eBay Diamond PowerSeller SmartBargains.com

Updated 03 December 2008 00:02 HST

See our follow up article, eBay Diamond PowerSeller SmartBargains.com, for more.

01 December 2008

From AuctionBytes:
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y08/m12/i01/s01
Mercent to Launch More Large Retailers onto eBay
1 December 2008

"Mercent helped launch SmartBargains.com onto the eBay marketplace, the first service provider to launch a client under eBay's new "Large Merchant Services API" technology announced last week. Mercent CEO Eric Best told AuctionBytes it was in the process of integrating a number of other merchants onto eBay, but could not disclose their identities. "It's still a small percentage of our overall portfolio of clients," he said.

Best also said that the SmartBargains rollout on eBay was being done incrementally. "I would expect you'd see more products very soon," he said on Thursday."

Curious about how well eBay Diamond PowerSeller SmartBargains.com is doing?

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/smartbargains_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ

3,117 results found

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=smartbargains&ftab=AllFeedback&myworld=true

Feedback Profile

	smartbargains ( -1 )
	Positive Feedback (last 12 months): 0%
	Member since: Sep-09-08 in United States

Recent Feedback Ratings (last 12 months)

1 month

6 months

12 months

	Positive	0	0	0
	Neutral	0	0	0
	Negative	1	1	1

1 Feedback received

	Feedback	From / Price	Date / Time
	The seller canceled the transaction without notification. Paid and did not have.	Buyer: oboeman820 ( 7 )	Nov-29-08 14:54
	Puma Mens Future Cat Low Black Sneaker (#280289674016)	US $41.98	View Item

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eBay Diamond PowerSeller smartbargains is off to a rousing start EH?

Note that the NEG would be sufficient for eBay to induce seller restrictions on the average small business seller.  But expect eBay to remove this Diamond PowerSeller's NEG, to improve the buyer experience.

And you may well ask, "Diamond PowerSeller"?  This seller class is the creation of eBay CEO John Donahoe.

http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/rip-offs/ebay-allure-going-going-gone/
EBay's Allure Is Going, Going, Gone
17 November 2008

"Diamond PowerSellers (merchants who sell $500,000 worth of merchandise a month and have a detailed seller feedback rating of at least 4.8 stars -- out of 5 -- across all categories)"

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01 December 2008 09:13 HST

eBay Customer Service to the rescue.

A Positive feedback was added, to change the -1 rating to 0.

Feedback	From / Price	Date / Time
	Very accurate and fast. I would definitely buy from this seller again.	Buyer: jlmackey2 ( 15)	Dec-01-08 09:35
	300TC Colorful Down Alternative Comforter Full/Queen (#280289968764)	US $39.98	View Item

But let's look at this closely, shall we?

Positive feedback was left by eBay "buyer" jlmackey2 ( 15) from Texas.

http://shop.ebay.com/member/?_frompage=itemsbyseller&_userid=jlmackey2&_fcm=1&_tokentext=449488&_tokenstring=975FHQMAAAA%253D&_sop=12&_ipg=50

jlmackey2 ( 15)

5 years 2 months

TX,United States

And they bought a Comforter on Dec-01-08 at 09:11:32 PST.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280289968764

300TC Colorful Down Alternative Comforter Full/Queen	Item number: 280289968764

	You are signed in   Watch this item in My eBay
This item has been added to My eBay for Guests. As a guest, you can:   Track up to 10 items on this computer in My eBay   Receive an email reminder for this item a few hours before it ends

View larger picture price: US $39.98  Buy It Now > Immediate payment required End time: Dec-28-08 21:04:44 PST (27 days 9 hours) Shipping: FREE shipping UPS Ground Service to United States (more services) Ships to: United States Item location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

This is the feedback left by eBay "buyer" jlmackey2 ( 15) from Texas on Dec-01-08 at 09:35 PST for Diamond PowerSeller smartbargains from Boston, Massachusetts.

	Very accurate and fast. I would definitely buy from this seller again.

For a Comforter purchased on Dec-01-08 at 09:11:32 PST.

WOW. UPS Ground Service from Boston, Massachusetts to Texas in just under 24 minutes!

That is fast.

Okay, not the impossible 24 minute shipment, but the speed of the wool being pulled.

For commentary on this feedback from eBay posters, view this public thread.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=520056478&tstart=0&mod=1228158161190
Lets Play "Who listed 3000+ items had a -1 feedback now 0

.

"Do I look like I have stupid written all over my face?"
Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney)

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02 December 2008 13:02 HST

The Customer Strikes Back.

Thank you Diamond Haus ( www.diamondhaus.com/blog ) for mentioning our article. And the news on feedback number 3.

