The changes are that as well as leaving an overall positive, neutral or negative Feedback score, buyers can now rate sellers on Item Description, Communication, Dispatch time and Postage & Packaging Charges.
The Feedback Profile page has also changed and now includes a summary area for the Detailed Seller Ratings.
Buyers can rate sellers on a one to five-star scale for each of the Detailed Seller Ratings, with one the lowest and five the highest rating. Once a seller has received 10 Detailed Seller Ratings, the average is displayed on the Feedback Profile page. This does not however effect a sellers overall feedback percentage.
Additionally instead of just the item number being shown for 90 days after the feedback is submitted you will be able to see details of the item title and price. This should highlight those people who buy penny items to build up their feedback score. It will also give buyers more visibility into the types of items sellers have been selling, and consequently the type of sales their Feedback score is based upon.
EBay say that Feedback is the foundation of trust on eBay. The changes will ensure that the Feedback system continues to be a credible measure of trust in an ever-growing and changing community marketplace, enabling best sellers to stand out and buyers to make more informed decisions before buying.
These are laudable aims and should be applauded by all eBay users but I wonder if the overall effect may not be to deter buyers from submitting feedback at all. I am not sure what percentage of buyers actually submits feedback now but an additional with 4 separate areas to assess whether it might not fall under the heading of “all too difficult”. We shall see.