EBAY TO BAN NEGATIVE SELLER VIEWS!

The feedback system is central to eBay's online auction experience.

Online auction site eBay has said it plans to overhaul its feedback system and will ban sellers from leaving negative comments about buyers. EBay said problems were occurring, and slowing down trade, when buyers left negative comments about sellers, who then retaliated with their own views.

From May those selling on the eBay site will not be able to leave unfavourable or neutral messages about buyers. The move has angered many sellers who say it will leave them unprotected.

Critics of the changes argue that by taking away a seller's right to complain about a problem buyer, then they will have very little recourse for action when a sale goes wrong. And they complain that by still allowing buyers to leave dissenting comments about sellers, eBay has skewed the whole trading process.

When both sides have equal access and rights to leave negative comments about each other it is a well balanced trading process, they said. However, eBay counters that problem buyers can still be dealt with. "If a buyer doesn't pay, the seller can easily contact eBay, we will review any complaint and maybe remove the buyer," a spokesman said.

"Instances of bad buyers are dwarfed by those of bad sellers." The changes aim to "improve the overall customer experience", eBay said. It maintains that the majority of transactions go "swimmingly". EBay says that only a minority of sellers leave negative feedback for buyers.
BBC NEWS REPORT.