To Report or Not Report? The Best Match Advantage for Rulebreakers
Have you ever wondered why eBay sellers with poor feedback who are keyword spamming and selling counterfeits keep rising to the top of the Best Match list?
The Best Match algorithm awards points for a variety of things, including how many times potential buyers click on the title line to view the full auction description. And one unintended consequence of eBay’s new Best Match is that it actually rewards the Rulebreakers. How so? Well, because eBay counts on their own community to report the rulebreakers. In the eBay self-reporting system, anyone reporting a rulebreaker will have to click on the auction title line and view the auction description in order to use the “Report this Item” link. In their efforts to report the Rulebreaker, they are actually helping to award more “Best Match” points to the Rulebreaker which gives him/her the advantage.
So, what do you do the next time you see an eBay seller selling counterfeit items or keyword spamming? If you really care out the eBay community, do NOT click on the auction to report them!
eBays own lack of trained CSRs would amplify the problem because you have to report over and over until you find a CSR who will not only actually analyze the listing but is knowledgeable about the rules.
Henrietta
May 15, 2008