eBay Selling Secrets by Andrew Lock, the ‘Renegade eBay Auction Seller’

The eBay feedback system has always had weaknesses so it’s great to see that eBay have implemented a more accurate system that will enable users to see a breakdown of ratings in different areas of the transaction.  Essentially, if something went wrong, you’ll be able to more accurately understand what it was, and see trends.
The ratings relate to four aspects of the transaction: accuracy of item description, communication, shipping time, and shipping and handling charges. The rating system is based on a one- to five-star scale, with five being the best.
Overall, this is a positive step but I can still see areas where this might be abused by both buyers and sellers.  Let’s face it, there simply is no perfect system for feedback, it’s always just a guide.  My own feeling is that if someone has one or two bad feedbacks out of hundreds of transactions then it was probably unusual circumstances that led to that, so I give them the benefit of the doubt.  If someone has 97% or less feedback then something is probably wrong with their products or service, and if they are selling a high priced item then you need to be especially cautious.

Unfortunately there are some people who prey on the innocence of eBay sellers, and I’ve recently been notified by a number of sellers who’ve been scammed by a company called ‘Pacific Webworks Inc’. They have a website called ‘eauctionsuccess.com’ where you can request a free information pack. What actually happens is they start billing your credit card at least $49.95 a month and give you nothing. They then try and get you to attend a seminar or enrol in their coaching program for $6000 - $13,000. Looks like hundreds of people have been ripped off, you can read a few of the complaints about these con artists at: http://www.ripoffreport.com - enter the search term ‘pacific webworks’.
Beware!

Have you seen the new style interface on the eBay.com homepage?  The ‘Buy, Sell, MyeBay, Community and Help’ menus are now located in the top right hand corner of the page, and each one has a dynamic, drop down selection to enable you to get nearer to where you want to go, more quickly.  There’s also a drop down menu of main categories on the top left hand side, below the eBay logo.

Something else I like is the ‘my eBay at a glance’ window that appears on the right hand side of the homepage when you’re logged in.  It shows how many items you need to leave feedback for, your current total feedback, messages waiting to be read, as well as the ability to update your account information.

Overall, very positive improvements, although new users might be confused for awhile.