Andy, you make it clear you think eBay feedback is a "joke".

Would you take a moment and look at my feedback and tell me what is a "joke" about it?

A brief examination will show that I have a tremendous repeat clientele (total of 1780+ positives, but only 969 unique individuals, when you factor in my one-time purchases, you see a repeat customer rate of over 50%).

I have left about a dozen negatives, (basically one for EVERY unsatisfactory transaction I've had) and have NEVER received a retaliatory neg in return, which I owe to a simple communication technique that I'd be happy to pass on.

My experiece is that I examine the feedback of every seller who I'm considering placing a bid with, and every buyer that bids on any expensive item I offer. I find the feedback comments are usually quite revealing, and I wonder why people think the system is a joke. It's far from perfect, sure, but as it is, it still offers good insight into my trading partners, and I believe it says something to my potential bidders about me as well.