Hi everyone,

As you may have probably seen, we introduced a number of changes to the Feedback system on eBay.in this week. We would like to address some of the most common questions that some of our community members have raised over the past few days.

Including Neutral Feedback when calculating Positive Feedback percentage

Some sellers have seen their positive Feedback percentage drop since we introduced the changes. Though we mentioned that we would include neutral Feedback in the Positive Feedback percentage calculation, it seems that most sellers didn't realize this would impact their Feedback percentage.

We know that seeing your positive Feedback percentage drop is hard. But I want to be clear about why we did this. By not including neutral Feedback in our calculation, we were actually doing a disservice to our best sellers. Let me explain with an example. Two sellers have equal 1% negative rates. Under the old calculation – both sellers would have a 99% Positive Feedback percentage. Under the new (current) calculation – we count neutrals. If one seller has a neutral rate of 0.5% (roughly the site average), and the other has a neutral rate of 2%, under today’s calculation, their Feedback percentages are 98.5% and 97%, respectively. By including the neutral Feedback we are advantaging a seller who is providing a better overall customer experience (the one who now has a 98.5%), which is the right thing to do to create great buying experiences on eBay.

When looking at your percentage, I encourage you not to focus on the drop in your Feedback percentage as a raw number, but rather to think of it in context with other sellers' percentages on eBay.

Feedback Percentage Calculation

We've also received questions around how we now calculate the Positive Feedback percentage.

It's based on Feedback left for your transactions that ended in the past 12 months, including Feedback that qualifies for the repeat credit.

On your Feedback Profile page (found by clicking on your Feedback score), the "How is Feedback Percentage calculated?"link gives a numerical explanation. Here are the details in a nutshell:

The percentage is based on the last 12 months of transactions

The total number of positive Feedbacks for the period is divided by the total number of Feedbacks (including positive, negative and neutral). This includes repeat Feedback from members that have left Feedback for transactions that ended in different weeks. Multiple Feedbacks left by the same member for transactions that occurred within the same week is not included in the calculation. For example, if a buyer purchased two items from you today and left you two positive Feedbacks seven days from now, only one Feedback is counted towards your Feedback score and Feedback percentage. This is to prevent Feedback manipulation.

Impact on PowerSeller Status

With the changes, some sellers may find that their overall Feedback percentage has fallen below the 98% threshold to maintain PowerSeller status. To help those who have fallen below the minimum 98% threshold get back above 98%, we will provide a 60-day grace period in which these accounts will retain PowerSeller status. After the 60-day period (ending on July 20), any PowerSeller who no longer meets the 98% threshold will no longer be eligible for PowerSeller status and benefits.

Other changes to your Feedback Percentage

Some sellers may notice a discrepancy between their Feedback percentage on the item page and on their Feedback Profile page – this is a temporary condition as we complete the system changes, and this information will be in sync again within a few days.

One last note: we have not yet removed negative and neutral Feedback left by members who are currently suspended. We'll begin doing so in late May, and it will take us a few weeks to complete. So, if you have negative or neutral Feedback from a suspended member, it should be removed by early June, at which point it will no longer affect your Feedback score and percentage.

I hope this helps answer some of your questions. You can also read the FAQs for more details.

Best Regards,

Vidmay Naini
Manager, Trust and Safety
eBay India

	***Original: A Message from Vidmay Naini – Upcoming Feedback Changes***
	08 May, 2008 | 01:10 PM IST Hello Everyone, As we announced back in January, we're making some bold changes to how Feedback on eBay works. As we get closer to our launch, I wanted to review the changes we've discussed and provide some additional detail and updates. As a recap, here's what we announced in January that is scheduled to launch the week of May 19th Sellers may only leave positive feedback for buyers We will remove negative and neutral Feedback if a member becomes suspended Members can leave Feedback up to 60 days after a transaction (down from 90) We will remove Feedback when a buyer fails to respond to the unpaid item process. Members will receive credit for weekly repeat Feedback ( since eBay India inception) We will base the Positive Feedback Percentage on the past 12 months of activity (and include neutral Feedback in the calculation) The PowerSeller Program will use the same calculation method described above to determine eligibility for the PS Program for the Positive Feedback percentage requirement of 98% positive. Next I'd like to share some additional detail beyond what we discussed in the original post: In January we mentioned that we'd block buyers from leaving negative or neutral Feedback for 3 days for sellers "with a track record." Since January, we've made the decision to increase the wait period to 7 days and define "track record" as active PowerSellers who have been on eBay for at least 12 months. We studied the factors that increased risk to buyers the most and found there are three: a) a seller's Feedback percentage b) the volume of a seller's Feedback – both in total and on an ongoing basis and c) length of time a seller has been on site. We selected PowerSellers who have been on eBay at least 12 months in order to minimize risk to buyers, because all three factors prove important to predicting the risk to buyers – removing any one of them would increase risk to a level we are not currently comfortable with at this time. We will watch all aspects of the new Feedback system very carefully, studying how the marketplace responds and we will make changes as we see appropriate. We mentioned that we'd be aligning the Mutual Feedback Withdrawal process with the new system. After much consideration, we've made the decision to remove the Mutual Feedback Withdrawal process. The reason is that – under the new rules - it opens sellers up to extortion. As part of this decision, Mutual Agreement from third-party Feedback mediation services, such as ODR India SquareTrade, will also no longer be accepted. Over the last several months, we've had many conversations with our community – both buyers and sellers – and we've had the opportunity to consider ways we can address some of the top concerns we've heard. Based on the input we've received from you, I want to share some additional modifications we're making: We are adding language in the leave Feedback flow for buyers who are in a cross-border transaction that reminds them that international transactions usually take longer to complete. We've improved the interstitial page that all buyers see before leaving negative or neutral Feedback; the updated page offers a stronger message to buyers about the need to communicate with the seller, to allow enough time for the transaction to complete, and to keep Feedback factual. And later this month... In addition to expanding the 3-day block to 7 days, we are introducing a new Buyer Requirement that will allow sellers to block buyers who have been reported by other sellers for eBay buying policy violations (such as Feedback abuse, or email threats). We're expanding the scope of the existing Buyer Requirement for unpaid items, so that it supports more comprehensive blocking of buyers who have a history of non-payment. We've improved the process that sellers use to report buyers for policy violations including Feedback Abuse / Extortion policy violations. As you can see, these changes represent a huge investment in transforming the way Feedback works, so that it better serves today's marketplace. Ultimately, the goal is to restore trust and transparency and improve the buying experience, while offering needed checks and balances that ensure our sellers who provide excellent service benefit. If you have any questions, you can visit the FAQs or Contact Us. Sincerely, Vidmay Naini Manager, Trust and Safety eBay India