WASHINGTON - Online auction giant eBay has announced a slew of measures designed to enhance customer experience and allow it reach out to more number of buyers and sellers.
At the company's third annual eCommerce Forum President and CEO-elect John Donahoe outlined these changes saying they were designed to make "eBay easier and safer to shop." Among the proposed initiatives are a plan to lower listing fees by 25 percent and to provide the best sellers incentives and discounts for using the site.
EBay is also increasing minimum standards required to list items on its site. Primarily these changes are aimed to discourage unscrupulous sellers who make money on the sly by charging excessive shipping fees or by not properly describing items on sale.
"It is our intention to reward great sellers," Donahoe said. "Sellers that describe items accurately, ship on time, and ship at a fair price will enjoy preferential pricing and discounts on eBay. We think this will significantly improve the buyer experience overall."
Another change is that sellers will not be allowed to leave negative comments about buyers. However sellers feel this can hurt them because they will not know if they are dealing with fraudsters.
An eBay spokesman said sellers could then contact the company and let them know. "If a buyer doesn't pay, the seller can easily contact eBay, we will review any complaint and maybe remove the buyer," he added.
