New Seller Endorsement And Rating Program

One of the things that has always bothered me about Stamp Smarter is that it is sometimes perceived as being 'negative'. It is true that we don't get 'positive' reviews of listings, folks review listings that they feel need improvement or contain incorrect information.

Additionally, it can be a real challenge for some buyers to determine which online sellers are good. As we all know, the ebay feedback system is easily exploited (in either direction) by those who wish to do so. Even sellers who carry ebay's 'Top Rated' designation cannot be fully trusted since it is possible to buy these type accounts from unscrupulous individuals.

So Stamp Smarter has added a new feature in which we endorse high quality online sellers. The Stamp Smarter Seller Registration Program only accepts sellers who agree to a simple set of ethical standards that include basic requirements of properly described listings and seller responsiveness.

Unlike other online rating systems which are based upon the easily manipulated ebay feedback system, this program utilizes independent periodic audits of listings. It is based upon a simple point system in which each audit question is given a weight. Sellers must maintain a minimum average score to be retained in the Seller Registration program. There is no cost but sellers have to complete an application to join. Once a seller is on the list, they are allowed to display the following icon in their listings or website.


Currently I am the only auditor although others can be added in the future. Obviously this system requires the auditor to be objective. The audit form contains a series of standardized questions which do not permit much subjective opinion to help keep the audits consistent.

If any seller would like to apply or if you would like to learn more, please check out this new feature at Stamp Smarter.
http://www.stampsmarter.com/
Don

Not to sidetrack your post, but I just received an e-mail from ebay the other day saying "We've Protected Your Selling Account" along with the message "Thanks for consistently delivering exceptional service to your buyers. We're here to provide you a marketplace where you can sell with confidence. That's why we've taken the following steps during the past month to protect your account:

Upgraded 15 of your detailed seller rating(s) to five stars"

Just one more instance where feedback gets manipulated, this time by ebay itself. Somewhat leads credence to what you are trying to do.

I'm grateful to have StampSmarter available. As constructive comments in the interest of a good service, please note that there are minor typographical errors on the home page and the Registered Seller landing page. In the ratings, the ebay user IDs of several sellers are mis-spelled. For example, there are sets of ratings for "billsbargainstamps" under 3 different spellings of that name. It would be best to periodically check spelling and consolidate ratings for those that are mis-spelled; this would increase confidence in the service. It would also be useful to sort the Seller Totals report by number of reports.

cj,
Thank you very much for the feedback. I found the typo on the Registered Seller [page but cannot find the one on the home page you mention. And you are correct about the multiple seller names, I try to keep up with them but had not update them in the last few weeks. Since members enter the seller name in this field these types of error creep in every few days. I am looking into changing form so that it will auto-correct based on existing entries in the database.

Another issue is that some sellers change their names and ebay, believe it or not, retroactively updates the listings! Take for example 'superdeal72' who has changed his name to 'superdeal70'. Stamp Smarter has many reviews where the archived screen capture shows one name when the listing ended, but if you look at the ebay for the closed listing now the name has changed!! I have no idea why they would do that. It just allows shady sellers to make it harder to keep track of them; I can think of no legitimate reasons why ebay would do it this way.

But thank you again for you input, it helps since I often cannot see my own mistakes!
Don

Don,
Sorry, the other typo is in the FAQ:
"Members have full access to teh entire database" (teh->the)
Best,
Chris

Chris,
Fixed, thank again.
I have also updated the code so that the Review form to 'auto-complete' based upon the list of existing sellers. Hopefully this will help with the issue of users not typing in the correct name. As the uses begin typing, a drop down list will appear with the existing entries that match the first few letters they have typed. We will see how it goes...
thanks Don

Don,

The requirement to keep catalog values current may not be helpful or effective. I always list the name and year of the catalog with the value. In database terms, using a fixed catalog value in a listing will create potential transitivity errors. I do not maintain or have access to an on-line catalog with updates that could be propagated to an internal database used to create listings. While I have a database, most sellers do not. Listings are text and would have to be checked and edited every year. I have found through experience that it is not possible to cycle through and reprice listings twice a year. I have found it takes three to four years to cycle through inventory, on-line or not, to check catalog values. Fortunately, usually about 90% of ebay listings more than three years old have been sold.

I am also concerned about the amount of work it would take to audit if a substantial number of sellers signed up. I have avoided getting entangled with seller ratings after looking at the mess on another web site where popular vote seems to promote some of the worst ebay sellers on the planet to top ratings.

I believe that a careful reading of feedback will reveal some information, perhaps not enough, but enough to get started. Also, sellers have to decide whether to be top rated or not. Sellers of more expensive stamps who are not top rated may not have the status for a reason, or maybe not, because the ebay API has a tin ear and some shipping information provided by sellers inevitably ends up on the floor. Sellers of inexpensive stamps have no way to be top rated unless they overcharge for the stamps or shipping.

Clark

Clark,
Sorry for the misunderstanding, I was not very clear. I do not audit for current catalog 'values', I audit if they are correct or not. In other words, there are a lot of listings which call out an incorrect CV for a stamp that is pen cancelled. Or regummed stamps that call out 'never hinged' CV.

The use of catalog values is very poorly done in many listings; rarely does the listings even state which catalog they are using. Might be Scott, Brookman, Gibbons… Nor do they usually call out what year the values came from. As such, I do not have heartburn for a CV that is listed that of +- 20% or so. I look for listings that are using the wrong CV based upon the actual stamp being offered.

I concur that some of the previous attempts at seller ratings were umm, less than ideal. This one will not be perfect but I am committed to keeping it objective and effective. I have designed the audit form so that I can complete it in less than 30 seconds. Of course actually reviewing the listing take longer but I look for 5 criteria which don't usually require a lot of digging to determine. I am semi-retired so I have time and audits can pretty much be on my schedule.

But you are correct that if over 150-200 sellers signed up this would start to become a more significant time suck and I would definitively have to organize a efficient auditing schedule. I would also, of course, be looking for help in the form of additional auditors.
Don