topic Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit! in Selling

Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

mowermum — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 09:07:43 GMT

I haven't even used up my 30 free listings for the month and ebay have decided to give me Power Seller status. The benefit to me: none. The benefit to ebay: I pay additional fees.

One more month of free listings and I would have completed my garage sale. For those of you who want to criticise me for whingeing about losing free listings just think first about the extra business you probably gain from us garage sale people making ebay a more interesting place for buyers.

To ebay, your fees are high enough and I think you can afford to continue giving casual sellers, like myself, the free listings because there are benefits to keeping us around. You did double your profits in the second quarter this year, it's not like you need the extra cash.

I'm not going to start a new ID just to sell a few more items, and I'm not going to sell any more because it just feels like another kick in the teeth from ebay where its all for the benefit of the buyer.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

putney32 — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 09:18:54 GMT

so let me see if I understand this, you were a new or occasional seller on eBay who took up the generous offer of free listings, given by eBay to encourage more full time sellers to the site.

you were successful... very successful, sold so much you qualified for their p/seller level... well done, you must be doing something right, you list AND sell... great!! eBay must be a good venue to sell on, as you have made great sales since the introduction of this special offer... well done you and well done eBay.

now eBay are asking you to join the ranks of their regular sellers, of which we are millions, and pay fees, like the millions of regular sellers do, ok, understandable, you are using their service, you tried their free offer and found out it is certainly something you can do well, so now you have to pay

it is not a matter of eBay''gave'' you Powerseller status, YOU reached that status by selling well.
the only way to ''opt out'' of being a powerseller is to sell less, which surely defeats the purpose of listing on eBay.

sure free listings are GREAT, if you dont want to sell anything at all, just list, for free, then you can do that for years..... however, if you want to SELL, then you have to acknowledge that at some stage you will reach a level no longer considered 'casual seller' and start paying for your listings, which is OK cause it means you are eBaying well, have good products and selling them !

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

drz250k — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 10:33:35 GMT

Op, you must feel like you have just had a finger wagged in front of your face after Putney's condescending reply!! How dare you question ebays money grubbing practices lol,

Putney, didn't eBay increase your FVF fee from 7.5 to 7.9 percent to cover for the free listings and also increase the max fee from $50 to $100, so why are you now disadvantaged by being made a power seller?

eBay make an absolute killing with the fees they charge, their overheads would be extremely low, they certainly don't spend any of there their vast wealth on customer service in fact they go all out to make it as difficult as possible if you have a problem, they go out of their way to hide relevant links, they even move them around if too many people are starting to find them, how many people come here looking for the contact member button or the site map. Setting your preferences is a nightmare, it's worse than getting teeth pulled trying to navigate this mess.

it's ok for people like yourself (Putney & co) as you guys have lived and breathed it since it's beginning, but to brow beat people on how they should have known this and that as that is what they agreed to when they signed up is just plain wrong, you may know every policy eBay and PayPal have ever implemented but 95percent of users do not and never will.

Rant over!!

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

mowermum — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 10:33:41 GMT

I was in sales over 20 years ago, made it into the top 10 in Australia in my first year in fact. We were given targets to reach and when they were achieved we were rewarded with free gifts, not extra fees. I am sure those high up in ebay are being rewarded for a good job well done - it doesn't look like the regular sellers are though.

As I said I was selling on ebay as a casual with no intention of becoming a full-time seller. Just taking advantage of some spare time to have a clean out rather than trickle it slowly. The virtual tour under Sell told me that ebay would be a good place to sell my unwanted items. ebay never indicated to me that free listings were there to encourage me to become a full-time seller or that if I used them up I would become a Power Seller.

I think there are two side to ebay - those who are here for the short/casual term and those that are trying to create a successful business. They should be treated differently as we both have very different opinions.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

jensmanchester-australia — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 10:49:08 GMT

We can only wish we were rewarded - it just doesn't happen like that on eBay.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

lyndal1838 — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 11:07:43 GMT

You did not become a power seller just because you used up your free listings.

You achieved that status because you are having one gigantic garage sale and selling some quite high priced items.

If you are really so against the idea of paying your way you can start a new ID and get the free listings again.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

wishuponastarcelebrationsandgifts — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 11:07:44 GMT

I guess it all comes down to perception. When I first started selling an ebay it was to sell off unwanted baby items/household items. I don't recall ever getting any free listings.

I opened my ebay store a couple of years ago - again I received no free listings.

I am not sure when the free listings started, or exacly what the intention is. I presume it is something like a free trial so that people can try the site out, and if they like it become full paying members, (for the want of a better word).

On the flip side many Powersellers who are regular and loyal customers are not rewarded with free listings or with anything else for that matter. As you would know, coming from a sales background, it is typical to reward the "bigger" customers with rebates, volume discounts and the like.

I have read many posts complaining about the loss of free listings and attaining Powerseller status, but not wanting it. Without debating the pros and cons, it seems clear that it would be prudent for ebay to make it clear to sellers the purpose of free listings, and explain the concept of Powerseller status in more detail.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

best.buys — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:55:18 GMT

to all the casual sellers who read this it is best to try to sell your high priced items in your local paper first otherwise the $3000 limit is reached very quickly.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

phorum_junkie* — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 14:27:29 GMT

If you want more than 30 free listings a month or reach PS status and still want to use the free listings then just start another id, it isn't rocket science.

