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Yes, I have been a Power Seller for sometime now and all that hard work has not made me a "top rated" seller. I think that with eBay giving the message that 3 is acceptable for DSR it will become almost impossible to become a "top rated" seller.
Having been dropped out of the search for items will make it even more of a challenge to keep the same sales as last year.
Having been dropped out of the search for items will make it even more of a challenge to keep the same sales as last year.
Hi All
We will see what happens when top rated sellers get set up by the competition or buyers out to ruin you. Buy items, leave negatives with 1 for DSR's and Ebay will do absolutely nothing about it. Time will tell how many sellers get the shaft with this wonderful new system. Ebay would love to have less top rated sellers so they have to pay out less in discounts. Remember, Ebay does nothing for sellers any more. They only care about themselves.All problems are answered with preprogrammmed responses which do nothing for seller confidence. I too have been on Ebay for 10 years and strongly feel it ius going to the dogs. It will cater more and more to Buycom type sellers and the rest can go away. They will never admit it but that is what they want.
We will see what happens when top rated sellers get set up by the competition or buyers out to ruin you. Buy items, leave negatives with 1 for DSR's and Ebay will do absolutely nothing about it. Time will tell how many sellers get the shaft with this wonderful new system. Ebay would love to have less top rated sellers so they have to pay out less in discounts. Remember, Ebay does nothing for sellers any more. They only care about themselves.All problems are answered with preprogrammmed responses which do nothing for seller confidence. I too have been on Ebay for 10 years and strongly feel it ius going to the dogs. It will cater more and more to Buycom type sellers and the rest can go away. They will never admit it but that is what they want.
eBay's new default search, "Best Match", is designed to help nobody else but eBay. Those that appear to be contributing most to eBay’s revenues (real sales or not) will get preference.
If you look at "stephintexas", of the 31 items listed in her "completed listings" for the past 14 days, only three items have sold with only one bid on each. There is no financial advantage to eBay in giving her any preference.
Yo’ all have to come to terms with the fact that eBay is desperate and has never actually been interested in anyone but themselves. Times are tough, but you won't get to the top of eBay's default search with stats like that.
Where’s the “Ho Ho Ho” taking eBay?
http://www.auctionbytes.com/fo...wtopic.php?p=6502877
If you look at "stephintexas", of the 31 items listed in her "completed listings" for the past 14 days, only three items have sold with only one bid on each. There is no financial advantage to eBay in giving her any preference.
Yo’ all have to come to terms with the fact that eBay is desperate and has never actually been interested in anyone but themselves. Times are tough, but you won't get to the top of eBay's default search with stats like that.
Where’s the “Ho Ho Ho” taking eBay?
http://www.auctionbytes.com/fo...wtopic.php?p=6502877
Like most here I've been a powerseller for quite awhile. Although based in Australia, I list on the US site for more traffic. I hand make charm bracelets, list around 7 to 10 a month and by using "featured first" was selling everything I listed for an average of US$180. Now thanks to the changes my business is gutted. I relied on featured first and paid high fees for the privledge! If you are not a top seller, featured first in not available to you. I sent a message telling them what a disaster it is for me and they said I had to double my listings (and sales) and reduce my postage times (from Australia) to qualify as a Top Seller. I'm disabled - I can't make that many bracelets! A former ebay CEO said he wanted to get rid of the "fleas" so I suggest this is just another way to get rid us. Top seller status will make the big get bigger and reduce items to homogenised, manufactured stuff you can buy anywhere. I don't know what to do now - it's a disaster for me. My "watcher" stats have gone down from the high 80s to single digits and I don't think this crop of bracelets will sell. Not so happy christmas...
We've been a power seller on eBay for several years now, and I feel like most do here. It's a little ridiculous and hurts the customer service driven, hard-working, and experienced Power Sellers. Who does eBay think had the biggest impact for their company all these years prior to the Top-Rated program? It certainly wasn't an average joe selling rummage items every couple of weeks.
