My beef with ebay's detailed seller ratings
erewhon
1,123 Posts
I was skeptical from the start, but it's really starting to piss me off. I have straight 4.8s for "Item as Described", "Communication", and "Shipping Time", but my "Shipping and Handling Charges" is a 4.4, which, to me, seems just low enough to get people's attention and possibly discourage them if they are on the fence. First of all, the whole idea of rating the shipping and handling charges seems unnecessary and unfair when those charges are already clearly posted for all to see before you bid on the item. Why add that element of customer subjectivity after the sale has been made when you have a perfectly objective shipping amount staring you in the face before you bid? Why not add a rating for how reasonable the listing price is while your at it?The real kicker, though, is that I see sellers with the same or better ratings charging more for shipping than I am! I offer $4.00 for media and $6.00 for Priority, which is hardly outrageous. Madmosaic charges the same, but has a 4.8 rating. Moreover, international rate starts at $12, whereas mine starts at $10. I've also found numerous sellers charging as much as $7 and still getting better ratings than me. WTF? I have a 100% overall seller rating, but now I've got this new arbitrary rating undercutting it. Shit's weak. Rant over.
Comments
how can you charge $10 on international...do you not use USPS? because a single lp going to Europe is like $10.40 now, which means you lose money. since USPS recently raised their rates i've had to raise mine, i keep losing money, especially on international packages with multiple lps.
as a seller: i haven't sold anything yet through this new system.
I see guys with cheaper rates and I guess they are comfortable losing money, but it seems that no matter WHAT you charge the customers do not rate it highly. Across the board this is the lowest rating for any seller I know.
This obviously has something to do with the new shipping rates but it also seems that buyers get really pissed if they paid $8 for a package and see a $6.50 tag on their parcel.
I haven't used ebay in a long time... so do these detailed seller's ratings replace the overall user score -- i.e. do you no longer have a 100% rating, but all these subset ratings instead? How long has this been in effect, and does it seem to have impacted your sales?
your profit includes the cost of doing business. shit like "handling" is integrated into that, not separate.
I never include paypal fees or ebay fees. Paypal payments always state "includes any sellers handling fees" next to shipping. I assumed that was pretty much understood.
Why would I lose money on shipping?
Can you show me where this is stated anywhere on ebay? Ebay allows for handling fees.
That sounds like your own personal creed, Frank.
It is. This so called "handling" is a slippery slope. It's a better look to factor those costs into your actual prices vs slipping them in later via handling. That's all I'm sayin. But yeah, it reminds me of cab drivers throwing on a couple of dollars at the end for "gas".
Is there any way to see these actual individual ratings so you know who gave you a 4.4 and why????
You want to talk about costs?
I factor in tens of thousands of dollars a month in expenses. I don't see a dime until I've sold about $15,000 worth of records each month. Most ebay dudes (including you) sell out of their homes. That's not a dig at you but then again, it's real easy to say "factor it into your actual prices" when it's your hobby that you do on the weekends and you draw your salary somewhere else. I spend easily $3-500 a month on shipping supplies and my "profit" goes right back into the business.
Unlike cabbies, however, I don't think I've ever gotten a tip for selling a record.
I would hope that buyers wouldn't mind paying a buck or two extra for sturdy, dependable shipping materials.
you sound handled.
seriously. i'm WAY more of a buyer than seller. maybe 80/20. so my opionion represents your constituency rather than some type of unfair competetion.
It's like this - sometimes I charge $13 and it costs $15. Sometimes I charge $8 and it costs $8.50. Sometimes its $5.75. It all comes out in the wash.
I feel much more like what Obscure Addict said, it doesn't matter if it comes out under, dudes are still unsatisfied.
And of course losing $2 on shipping means a lot more when you are shipping out 15 packages a week. that's $120 a month that you're eating.
Again, maybe I'm just looking at this from a business, bottom-line perspective which is how I think. I am not selling off the occasional reject or mistake from my collection but treating it as a function of my business.
My mistake- my international rate started at $10 before the rate increase and for about a dozen auctions after the increase, but now it starts at $11. I'm still losing a a few pennies after the cost of the packaging, and am planning to up it to $12, but those lower rates were the ones in effect while I was getting my dismal 4.4.
The one major change I have implemented as of my most recent listings is having my $4 media mail rate appear in the listing before the $6 priority rate. I never wanted to do that originally because I didn't want to give the wrong impression that it is my preferred shipping method. With my 4.4 rating, though, I figured maybe enough people are reacting against seeing that higher $6 figure when they scroll through my items. That was the only thing I noticed Madmosaic and I did differently, at least, when I did my comparison. As a buyer I always choose the cheaper shipping, but as a seller I want to recommend the shipping method I know is more reliable because, even though the customer should have known better in choosing the cheaper method, I'm still gonna hear about it from some folks if they have to wait two weeks for their package. I would much rather offer the quicker, more reliable service first and have the cheapskates (myself included) opt into the riskier proposition. We'll see how the new way works out, though...
This came into effect at about the same time as the postal increase. It doesn't replace the overall score. It just provides a more detailed breakdown. Like I said- my overall is still 100% and that definately counts for more, I think, than the more detailed rating. It's also an anonymous average of all feedback received, which can be frustrating because you can't attach a single instance of unusually negative feedback with a specific transaction or customer. I can't say whether or not it has effected my sales at all. I kind of doubt it, honestly, but it is a blemish on my record that I'd rather not have.
I think it's unavoidable. I don't even fault the customers, though. I'm mad at ebay for giving them too much say in too arbitrary a fashion.
Realistically though, how many buyers will be put off by a 4.4 rating???? I think it's when you're dipping under 4 that you'll start to see a negative affect.
Exactly. the star system is lame, but it's not going to have any affect on sellers on the up and up. This is like complaining that you got an A- on your test. I think it will out the people who take 3 weeks to ship though. Which is good.
I don't really take issue with the other rating categories, but rating the shipping charge really seems unnecessary and unjustly punitive.
I worry about 1/2 a star because we are talking about a feedback system where 3 percentage points makes a huge difference.
Honestly there are some real nutjobs out there but a lot of regular dealers are getting penalized.
Don't get me wrong, I think the new system is bullshit and eBay seems to always go out of their way to help the neurotic, but I do have faith that most reasonable buyers understand that 4.5 stars under shipping cost is no reason to blacklist a seller. Especially when they can read what you charge before bidding. I think it will ultimately hurt the lazy and the careless most.
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The feedback system as it was didn't reflect reality really. Negative feedback is a last resort so you can pull off a lot before you accumulate more than a few. I know I have neglegted to give negative a few times the last months because I don't need the negative in response.
It's simple. If a seller charges more than $15 (international) on a normal record package, I give 4 stars. If, moreover, it's poorly packed (overused mailer (if any), no plastic sleeve, record inside cover etc) I'll give three.
Also, if the package takes weeks and there has been no contact or reply to inquiry whatsoever, I'm inclined to give three stars on "communication."
Come on, it's still three out of five.
This would be great.
I mean honestly, I rarely look at feedback unless I'm bidding on an item above $50, and even then I feel like you can get a vibe from how a seller's listing appears, if it's professional, etc. IMO eBay feedback is really just to ensure that a seller isn't being a total dick - it really doesn't tell me much else because I don't really trust the opinions of most people out there buying records.
What would be much more helpful instead of these new categories would be simply more characters to use in the comments section - words work better than grading scales.