I am perfectly happy with PS status, I have a store anyway so I will pay less for listing and less for FVFs, I use a different id to make use of the 30 free listings for items that will sell better in auction format.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

the3coopers — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 14:45:54 GMT

Power Seller status is a reward for good performance. It gives you a certain "cred" that may be valuable in raising Buyer's trust.

If you don't want to be a Power Sellert, then stop selling on that ID and start another ID. It costs nothing, and then you can get your 50c discount on listing fees.

Or you could open a Store and get 20c listings but only pay 7% FVF on general items, rather than Free listings and 7.9%.

I certainly know what I prefer.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

davewil1964 — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 15:03:03 GMT

Powerseller is 100 sales AND $3,000 per annum.

So it's not just a matter of selling a few high priced items, it's selling 100 items plus, worth at least 3 grand.

If you don't want eBay to charge you listing fees maybe try your local newspaper. Oh, sorry, they charge you to list as well.

I sell well over 100 items pa, will be unlikely to tip over the $$ threshold to achieve PS/TRS, so forgive me for not crying over your situation.

You could always do what I and many others do - open another ID to take advantage of the 30 free listings a month. Especially if your garage is almost empty.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

mowermum — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 01:11:27 GMT

putney32 - your comment - now eBay are asking you to join the ranks of their regular sellers, of which we are millions, - divide that by at least two because it sounds like the majority of you have multiple ID's.

I don't want to start another ID. Under my current one I have brought quantity, quality, and provided good service and have made a few purchases. Isn't that what ebay want and encourage. I am NOT trying to build up a business. When I saw that I had become a Power Seller I thought that I was going to get rewarded with a few extra free listings, ha ha.

I admit that when I first started selling my stuff on ebay I did so because I was lazy and did not shop around to see what other options there were. I now see that there are some great Aussie sites available to sell on that are cheaper, the profits stay in the country and I bet they're a lot more user friendly.

Unless I want to sell internationally I don't see any benefits to selling on ebay, so if I am to start up another ID I may as well support an Australian company.

It was nice knowing you ebay.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

marian_100 — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 01:21:59 GMT

mowermum .. if you intend selling on ebay regularly then you will be a powerseller whether you like it or not. It sounds to me as if you sell with pride. Well continue to do so and realise that the benefits of powerseller and trusted seller lay in enhanced exposure both in search rankings and in buyer confidence. Keep up the good work and absorb the listing fees into your pricing structure as any retailer would do.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

global_philately — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 02:46:31 GMT

I've reached the giddy heights of PS.

I sell stamps, which are easily transportable. So, as I lost my 30 free listings per month, and the first pic costs in Australia are so high, I now list on the UK site.

I list all of my items at 99p and watch them fly, and I pay 9p (14c Australian). The same listing in Australia would cost me 50c.

That's been my only issue. I think. So far!

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

lyndal1838 — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 03:10:52 GMT

Mowermum, you are right....there are a number of Aussie auction sites where you can list for free or at a lower cost than ebay.

But do you want to list or do you want to SELL your items.

There are plenty of sellers on those sites, but very few buyers...just ask the sellers who list on multiple sites where they sell the most items. I can guarantee you will find it is on ebay.

As a buyer I can tell you that I spend a hundred times more on ebay than I do on all other sites combined.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

phorum_junkie* — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 05:49:54 GMT

Pommydave you do realise that while you may be saving a bit in listing fees you are paying 10% in FVFs using the UK site!

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

leader-of-the-band — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 07:57:28 GMT

It was nice knowing you ebay.

wow . . . . . I looked at your feedback as a way of seeing what you have sold and some of the prices you have achieved. You have done quite well, and presumably for very little in listing fees.

You state "The virtual tour under Sell told me that ebay would be a good place to sell my unwanted items" AND IT HAS BEEN.

Now that eBay have asked you to pay a little for listing you spit the dummy! Not only that, when others advise you to open another ID to continue to take advantage of free listings you huff and puff 'I don't want to start another ID'.

Treat your feedback as a badge of honour, do not be prepared to walk away from it all because you are now being asked to contribute to the vehicle that has provided you with success.

I will be surprised if you do actually walk away for good. I reckon we will see you take a holiday from selling until your next TRS/PS review that will see you drop under the levels required to maintain that status and you will then sell again, if only because you are so proud of your feedback status and you are good at selling. I, for one, will be putting you on my saved seller list to see if you follow through with not selling any more.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

leader-of-the-band — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 08:02:48 GMT

and another thing, if you do not like eBay anymore why don't you cancel all bids on your currently listed items and then end the listings.

1 bid of $50 for an old key . . . . I think you will let that one run its course.

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

foxette-in-sox — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 08:33:41 GMT

and another thing, if you do not like eBay anymore why don't you cancel all bids on your currently listed items and then end the listings.

1 bid of $50 for an old key . . . . I think you will let that one run its course.

(coffee splatter on screen)

Re: Power Seller - only for ebay's benefit!

leader-of-the-band — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 08:36:31 GMT

sorry foxy 😄

I didn't mean for it to have that effect.