What one eBayer Got When Emailing eBay about New Feedback Policy

I thought I'd share the email (anonymously) one eBayer got when they complained via email to ebay about its new policy of sellers not being allowed to give negatives to buyers:

"Dear [name deleted],

Thank you for writing eBay in regard to your eBay account.

The current
feedback system will be changed to a new system in May. The
reasoning behind
these changes are:

1. Current system is not adequately achieving a
primary intent because
its transparency makes some members reluctant to hold
others
accountable. Buyers fear Retaliatory feedback!
2. Buyers who
receive negative feedback are more likely to leave the
site more then any
other reason. (Including Item not received or item
not described disputes).
We want to Retain Buyers to the site.
3. We will continue to evolve eBay's
public and Private feedback system
as Community makeup and marketplace
dynamics evolve.
4. 50% of Sellers have a 10% feedback, 80% of Sellers have
a 99.3% and
above. The old feedback system is not adequate to differentiate
Sellers.
Our primary objective with feedback is for Buyers to be able to

accurately assess Sellers.

Plus, nothing good comes from unfairly
criticizing a buyer publicly. And
frankly, I can?t think of another
successful ecommerce business or
retailer where the customer isn?t always
right (at least publicly).

If your buyer has failed to pay for an item,
you should file an Unpaid
Item (UPI) claim. If the buyer fails to respond to
the UPI report, then
any negative or neutral Feedback they have left for the
particular
transaction will be removed. If the buyer shows a pattern of such

behavior and is suspended for UPI, all negative or neutral Feedback they

left will be removed.

Sellers should only file a UPI claim when a
buyer did not pay. Filing
false UPI claims is a violation of eBay policy and
may result in seller
suspension.

If a buyer threatens negative
Feedback to demand more than what was
promised in the item description (for
example, the person wants
overnight delivery but only paid for standard
delivery), the seller
should immediately report the buyer to eBay. If there
is clear evidence
of extortion, eBay will take action. Buyers who show a
pattern of such
behavior will be suspended. If a buyer is suspended, any
negative or
neutral Feedback they left for others will be automatically
removed.

Sellers should only file these complaints when a buyer asks for
more
than what is promised in the listing. Filing a false claim is a

violation of eBay policy and may result in seller suspension.

The
change in the Feedback system is designed to improve the eBay
marketplace
which should benefit both buyers and sellers. Improving the
Feedback system
should increase buyers' confidence making them trust
sellers more.

we appreciate your feedback on the changes, and we will pass your

concerns along.

It is my pleasure to assist you. Thank you for
choosing eBay.

Sincerely,
xxxx"