Since the insertion of the Top-Rated Program, we've noted a decrease in sales of 76% for October Sales. And almost that same percentage in October as compared to September. We even have the sole best prices and most sold items on eBay for one particular product that we carry. And now even that is no longer a factor.
I've always been displeased with the ridiculous fees that eBay takes from us. And this is just my opinion, but we overlook that due to eBay's marketing and sales they ultimately generate for you. With this new Top-Rated seller program, the people who really helped eBay grow, and prosper to this point, are going to get the shaft. This is simply the truth.
We've had no other option but to invest into a company website off eBay, and at a time when we did not need to go through those changes, let alone spend the money at this time during the year. All this is right after we spent thousands to expand and create a bigger and better eBay store. Now we've taken lots of items off, and honestly, aren't really too concerned about our eBay store anymore. That's pretty sad.
Since the insertion of the Top-Rated Program, we've noted a decrease in sales of 76% for October Sales. And almost that same percentage in October as compared to September. We even have the sole best prices and most sold items on eBay for one particular product that we carry. And now even that is no longer a factor.
I've always been displeased with the ridiculous fees that eBay takes from us. And this is just my opinion, but we overlook that due to eBay's marketing and sales they ultimately generate for you. With this new Top-Rated seller program, the people who really helped eBay grow, and prosper to this point, are going to get the shaft. This is simply the truth.
We've had no other option but to invest into a company website off eBay, and at a time when we did not need to go through those changes, let alone spend the money at this time during the year. All this is right after we spent thousands to expand and create a bigger and better eBay store. Now we've taken lots of items off, and honestly, aren't really too concerned about our eBay store anymore. That's pretty sad.
Likewise I have been a powerseller on ebay for many years. I have worked very hard to maintain a high level of service to all of my customers.
Ebay has a huge flaw in their DSR system. They assume that buyers are honest and responsible. I am not a top rated seller because of ONE buyer. I battled for over a week trying to figure out how my low DSR's went from a consistent 0% to over 6%. The answer was that I had a new buyer starting in August and she bought A LOT of items from me. She left me 1's or 2's in 2 DSR categories for the months of August and September for every item she purchased. Worse than that she continues to buy and leaves glowing feedback.
After speaking with ebay reps they confirmed to me that it was one buyer and that I should block her and contact trust and safety. The assured me that there was something trust and safety could do for me to remedy this because I have always had good DSR's and because all of this was coming from one buyer (who has continued to purchase from me).
I contacted the trust and safety department and they stated "there is no way to identify what buyer left what DSR's. That they would not help me. That despite the fact that ebay's site states they are taking steps to detect and act on buyer abuse ~ there is nothing they will do to help me. They went so far as to tell me they would contact the representative who informed me that one buyer left all of the low DSR's and explain to this poor rep that they cannot give out incorrect information.
I ran reports myself and was able to verify the low DSR's came from one buyer, if I can do it, ebay can do it. If it can be proven, then ebay should take action.
Not only am I not a top rated seller, they have me a "below average seller" all because of one buyers DSR's. I have no search standing, my items are not seen. The few sales I have are from repeat buyers.
Ebay states that I need to raise my DSR's. What they neglect to point out to the sellers is that as your sales decrease each day because your search standing has dropped and the result of that is your low DSR percentages increase until the 3 months pass and those low DSR's drop off. So if you end up in my situation, pack it up and go on vacation for 3 months, there is no way to recover.
Ebay has a huge flaw in their DSR system. They assume that buyers are honest and responsible. I am not a top rated seller because of ONE buyer. I battled for over a week trying to figure out how my low DSR's went from a consistent 0% to over 6%. The answer was that I had a new buyer starting in August and she bought A LOT of items from me. She left me 1's or 2's in 2 DSR categories for the months of August and September for every item she purchased. Worse than that she continues to buy and leaves glowing feedback.
