Understanding eBay's New Feedback System
This guide has been written to clear up some misunderstandings of eBay's recently changed feedback policy. This guide applies to all sellers - not just "TheBlueDot"Please make sure to click "YES" below to let others know this guide was helpful and make this guide easier to find for others.
We work hard for our customers and want buyers to better understand the eBay feedback system, since eBay does not really explain their feedback system to buyers when leaving feedback. We as a seller would never do anything to intentionally jeopardize receiving anythingless than positive 5 star feedback because we earn our livings through eBay and eBay penalizes us heavily monetarily for non-positive / sub-5 star feedback! We want our customers to be happy and returning ones. Obviously not unhappy ones that never shop at our store again. Our philosophy is that the happier the customer, the more friends and family they will probably mention our store to.
Did You Know?
If a seller receives more than a few (more than 0.5% - yes point 5 percent!) Detailed Seller Ratings of less than 5
's, Sellers are significantly penalized by eBay. The same is true for filed disputes on PayPal or eBay. If we receive more than 0.5% low DSR scores for any DSR category or more than 0.5% filed disputes we as sellers are severely penalized. The --- outcome of the dispute does not matter --- and once a dispute has been filed the damage to a seller has already been done. 0.5% is 1 out of every 200 customers. It does not take much at all to have a devastating impact on a seller! A lot of eBay sellers earn their livings on eBay like ourselves and must support other employees salaries.
You may think that you are leaving a reasonable rating by giving a seller DSR's of 4
's , but eBay's feedback
system treats anything less than 5 's as sub-standard and penalizes sellers for DSR ratings that average under 4.60. Contact the seller prior to leaving your feedback - we personally will go the extra mile to make sure things went right.
Filing disputes on eBay or PayPal significantly slows down the resolution process. We generally respond to email responses we receive in 24 business hours or less. We are only in business because of our repeat customers. We want you to be happy and return to us. We will work out any issues with you!
As a seller we are provided selling fee discounts if we maintain above a 4.8 DSR score in all 4 categories and even a bigger discount for a 4.9 or higher DSR score. Also - if a seller receives more than 1% non-positive feedback in any 30 day period, that seller's items are dropped to the bottom of search results when a potential customer does a search on eBay. Our sales are impacted at least 50% when this happens.
Don't take our word for it - check out the Internet Merchant Association's page on leaving feedback - www.leavingfeedback.com
What does less than 5 stars mean to you, as a buyer?
Unfortunately, what this can mean is higher prices. The more fees eBay sellers pay, the more they must charge for their items. A sellers items search results depend on his feedback percentage, his DSR ratings, the price the seller charges for the item, among other performance factors. When a seller’s items are disadvantaged in search, sales slow and prices increase.Please understand that 10% - 15% of each item we sell goes into eBay's pocket for listing fees, selling fees, and PayPal fees and our profit margins are minimal even with a selling discount when we have DSR ratings above 4.8 in all 4 categories. The percentage increases if we drop below a 4.8 DSR rating in any of the 4 categories.
Sellers understand they must earn your positive feedback and want to hear from you if you feel that the transaction was less than a positive experience. We strongly encourage you to email the seller with any problem and allow them the opportunity to resolve your issue. The IMA (internet merchant association) believes that people are basically good and that most problems can be worked out amicably between the two parties.
Detailed Seller Rating Categories - Things to keep in mind when leaving feedback for us. We work extremely hard for your satisfaction. We earn our living from eBay and our well being depends on your satisfaction! The Blue Dot strives for "5" star feedback in all 4 DSR categories.
- Item as described - We currently have over 400 items in stock. We are a small business and work extremely hard to make sure your item is exactly as described or even better. Our goal is to make you a returning customer. We are human though and can make mistakes. We do a lot of work to prevent issues from occuring, but it only takes 1 or 2 non-positive comments out of every 100 we receive to face being penalized or even kicked off ebay. In the rare instance that you have an issue, we stand behind the products we sell. Simply contact us, so we have the chance to correct the problem before leaving permanent feedback.
- Communication - We respond to every email that we receive within 1 business day. If you do not receive a response from us, it is because we did not receive your email or the message may have been filtered to your spam folder. Your questions are very important to us, and our goal is to receive 5 star positive feedback on every sale. The best way to make sure we receive your message is to use the "Ask Seller a Question" link located at the top of the listing. Our normal business hours are 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM EST Mon-Fri.
- Shipping time - Our shipping team works around the clock to ensure your items go out our doors as quickly as possible. Almost every order is sent out within 1 business day and every order is shipped within 48 business hours. Generally domestic orders arrive to our customers within 2-5 business days, but some orders may take up to 10 business days to arrive. While we do our best on our end to make sure you receive your item as quickly, please keep in mind that actual shipping times depend on the Postal Service.
- Shipping and handling charges - By default we ship all items to the continental USA for free! There should never be a reason to leave less than 5 stars here.... All other shipping methods we provide, we provide at a discount.
Final Comments:
Leaving a neutral or negative feedback, or leaving DSR scores of less than 5's or filing disputes is NOT the best way to get a seller to fix a problem since these ratings are part of a sellers permanent record and can have devastating effects to a sellers ability to sell on eBay. Once they are left, eBay recalculates the feedback percentage that represent this seller's reputation. Again, if you are having difficulties with the item you received, please give the seller the chance to make things right before leaving neutral or negative feedback, or a lower than 5 DSR rating.Please keep in mind that we earn our living through ebay. Your complete satisfaction is our number one goal and the ability to pay our employees and provide for our families depends on your satisfaction.
For more great deals from The Blue Dot check out our eBay store -
eBay Store - http://stores.ebay.com/findbluefindvalue
The Blue Dot - Find Blue Find Value - eBay About Me Page
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