eBay to silence negative seller comments

7 February 2008

Auction site eBay is to stop sellers from leaving negative or neutral comments about buyers, in a move that appears to have riled many of the site's traders.

Since 1996, eBay's 'Feedback' mechanism, whereby both buyers and sellers are able to openly rate their transactions, has formed an integral way for its users to decide who to deal with. However, in a statement last week, eBay said that it would be updating the system "to reinforce healthy, vibrant trading and keep bringing buyers back to eBay."

Posting on the community discussion board, an eBay representative explained: "The system doesn't always work well and in some cases is actually stopping buyers from returning to shop on eBay; for example, when a poor seller avoids a deserved negative rating by threatening the buyer with an unfair retaliatory negative Feedback."

Instead, sellers will be expected to contact eBay with any difficulties, with eBay taking action against problem buyers as necessary.

However, many disgruntled eBay sellers have criticised the changes. Among several hundred posts on the subject on the Feedback discussion board, many appeal to eBay to scrap the proposed changes, which are due to take effect in May.

"You are removing the thing that makes you what you are," said one forum member. "The feedback system is more than just stars it is a deterrent to buyers and sellers. As soon as one side can't leave neg you remove the balance."

In a forum apparently dominated by sellers, just a few participants supported the changes. "I agree that honest sellers should have some sort of redress, but it's about time buyers felt free to tell the truth in their feedback," one commenter said.

Category: e-commerce, Social media