getting fed up with ebay's new star rating

Princessa_2

The new stars system is a bit crap, I agree. I think people mark you down because postage is high even though that's what it's costing the seller. If the seller charged £4 for something fairly heavy, and it cost them £4.50 to send, they may still get marked down as the buyer is thinking 'I don't like paying £4 postage for something' and not 'oh the buyer's given me a really good deal here'

GabbaGabbaHey

potsofmoney_(I_wish) wrote: »

I just think people are really nit picking and I don't think it is going to give buyers an accurate depiction of the seller.

I am primarily a buyer on eBay (with over 500 purchases).

If a sale goes through as expected, then I would normally give the seller 3 Stars in each category. It's only if they were above average (4 Stars) or significantly above average (5 Stars) in a given area that I would feel that more than 3 Stars is justified. Equally I would only give less than 3 Stars where the Seller fell below (2 Stars) or significantly below (1 Star) what I would expect of a "normal" sale.

mummysdragon

I am also not fussed on the new star rating. I had somebody collect 2 items direct from my home as they were too big to post, as i would expect they didn't put any star ratings on the postage part, which now looks like somebody hasn't been pleased on that part of the deal when in actual fact it was not relevant.

toshkininny

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

I am primarily a buyer on eBay (with over 500 purchases).

If a sale goes through as expected, then I would normally give the seller 3 Stars in each category. It's only if they were above average (4 Stars) or significantly above average (5 Stars) in a given area that I would feel that more than 3 Stars is justified. Equally I would only give less than 3 Stars where the Seller fell below (2 Stars) or significantly below (1 Star) what I would expect of a "normal" sale.

What does somebody have to do to get 4 or 5 stars out of you ? I look at it that the 5 star is when everything has gone through as expected. I hope I don't sell anything to you !!

soolin

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

I am primarily a buyer on eBay (with over 500 purchases).

If a sale goes through as expected, then I would normally give the seller 3 Stars in each category. It's only if they were above average (4 Stars) or significantly above average (5 Stars) in a given area that I would feel that more than 3 Stars is justified. Equally I would only give less than 3 Stars where the Seller fell below (2 Stars) or significantly below (1 Star) what I would expect of a "normal" sale.

I have to say that earlier in the thread we talked about star feedback for buyers as well.....I would like the chance to recriprocate with stars for a buyer as harsh as you.

Soo

GabbaGabbaHey

toshkininny wrote: »

What does somebody have to do to get 4 or 5 stars out of you ? I look at it that the 5 star is when everything has gone through as expected.

OK, I have had another look at the star ratings, and it seems that eBay wants you to use 4 Stars (rather than 3, but certainly not 5!) for a normal smooth transaction - that's one with an "Accurate" description, "Satisfied" with communications, dispatched "Quickly" and "Reasonable" P&P.

There are a lot of people selling on eBay these days, and the standard expected by buyers is higher than it used to be. If somebody wants to get 5 Stars (which eBay defines as "Very Accurate", "Very Satisfied", "Very Quickly" and "Very Reasonable") from me, then they will have to do something special in that category.

FloFlo

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

OK, I have had another look at the star ratings, and it seems that eBay wants you to use 4 Stars (rather than 3, but certainly not 5!) for a normal smooth transaction - that's one with an "Accurate" description, "Satisfied" with communications, dispatched "Quickly" and "Reasonable" P&P.

There are a lot of people selling on eBay these days, and the standard expected by buyers is higher than it used to be. If somebody wants to get 5 Stars (which eBay defines as "Very Accurate", "Very Satisfied", "Very Quickly" and "Very Reasonable") from me, then they will have to do something special in that category.

So what can an item do thats 'special', if an item is as described then its very accurate.

FloFlo

soolin wrote: »

I have to say that earlier in the thread we talked about star feedback for buyers as well.....I would like the chance to recriprocate with stars for a buyer as harsh as you.

Soo

How about some catagories for buyers to be rated in:

Complaining about postage after winning? *****
Asking stupid questions whilst the auctions live. *****
Asking stupid questions when the auctions finished. *****
Waiting 10 days to pay and then asking 'wheres my item' on the 11th day. *****
Marking you down on stars even though the item was posted at cost, you ran to the post office as soon as the instant payment notification flashed up, you described the item especially accurately - even your Granny vouched for it, you emailed them to say 'thanks for bidding on my item', then 'thanks for winning my item' then 'thanks for paying for the item' then 'I'm going to post your item' then 'I have posted your item' then 'Have you received your item?' *****

GabbaGabbaHey

FloFlo wrote: »

So what can an item do thats 'special', if an item is as described then its very accurate.

It really depends on the item. Especially with second-hand items, some sellers will describe an item as being in better condition than it really is; not necessarily to the point of being incorrectly described, but phrases like "lightly used", "as new", "no visible wear", "very good condition", etc, are by their very nature subjective.

How often do you see auctions with "Brand new in box" in the description, and then something like "only opened so that I could try it on" or something similar? I don't regard that as "brand new", but obviously some sellers do.

This can happen even with new items - I just bought a wallet from a seller in the US, which was described as "brand new in presentation box" and "would make a perfect gift". When it arrived (quickly, and well packaged), the wallet was brand new and perfect, but the presentation box was damaged where a sticker had been removed from it. I emailed the seller, who responded that they had sold a number like this and had never had a complaint. How many stars would you give this transaction for Description?

The level of description I would expect will also depend on the value of the item. If I'm buying a brand new commodity item (e.g., an iPod), then I would just be looking for whether it is in a sealed box, and whether the box and contents are undamaged and complete (and of UK origin, where that is material - for example, for a mains adaptor). If I'm buying a second-hand CD, I want to know if there are any scratches on the disc, any problems with the booklet and any cracks in the jewel case. There's not much more to the description than that. On the other hand, when I am buying a £1,000 watch from somebody on the other side of the world, I expect every single little imperfection to be described and photographed.

So, to answer your question, if the item I receive is absolutely in every way described in the listing in the exact same way that I would describe it myself, then I would give the seller 5 Stars for "Very Accurate". Otherwise (assuming that there's nothing actually wrong with it), I would give it the eBay baseline for a normal transaction of 4 Stars for "Accurate". If I'm not sure, then I might give it 3 Stars for "Neither Accurate nor Inaccurate". If it's really not as described, then I'll take it up with the Seller in the first instance before I post feedback.

(Oh, and as mostly a Buyer, I have 100% feedback with 510 positive, 0 neutral and 0 negative. I always pay quickly, ask questions before the auction ends, and try to discuss any problems before I leave feedback.)

FloFlo

Anymore suggestions for star categories for buyers?

Oh, and I have almost 2000, 100%, feedback as a seller with many repeat customers - doesn't mean they don't drive me nuts at times though.