Who here feels there should be a new alternative to Ebay.  

Ebay not what is use to be...
So, much for selling on Ebay...I've done both and had, had some not so memorable experiences. Several years ago there feedback system was a whole lot better. I have had too leave negative feedback (which I hate doing), I'm a person who will go out of my way for the person I'm doing business with.
But, recently I've noticed people like to retaliate with false information, oh and Ebay will NOT remove it. The only way it will be HIDDEN is if both parties start a "Mutual feedback withdrawal." Which isn't right, if you're feedback is valid. Oh, and try calling them...yup you'll get nowhere. It seems I will be swaying away from Ebay and sticking with good ol' Craigslist. Pity really.
I say BOYCOTT Ebay! Shame on you, for punishing honest people!

This just in from the New York Times!
January 29, 2008, 1:41 pm
Sellers Give Negative Feedback on eBay Changes
By Saul Hansell
EBay's highly touted cut in seller's fees announced this morning is not so clearly a boon for sellers as it may appear at first look. AuctionBytes, a newsletter and blog for eBay sellers, calculated that for some scenarios, sellers actually will end up paying more than they did before. In one comparison, the fees increased by 33 percent. What is more, eBay's changes to its feedback system have many sellers up in arms.
As always, the devil is in the details. EBay is now allowing all sellers to display photographs on search results; previously they had to pay extra for what are called gallery photos. For sellers who paid for those photos, the changes are more likely to be for the better, but some sellers will still pay more.
"This is clearly not a straight fee decrease," said Ina Steiner, the editor of AuctionBytes,
The fee changes are part of a series of initiatives by John Donahoe, who takes over as chief executive in a few months. He wants to revive eBay by rewarding sellers who have high satisfaction and lower shipping fees. Mr. Donahoe spoke to a group of top eBay sellers this morning at eBay's E-commerce Forum in Washington.
EBay is lowering the fees it charges to list an item for sale and raising the percentage it takes from the final sale price. The fee changes are meant to make eBay more competitive with Amazon.com, which does not charge independent sellers anything to list items.
Ms. Steiner said that Amazon is still more attractive these days even for sellers who find their eBay fees do go down.
"It's much easier to sell on Amazon," she said. "The overhead is lower because you spend much less time on customer service than on eBay."
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/sellers-give-negative-feedback-...

New York Times article : Continued....
Ms. Steiner said that in many seller's minds the changes to the feedback system are even worse. Feedback, of course, has been the center of the self-policing aspect of eBay through which buyers and sellers rate each other. Now, for the first time, sellers will not be able to leave negative or neutral feedback about buyers. (They are welcome to continue to leave positive feedback.)
Ms. Steiner suggested that one of the few weapons that sellers have to protect themselves against malicious buyers.
"A buyer could get an item, then turn around and say to the seller, "Give me $10 back. I'm not happy and I'll leave you negative feedback." She said that eBay had allowed sellers to turn the tables, in such a situation and leave negative feedback for the buyer. "Now if you deal with bad buyers you have no leverage."
Some of the feedback changes are actually beneficial to sellers, she said. For example, negative feedback left by buyers who were suspended for violating eBay rules will now be removed from the system.
Going through all the stories of vindictive abuse and retribution (just look through the comments to any posting about eBay on this blog for taste of the vituperation) is a reminder of how much eBay is still like the Wild West with disputes settled by duels on Main Street rather than by the circuit court judge. It is a sharp contrast to the Amazon marketplace, which is much more heavily regulated, seemingly to the satisfaction of both buyers and sellers.
"Amazon is used to dictating its rules to buyers and sellers, so people toe the line there," she said.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/sellers-give-negative-feedback-...

The strike : FEB 18-25
From a related NYT article:
Mr. Donahoe (eBay's new incoming CEO) said he nonetheless expects pushback from sellers, but he is willing to take the heat in order to give better visibility to those merchants that treat customers best.
"There definitely will be those that are concerned or upset about these changes," he said. "Our clear belief is what's good for buyers is good for sellers, and is good for eBay".
A comment from the WIRED Blog:
"Sellers are going on strike. FEB 18-25. Huge numbers of sellers will refuse to list anything for sale for this seven day period in Feb. as a sign of their anger. Please all sellers join us and together we can have a voice. Together we stand, divided we fall.
Ebay is counting on us not standing together. PROVE THEM WRONG!"
Posted by: mrskillion | Jan 30, 2008 11:38:28 AM
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/01/ebay-sellers-ri.html

Sounds like...
Mr. Donahoe is one of them bad apples.

oops
oops

I rarely buy or sell, but...
I rarely buy or sell, but plenty of researching. Seriously fair deals are all over ebay for buyers. I see Amazon as seller friendly, but stupidly high prices vs eBay for buyers. $200 book Amazon...$50 eBay...you decide
When selling, I too have a problem with eBay fees. Compare it to auction houses (which I'm currently finding can be a tad anti-social) can charge roughly 25% commission or more. I love actual stores. Usually disappointed selling to them. Each market has it benefit..understand them, and you'll have regular heart beats.
There's already an eBay design alternative...sort of...1st dibs. But golly those asking/inquire prices...hmpf.
Keep in mind...the changes are about the sellers. I never had a bad experience from a buyer, but too many bad experiences from sellers. BIG seller peeve is charging 2-3x or more of the actual shipping cost.
In the end...who cares about feedback. If a seller has a few negatives, oh well. In this case boycotting ebay over feedback is petty...but protesting fees a worthwhile cause. Protest/Boycot paypal, where I have heard of some real injustices.

