eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

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

August 07, 2008

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

By: Ina Steiner

Thu Aug 7 2008 13:15:08

eBay sellers are reporting that their DSRs are plummeting due to a glitch. The Seller Dashboard is reportedly showing incorrect Detailed Seller Ratings, which eBay uses to calculate seller performance discounts.

One discussion thread in which sellers reported the problem disappeared, but another thread remains as of this writing.

One seller wrote to AuctionBytes, "We had a major, mathematically impossible drop overnight in our DSRs and apparently we are not alone."

Another seller wrote, "In a matter of two hours tonight, with only ONE feedback being posted during this time period our 30-Day DSR's dropped by amounts that would be mathematically impossible."

DSRs are tied to seller discounts and to exposure of their listings in search.

There are times when a glitch affects some sellers, but not all, or may be intermittent; if you are having a problem, or if everything seems okay on your seller dashboard, leave a comment.

Update 8/10/08: eBay's ongoing DSR glitch caused it to announce on Saturday it would disable the Seller Dashboard and put a hold on PowerSeller discounts and Best Match standings until the problem was resolved.

Update 8/11/08: eBay announced early this morning that it has corrected all DSRs and has restored the Seller Dashboard, but said it would continue to leave "trust factors" out of the Best Match search algorithm.

Comments (94) | Permalink

Readers Comments

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Melinda ~ Galleria Gifts

Thu Aug 7 13:48:07 2008

The same thing happened to my DSR's on or about July 17th, 2008 and only one customer had left feedback.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Ed Dugan

Thu Aug 7 13:50:21 2008

I just noticed that as well. The funny thing is that I'm noticing it more on the s/h charge DSR the most.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Larry Vorpagel

Thu Aug 7 13:57:47 2008

I have been getting nothing but glowing positive feedbck and yet my DSRs are going up and down and up and down. Sometimes from one hour to the next. I had been getting a 15% discount consistantly since it started but now I'm down to 5%. I wish there was someone out there that could nail Ebay. I think they are messing with the numbers in the same way they are messing with this rolling exposure.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: M

Thu Aug 7 14:15:26 2008

I am a low volume seller and generally only receive one or two feedbacks a day. Imagine my surprise when I received a glowing written feedback today and then went to check my DSR's.

One of them apparently dropped .30 points and another dropped greater than .30 points on that one Feedback alone.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Dave

Thu Aug 7 14:22:07 2008

We've been receiving the 15% discount and them BAM! DSR's dropped drastically on both Shipping Time and Shipping and Handling. We're not very concerned about the discount, but the lack of visibility is keeping our traffic reduced by over 25%. We're getting more traffic to our listings through our Google feeds than through eBay. This company is fast becoming a joke! It's tough watching something you've built up over 5 years slip away, and especially because of eBay's glitches and a few moron customers that can't read or don't understand english!

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: softersilk

Thu Aug 7 14:22:58 2008

Sellers are wise to remember that the number is a 30 day average. It's not only comprised of new feedbacks coming in. It also changes when the numbers from 31 days ago drop off.

So really, if you have some 5's on day 30, let's say your 30-day number is 4.91. Even without new feedback coming in, the next day, your number can drop when those 5's from day 31 roll off.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Ric

Thu Aug 7 14:26:12 2008

With seller fee discounts being tied to a rating system that was designed to prohibit sellers from seeing accurate buyer opinions, it appears that the secret ratings have become a tool used by eBay to reduce their exposure to loss.

This probably is not so much a glitch, as part of eBays plan to offer discounts and then prevent sellers from qualifying.

eBay needs to become more transparent and up front with regard to DSR's.

Until they do, sellers will have no reason to trust in the DSR system, and sellers ability to trust in eBay as their trading partner will continue its downward spiral ever lower.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Oldemon

Thu Aug 7 14:28:02 2008

DITTO Here, we were at 5.0,5.0,4.96,4.96 yesterday morning at 9.00AM. Today we're at 9.91 on the S&H and Ship Time and have not had any feedback in 2 days. This happened last month 2 days before our billing date and finally dropped us to 5%. It's getting really hard to just blow it off time after time.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Larry

Thu Aug 7 14:33:25 2008

There is either a software glitch, or, they are deliberately playing with the DSR numbers. I emailed them about it recently. Their screen of tech issues that they are already aware of, gave no indication that the DSR glitch had ever been reported as a problem. My 30-day numbers were all between 4.91 and 4.96. Today, they all plummeted to nothing higher than 4.78 in any category. On only 1 feedback . . mathematically impossible for the volume of transactions that I have.
Oddly, the 30-day DSR number that plummeted the most was shipping charges, when in fact I have been evolving to FREE SHIPPING on most of my items over the past few months, and the 30-day and 12-month scores were both improving prior to this. (I got a 20% FVF rebate on my July invoice, but I had to ask for it . . . then it suddenly appeared on the invoice screen several days later, after the invoice cutoff . . . they insinuated that it was there all the time. Gee, I must have missed it.)

I would NEVER suspect eBay of manipulating any DSR numbers, so as to somehow give themselves a financial advantage. (**cough, cough**). Why, . . that sort of thing would be unethical!

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Keith

Thu Aug 7 14:35:59 2008

All 4 of mine have been dropping since the middle of last month. I called the powerseller line this morning when I saw a major drop. They admitted there was a glitch and the rep put me on hold called IT and they said they would fix it within 24 hours... Well I just looked again no additional feedbacks and all of my ratings dropped even more... Should have kept my big mouth shut...

