eBay Bans Sellers from Leaving Negative Feedback for Buyers

[2boysandtoys]

Joe - I agree with all that you said!  The most important element for ALL of us to consider is....the mix of effort vs. return.  If you are listing and selling on ebaY AND are making money as well as exploiting the ebaY presence by driving traffic to your own site or other items, consider the best mix with facts. 

Each seller and each business needs to take a moment and consider what's best for them.  I was never a 'big fry' at ebaY.  In Dec. or Jan. of 05, I opened a store for the first time.  The Jan. 05 announcement came out, and I quickly realized that my store would need to be closed in Feb. - as I would not make money.  That was my decision factor - profitable income. 

I found Wagglepop Round 1.  Enough said - closed 'quickly'.

I then found a small group of folks and we spent quality time test-driving many sites (Carol, Rhonda and Cherry Pits were there too), and quickly realized exactly what you state - get your own site, market the heck out of it, and use ebaY and/or alternatives to drive traffic.

So....fast forward almost 3 years - January '08.  Here we go again.  Those who've chosen to not explore other avenues are 'screaming'.  Those who have moved on are 'screaming'. And - yes....it does suck that ebaY can't identify their true Customers.  But - and there's always a but - no business owner should ever rely on another for their core business plan.

I have not done my own site.  I may or may not do so.  But - one thing I do believe is that you should never close any door permanently for any reason.  Of all our options, only 'one' is closed to me based on giving a year of my life away - and ... that's OK - it will never be anything, so no harm - no foul. 

I guess my point is that each seller (and buyer) must do what makes the best sense for them.  If ebaY works for you, so be it.  If your own site works for you, so be it.  If a mix of different selling avenues works for you, so be it.  Go with your plan and not with your heart!

[chiquita]

I get a daily RSS feed from former powerseller Randy Smythe former owner of Glacier Bay DVD. He has a new blog entry today with his thoughts on the feedback changes. I just wanted to share it with everyone.
http://rksmythe.blogspot....feedback-your-online.html

I laughed at this comment left by a reader regarding the Ebay boycott.

As for the strike/boycott - someone on my forum said it well, "It will have the same effect on the water level in a swimming pool as when a skinny person gets out. No one will really notice."

[QUILT]

Thank you for posting the blog article Liz.  I went in and read and and it makes good common sense. 

[2boysandtoys]

I've been to his blog before and he does write logically, truthfully and with experience.  I also LoL at the analogy!!! 

[2boysandtoys]

Hey all - this is a short, but well-written article that I thought ya might enjoy!

I wasn't sure that it warranted it's own thread, so put it here!  If it needs to be moved, feel free to do so!

http://arstechnica.com/ne...icy-no-real-feedback.html

Like the way it talks about one-sided....put very well!

[QUILT]

Thanks for posting Erin.