Does ANYONE actually think it's going to be possible to remain Top Rated Sellers?

[van_werkhoven]

I don't sell much, so I can only imagine how hard this will end up being for people selling 100 items a month. Already I have two undeserved defects, in one month, from people with unreasonable expectations.

First one was the sale of two TODDLER shirts, labeled 'very good used condition'. Now, you would expect a little wear on that right? I haven't said excellent or near new, and at size 0 one would expect a little bit of wear. But I got a neutural, so I actually contacted the seller asking if there was anything I could do to resolve the situation, as I'd be happy to refund if she was not pleased with the purchase. She replied that she didn't feel any resolution was needed, but there were a couple of 'loose threads' on the blue shirt. This was a shirt with the visible hemming style of finish, so my guess is that there was one or two little snapped threads, since I didn't notice anything during the 3 times I inspected it before listing (sorting, photo, listing details). And she doesn't want a refund. So what can I do except wear it?

The second one was from a book from the 50s, clearly labeled 'Acceptable - Well used, reading copies. All pages are there but Bimbo and Topsy has some spine damage' - And I get a defect for item not as described? Seriously?

I don't see how I can possibly avoid 3 more defects over the next 10 months, when buyers refuse to read descriptions properly and expect perfect items. How can it be done?

[sueken4812]

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@lou*sbloomin*garden* wrote:
We are all doomed to being defects. Don't worry, we will all be on par with each other any way as no one will come out of this PERFECT

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Ha Ha, yes we'll all be defective together.  Defective in the head for keeping on keeping on here!

[ejholden1963]

Has any seller actually found a benefit in being a TRS ..... ??

I mean, seriously .......

[lousbloomingarden]

Hmmmmm is there a way of telling without sending out a survey to all your customers ?

[honest.johns.phones]

being a high volume seller who folds on demand, I could easily keep TRS if high risk items wasn't my staple.

[honest.johns.phones]

correct and there isn't a single thing you can do or say to help the situation.

[cmcoins2000]

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This system is ridiculous.... and like others I will just continue to do my best and make my customers happy as best I can

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The system is not only 'riciulous' it is flawed beyond belief.

Having said it all in : Sellers : Gain a Voice & Defects More Buyer Personality than Performance etc.

To receive +++ Feedback & a low DSR is decidedly conflicting - but makes sense to eBay - 'defect' stands.

To have a case opened in PayPal for whatever then showing as a 'defect' in eBay (given the connection) could be seen as a privacy issue - they are still separate entities - 'defect' stands.

To have a very positive outcome for both buyer & seller - mutually agreeable - the 'defect' stands.

As a buyer the notice I take is the feedback - ie: comments made on a sale - the number of comments & quality of the comments.

As I said my items will not show from 20th - 23rd in protest to this rubbish.

If anyone would like to join the 'Defect Sellers Association' you will not be alone.

[clarry100]

About a year ago now we changed ALL our listings to be compliant with their TRS requirements and to get the little badge thingy on each and every listing.

As a result of that we could not observe any change in our selling volume either UP or DOWN.

So we think TRS is a bunch of hogwash. When we buy we look at seller feedback as it seems quite a few others on here do as well.

Whether or not the seller is TRS does not bother us at all.

[honest.johns.phones]

and to openly say that the reasoning is to cull off some current outstanding sellers is ludicrous and arrogant. I wonder how the CEO's keep a straight face. MR AP Farhour especially.

[englishrosegardens]

Buyers can't see that you're a top-rated seller until they look at your feedback page, and it doesn't stand out there either.  Only the TRS sellers who offer premium service (free postage, 30 day returns, express post etc) have a badge showing in their listings or when you browse.  If buyers can't easily see whether a seller is top-rated or not, what difference does it make?  All that matters is good feedback comments and high star ratings, and if one of these is good the other one usually will be too.

The premium badge is a joke in a lot of cases.  I bought something last week from a seller with a premium badge, which is supposed to mean they post either the same day or within one business day.  I paid just before 9pm on the 12th and it should have been posted on the 13th.  It wasn't marked as posted till the 14th in the early afternoon, but the postmark on the envelope clearly says the 15th just before lunchtime.  So they can promise postage within one business day to get a premium service badge and then post on the third business day.  They obviously hadn't heard of putting things in plastic bags either, so the premium badge is totally misleading.

[chameleon54]

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@ejholden1963 wrote:

Has any seller actually found a benefit in being a TRS ..... ??

I mean, seriously .......

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Just for a different perspective ........... When I started selling on ebay TRS was a lot harder to achieve. You had to be a reasonably high volume seller with very good record to qualify. The badge was clearly displayed on listings and It seemed at the time that it really was something special that indicated you where dealing with a top proffesional seller. There where not that many Top Rated Sellers around at the time. Achieving the badge was a milestone for sellers and buyers did place some merit on the badge. So YES, back then it did make a difference.

           Around two to three years ago ebay changed the rules, dramatically lowering the standards and volume of sales needed to achieve TRS. This allowed many more sellers to easily achieve the badge as standards where set much lower. This seems to be the point at which the brand was damaged and buyers ( and sellers )  no longer placed any value on the system. With the more stringent standards now being applied its possible that TRS may once again be taken a bit more seriously by buyers and sellers.