After speaking with ebay reps they confirmed to me that it was one buyer and that I should block her and contact trust and safety. The assured me that there was something trust and safety could do for me to remedy this because I have always had good DSR's and because all of this was coming from one buyer (who has continued to purchase from me).
I contacted the trust and safety department and they stated "there is no way to identify what buyer left what DSR's. That they would not help me. That despite the fact that ebay's site states they are taking steps to detect and act on buyer abuse ~ there is nothing they will do to help me. They went so far as to tell me they would contact the representative who informed me that one buyer left all of the low DSR's and explain to this poor rep that they cannot give out incorrect information.
I ran reports myself and was able to verify the low DSR's came from one buyer, if I can do it, ebay can do it. If it can be proven, then ebay should take action.
Not only am I not a top rated seller, they have me a "below average seller" all because of one buyers DSR's. I have no search standing, my items are not seen. The few sales I have are from repeat buyers.
Ebay states that I need to raise my DSR's. What they neglect to point out to the sellers is that as your sales decrease each day because your search standing has dropped and the result of that is your low DSR percentages increase until the 3 months pass and those low DSR's drop off. So if you end up in my situation, pack it up and go on vacation for 3 months, there is no way to recover.
I personally hate the top seller program.
It makes sellers far to vulnerable to unscrupulous buyers (and possibly competitors) If you sell 300 hundred items a month 2 unhappy buyers can take you out of search standings for three months.
eBay knows there are dishonest buyers in the marketplace and acknowledged that with their feedback extortion policy. It is a mystery to me why they would then employ an anonymous DSR policy with no accountability for the buyer and no avenue of redress for the seller.
My sales are down for October due to only a Above Standard rating brought into being by 2 low DSRs out of hundreds.
Does eBay do the math that with my decreased sales, their fees are proportionately diminished? In September I paid $900 in fees and in October it will be closer to $340.
Have the Wall Street analysts figured the impact of this on eBay's profitability?
It makes sellers far to vulnerable to unscrupulous buyers (and possibly competitors) If you sell 300 hundred items a month 2 unhappy buyers can take you out of search standings for three months.
eBay knows there are dishonest buyers in the marketplace and acknowledged that with their feedback extortion policy. It is a mystery to me why they would then employ an anonymous DSR policy with no accountability for the buyer and no avenue of redress for the seller.
My sales are down for October due to only a Above Standard rating brought into being by 2 low DSRs out of hundreds.
Does eBay do the math that with my decreased sales, their fees are proportionately diminished? In September I paid $900 in fees and in October it will be closer to $340.
Have the Wall Street analysts figured the impact of this on eBay's profitability?
NO, THE TOP-RATED SELLER PROGRAM WILL HURT EVERYONE:
ebay's dsr system, top-rated sellers system, search engine, and pretty much anything that ebay has put out there for the last 2 years is doing nothing to help ebay, it's sellers, or it buyers. even the stock price. ebay and the wall street analysts need to stop and think who the people are, that used to buy ebay stock. it was the people that used to buy and sell on ebay. now, so many are unhappy with ebay, they no longer want to own the company. they see the writing on the wall, ebay has doomed themselves! if things do not change, soon.
ebay is unfair to all. i have been on ebay for over 10 years, a power seller, and a top-rated seller, for the time being. with ebay's system, i am sure that will not last long. sellers like me, cut into their bottom line. i get a discount.
i have watched while selling prices have gone sky high, to cover the excessive ebay and paypal fees, the so-called "free" shipping, etc. this drives away potential buyers.
even as a top-rated power seller, my sales have dropped by a full two thirds, my profits are down by almost 75%. i spend more time trying to please ebay, than i do my buyers.
i am a top-rated seller only because i must let the buyers abuse me, lie to me, cheat me, and in some instances steal from me. all because ebay will do nothing to help. the unfair feedback system, doesn't even allow me to leave negative feedback when it takes 2 weeks for a buyer to pay for an item or doesn't pay at all. contacting ebay's customer support or trust and safety for help or assistance, is a total joke. the only trust and safety they are interested in is ebay's.
