New AusPost charges lost me my Top Rated Seller logo! Anyone else?

[thetreasurehaus]

My biggest dilemma selling through eBay at the moment concerns both eBay feedback scores and Australia Post

I sell most of my items to interstate buyers. 90% of the items that I ship are in larger cardboard boxes and range between 1 - 20 Kg in weight. I also provide combined postage costs to my buyers whom purchase/ bid on multiple items that are listed individually to make it more affordable for them.

I have recently lost my top rated seller status due to low feedback scores under 'postage costs'. I think its quite unfair for 'postage costs' to be put in sellers feedback 5 star ratings, as the newly reinstated rise on Australia Post's charges is out of my control! Are any other eBay sellers experiencing this problem/ dilemma?

Does anyone else think eBay should reconsider/ change the feedback 5 star calculation on 'postage cost'? Or even so, eBay should be notifying Australian eBay members/ buyers that postage charges have risen? 

[zelly888]

Are you sure it's because of your postage costs,because you have a rating of 4.9 out of 5 so isn't that excellent or am I missing something with that score?

[putney32]

wont matter next month, if you want TRS Plus you have to offer FREE Postage on all items, and 30day refund/return policy etc......

[thetreasurehaus]

Thats what im saying, in the past I've lost my TRS logo for postage timing but now it is coming up in my seller dashboard that im receiving low postage cost scores also.. Yet i have a 4.9 rating.. Understand this isnt my main concern

My main concerns for starting this discussion is to see who else is having problems with buyers questioning postage costs and giving unfair feedback scores due to escalated postage costs. It all seems to have started with Aus Post upping the ante and ending with eBay's sellers losing in feedback scores through eBay 5 star ratings..

[digital*ghost]

wont matter next month, if you want TRS Plus you have to offer FREE Postage on all items, and 30day refund/return policy etc......

As mentioned in another thread, that is not quite the case.

The TRS requirements are changing slightly, but only in terms of narrowing the scope for the percentage of low DSRs you're able to receive before you no longer qualify as a Top Rated Seller.

The top rated logo will be like the Power Seller logo is now, where only the seller who has qualified for it will see it.

To get a TRS+ badge, an individual listing has to offer free postage, and express post option, 0-1 day handling time and 30-day money back returns. You do not have to offer these things on all listings, and you will not lose Top Rated status if you don't offer these things on any listings, but you will only get a visible logo on listings that do offer those things. 

[thetreasurehaus]

Ive just been reading the other forums also and i have come to terms with eBay's new changes to the TRS logo status.. This isn't what concerns me though

Im more concerned about

1. Keep up with the competition

2. Meet buyers standards with everyone else selling with free p&h and possibly being out weighed

It just seems ridiculous that Australia Post's pricing has escalated and sellers seem to be paying the price.. This is more so about Aus Post and eBay's communication to the buyers about postage details/ changes

[phorum_junkie*]

I have never noticed any change in my sell through rate relating to having  TRS status or not as I fluctuate between the two only sell for a limited period each year.

As long as my DSRs maintain a decent score of at least 4.8, and I only check those infrequently, and my feedback stays at or near 100% I am not interested in anything other than how many items I am selling and what profit I am making.

[pruetrading]

Hi thetreasurehaus,

I'm having the same experience with an increase in low DSRs for postage cost since the Aust Post price rises. Its likely to affect my TRS soon. My postage and packaging is at cost, I don't make any profit. I know parcel post 500g is cheaper, but still need to pay for satchel & bubblewrap, so I have kept using C&S because I think it gives better protection/tracking. I have reduced postage charge (at a loss) on some items.

A buyer recently gave me DSR rating of 2 for postage, when I had posted the parcel to them within an hour of them buying it! ! I looked at the tracking, it had been sent to a PO Box, and they didn't collect it for 2 weeks - then rated me for slow delivery. A very flawed system ...

[tstore]

4.9 isn't all that. I have 4.9 x 3 and 5.0 and I haven't had TSR for over 3 months. Reason? 5 buyers out of 400 in last 3 months have given me a 1 or 2 in "description" rating ... which is over the 0.60 threshold (I am currently on 0.74%). 

[phorum_junkie*]

My postage and packaging is at cost,

If you are getting low DSRs anyway why  not add on a couple of bucks packaging & handling?