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: kc

Thu Aug 7 14:45:08 2008

Yep, same thing happened to me -- I went from 4.8 to 4.6 in shipping, from only one feedback, and he even

wrote Fast Shipping in his positive line.
I also got dinged on shipping a month ago when the buyer got FREE shipping. I assume they just left the shipping

star line blank since they didn't pay anything, so that counted against me. I'll never offer FRee again.
I also think some of these newbies give bad marks for shipping because they think the shipping is too high, when it is

exactly what the post office charged. Perhaps the fact that we do not set those fees must slip their minds.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: M.C. Nygard

Thu Aug 7 14:46:45 2008

I haven't sold since May 18, 2008 when neutrals started counting like negatives. In any event, my DSRs fluctuate quite often between 4.7 and 4.9, which makes no sense when there have been no additonal feedback comments.

And on the topic of feedback scores... 100% rating went from 100% since the day I stopped selling to 99.8%, then 99.7% and finally at 99.6%. Inactivity is causing my score to drop as the weight of neutrals increases in relation to the 12 month rotation.

By the way, didn't Lorrie Norrington say our neutrals would be neutrals in August? When's my 100% score going to return?

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Ann

Thu Aug 7 14:56:22 2008

My DSR's dropped from 5, 5, 5 and 4.9 to 4.5, 4.5, 4.73 and 4.45 overnight with one positive feedback taking me from Raised visibility to Lowered. (Again, mathmatically impossible). It also took me from 20% FVF discounts to 0%. Funny that this happened right when eBay is figuring out the invoice discounts!!!

When I complained to my PS rep, they said they were ''holding'' DSRs until they had a bunch to publish all at once to ''anonymize'' the ratings. The whole concept of anonomity for DSRs AND taking away sellers' rights to leave negatives is a double whammy and completely unneccessary. One or the other, but both is absolutely ridiculous.

The timing reeks of manipulation to avoid paying discounts and I honestly do not believe eBay that those are the ratings I was left. After every transaction, I ask each buyer what they left and none of them have left bad enough DSRs to even come close to this. I think eBay manipulates and perhaps even makes up numbers to avoid paying out. Just another example of eBay stealing our money.

I don't think sellers should be held financially responsible for buyers' having a bad day and very subjective ratings. For example, how does FREE shipping (which eBay makes more money on in FVFs) rate a 3 or 4 star?! All a buyer has to do is have a bad day at work and they can destroy a seller's business singlehandedly! which has nothing to do with how the seller handled the transaction.

Why are ALL eBay ''glitches'' in their favor and never in the seller's favor???

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Ann

Thu Aug 7 15:02:28 2008

eBay is definitely manipulating DSRs to avoid paying FVF rebates. For example, look at the so-called buyer education where they tell buyers twice in the feedback process that 3's are good and 4's are a wonderful score and yet penalize sellers for getting less than 4.6's. And they repeated emphasize to buyers ''Don't be afraid to leave negatives. We want you to!''

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Bobbi

Thu Aug 7 15:09:44 2008

I have everyone beat, I saw the dramatic changes daily before I closed my account in early July. My DSR still changes daily. For anyone checking...find a recent NARU account, btw there are tons of us (look at SellerDome) and watch the daily fluctuations....will crack you up or cost you, depending on your current status with eBay.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Lysa21

Thu Aug 7 15:13:00 2008

This brings to light something that I have long been concerned about: Even if Ebay isn't manipulating the figures in their favor, how are we to know when there is a glitch or problem if we have no way of checking the numbers ourselves? Ebay must love this. We can't even bring errors to their attention anymore because we can't prove anything. Meanwhile, we're paying the ultimate price with our loss of traffic and discounts.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Jennifer

Thu Aug 7 15:23:14 2008

My 30-day DSRs didn't just drop overnight, they completely disappeared! Yesterday evening, I had 4.95, 4.94, 4.89, 4.65. Today, just asterisks.

Considering I've received 69 positive feedbacks over the last 30 days, there's no way I don't meet the 10 DSRs/30 days threshold.

So frustrating.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: iusedtoluvebay

Thu Aug 7 15:32:37 2008

Several days ago I noticed that my scores dropped a lot. I have gotten used to them fluctuating a little here and there especially in shipping time and shipping costs. But this time my communications dropped to the lowest it has even been along with the other ones. I understand how the scores can change since it is a rolling average but my feedback left each day should make up for anything falling off.

I have been saying what Lysa21 said since day one of the DSR's. How can you know, much less prove there is a glitch when ebay won't let you see the actual numbers? There is no reason they should keep them anonymous since sellers can't leave feedback. Show us our numbers and stop being so f'ing secretive about things that affect OUR business!

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: Barbara

Thu Aug 7 15:36:52 2008

I also have the same problem, one day it was great, that night it dropped. The next day it was good again and within 5 minutes it dropped. And I received excellent feedback about the product, the shipping and the wrapping. Doesn't manke sense to me. It is still lowered. I think this is a pita, and ebay does not care, after all I am just a little guy.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

by: jonny quest

Thu Aug 7 15:46:04 2008

Yep mine dropped in a manner that couldn't correlate with fall-off of feedback due to the one year rolling average or recent feedback. In fact it should have gone UP.

And as I was trying to figure out what happened, I was struck by what silly results the "rolling average" bring about; a relatively low-volume seller could see a drastic change in their DSRs due to stuff that happened a year ago!

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