the top-rated sellers program was designed to take more away from the sellers. remove the power sellers discounts, to help pad ebay's bottom line and give nothing in return. the system is unfair to the sellers and costs the buyers money. the fewer the discounts, the more the prices must go up, to pay the outrageous ebay fees. the higher ebay's fees go, the higher the selling price must go.
the tactics that ebay is using are very heavy handed and possibly illegal. they have removed our right to even choose a payment method, by forcing paypal down both the buyers and seller throats. this alone cost me about 25% of my sales. there are a great many and a growing number, that do not and will not use paypal. a large number of these people, no longer shop on ebay at all.
the top-rated seller program is nothing but a huge joke, a sound bite, something to sucker the wall street analysts. it has done nothing to improve customer satisfaction. it has done nothing to improve sales. it has done nothing to improve profits (except for ebay). the top-rated sellers program is just another ebay scam!
the biggest thing that the top-rated sellers program has done is to run more buyers and sellers away from ebay and to other competing auction sites.
"EBAY MAY VERY WELL BE, THE MOST UNFAIR MARKET PLACE IN THE WORLD, TODAY!"
the top-rated sellers program, is just more evidence of that fact.
ebay's dsr system, top-rated sellers system, search engine, and pretty much anything that ebay has put out there for the last 2 years is doing nothing to help ebay, it's sellers, or it buyers. even the stock price. ebay and the wall street analysts need to stop and think who the people are, that used to buy ebay stock. it was the people that used to buy and sell on ebay. now, so many are unhappy with ebay, they no longer want to own the company. they see the writing on the wall, ebay has doomed themselves! if things do not change, soon.
ebay is unfair to all. i have been on ebay for over 10 years, a power seller, and a top-rated seller, for the time being. with ebay's system, i am sure that will not last long. sellers like me, cut into their bottom line. i get a discount.
i have watched while selling prices have gone sky high, to cover the excessive ebay and paypal fees, the so-called "free" shipping, etc. this drives away potential buyers.
even as a top-rated power seller, my sales have dropped by a full two thirds, my profits are down by almost 75%. i spend more time trying to please ebay, than i do my buyers.
i am a top-rated seller only because i must let the buyers abuse me, lie to me, cheat me, and in some instances steal from me. all because ebay will do nothing to help. the unfair feedback system, doesn't even allow me to leave negative feedback when it takes 2 weeks for a buyer to pay for an item or doesn't pay at all. contacting ebay's customer support or trust and safety for help or assistance, is a total joke. the only trust and safety they are interested in is ebay's.
the top-rated sellers program was designed to take more away from the sellers. remove the power sellers discounts, to help pad ebay's bottom line and give nothing in return. the system is unfair to the sellers and costs the buyers money. the fewer the discounts, the more the prices must go up, to pay the outrageous ebay fees. the higher ebay's fees go, the higher the selling price must go.
the tactics that ebay is using are very heavy handed and possibly illegal. they have removed our right to even choose a payment method, by forcing paypal down both the buyers and seller throats. this alone cost me about 25% of my sales. there are a great many and a growing number, that do not and will not use paypal. a large number of these people, no longer shop on ebay at all.
the top-rated seller program is nothing but a huge joke, a sound bite, something to sucker the wall street analysts. it has done nothing to improve customer satisfaction. it has done nothing to improve sales. it has done nothing to improve profits (except for ebay). the top-rated sellers program is just another ebay scam!
the biggest thing that the top-rated sellers program has done is to run more buyers and sellers away from ebay and to other competing auction sites.
"EBAY MAY VERY WELL BE, THE MOST UNFAIR MARKET PLACE IN THE WORLD, TODAY!"
the top-rated sellers program, is just more evidence of that fact.
