Top rated seller status - eBay, transparency please!!!

[qualfit]

Am I the only one who thinks the requirements to become a Top Rated Seller have not much to do with reality? EBay should do much better to make the process clear and transparent.

1. Evaluation date - eBay says the new sellers to become TRS will assessed over 12 month period and evaluation date is on the 20th of each month. The reality is that evaluation date is actually on the last day of the previous month and the 20th is only the day when the new status may or may not be acknowledged. It does not matter how many items you will successfully sell between the 1st and 20th of the month so claiming that evaluation date is on the 20th is rubbish. Obviosuly you will not find anything in the terms that states that only the transactions until the end of the previous month are taken into account.

2. Above standard status - what is it really? Where eBay explains benefits or requirements to beceome one? But this is not the biggest issue. Apparently (just got off the phone with support) you need to maintin Above Standard status for a month before becoming TRS. Where is this mentioned in the requirements??? Nowhere as even support folks could not find it.

EBay, if you want sellers to do their best and offer the top experience to buyers you should at least be honest with the sellers. Lack of transarency is simply annoying.

[chameleon54]

The new standards are that far removed from reality that unfortunately most sellers have got a fairly low care factor about the whole programme now.

[5kazam]

Definitely agree about the low care factor. And wouldn't it be nice if eBay would just let us get on with the job we all know how to do well, without all the primary school grade 1&2 stars and bits for 'good work'. Phooey to all the 'you must do to become.....' eBay we are adults - please treat us as such.

[chameleon54]

5Kazam, Nicely said, couldnt agree more !

[5kazam]

Ta!

[davewil1964]

I wouldn't be so bothered, personally. You get it or don't, after attaining PS status, and it doesn't show on your listings anymore unless you offer all of eBay's disincentives.

Besides the goalposts will change in August. Better off reading up on that and adjusting your business model accordingly. If you think it will make a difference.

I am a TRS and I qualify for the Premium Seller badge on approximately 0 of 1000+ listings. I still sell stuff, though.

[chameleon54]

Davewil, I,m in the same boat as you. None of my listings meet the Premium seller badge and I have no intentions of trying to meet the unobtainable. Its just not practicle for the items I sell.

[qualfit]

I could not care less about the badge next to my name but what I certainly care about is a much higher position in the best match search.

[davewil1964]

Why?

Do you really think any but a newbie buyer would use 'best' match?

The common searches are 'P+P-lowest' or 'ending soonest', neither of which are affected by Premium Seller BS.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@qualfit wrote:

I could not care less about the badge next to my name but what I certainly care about is a much higher position in the best match search.

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Matey, I know that eBay kind of focuses on Best Match search, but as Dave said, lots of people don't even use it.

It's one of those searches that members have been trying to work out for ages, and there really does seem like no rhyme or reason to it. You can have all the boxes checked and meet all the criteria and still not appear anywhere close to the top.

Because eBay focus on this, a lot of sellers seem to focus on it, and not everyone can have a decent ranking, there are only sop many listings to a page and if there are 500 qualifying listings, how do they pick which one rises to the head of the list?

There are other search filters that you do have control over such as the price plus postage lowest as Dave said above.

I concentrate on those ones - the ones I really can control and manipulate and not rely on eBay's mysterious and seemingly random algorythims of Best Match