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I guess I've said this many times 
But I depend on my kitty sales. Last night I tried to list and got a warning saying my DSR was 4.1 and I would not be allowed to list an auction! Ebay has a rating system that goes from 1-5 after a sale. Lately, most of my sales have been to one collector who does not believe in leaving a perfect score for any transaction even though she is completely satisfied with all she buys from me.
Here's the problem as I've found out so far:
Apparently we HAVE to get a 5 rating to continue listing. If we get too many 4 ratings we will not be allowed to list auctions. My shipping has hit 4 and that's low enough to get me blacklisted. I know I ship as fast as I can, even before payment. I think because we are artists and don't sell a large number of items, every rating is important. I tried to use the ebay "Request Feedback Revision" (this is where you can ask buyers to revise their feedback) but for some reason I get the message "None of your feedback is eligible for revision." At this point I'm stuck in a loop. My rating is too low and they won't let me contact my buyers. I know it's crazy, I would think a 4 is GOOD on a scale of 1-5! But ebay counts it as a negative. I'll keep trying......
Karen
Wazza Bears AustraliaAre you serious!!!
Ebay class a 4 as Accurate, Satisfied, Quickly, Reasonable. I would not class those words as to stop someone from selling. May if it was a 3 rating but defiantly a 2 rating. I don't get it.
FenBeary FolkHow aweful...............I have just looked on ebay in help for some info and this is what I found
To ensure a minimum performance standard from all sellers, eBay requires sellers to maintain at least a 4.3 average for each DSR (Item as described, Communication, Shipping time, and Shipping and handling charges).
Sellers with one or more DSR below 4.3 may be subject to lowered standing in search results.
Sellers with one or more DSRs below 4.1 will be restricted from listing until their DSRs improve.
This average is based on ratings from the past 30 days unless a seller has less than 10 DSRs for that period. In this case, eBay will evaluate DSRs over the past 12 months instead.
Can someone explain to me how the HELL you are suposed to improve your DSR when you have been restricted/prevented from listing?????????
Ruddy ridiculous... I have left fours before, but I did not realise that was such a bad thing- I have left them when I thought the shipping charge was a little too high, not becuase they were bad sellers! Stupid Ebay!!
got to admit that I'm a little bamboozled myself. I rarely take the time to fill those out, but how bizarre. how do you improve that if you can't list? and for the third time, from the same auction winner, ebay is holding my funds 'to ensure customer satisfaction' I will be suggesting sending a check from now on.
who do you suppose sits around and thinks these things up???
desertmountainbearDear Karen, I would begin by going back through paid and shipped items and make sure every person has left you feedback. If there is anyone who has not email them and explain the situation and ask them to leave 5 stars. Then I would contact ebay through live chat and ask them how you can improve your seller rating if you are not permitted to list. I would hope that this discussion came up before they decided to implement it, and they have some plan for sellers. Best of luck
Joanne
TeenytinyteddybearsHave been reading all the posts about ebay. Have never tried selling a bear yet, and am now seriously doubting my "wisdom" of starting with ebay. Have seen some of the artists with blogs doing "parades" etc and I think that is one way to go. I am in a fortunate position of not having to sell. For my own feeling of self worth would like an income, but will still eat regardless. But I honestly think that with everything else that goes into the business, ebay is shooting itself in the foot.
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsI haven't used ebay for some time since I've been busy with custom orders and shows (and the occoasional website fellow), but I have a bear available I was thinking of listing... I wonder if I can list since I don't have any stars...I have not listed anything since they started that...
I think ebay doesn't want artists' business anymore.
Wow, that is pretty scary when you depend on that income. I have been finding other venues to sell my work.. more shows and have started using Etsy. I have been wanting to list a bear on ebay... but my bears don't usually sell unless I feature them.. and now with the featured listing you don't even show up half the time under the new system. *sigh*
Hugs,
Melanie
Bears by EdieOh, Karen, that is just terrible! I can't believe they are doing that and how awful of your collector to not leave you full score if she is happy - 
I am upset about this newing scoring system too as none of my buyers has ever said anything but positive things from the sales and yet I don't have a prefect score on the shipping costs. I charge what it costs me to ship - no handling fees - although I do round it off just to make it easier and post one shipping price for US and one for International and 2 for Canada rather than having to have everyone email me and ask shipping cost and of course with our fluctating dollar that does affect it too when it is changed into US currencey but we are talking within a few cents or at most less than a dollar of actual cost. I just don't know what buyers expect! I really think a lot of people just don't understand this new rating system and don't realize how their score can affect our business! I have left lower scores for sellers but only when I really felt they deserved it - like when I am charged 4 or 5 times what it cost them to mail an item to me - mostly people selling DVD's, and some other things, who start with low prices and then charge you a lot of shipping to make up their difference if they don't get a high price.
Karen, can you talk to this collector who does not believe in leaving a perfect score and explain the system to her and what effect it has had on you? I really think she must not realize what she is doing! There are going to be a lot of people saddened if they can't see your cats on ebay - and I would think your other collectors would be pretty angry with ebay for not letting you list there.
Lakeland TeddiesEbay is definitely trying everything to get rid of the little guys like us. Once again, I'm suggesting we list with The Teddy Patch (it's free) and take our collectors with us. If we all direct our collectors there, we will get the buyers and save money too! Gotta love that!
