that will support eBay to improve matters. Can eBay for example retain their reliable sellers, and dismiss those that prove unreliable?

Im becoming convinced that certain sellers are opperating dishonestly. There appears to be an increasing number of rogues now on the platform.

Many of us simply don't have time to leave reviews. Is there another way to have a more reliable experience with sellers. 

How can we help eBay? Something quicker and simpler is needed to support Good Sellers and ultimately eBay, so that rogue traders go elsewhere.

[tressygirl]

eBay's system was,  is,   and for the forseeable future will always be,   a matter of working on cases made against rogue sellers.

Cases made in number,  cases escalated, cause damaging defects, and it doesn't take many defects for eBay to remove a Private seller from their site permanently.

Reviews / feedback does not remove a bad seller,  as these can be left in error or even from competitors,  it's cases which are effective,  and buyers have 30 days to open these.

[plum993]

Ebay have many workable policies in place to deal with issues,and it's down to buyers and sellers to make use of them.

As you state you wish to start a conversation, then best you post of the ebay community discussion boards as that's exactly what ebay set up for,see this link to take you there,Discussion - UK eBay Community

You will get a far wider audience and space for responses,and ebay do look in.

[plpmr]

" would like to start a conversation" 

this board is for quick question/answer, so it would be best to post on the discussions boards.

[red_magpie]

Many of us simply don't have time to leave reviews.

There are multiple millions of sellers on eBay. eBay has procedures for weeding out the bad ones this takes time, but these can only be based on past performance.

By contrast, feedback is immediate. Prospective buyers can see how other buyers have rated their seller BEFORE they make a purchase. That's why feedback is and always has been at the heart of supporting good sellers and showing up bad ones on eBay.

Since joining eBay seven years ago you've received 777 feedbacks from sellers, but have only left seven yourself, and these were over a year ago. That's 770 transactions for which you have left no information to help other buyers. If you really want to make eBay a safer place for buyers, do please start by sparing the few seconds it takes to leave feedback.  

[kh-adrian]

Thank you for posting on the eBay Community.

This board is a space for members to ask our community mentors direct questions in regard to eBay. We welcome discussions of all things eBay on our discussion boards here. As this topic is more suited to the Seller Central discussion board we will be moving it across to that location.

Thank you for being a part of the community,
Adrian

[superchallenge]

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Many of us simply don't have time to leave reviews.

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What nonsense.

Leaving a review takes seconds, even if you only put "Excellent eBayer" or "Thanks" or something.

Seems a lot quicker to do that every now and again than sitting here brainstorming ways that people can help eBay to weed out "rogue" sellers. I imagine you'd probably leave it to everybody else to action the ideas anyway, given that your hectic schedule prevents you from clicking a couple of buttons to leave feedback for a seller.

[magpiecorner1]

I'm confused.

Was this originally listed elsewhere because 'Seller Central' is one of the drop down items under 'Discussion' which I would have guess makes it a discussion board?

[*vyolla*]

Yes, it was started in Member to Member Support and got moved to Seller Central.

[sagr2519]

Since the OP starts "Dear eBay buyers", shouldn't it be moved to a buying board?

[jefftopman]

I really cannot see any reason for not leaving positive for a seller who has communicated with you, posted quickly using a tracked delivery method and has supplied you the goods in great condition because they have spent time to pack the goods well. If we want to buy something off eBay that takes far more time than the 30 seconds it takes to leave feedback. No one is too busy to take 30 seconds or even less to make eBay a more pleasant platform to buy and sell. The feedback, you supply in future will assist other buyers in selecting the right seller. Your lack of any real feedback to sellers certainly does not help.

[the_book_seekers]

If ebay fails to act on cases opened and reports filed then there isn't anything we can do. Only ebay can clean up the site. 

[pillarboxred]

If you do not leave Feedback ("Thank you" is enough) sellers are undermined because buyers wonder why there is no feedback. It is a real problem. EBay doesn't need "support": it is not a charity and it is not a cult; it is a business so if you find you can shop elsewhere you owe no loyalty to eBay if you wish to leave. I think a lot of reliable sellers have left eBay because eBay buyers don't spend any money and sellers can make more money doing a car boot sale or antiques fair. Antiques fairs are coming back slowly after covid. Many of the venues are no longer available for antiques fairs so that is holding things up.

[pillarboxred]

I've stooped to reply to the OP but I think the post should be moved to the bin. I've never been disappointed by the items I have bought on eBay but I've READ the descriptions fully and read the sellers' feedback before bidding. Buying here is not like a quick scurry round Lidl and, if you treat it like that, you will be disappointed.

[pillarboxred]

777 purchases and 7 Feedback left? Mean spirited, entitled and blocked.

[theelench]

What can be more immediate than FB left by buyers?

I must have been remarkably lucky as a buyer as in ten years of buying I've had very few transactions that have been unreliable in any way and only in one case has the seller not sorted out the problem promptly, mostly amicably and with good grace.

The only exception a seller who was consistently misrepresenting coins as Proof, when they weren't.  Refused a refund when challenged, then tried to subtract 'handling charges'.  Opened a case, reported the seller and quickly got a full refund and shortly after the seller disappeared.  I can only think that ebay looked at the number of complaints and the amount of negative FB they had and barred them.

As has already been said ebay has the tools for buyers to bring unreliable sellers to their attention by opening cases and leaving FB.

So why is it that so few of my buyers leave FB, (probably less than half) ?

If more buyers would take a couple of minutes to do so, that in itself would speed-up the process of weeding out poor sellers.

IMO Ebay is complicated enough without introducing another seller monitoring system, no matter how quick when, if buyers just  what's there already consistently that would probably be the biggest improvement possible.

[papso22]

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@pillarboxred wrote:

777 purchases and 7 Feedback left? Mean spirited, entitled and blocked.

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It's worse than that, 803 feedbacks received as a buyer, 7 left.

[vintage-emporium-jedburgh]

On the contrary lots of good decent sellers are bring forced elsewhere due tio fees restrictions and  lack of support 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

must admit i only send feedback to buyers who leave me it ever since i left a positive feedback for a buyer who then returned the DVDs i sold him and claimed they were fake, which they were not. 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

the problem for low priced sellers is that car boots are even lower these days!  Most of my stuff is very low price but on our local car boot (which does get busy) you can be selling most stuff for 50p or a £1.  I have some nice quality clothes but at the car boot i would be selling for those figures, lucky if you can get £2-3 for any item.  The big difference is that it is all physical work as in packing, unpacking, packing and unpacking the car (after you have spent forever boxing the items up to get more in!)   Then we have the £7 fee, sometimes you are lucky to get that depending usually on the weather (another big variable).  I do like them however, i find most people are so friendly and they can inspect so no wasting time posting or getting returns.    Most of the stuff i have on e bay during winter will probably end up there this year.  The taxman to thank for that, will not be long before he gets there as well....