Hi Everyone,

Thanks for participating in today’s workshop. My name is Brian Burke, I’m the Senior Marketplace Policy Manager for Feedback. I’m joined by Matt Halprin, my boss, and Vice President of Global Marketplace Policy Management and a few other eBay staffers. For the next hour, we’d like to answer your questions about the recently announced feedback changes that Bill Cobb, President of eBay North America, announced in his eBay Live! keynote address. These changes, which are expected to go into effect in September of this year, were met with enthusiasm by most of the thousands of eBay Live! attendees at the HP Pavilion. Here’s a summary of these changes:

1. Removal of feedback ratings left by members who don't participate in issue resolution processes. We believe that members unwilling to participate in processes designed to help resolve issues, such as the Unpaid Item process or the Item Not Received process, shouldn't be able to impact another member's reputation. After this change is implemented, if a member leaves feedback for a transaction and does not participate in these processes, eBay will remove their feedback rating. This means the rating (whether positive or negative) will not affect the recipient's feedback score. While the feedback comment itself will remain, it will include an administrative note from eBay indicating that the feedback doesn't count towards the member's total score.

2. Removing any feedback from users who are indefinitely suspended within 90 days of registration. We believe that members who are indefinitely suspended within 90 days of registering on eBay were never truly members of the Community, and so their feedback comments and ratings should not count. We will automatically remove feedback (positive, neutral, and negative) left by such users.

3. Requiring new members to complete a tutorial before leaving neutral or negative feedback. This change will require all new users (members with a feedback score of less than 10) to complete a short tutorial before leaving neutral or negative feedback. We hope that the tutorial will educate new members about the feedback system as well as ensure that they are aware of the various communication tools available to them prior to leaving feedback for their trading partner.

For greater detail on these changes, feel free to read through the article that is running in this month’s Chatter Link.

So why don’t we hear from you? What questions do you have about these changes?

Again, thanks for participating in today’s workshop on the Major Feedback Policy Changes.

Brian

Hmmm... guess everyone left.

My concern is that a lot of damage can be done with a comment - neutralized or not.

My ONLY feedback to date was a NPB early in my selling career who lied in the feedback and tried to turn the blame around. I also think it would be fair that sellers with 1 neg get their plate cleaned after some period of time. Who really cares about a negative 2+ years ago. When I look at someone's feedback score, I'm look for heavy negative activity within the past 6-12 months.

DebM

OK, I think I'm alone now...

My last comment or question is... a few years ago, didn't negative feedback from anyone you 'was no longer registered' get changed to neutral regardless of their length of time on ebay? Why was that changed?

Thanks!

DebM

I understand having someone with less than 10 feedback having to go through a tutorial before leaving a neutral or neg. Someone new to Ebay may be quick to neg or use the feedback system for messages to the seller. My question is, why not have everyone have to go through a tutorial the first time they leave a neg or neutral?

Hi goldcity:

why not have everyone have to go through a tutorial the first time they leave a neg or neutral?

We considered this - but we felt that asking a member with, say, 500 feedback already understood enough about the feedback system to knowledgeably leave a negative. Perhaps we drew the line too low (10) but this is where a consensus landed to start. We can always increase or decrease it down the road.

Thanks,
Matt

What period of time will the turtorial be required to leave negative feedback?

Will you have to do it every time negative feedback is left?

I have been lucky so far in the lest few years and have never had to leave bad fedback.

Leaving a negative is not the same as responding to the alert. They must enter the Unpaid Item dispute resolution console and enter a response. They can state in the Unpaid Item process that they have paid, and like today, their feedback will stand.

But if they leave a negative comment, but don’t respond to the alert, then the negative rating will be removed.

Thanks.

Brian