EBay's New Top-Rated Seller Program - Big Mistake!

The new rating system of trying to avoid 1's and 2's in the DSR's (Detailed Seller Ratings) is unfair and wrong on so many levels. It takes the power out of the majority and hands it to the few. And to make things worse, the few that now have the control over any sellers ability to remain a top-rated seller are the least desired eBay buyers...the overly critical, the impossible-to-please, the ones that hastily buy without reading descriptions, and the new members that have little buying experience. The majority no longer matters. And this is so very unfair, especially to the sellers that sell high volume.

Under the old system, one needed to maintain a 98.5% rating in all four DSR categories (Item As Described, Communication, Shipping Time, and Chipping Charges) to maintain the highest level of selling standards. Those that can accomplish this should be the ones getting the Top-Rated Seller status. Period. This system involves ALL of the buyers that seller has sold to during the time period of evaluation. That is what eBay was originally built on, a rating and evaluation from all buyers, not just a select few.

Under the new system, the higher volume sellers become very vulnerable since they receive the most traffic from a higher diversity of buyers. A seller that sells to 500 buyers per month can now have 99.9% of their customers give a perfect DSR score and be thrilled with their purchases while one or two individuals can prevent the seller from maintaining their Top-Rated Seller status. If one person buys five items without reading the description or is new and has higher than realistic expectations or is simply over-critical or mean by nature, they can give the seller all 1's or 2's (out of 5) whether the seller deserved it or not, and the seller loses his Top-Rated Seller status...all because of one buyer.

In the new system, even if the other 499 buyers from that month think this seller is the best thing on eBay, their ratings no longer count. All that counts is that one disgruntled individual who may or may not have had the right to rate the seller the way he did. All the power, the future of that seller, the ability for that seller to continue his business, now rests in the hands of one individual. That is not right.

This has happened now to me. My DSR numbers are way above the eBay average. More than 99% of my customers think I am a fantastic seller, and many claim I am the best seller on eBay. I describe each item's condition in detail. I supply pictures of the actual item being sold. I have many, many faithfully returning customers. I work with my store full-time. This is my sole source of income and I work very, very hard to make sure my customers are getting exactly what they thought they were getting and are happy when they get it. I treat all of my customers exactly as I would want to be treated when I am the buyer.

But one person that bought 4 albums was not happy with the S&H charges and gave me all 1's or 2's in that category even though the charges are outlined in every listing and no one was forcing him to buy from me to begin with. He was new to eBay, had no experience with the S&H charges and did not understand what goes into them. The fact is, my S&H charges are similar, and in most cases even lower, than most other sellers on eBay selling the same things. But if I were to get one more customer like him in a month, I lose my status, and subsequently, half my business...all because of one person that doesn't understand.

I have had a couple people cause my status to be temporarily lost in the 'As Described' section of the DSR's. These were most likely a couple of buyers that did not read the description of the item. They were most certainly buyers that did not inform me why they were unhappy with their purchase and give me the chance to make them happy one way or another. They probably saw the picture or title and bought without reading for any flaws. I always describe any flaws in detail within each and every listing and price the item accordingly. While my feedback is jam-packed full of comments about my items being exactly as described or better than described, I now lose my status thanks to one or two overly-critical or impatient buyers that decide to give unwarranted ratings in my DSR. That is way too much power to put into the hands of a single buyer. While my average is 99.2% or better in every DSR category, I can, and have, lost my Top-Rated Seller status due to one individual, as opposed to keeping my status because of the clear majority of my customers that think I am one of the best sellers on eBay. That is simply not fair, not right, and should not be allowed to happen.

Taking the power away from the majority and giving it to the minority is a dangerous thing to do in any setting.

As for the new Top-Rated Seller icon, it has taken away the need for a PowerSeller icon. People used to seek out PowerSellers and preferred to buy from them, knowing they were buying from an experienced and enduring seller. Now people seek out the Top-Rated Sellers. I know this because my business was cut in half the moment my Top-Rated Seller icon was wrongly stripped from me. I have had my lowest sales in over a year since being unjustly stripped of my status. With my DSR average still as high as it has ever been from the voice of the majority of my customers, not to mention higher than the majority of current Top-Rated Sellers on eBay, my business now suffers greatly thanks to the voice of just one or two customers out of my 500+ customers per month.

I now have to stop listing new items and stop re-listing old items that don't sell for at least the rest of this month, so that I have a chance of surviving the next month with my sales drastically cut in half thanks to one or two individuals that gave me overly-critical and unwarranted low DSR ratings. This is definitely not right.

The new system is unbelievably unfair and I am amazed that it was ever approved by the powers that be in eBay. It takes the well being of eBay's sellers out of the hands of the majority and puts into the hands of the few. I now have to suffer for a month because of it.

eBay's new system of avoiding low DSR's is desperately in need of a logical re-evaluation.