Posted By:
MarkI wrote Ebay as well (after talking at length with one of their phone representatives...) I finally got the guy to concede that the new policy was severely flawed. He told me the concerns were valid, and that he would pass them on to senior management (yea, right).
The biggest problem for me is the "Shipping Cost" criteria. I am over a 4.9 on all criteria, except for Shipping Cost (where I have recently plummeted from a 4.9 to a 4.5). This is over the last 4 weeks, and is solely due to the recent USPS rate increases (and consumer's lack of understanding).
I have actually lost money on shipping over the last 2 months, and have still seen my rating decrease to a 4.5. At this pace, it is only a matter of weeks before I'm below a 4.3 (and banned from Ebay). It is the BUYER who is not in tune with new postal rates... not the seller. Yet ebay has put all the power in the hands of the buyer.
And even when giving a "4" rating, the buyer thinks that's pretty good (per Ebay's own description). I wonder if buyers even know that all 4's would be cause to have that seller banned? I suggested to Ebay that it be a 4.3 COMPOSITE rating across all 4 criteria (not just on a single unobtainable measure).
Sorry for the rant... but come October, it looks like the auction houses will be getting many more consignments from people like us!