Does a top rated seller need to be a Power Seller first?

[indigorosey]

I enquired today about my projected seller rating, by my calculations I should qualify for top rated seller on my next evaluation.

They agreed that I meet all the criteria and I will reach Power Seller status but top rated will not be awarded as I need to be a Power Seller first. Is this correct?

I politely asked where this is documented and they couldn't find it so have escalated my query.

I know most of you are way past this but does anyone remember whether this is the case? I want to have the best chances of increasing or at least maintaining my sales but it seems rules are being changed on the fly.
 

[pennyforum14]

Yes, that is correct, you need to reach Power Seller first and then you can reach TRS.  It is documented on your dashboard page, click the section where is shows your total transactions and sales figures and it will show which eligibility criteria you have reached and what you still have to reach to qualify.

[digital*ghost]

As far as I know, that is true, and I think they assess the qualifying criteria at different times, so if you meet the requirements for TRS before PS is awarded, then TRS won't be granted until the next assessment. 

I tried to look up where it states it explicitly, but it doesn't say that on the help pages, just this:

Top Rated Seller account status requirements

To become a Top Rated Seller on eBay.com.au, you need to meet the following requirements:
Have an eBay account that's been active for at least 90 days.
Have at least 100 transactions and USD $1,000 in sales with Australian buyers over the most recent 12-month period

Which is the main requirement for Power Seller (along with some FB requirements), so it's really a difference between qualifying as a PS and already being a PS, but as mentioned, I'm pretty sure they won't award TRS unless you've already been awarded PS. 

[indigorosey]

You can be a Top Rated Seller whether you have a large volume of sales or a smaller volume, provided you meet certain performance standards.

To become a Top Rated Seller on eBay.com.au, you need to meet the following requirements:

• Have an eBay account that's been active for at least 90 days.

• Have at least 100 transactions and USD $1,000 in sales with Australian buyers over the most recent 12-month period

• Comply with eBay's selling practices

• Meet the following requirements for transaction defect rate and purchase protection cases on transactions with Australian buyers:

  Each of these have a big green tick next to them, but eBay insist I have to be a powerseller first, but there is no mention of this at all, hence the query.

  Really disappointing because I have worked my patooty off, now I am getting more roadblocks 😞

[coalitionbrands]

If you complete 100 transactions and $1000 USD sales  Basic Powerseller status should be given automatically, I thought.

[pennyforum14]

As DG says, PS status is assessed at a different time of the month than TRS status, and if you have not been awarded PS status when your TRS assessment rolls around, you have to wait for the next assessment, at which time you will then qualify for TRS.  This is what happened with me, when my TRS assessment came around, I had achieved, but not yet been awarded PS, so I had to wait an extra month to get my PS first, then they gave me TRS.

[lane-ends]

Then you too can get peed off when you realize you did all that hard work, to get a shiny badge, and still no further up the ladder. TRS does not carry all that much weight at the moment in search rankings. Search your catagory and see all the "experienced" sellers above you..

[indigorosey]

UPDATE: Kudos to eBay for the quick response - they have agreed with my request and chucked a PS badge on me. They also  said I will get TR on my upcoming evaluation 🙂

I'm really not one for nitpickery but the wording is misleading when you read it.  I don't know whether it will help sales or not but I also wanted to mark it as a personal achievement.