This is why in a nutshell
Previously, on EBay:
The buyer would simply email the seller and inquire as to a question regarding the whereabouts of their item, or any confusion over the item not being as described by the seller.
The seller would simply respond to the buyer and this would, in about 95% of the cases, be the end of it. Buyer satisfied, Seller satisfied - no case, no harm, no foul.
The seller would respond swiftly and delicately as to preserve the buyer's satisfaction and therefore a good feedback score - both of which would result in the seller maintaining his / her Top Rated Seller (TRS) status and his / her 20% TRS discount off of the bill at the end of the month.
This system encouraged sellers to offer superb customer service to the buyers - all was well.
Now, on EBay:
A buyer wants to know where the package is, the same as before; however now they are forced by EBay to immediately open a case against the seller for "Item Not Received."
The seller responds to the buyer, but now it is too late and the seller has received a "defect" point on his / her ratings.
--or--
The buyer wants to know about a point of confusion regarding an item's description, the same as before; however, now they are forced by EBay to immediately open a case against the seller for "Item Not As Described."
The seller responds to the buyer, but now it is too late and the seller has received a "defect" point on his / her ratings.
And these are only the scrupulous or otherwise honest buyers with honest questions. There are those few buyers who use the system to force the seller to conform to their wishes. An example of this would be when a buyer changes his / her mind about wanting the product and opens a "Item Not As Described" case to force the seller to pay the return shipping charges on the item. Or, let's say the buyer does not read the measurements in the listing and is expecting something larger or smaller than they receive. They simply open an "Item Not As Described" case against the seller and the return of the item, paid for by the seller, is forced upon the seller - this even though the item is exactly as described.
Now, the buyer gets to window shop on the sellers dime and the seller receives a "defect" point on his / her ratings.
Each of these points counts towards a total allowable percentage of defects called the "defect buffer." Once this "buffer" has been used, the points total to cause the seller to lose his or her TRS status and the 20% TRS discount which comes off of the bill at the end of the month.
The result:
Sellers are losing their TRS hand over fist and are now referred to as "Above Standard" - giving the buyer the impression that they are not worthy of the TRS title and badge.
Sellers are losing 20% of their sales volume each month by way of discounts no longer earned.
Sellers are overwhelmingly losing their incentive to respond to buyers, cater to buyer's wishes, or cooperate with buyers in order to preserve their status. The old system forced sellers to cooperate or risk losing this status - not anymore, since we will be losing this status regardless of how swiftly, politely, or completely respond and cater to customers.
Bravo EBay, you have managed to completely screw both buyer and seller in one move intended to increase your bottom line. Was the 20% gain from sellers bills worth it? I think not. Only time will tell. If both buyers and sellers are dissatisfied with the way each is performing, what do you think the result will be in the long run? Hmmmm? Okay, can I just tell you? The result is that both parties stop using your service and seek alternatives.
Ever hear of a little company called Bonanza? Well, I'm sure you have. They are 13 million members strong, consisting of both buyers and sellers. I have imported every one of my EBay items on to their site and have made significant sells since I have. Oh, and they are not only 4.5% cheaper on the Final Value Fee, but they don't charge to post and the posts remain until the item is sold or is removed by the seller.
Then there is that other little company called Etsy. They are 33 million strong and growing daily. Not only does it cost a mere 5 cents per month to post (twenty cents to post and posting lasts 4 months), but they don't charge for the "benefit" of a store-front, that's free. Also, they charge only a straight 3.5% Final Value Fee.
If you think you can just storm around making rules that hurt your customers - both buyers and sellers; rules that are designed to help only you and your bottom line - and not feel any consequences, then you are fools and your business model is foolish for we will seek out, find, and help to grow competitors to your empire.
