eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

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AuctionBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on
ecommerce and the online auction industry
by Ina Steiner, Editor of AuctionBytes.com

May 07, 2008

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

By: Ina Steiner

Wed May 7 2008 16:45:47

Some sellers may be sweating bullets after getting an email from SquareTrade today. You have only 6 days remaining until May 12, to file disputes with SquareTrade related to feedback withdrawal, according to the email. SquareTrade is an online dispute-resolution service that let eBay buyers and sellers work together to resolve problems related to their transactions.

With changes to eBay feedback rolling out on May 19, eBay told sellers today through a post on its Announcement Board that it was doing away with its Mutual Feedback Withdrawal (MFW) policy (look for story in tomorrow's AuctionBytes Newsflash newsletter, there's lots of news in this announcement).

eBay is giving sellers until May 19 to file MFWs, but SquareTrade is closing the door to new dispute filings on May 12. Parties involved in the process will have until the end of May to mutually agree to feedback withdrawal, after that, it will be too late.

SquareTrade has already moved its business to providing warranties to consumers. President and CEO Steve Abernethy said the eBay dispute business was a "very small" percentage of SquareTrade's revenue. It is still evaluating whether it will continue to support its online dispute resolution business, he said.

Comments (62) | Permalink

Readers Comments

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: HealthyJerky4U

Wed May 7 16:56:59 2008

Thank you for posting Ina...

So are they (eBay) really listening to it's sellers...Or just making some room the high profile RETAIL stores moving into the auction arena?...

It's all just FLUFF in my eyes...

Looks like eBay is bullying everyone on the block...Can I call eBay the NEW Wal-mart?

JMHO

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: Lisa

Wed May 7 18:50:13 2008

I really wish Ebay would get it together. They love us, they hate us. Which is it? If you go to the forums and someone mentions a new auction site that looks promising, Ebay immediately deletes the information. Their stock is dropping; it ended below $30 today. That has to be alarming to the upper management. (I sold my stock a few weeks for over $32 a share). Eventually, if not sooner, a serious contender is going to emerge and sellers and buyers alike are going to leave Ebay in the dust without a second thought. Ebay has shown no loyalty or respect to the buyers that made that site the giant it is today. They deserve what they get. I think JD got in over his head with all his disruptive innovation theory nonsense. Just treat people the way you would like to be treated. That theory has stood the test of time.

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: John

Wed May 7 23:37:56 2008

INA

D O A S T O R Y

O N

GOOGLE AUCTIONS

Start asking Google if they plan on creating an auction site

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: Wayne Wenzlaff

Wed May 7 23:49:20 2008

Does it really matter anymore? Ebay has made it clear that they don't want me, or any other small sellers. The problem is not fixable - so I have moved on.

Ina, if you can, I would love to see you suggest a replacement for ebay. If you can find a site you can endorse, perhaps enough of us would switch to make it work.

Just a thought....

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: Chris

Wed May 7 23:55:47 2008

Please google. Do everyone a favor and help us out.

This is absolutely absurd. I understand ebay loses any potential customer that has a bad experience after a few transactions on ebay but come on! Ebay, you really have us sellers by the gonads. I know I personally try hard to make all of my customers satisfied and a lot of buyers are still unreasonable. I was booted off of Amazon because of their system. Once buyers understand the system it only takes a small percent of them to ruin someones livelihood. I had people telling me they knew that if my feedback hit a certain percent that I would be kicked off and they would try and blackmail me into sending them money. I could tell you so many stories like that. If it were not for mutual withdrawal my feedback score would be around 95%. I currently have a 99.5% feedback rating and all of my DSRs are 4.5 or above and you can't even find me on the best match results! Ebay is really making me want to find alternatives.... I already work 24/7 to run my business on ebay and already there is not enough time in the day. With all these rules things are just becoming way too hard to make it worthwhile. I mean the only way I can get customers to find me is to lower my prices, and now my profit margins have become slimmer and slimmer. If you are trying to weed a lot of your good / great sellers out you are doing a wonderful job.