Use ebay for what it is; a great place to find customers for your website.
Sell a limited number of low dollar items on ebay. Then drive those customers to your website with daily bargains or whatever deals you can come up with.
This is exactly what one of ebays largest sellers does. The seller is BUY which is really Buy.com.
If you buy something from BUY on ebay, every day from that day forward they will email you the daily specials at Buy.com.
They are using ebay to drive customers to their website; try it, you'll like it!
Sell a limited number of low dollar items on ebay. Then drive those customers to your website with daily bargains or whatever deals you can come up with.
This is exactly what one of ebays largest sellers does. The seller is BUY which is really Buy.com.
If you buy something from BUY on ebay, every day from that day forward they will email you the daily specials at Buy.com.
They are using ebay to drive customers to their website; try it, you'll like it!
quote:Originally posted by dutchman48:
Hi All
We will see what happens when top rated sellers get set up by the competition or buyers out to ruin you.
Dutchman48, I would have to agree with you. I have been selling on eBay since mid 07, hit power seller status in 08 and despite eBay changes remained a power seller. With the new Top Seller Program I transitioned into the Top Rated Seller status which did absolutely nothing but paint a huge target on my listings that eventually got all of my listings ended and my account restricted because of the "number of reports" that they had received on all of my listings. My thoughts are simply that FEEBAY CAN KISS MY BEHIND AND THEIR 15% OF THE 4K/MTH SELLS THAT I HAD ON FEEBAY.
quote:Originally posted by JP_art:
Likewise I have been a powerseller on ebay for many years. I have worked very hard to maintain a high level of service to all of my customers.
Ebay has a huge flaw in their DSR system. They assume that buyers are honest and responsible. I am not a top rated seller because of ONE buyer. I battled for over a week trying to figure out how my low DSR's went from a consistent 0% to over 6%. The answer was that I had a new buyer starting in August and she bought A LOT of items from me. She left me 1's or 2's in 2 DSR categories for the months of August and September for every item she purchased. Worse than that she continues to buy and leaves glowing feedback.
After speaking with ebay reps they confirmed to me that it was one buyer and that I should block her and contact trust and safety. The assured me that there was something trust and safety could do for me to remedy this because I have always had good DSR's and because all of this was coming from one buyer (who has continued to purchase from me).
I contacted the trust and safety department and they stated "there is no way to identify what buyer left what DSR's. That they would not help me. That despite the fact that ebay's site states they are taking steps to detect and act on buyer abuse ~ there is nothing they will do to help me. They went so far as to tell me they would contact the representative who informed me that one buyer left all of the low DSR's and explain to this poor rep that they cannot give out incorrect information.
I ran reports myself and was able to verify the low DSR's came from one buyer, if I can do it, ebay can do it. If it can be proven, then ebay should take action.
Not only am I not a top rated seller, they have me a "below average seller" all because of one buyers DSR's. I have no search standing, my items are not seen. The few sales I have are from repeat buyers.
Ebay states that I need to raise my DSR's. What they neglect to point out to the sellers is that as your sales decrease each day because your search standing has dropped and the result of that is your low DSR percentages increase until the 3 months pass and those low DSR's drop off. So if you end up in my situation, pack it up and go on vacation for 3 months, there is no way to recover.
Hi, Trust and Safety will not do anything on low DSR ratings even if from a single buyer unless the buyer left negative feedback. If the buyer left negative feedback. Then the buyer can change their feedback or you and the buyer can agree to with draw your mutual feedback. I had a buyer that accidentally left the wrong DSR's on an item they bought from another seller and because they left positive feedback with low DSR ratings there was not anything that could be done to correct the low DSR's short of the feedback being mutually with drawn. Also you may want to double check the time period that you are quoting before the low DSR's drop off. When I read through the new policies when they were being announced the 3 month drop off period only applies if you have a certain sales level and maintain that same dollar level of sells otherwise as your sales dollars drop off the length of time before the low DSR's drop off increases to a year. How is that for a catch 22?