A Negative feedback was added, changing the 0 rating to -1.

smartbargains ( -1 )

Positive Feedback (last 12 months): 33.3%

Member since: Sep-09-08 in United States

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=smartbargains&ftab=AllFeedback&_trksid=p3911.c0.m198

	Feedback	From / Price	Date / Time
	Scammer!Charged additional $ then cancelled transaction whenIcomplained!!AVOID!	Buyer: laboutiqueunique ( 1111)	Dec-01-08 19:45
	Cole Haan Genevieve Small Box Tote (#280289968398)	US $149.98	View Item

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280289968398

Cole Haan Genevieve Small Box Tote	Item number: 280289968398

	You are signed in   Watch this item in My eBay
This item has been added to My eBay for Guests. As a guest, you can:   Track up to 10 items on this computer in My eBay   Receive an email reminder for this item a few hours before it ends

price: US $199.99  Buy It Now > Immediate payment required End time: Dec-28-08 21:02:53 PST (26 days 5 hours) Shipping: FREE shipping UPS Ground Service to United States (more services) Ships to: United States Item location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

To be fair, here's the time line for this latest feedback.

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidsLogin&item=280289968398
Purchased - Nov-29-08 19:15:50 PST
Feedback Left - Dec-01-08 19:45 PST

Total Transaction Time, 2 days 29 minutes.

For a weekend purchase that's fast. From order to ship ... oh right smartbargains didn't complete this order.

At this point you're probably asking, why is this an issue?

Two reasons. First there's the perception that Diamond PowerSellers can have bad feedback (and DSRs) completely removed at will. We decided to watch this Diamond PowerSeller out of curiosity, and see if the perception is reality.

Second, eBay states that Diamond PowerSellers to the smallest seller are held to the same standards. We want to see if that is really the case, or just lip service.

For more commentary on this feedback from eBay posters, view this public thread.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=520056954&tstart=0&mod=1228258019095
Welcome to Our Newest DIAMOND Power Seller Feedback: 33.3 Positive

.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
George Orwell, Animal Farm (1945)

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03 December 2008 00:02 HST

As Time Goes By.

I'd expect more feedback as the weeks go on....
itspostingtime (2)

The anonymous poster itspostingtime (alleged to be cohibastore or a close associate) does make a good point.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=520056954&start=40

itspostingtime  (2 )        Dec-02-08 20:59 PST       43 of 49
Just a couple of things:

1. It looks like the seller provides buyers with feedback upon being paid....so some of the buyers probably haven't even received their items at this point. I'd expect more feedback as the weeks go on....

There are two questions that would (or should) come up.

One is when was smartbargains first sale?

I don't have that documented. What I do have is the date and time of the first on the record feedback that smartbargains left. Which is 17 November 2008 at 14:31 PST.

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&ftab=FeedbackLeftForOthers&userid=smartbargains&iid=-1&de=off&items=25&page=7

	Thank you for an easy, pleasant transaction. Excellent buyer. A++++++.	Buyer: veekee22 ( 35)	Nov-17-08 14:31
	Ed Hardy Life.Love.Luck French Terry Pant (#280286604318)	--	View Item

.

Including that first feedback and up to 1 December 2008 at 12:24 PST, smartbargains has left 159 Positive feedback for buyers. And of course has received only 3 feedback during that 14 day span. That would be bad except the caveat is there is a string of 155 buyers (excluding the 1st and the 3 who left feedback) with purchases beginning on November 26th.

With a commercial UPS account, "we" (as opposed to "I") can get a package sent via UPS Ground from Hawaii to the U.S. East Coast in 5 business days.  As smartbargains advertises shipping via UPS Ground and as they are located in Massachusetts, delivery time to locations in the contiguous 48 States should be less than 5 days.

Realistically people should start looking for the flood of Positive feedback (or Negatives) to start next week.

As a practical matter, unless "something wonderful" happens, "I" (as opposed to "we") will have moved on to other things. But with eBay you never know.

For the uniquely British take and commentary on smartbargains,

"Goofbay also gives us Smartbargains’ sales figures for the last 90 days:

Total Value Sold: £7,501.24
Total Value Not Sold: £5,785,877.94"

(1 British Pound = 1.49 U.S. Dollars) view this public article and thread.

http://www.tamebay.com/2008/12/ebay-diamonds-not-quite-sparkling.html
eBay Diamonds not quite sparkling
by Sue Bailey

Oh, I did say there were two questions. Have fun with this one.

Are the three feedback left for smartbargains their very first feedback, or was there earlier feedback that was posted and removed?

Toodles.

.
"What is going to happen?"
"Something wonderful."  David 'Dave' Bowman
"I'm afraid."  HAL 9000
2010 (1984)

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See our follow up article, eBay Diamond PowerSeller SmartBargains.com, for more.

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