Peggy
Edie,
Here's what's happening right now:
My buyer is perfectly willing to change her feedback. She did not understand that this would do me harm. I tried to send ebay a "Revise Seller's Feedback" message. (A buyer can't revise their feedback without a request from the seller.) I got a reply "None of your feedback is eligible for revision". I think because all my feedback is positive and I have no neutral or negative feedback I am not eligible for feedback revision?! So even though I am banned from listing, my buyers can't contact ebay about feedback. I suppose if they had left negative feedback I could have resolved this problem
Karen
Bears by EdieI see, Karen. Looks like they are making a distinction between feedback and the 1-5 stars scoring - which is what needs to be changed, not the actual feedback, and sounds like there is no provision for changing that.
Now when you said they won't let you list an auction - does that mean you can still sell with BIN or you can't sell at all? Have you tried phoning and talking to someone - or live help (although from what I've heard that can be less than useless!) to explain the situation to them? A few dings in the star department would have little affect on the rating of someone selling thousands of items but for those of us listing one a week or less it can be catastrophic! I sure hope you can find some way to fix this.
That is really upsetting. I hope you can get it sorted out Karen. How the heck are you supposed to be able to "fix" your rating if you can't list! sheesh. Ebay is just getting worse and worse.
Hugs,
Melanie
Newcastle, OntarioKaren,
I am so sorry you have run into such a horrible issue with Ebay. It really does seem that they are trying to eliminate artists from their site, Can Live Help offer an solutions? I hope you can find some way to correct the problem!
hugs,
Brenda
Karen, I'm upset for you...I can't believe that ebay won't let you list an auction.
I'm not going to say any more than that...I'm too mad at ebay (again)
But big hugs to you.
I'm in the same boat as you, I need to sell to pay my bills and ebay seems to be shutting us out big time. But we need to support our other options like Bid4Bears and Peggy suggested Teddy Patch (I'll have to check them out too)...and we need to take all of our loyal collectors with us.
Good luck
:hug:
Kathy
Happy Little SoulsHi Karen,
I'm sorry to hear about your situation with ebay, it is disgraceful that providing excellent service is no longer enough!
But (I don't think I'm the bearer of bad news here) we as artists and collectors just have to acknowledge that the powers that be in that place do not want us there anymore.
As the higher fees and altered search functions haven't scared completely everybody off yet this is just the next step. I believe that if you somehow managed to overcome this Catch 22 they will throw you obstacle at you. It doesn't matter to them that you need to earn a living, you (and by this I mean we) do not earn them enough money.
We have to utilize the other bear friendly sites if we want to remain selling online, because before you know ebay will figure out another way to make doing business on their site impossible.
Though these sites may not get as many passers by yet, collectors will go where we are, and the fact that prices will not include those huge fees from ebay will make things even more attractive.
Mel
Matilda Huggington-beareI'm so sorry Karen to hear of your frustrating and ridiculous ebay situation. sheeesh it looks like ebay only wants customers NO sellers.
BUT talk about a PERFECT way to sabotage someone
Ebay is going totally insane!! I really don't understand their reasoning for anything anymore. If all the artists have to go elsewhere to sell --ebay won't be making ANY money from us. So they will be making LESS money than they were. Aren't they in the business to make money?????What is their problem????
Beth
Matilda Huggington-bearewhat ebay doesnt seem to understand is that a lot of the sellers are their customers.
I mean while you are there you browse and usually end up buying something. If you arent there that WON'T be happening will it? Ebay are so :doh: :doh:
Hello! Everybody
I finally got to talk to someone at ebay. He's the answer:(Not pretty 
)
Somewhere in the past one buyer left me a star rating less than 5. It could have been an honest mistake as when the rating system first came out I think some buyers thought that 3 was average? Or it could have been on purpose(I sincerely hope not 
BUt because of my low volume of sales, as most artists have compared to Power Sellers, one rating can sink you! In this case there is NO recourse. You can not be told who gave you the low star rating or even when it happened. It doesn't matter how many positive ratings came before or after that rating. All you can do is wait and hope the low rating rolls off your record. Until that happens you are banned from listing. THat's it, nothing more. So I'm off for who knows how long and there's nothing I can do. Be warned!
Karen
KJ Lyons Design
P.S. Yes, I will be looking at other sites and I will tell all my customers when I choose that website! We do have to do something about this 
Bears by EdieKaren that is just unbelievable! From what Sue found on ebay:
This average is based on ratings from the past 30 days unless a seller has less than 10 DSRs for that period. In this case, eBay will evaluate DSRs over the past 12 months instead.
that would sound like it would take a WHOLE YEAR to get rid of that bad rating as you are not able to get new ratings until you can list again so there is no way you can 10 good ones in 30 days. Therefore since you will have less than 10 DSRs they will evaluate over the past 12 months instead so it will take a year to get things right again????? Ebay is totally nuts! That certainly sounds like they've found a way to get rid of those of us who aren't high volume sellers doesn't it. This is just unbelievable that this can happen to someone who has a feedback scoring of 100%. You are certainly right that this is a good warning to the rest of us not to count on being able to sell on ebay if this is the way they can conduct their business. I am just dumbfounded!
Little Bear GuyKaren, what happens if you are a new seller? I mean they have no rating so how would someone start selling on ebay in the first place?
hugs
Shane
Shane,
A new seller can have no rating and list. I can't change my name or do any new identity until this is resolved. I thought about that but it's not allowed. THe irony is if I had a direct negative rating I could talk to the buyer and if they agreed, it would be removed and I could list. But since I have no negative ratings and it's just a star issue (4 instead of 5 star rating) nothing can be done, even if my buyers try to change their star rating for me, it's not allowed because they have not left a negative star rating! Yes, it's crazy
Karen
Bubble Up Bears!Hi Karen,
I know this may sound like a hassle but can't you open a new account? Let your customers know. That way you can at least continue to sell until the other ID account is squared away? Just a thought. :(
You do so well on eBay I would hate to see you go!
