On Saturday we fixed a software issue that resulted in a disruption to our site. Because this was an isolated incident and not systemic, we were able to correct the problem and resume normal operations. By Sunday,the site was performing well in stress tests, handling increased activity levels throughout the day.

While we’re confident that we remedied the software problem and that it won’t reoccur, we deeply regret the impact it had on the eBay community. To minimise the impact, we’re working to ensure that sellers and buyers whose transactions were affected by the disruptions will be made as whole as possible. This includes listing fee refunds and protection against negative or neutral buyer feedback as well as detailed seller ratings (DSRs) lower than 5 stars for impacted sellers, and vouchers for buyers of items that were impacted by the disruption.

To the eBay community, you have our most sincere apologies for the disruption and inconvenience caused by the software problem … and our commitment to continuing to provide the best marketplace for sellers and the best deals for buyers.

Sincerely,

Lorrie Norrington
President, eBay

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We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the reinstatement of the Dispatch Time Detailed Seller Rating (DSR) will happen this evening.

Though a buyer can leave DSRs for transactions that occurred during the Royal Mail strikes, the ratings received from today will not be used to evaluate Top-rates Seller status (eTRS) during the period between today and 19 December. Dispatch Time DSRs received starting from today onwards will only apply to the eTRS qualification period between 20 December and 20 January, as the eTRS evaluation for 20 November to 19 December has already taken place.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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	***Original: End of temporary suspension of Dispatch Time detailed seller rating***
	17 November, 2009 | 10:18AM GMT In October we introduced a temporary removal of the dispatch time rating from Detailed Seller Ratings during the Royal Mail industrial action, as we had anticipated that there would be delivery delays. The industrial action is now over and we have been informed by Royal Mail that deliveries are now back to normal. Consequently, we will be removing the temporary suspension on dispatch time on 23rd November 2009. Regards, The eBay Team
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In order to optimise our feedback system, we will be running a series of tests starting 23 November. During this time, a small percentage of buyers will be shown different feedback options.

We are investigating a new method of transaction-based recommendation where buyers can rate, on a scale between 1 and 10, how likely they will recommend the seller. The test will run for three or four weeks and only a small amount of transactions (approx. 2.000 sellers) will be affected. This test is already happening in the US and Germany and has not had an impact on buyer ratings.

We assure you that this is a test. The collected data will have no influence on your seller feedback score, rating on search result pages, or seller discounts. When the test is complete, the data collected will not be connected to your user account.

We’ll keep you updated about any proposed changes to the feedback system in due course

Regards,

The eBay Team

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Yesterday, Saturday, 21 November, we experienced a technical issue that resulted in searches returning either limited or no results. We know this issue may have disrupted your business.

Our priority was to identify and fix the issue as quickly as possible, and restore full search functionality. Our teams worked around the clock to do that, with search functionality returning throughout Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

We know this is a really busy time for you as you ramp up your businesses for the Christmas season. We regret any potential impact that this technical issue may have had. We will continue to monitor site performance and ensure that the issue is fully resolved.

Rest assured that we will assess the economic impact of the problem and will compensate sellers appropriately. The mechanism and process for issuing full fee credits for affected listings will be announced over the course of the next few days.

Please accept our sincere thanks for your patience.

Regards,

Jody Ford,

The eBay Team

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Recently eBay introduced a number of new emails (Payment Reminder, Order confirmation, and Order Update) that were intended to improve buyers’ and sellers’ experiences in managing transactions by streamlining (or reducing) the number of emails being sent.

Since launching the new emails we have received feedback from customers that there have been issues with their rollout. As a result, the new emails and the ability to customise and view them through Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro will be removed.today and the programme will be reviewed.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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We’re pleased to announce that this Sunday 15 November, private sellers who list item(s) at any starting price in an eligible category using the auction format on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie, will not pay an insertion fee*.

We are coming close to the busiest online shopping period of the year so now is the perfect time to get selling and earn some extra money to buy your Christmas gifts this year. 

Regards,

The eBay Team

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We’d like to remind you that the new eBay Resolution process to resolve disputes, originally announced in July, will come into effect this week.

The new eBay Resolution process for resolving item not received (INR) and item significantly not as described (SNAD) claims will be phased in for all buyers over the next several weeks.

Starting this week, sellers can view and manage claims filed through the new eBay process in the updated Resolution Centre available from the Account tab in My eBay. You’ll be able to see all claims, whether filed through the new eBay process or through PayPal.  Remember, disputes filed through PayPal must still be managed through PayPal’s resolution centre. Also, please keep an eye out for alert emails sent from eBay or PayPal. As always, your timely response to claims is important in both systems.

To view our online tutorial on how the eBay Resolution process works for sellers click here.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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We would like to remind sellers that all listings on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie are now required to have a dispatch time and return policy. Some sellers still have Good ‘Til Cancelled listings that do not comply with this requirement and these listings will now end rather than automatically relist. When a listing has ended because it is missing a dispatch time or return policy an eBay note “Listing ended – Needs additional information” will be displayed.

Sellers can download a list of items that need to be updated by using a tool we have developed with one of our software partners. To access the tool, click here.

For more information about how to update GTC listings with dispatch time and return policy click here

Regards,

The eBay Team

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We’re pleased to inform you that the Royal Mail workers’ union (the CWU) has announced that the current industrial action has been suspended and that Royal Mail has stated that normal postal services will be resumed immediately.

In the meantime, the temporary removal of the dispatch time rating from Detailed Seller Ratings still remains. We will inform you in advance about when it will be reinstated.

For more advice for buyers and sellers please see our update.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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