What makes me really angry is that a year ago eBay promoted the heck out of selling overseas. As a Powerseller I can not count the emails I received encouraging me to start selling overseas....well gues what I did and with success only NOW I get to pay dearly for that with this new program. I have consisent DSR's of 4,9 and that's NOT an easy task selling overseas.......and then comes the latest eBay slap in my face that I have not recovered from: My powerseller icon/ stauts is mostly gone and while I have over 7000 ratings, 100% feedback, high high DSR's I DO NOT qualify for top rated seller because sales outside of the US do NOT count. I could spit fire I am so angry. I worked my behind off to get the DSR's selling overseas. I qualify in every category that's required EXCEPT......I do not have enough sales in the US. All the while I am a reigistered US Seller that has paid my "dues" in the thousands and thousands every year, spotless feedback and what do I get...a swift kick in the rear.
Having been on Eaby for 11 years I have recovered from several kicks in the gut by eBay over the years but how to "fix" this one....I am not sure...so now my merchandise is dug under, can't be found and all that while I have perfect DSR's and ratings....now isn't that great.
And Yes I do own eBay stock and it makes me furious....
Having been on Eaby for 11 years I have recovered from several kicks in the gut by eBay over the years but how to "fix" this one....I am not sure...so now my merchandise is dug under, can't be found and all that while I have perfect DSR's and ratings....now isn't that great.
And Yes I do own eBay stock and it makes me furious....
quote:Originally posted by thar:
NO, THE TOP-RATED SELLER PROGRAM WILL HURT EVERYONE:
i am a top-rated seller only because i must let the buyers abuse me, lie to me, cheat me, and in some instances steal from me. all because ebay will do nothing to help. the unfair feedback system, doesn't even allow me to leave negative feedback when it takes 2 weeks for a buyer to pay for an item or doesn't pay at all. contacting ebay's customer support or trust and safety for help or assistance, is a total joke. the only trust and safety they are interested in is ebay's.
I agree with thar. I sell expensive wigs and the client gets very emotional. They make mistakes on their order and then tell me that if I don't do what they want, they will leave negative feedback. My cost of goods is very high and the items are of a personal nature. I've had people ruin the units, wear them and make a mistake in color selection and then lash out and tell me what I better do or else. When I inform ebay that health codes in California restrict retailers from taking back worn human hair products--they tell me there is nothing they can do--and that even if I'm threaten by the buyer--it's not extortion unless they ask me for money. I've had clients who out of angry of seeing the "no returns" will leave a low dsr out of spite without even giving me the opportunity to do anything to correct the issue--if I can. The abuse and the high emotions by buyers who don't know what they are doing and who buy on impulse is taxing. I know of another wig seller who was so distraught that she had a breakdown from stress.
I feel like a child being guided by an over-bearing and very critical ebay parent.I do agree with another quote here--use ebay to direct people to your website.
quote:i am a top-rated seller only because i must let the buyers abuse me, lie to me, cheat me, and in some instances steal from me. all because ebay will do nothing to help.
Yep...that's exactly how it works. The only reason I have 100% feedback is for the VERY SAME reasons. I have been threatened into refunding money in unwarranted situations, I have been threatend to return money when I knew full and well the customer received their items, I've been subject to numerous charge backs through Paypal with NO recourse and NO chance for me...loosing the money, the item, the shipping and then pay fees on top of that.
I have been threatened with negatvie feedback versus giving the buyer money. I have contacted what once was Power Seller support, Trust & Safety and guess what....none of those features help the Seller.
Amazingly enough the Seller who pays Thousands of Dollars in fees get's kicked to the curb on every corner of this road.
And to be honest...after 11 years of this I wonder about myself....how dense am I that I still write these notes knowing full and well that NO ONE @ Ebay gives a hoot about any of this - NO ONE!
