eBay Changing Feedback Policy - Sellers at Risk

The feedback system on eBay will be changing this spring - although I'm not sure if it is for the better.

Beginning in May, sellers who have bad experiences with buyers will not be able to leave negative feedback. EBay is eliminating the ability for sellers to leave negative feedback! How does this promote an open community forum??

A one-way feedback system seems to be a disaster waiting to happen. The feedback system is supposed to encourage an open community ... this can't happen with one way communication. EBay's feedback system was first introduced in 1996 to promote an honest and open market environment.

This really seems to put the sellers at risk. I'm surprised eBay is going this route since it's the sellers who pay their bills! I'm not a eBay expert or eBay watch-dog. I'm sure the Gavel Chat or eBay strategies blogs will have more on this.

I think the online community needs some alternatives to eBay and PayPal. They seem to have forgotten how they go to where they are.