Congrats!

Sincerely,
A truly po'ed ebayer

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: Justin Hammond

Thu May 8 00:32:36 2008

How to end the boycott.
1. Provide the same customer service you (eBay) demand from us (sellers). (period)

I am so past being over with eBay I don't even care any more. Nothing they could do aside from sending me a big check would make me go back as a seller or buyer.

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: Zerose

Thu May 8 00:41:49 2008

eBay must be Stupid & Rich or Rich & Stupid, I'm not sure which. I agree with Chris. Google or someone come to the rescue and grab this Giant of an opportunity. eBay likes your cash but they know nothing about Respect or Customer Service. With eBay it's Customer NO-Service

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: Lyn

Thu May 8 00:42:26 2008

Typical of the new eBay management, all changes are being rolled out without any warning at all. Same with sales on listing fees and other things that just keep every seller completely off balance, without any ability to plan our time or budget the money we spend to make an increasingly slim profit margin. I feel like throwing up every time I put up a new listing, and it is just getting worse all the time. And I'm one of those favored Power Sellers that eBay is acting like (repeat acting like) they are throwing a bone to. Gaaaaaaaag!

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: Henrietta

Thu May 8 01:01:05 2008

I would have thought this whole thing is a no brainer. If a seller cannot leave neutral or negative what is left to mutually withdraw?

Do I care? No
Does it affect me? No
Will I sell again on eBay?
Maybe, seasonally or to farm buyers to my website but I can assure you not with my high feedback ID. I will take the same path as buyers, dump the ID when it gets grubby.

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: ebayvet

Thu May 8 01:01:44 2008

I guess I am in the minority, but if we can't leave negative as a seller, why would we need to use mutual withdrawal. Sometimes buyers leave negative without giving sellers a chance, but those types of buyers aren't likely to withdraw if it doesn't benefit them. While I've found mutual withdrawal useful as a seller, it only worked when someone was being unreasonable and negged me without contacting me first. I then was able to leave negative for their not following the rules where they should have opened a line of communication, and then we went from there. I think without my being able to leave a negative, mutual withdrawal will be useless.

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: MsAbigail

Thu May 8 03:05:40 2008

I'm so upset with eBay and Paypal at this time, and feel totally betrayed. I have been buying and selling on eBay since 99'', and was hoping to go into selling full time. But not now, on your life I won't have another thing to do with either of them. I agree with a previous poster above! I'm waiting patiently for Google to finally come to our rescue and start an Auction. Ms.Ina is their a way we can get our message to Google? There are just so many lives and lively hoods that have been adversely affected! By all of these negative changes eBay has put out there for all of us, whether we like it or not. Thanks for listening!

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: Chairman

Thu May 8 04:02:57 2008

More disappointing news from eBay , I'm glad I put alot of focus on alternatives for eBay !

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: The Scarecrow

Thu May 8 04:48:45 2008

You want another sign of disrespect toward sellers?

If you call billing with a complaint because they try to screw you over with incorrect charges, the wait music (which you will hear for a long time because their customer service sucks) is an instrumental version of "If I Only Had a Brain" as sung by The Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.

I have called several times and it is always the same. Coincidence? I don't think so.

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: jsicolts

Thu May 8 06:03:37 2008

GET OUT. get out. GET OUT NOW. eBay DOES NOT WANT YOU.
Its very clear.

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: BeBopDeluxe

Thu May 8 06:09:24 2008

Why is anyone still selling on ebay at all????????????? It makes no sense. It's like staying with an abusive spouse, hoping they will change. Ain't gonna happen, folks! Move out and move on. Don't give ebay the pleasure of diddling you further.

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: cloudninecat

Thu May 8 06:51:34 2008

Ridiculous! What opens sellers up to extortion is not allowing them to leave true and accurate feedback about the buyer. Get ready eBay. You thought the site had a bad reputation before. You've now turned the tables and made it possible for buyers to scam multiple sellers indefinitely with no way of warning the next victim. I predict even more damage to the reputation that eBay is suppose to be trying to repair. Welcome to the new eBay, SCAMBAY!

