Online auction site eBay has said it plans to overhaul its feedback system and will ban sellers from leaving negative comments about buyers.
EBay said problems were occurring, and slowing down trade, when buyers left negative comments about sellers who then retaliated with their own views. From May, those selling on eBay will not be able to leave unfavourable or neutral messages about buyers.
The move, which will affect users worldwide, has angered many sellers. Sellers say it will leave them unprotected.
Critics of the changes argue that by taking away a seller"s right to complain about a problem buyer they will have very little recourse for action when a sale goes wrong. And they complain that by still allowing buyers to leave dissenting comments about sellers, eBay has skewed the whole trading process.