Is eBay's Feedback System 'Fatally Flawed?'

Biz/Tech Scribe Says "Lack of Accuracy" is Bad for Small Biz

As part of her research for a book on starting a small business, freelance business and technology writer Alice LaPlante has been hanging out on eBay and talking to lots of power sellers. Her talks, she says, turned inevitably to the topic of feedback. As she puts it, "Feedback is a very important fact of life for anyone participating in the eBay community." So stated, and understated at that, LaPlante makes a thoughtful argument that the eBay feedback system, which she asserts is "probably the largest public forum for judging the reputation of a business in the world," is fatally flawed in ways that could make it fatal to your small business. She also details some possible fixes in an article published Saturday on SmallBizResource.com. Click on this week's Auction Talk Radio update (to be posted on Monday) in the Episode Blogs section and give us your thoughts on this intriguing and controversial topic.