To answer your question WoofWoof
...about who cares about feedback, listen to this interview where eBay's execs are confronted about all the changes. The interviewer clearly describes 2 perfect examples of bad buyers: one that extorts a discount after the item arrives, and another that failed to read the item description clearly on a jacket's measurements and left a negative feedback because she didn't like how the jacket looked on her, even after being offered a full refund.
Note their vague responses, and also how they describe the current uproar as just "some noise".....
Click here:
http://podcast.auctionbytes.com/mp3files/Donohoe_0128081.mp3

BUYERS CAN'T GET NEGGED? THAT'S RIDICULOUS!!!
This is such a ludicrous proposal,that'Im wondering if GWB took over Ebay.In a country which touts equality and an even playing surface,etc.,it's a travesty that the seller has to take a hit on this one.The bloated Ebay corporate swine instates this absurd new rule without even consulting with its sellers? Unscrupulous buyers will now be emboldened by this stupid new feedback change.I read this the other night,but I just couldn't believe it.I think the world's gone hoopy.The EBoycott sounds good-a sort of seller's strike. Hope they plummet like the Dow!

Censorship
I still think it's a relativly unimportant issue. Certainly not the brightest thing to do! Akin to censorship.
Why...for one, a potential buyer should study up on a sellers history & product being sold. A handful of negatives from "challanged" buyers shouldn't detract that individual from doing business with that seller. If there's a pattern of negatives that indicates a seller isn't qualified to run a garage sale, steer clear.
Look more serious issues..like shrill bidders, account hackers fake bidding, fraudulent paypal chargebacks, fraud in general (both seller/buyer) are more pressing issues...to me at least...and rising fees... These are long standing and unresolved issues since I've joined in 1999.
Think of real world shop owners who don't have the same voice that their customers do...much the same. Is it right or fair..hell no, but a solid Seller need not worry.
Again, is it better to have two-way feedback..yes...but not a pressing issue.

Revenge
The fear of negatives from both sides can make people double think when overreacting, now the buyer has a free ticket to control the transacton. I have dealt with some really weird buyers(sellers too) that seem to have no brains or common sense.

Negative impact on sellers
Eliminating negative feedback for buyers is a big mistake. I work for luckners.com, an online auction house, but we frequently use ebay if we think the broader audience might help our sellers achieve a higher sale price. Despite the fact that eBay makes its money from sellers the system is geared towards the buyer. By changing the feedback system they are handing even more control over to the seller. Not only will this allow buyers to repeatedly take advantage of the system but it will further detract from the appeal for sellers. Why would we want to use a system that only hurts us?

"Let them strike. Someone will step in and take their place."
Arrogant and out-of-touch comments from eBay top brass, in addition to eBay's new CEO referring to the seller outcry as "some noise", an eBay analyst said something quite telling regarding the planned seller strike action on FEB 18-25:
Analyst on eBay Sellers: Let Them Eat Cake
By: Ina Steiner
Thu Jan 31 2008 23:46:12
A statement that could only be compared to that from the famously out-of-touch Empress Marie Antoinette comes this one from a Wall Street analyst talking to Computerworld about eBay sellers:
Tim Boyd, an analyst at American Technology Research Inc., is not sympathetic to the sellers' plight."These are the same sellers who have been whining for three years about wanting to pay only for performance," he said. "I am so sick of listening to these guys (complaining about this). That's all they do is (complain). Let them strike. Someone will step in and take their place. EBay did not raise its fees; it slashed its insertions fees and raised the final value fees, and for some sellers - some sellers - it amounts to a fee increase."
After all, eBay can source their own inventory and pack and ship it and deal with customers, they don't need sellers. Oh, wait a minute - eBay does need its sellers.
http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/comments/2008/1/12018...

For anyone thinking of competing against eBay....
Comments like those above are only aggravating an already angry seller community. This is a golden/window of opportunity to court disenfranchised sellers to consider an alternative platform.

The vultures are circling....
CNN is giving coverage to eBay's competition, that see this window of opportunity. The article's tone is very positive, pretty much free advertising for these alternative platforms.
Click link below:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/06/smbusiness/ebay_alternatives.fsb/index.h...