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: M.C. Nygard

Thu May 8 06:56:36 2008

I told our eBay representative yesterday (she reads AuctionBytes) that we're SCARED TO SELL ON EBAY! I also told her that I think the eBay attorneys should take another look at possible legal ramifications of the feedback changes. I understand that under federal law (the Communications Decency Act) if eBay censors feedback, eBay may be legally responsible for remarks that members post. Could eBay be held liable for defamation?

=================================
One-sided feedback is PATENTLY UNFAIR!

eBay's new policy means a buyer can leave negative or neutral feedback EVEN IF:
>> Buyer never contacts seller for resolution of problem.
>> Buyer doesn't read description (e.g. measurements of the item, then is dissappointed at the size).
>> Buyer has an unconfirmed and unverified address (and seller is not obligated to ship).
>> Buyer says he never receives item (yet postal records confirm delivery).
>> Buyer doesn't purchase, insurance (and experiences a problem).
>> Buyer pays late.
>> Buyer sends wrong payment method (e.g., check instead of money order)
>> Buyer doesn't pay.
>> Buyer has a bad day.

And on the topic of Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs):
>> Buyer can leave a low score on shipping and handling EVEN IF s/he recevied FREE SHIPPING!
>> Buyer can leave a low score on speed of delivery, EVEN IF s/he choses MEDIA MAIL (the slowest rate) or
>> Buyer can leave a low score on speed of delivery EVEN IF s/he choses to pay by ECHECK (which takes 4-5 days to clear and slows delivery)

Further, the anonymity of the DSRs make it impossible for a seller to improve in a weak area. For example, if a seller is losing money on shipping, s/he may still receive a low scores on shipping and not know why. Let's face it, no buyer really wants to pay for shipping; and yet they agreed to the shipping on the date of purchase. Whats next? Will eBay ask if the price was fair price? It's an unfair rating system all around for sellers.

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: kohathi

Thu May 8 07:58:21 2008

When buyers could be clubbed into withdrawing a deserved neg the whole withdrawal process was just WRONG.

Now that the only way a seller can convince a buyer to withdraw a neg is to make the buyer truely happy, taking away ability to withdraw is just WRONG.

This is the latest in a string of stupid, dare I say, WRONG decisions.

Funny, it turns out that Meg was the XP of CEOs.

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: Matchboxcarguy

Thu May 8 08:17:18 2008

Goodbye - Square Trade Withdrawal and Mutual Withdrawal.

Two VERY BAD IDEAS that should have never been started in the first place & ruined the feedback system.

Retaliatory feedback was never much of a problem before these two programs were launched - think back..

Now the backbone of eBay, the feedback system is ruined. No mutual trust will be created with this ''new improved'' feedback system. Just more animosity...

They are morons. Sorry - no other word applies..

eBay Gives SquareTrade Pink Slip, No More MFWs

by: Brenda Savini

Thu May 8 08:17:41 2008

These changes would be bearable if Ebay would be willing to assume some accountability by investing in REAL CUSTOMER SERVICE.

The top tier of Ebay, by choosing to ignore the endless commentary being generated by the polocy chnages, has illustrated that they are quite willing to rape the company.

I have tested the waters in alot of the public commentary areas within Ebay and quite honestly the only two members who seem to have any credibility in my eyes are Usher Lieberman and the new blog master Richard Breyer- Hays. These 2 people have the decency too directly speak to the "inventory keepers"

Griff's radio can't seem to maintain telephone connections when questions become dicey and from what I have personally experianced Norrington just rehashes the same old same old.

BUT if all the die hard people who feed their own egos within the answer centers would wake up and smell the coffee and apply strike tactics here, maybe something would change.

Ebay is psychologically dysfunctional. If the members want fairness then wise up and stop enabling the supposed abusers.

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