The ONLY reason eBay is able to do this is because there is still no other auction site that makes eBay any worthwhile competition. If there was...my bet would be that the majority of oldtimers like me with 11 plus years on eBay would be gone to the other site over night.
eBay is the Grinch that just stole Christmas! After a disastrous economy and slow summer I was biting the bullet just waiting for the Christmas season to get back on my feet. So what does eBay do? Introduce a major significant untested change (always likely to have unforeseen consequences) just a few weeks before the holidays. You just destroyed my holidays. On October 1st my sales virtually disappeared (my crowded niche requires me to buy features to get exposure which now only top rated seller can buy - a huge and unfair competitive advantage to top rated sellers who may have only a handful of feedbacks after a couple of years, and haven't sold enough items for anyone to bother giving them a low DSR).
I am a power seller and have been on eBay for over ten years. I never had a negative feedback, though I have a few too many low DSR's for Top Seller. eBays TRS program both sets the bar too high, makes the statusd too unreliable and gives it such an unfair competitive advantage than any small business seller is basically screwed. First, the DSR as we already know is completely counter -intuitive, Every single rating system with a five point scale in the world uses 3 as the average.
Second, buyers currently identify a good user experience with reliable PowerSellers. replacing that designation and logo with NOTHING just tosses every single highly rated power seller in with everyone else, while top-rated sellers get all the best position and exposure. There is even a button buyers can use to EXCLUDE anyone else - stealing my listing fees from me by not giving me all the search exposure I am paying for (I think that some attorneys general in various states will be looking into this).
Finally, this is a fragile program. I have thousands of positive feedbacks that mention my fast shipping, yet I always get one or two nut jobs that think Labor Day is no excuse for an item to arrive a day later! I have a 4.9 on shipping costs even though everything I ship is free shipping! And this is the program you are building your business model on??? Even if you made top seller this month, who knows how long you will keep it and how long it takes to get it back. When you go down from Platinum to Gold, it doesn't change your sales results - you just lose a few benefits. But if you loose top seller status you lose you place in the searches, any featured listings, and any promotional visibility at all! Your basically screwed!
I suspect eBay has once again screwed their base, the small business power seller. Less than 20% of the searches I ran in my tests came back with TRS's, meaning 80% of us were screwed.
This month I couldn't pay my high ebay fees for the very first time ever. I am now payng them off, but they are late - because I have not had the sales I had even when things were slow. I am in the process of working my way out of dependence on eBay forever after this. It was a nice ride ebay, but like my ex-wife -we've grown away from each other - or you have grown away from me, and so a separation is in order. I'll be investing the thousands in fees I paid every month into Google Adwords in the future.
I am a power seller and have been on eBay for over ten years. I never had a negative feedback, though I have a few too many low DSR's for Top Seller. eBays TRS program both sets the bar too high, makes the statusd too unreliable and gives it such an unfair competitive advantage than any small business seller is basically screwed. First, the DSR as we already know is completely counter -intuitive, Every single rating system with a five point scale in the world uses 3 as the average.
Second, buyers currently identify a good user experience with reliable PowerSellers. replacing that designation and logo with NOTHING just tosses every single highly rated power seller in with everyone else, while top-rated sellers get all the best position and exposure. There is even a button buyers can use to EXCLUDE anyone else - stealing my listing fees from me by not giving me all the search exposure I am paying for (I think that some attorneys general in various states will be looking into this).
Finally, this is a fragile program. I have thousands of positive feedbacks that mention my fast shipping, yet I always get one or two nut jobs that think Labor Day is no excuse for an item to arrive a day later! I have a 4.9 on shipping costs even though everything I ship is free shipping! And this is the program you are building your business model on??? Even if you made top seller this month, who knows how long you will keep it and how long it takes to get it back. When you go down from Platinum to Gold, it doesn't change your sales results - you just lose a few benefits. But if you loose top seller status you lose you place in the searches, any featured listings, and any promotional visibility at all! Your basically screwed!
