IS EBAY'S FEEDBACK SYSTEM FAIR TO SELLERS - PLEASE VOTE

PLEASE VOTE YES, AS THIS MIGHT GET NOTICED AND HELP SELLERS AND BUYERS ALIKE!

I have been a Power-Seller on and off for the past 8 years, and now with the Power-Seller status being closed-down I have to ask - is the new feedback system fair to sellers? As a seller I try extremely hard to satisfy my customers demands, and I have always strived to acheive 5* star DSR's for all my feedback, but that was almost impossible to acheive given what I sell - retro video-games. As the very nature of what I sell is contraversial, some buyers will think a mint game is not mint unless perfect (mint is described/defined as being used but with no noticable wear)., others think a used and good condition game should be mint, and then some will think a used and good conditioned game is mint - so it's a very opinionated business selling retro video-games. Also, if a competitor decides they do not like the competition they get from me, there is nothing to stop them from buying from me and marking me down just to undermine my feedback and business. And with the new TOP RATED (Power-Seller) status, all you need to get is one low score of a 1 or a 2 in your DSR's in every 200 UK-ONLY scores, and you lose the TOP RATED status and your discount. At the moment I get awarded Silver-Power-Seller staus with a 25% discount, and under the new system, I do not. Also, they do not count International sales, even though at leasthalf of my business is International - these will not count! I strongly believe this system is totally unfair and undermines what auction sites are all-about, as all this will do is undermine sellers further (which eBay's new regime has already been doing), and severely limit the choice to buyers. As what seller apart from the part-time sellers are going to want to sell on eBay, if they are treated unfairly from the outset.UK sellersalready have to pay 13.5% in eBay and PayPal fees, plus we have to pay costs for listings which is free to non business sellers! And the feedback system already discriminates against sellers who cannot leave honest and fair feedback, as all a seller can choose is Positive or nothing....What choice is that! So if I get a bad buyer, all I can do is to leave a positive feedback and hope someone notices my comment,and even worse,if I get a bad buyer with private feedback no one will even see my comments left for them as it is hidden-and the buyer can retaliate by leaving me a negative with lies about the service! And negatives do catch the attention of potential buyers, and this demorilizes good sellers like me and undermines the integroty of the feedback system. And that was bad enough for us sellers, but now with the new system to start very soon it has got a whole lot worse! As at least under the previous system I got a 25% discount and I was rated as a Silver-Power-Seller, but now I will not even get that. So my potential buyers will see me as just average, and as I get no discount I cannot pass this saving onto my customers - so the peoplewho willlose out in the long-run will be my customers, and the whole point of this system is to help the customers. I thought the previous system to be totally unfair, and so far I have not found one other retro video-games seller who thought it was fair, and now under this new regime it has got a whole lot worse! I still believe that this new system has been introduced purely as a cost cutting excercise, as now the vast majority of sellers like me will not get their discount and that is going to save eBay a fortune inlost revenue(discounts). But what they forget is that many sellers will just give-up and move elsewhere, or they may even decide to change their status from business-seller to private-sellers to save costs. Surely it should be a level-playing-field for all, buyers and sellers alike! As for buyers to benefit, the sellers must be able to make some profit from all their hard work, and be able to leave an honest appraisal of the transaction! And so after 8 years of loyal service to eBay and all my many 1000's of happy and satisfied customers, even I am seriously considering quitting eBay or at least down-sizing dramaticly for the future due to eBay's lack of support tothe seller. And soI strongly recommend everyone (buyers and sellers alike) to write into eBay compalining at the unfair treatment of sellers, and how this will affect and limit the buyers choice - which in turn will affect the price they pay for the item they want, as prices will enevitably rise due to a lack of choice.

To conclude, I wish to say that feedback should be stopped completely or reverted back to the original early format where buyers and sellers could choose to leave an honest appraisal of the sale, as if not eBay are heading towards disaster and will enevitabley become another clone of the alreadyterrible Amazon site - which I might add I never use at as it is so appauling! EBay used to be a great place for all-comers, and in the past few years it has gone down-hill rapidly, and is now fast moving away from free-selection and bargains to a more forced selection and price fixing....Just like Amazon or the super-markets have done, as if you eliminate freedom of choice, you eliminate fair prices. And as with Amazon and the super-markets, we no longer have a choice or a fair price - we belive we do, but we just have to choose and pay for what's on offer, and that's only good whilst there's competition. But the way things are with Amazon andthe super-markets, choice is only as good as what's available and that's disapearing fast. We think we have a choice, when in actual fact we are limited to what's available, like with the super-markets near us, and where I live in rural North Cornwall, you are severely limited when it comes to choice and what you have to pay. So lets not let this great market-place go the same way as the super-markets or Amazon, as once it has there will be no way to reverse it - other than to go elsewhere! And at the moment there is very little choice.

SO PLEASE VOTE A YES FOR THIS GUIDE, AND WHO KNOW'S, JUST MAYBE EBAY MIGHT CHANGE TACT AND AVOID THE IMPENDING DISASTER THAT AWAITS IT - THE CHOICE IS YOURS! AS A YES VOTE MIGHT MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. AND I DO BELIEVE IN PEOPLE-POWER MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

Thanks for reading my guide, and I do hope that consumers can make a difference.....so vote YESnow, and get all your friends and family to vote YES as well. As without the likes of honest and decent traders like me, eBay will suffer and so will the consumer. Take care, and have a great life :)