No offense to you, but I'm glad you think you've found your "someplace over the rainbow". Sadly, many of your peers don't agree with you, and one day may you will, or maybe you won't, feel the same. Time will tell. It doesn't matter to me. I know what I've been through, put up with, and so do the other "whiners". You have NO idea the incredible FUN it once was working as a "partner" with this company, and how over the years it has stabbed us in the back. Somehow over the years they forgot who made them, and who their customers were.
Yea, eBay is a for profit company, I think we all knew that without your reminder, and yes, they behave as you say. Unfortunately they wrap it in a candy coated spin that's a little hard to swallow after all these years. Kinda makes you want to vomit.
So I wish you luck. Perhaps you'll make it to PowerSeller one day. I was once, for 5 years, and I worked long, and too hard, to keep it and it meant nothing. In fact, I felt like a slave as I kept getting emails threatening to take my status away if my sales didn't improve. Of course the sinking economy after 9/11 had a lot to do with all of this, and it's never really recovered since. So, like a mindless Borg, I worked harder, for nothing. I was finally glad the day that title went away. It was a relief.
So best of luck to you.