I suspect eBay has once again screwed their base, the small business power seller. Less than 20% of the searches I ran in my tests came back with TRS's, meaning 80% of us were screwed.
This month I couldn't pay my high ebay fees for the very first time ever. I am now payng them off, but they are late - because I have not had the sales I had even when things were slow. I am in the process of working my way out of dependence on eBay forever after this. It was a nice ride ebay, but like my ex-wife -we've grown away from each other - or you have grown away from me, and so a separation is in order. I'll be investing the thousands in fees I paid every month into Google Adwords in the future.
quote:I'll be investing the thousands in fees I paid every month into Google Adwords in the future.
What is google adwords and how would it help you / us????
Anything to get out of this eBay mess seems worth trying these days...
Anyone out here have a website and sells overseas...any experiences to share?
All of you folks upset with all the changes need to understand why the changes occur; to justify the jobs of the people making the changes.
If ebay stops "improving" the site, then a whole lot of people are going to lose their jobs.
So count on constant "improvements" whether they be good or bad for anyone; including ebay.
If ebay stops "improving" the site, then a whole lot of people are going to lose their jobs.
So count on constant "improvements" whether they be good or bad for anyone; including ebay.
>>>>constant "improvements" whether they be good or bad for anyone; including ebay.<<<<
Would be nice if those "improvements" would benefit the people that actually bring in the money for eBay (Sellers)....that way eBay could even profit from their improvements...as I see it now eBay becomes an extended version of the Asian market of wholesale goods and the rest goes by the wayside...
Still hoping for the LAW to look at eBay's "fair market" practices...and still hoping for a reputable new auction site to pop up some day....nobody says I can't dream...
Would be nice if those "improvements" would benefit the people that actually bring in the money for eBay (Sellers)....that way eBay could even profit from their improvements...as I see it now eBay becomes an extended version of the Asian market of wholesale goods and the rest goes by the wayside...
Still hoping for the LAW to look at eBay's "fair market" practices...and still hoping for a reputable new auction site to pop up some day....nobody says I can't dream...
I always refer to eBay users as “users”, for to refer to them as “members”, as eBay does, is to imply that the organisation is run for some benefit of those “members”—it is not: No action taken (or not taken) by eBay management has anything to do with benefiting or protecting eBay users (buyers or sellers); eBay’s every action (or lack thereof) is purposed solely towards benefitting eBay, by whatever means—undoubtedly more to do with the recovery of those “lost” executive performance bonuses than with any direct consideration for shareholders—and if at any time there appears to be some benefit to eBay “users”, that will be purely coincidental.
And the rest of the story at
http://www.auctionbytes.com/fo...wtopic.php?p=6502877
And the rest of the story at
http://www.auctionbytes.com/fo...wtopic.php?p=6502877
I agree with every word of what has been said, having experienced many of the same problems as many other sellers. I have been a seller and buyer for over 9 years now. We have seen it go from a uncomplicated, fair, open and accountable venue. To a secretive, complicated, and highly controlled marketplace that totally favors the buyers and increases the bottom line at ebay headquarters.
I believe eBay is actively violating anti trust laws and is in collusion with the credit card companies on their recent move to credit cards or PayPal only.
I also believe they could be held accountable for ruining the businesses of many of their sellers. Someone should start a lawsuit against them. I know my sales are one third of what they were a few years ago....and i believe its because of the changes...If i could quit i would...But the bills must be paid.
I believe eBay is actively violating anti trust laws and is in collusion with the credit card companies on their recent move to credit cards or PayPal only.
I also believe they could be held accountable for ruining the businesses of many of their sellers. Someone should start a lawsuit against them. I know my sales are one third of what they were a few years ago....and i believe its because of the changes...If i could quit i would...But the bills must be paid.
I say we all flood eBay's corporate address with letters of complaints...haha.