New TOP RATED SELLER SYSTEM -- eBay in error?

[medieval_shoppe]

"The Express Post network covers 80% of Australian business addresses, private addresses and post office boxes." This is a quote from the Post Office website no less, so it's official: for 20% of the country, the "express post system" breaks down. If you express post from within "the network" to outside "the network" maybe you will get 24 hours advantage - (maybe!) - if you express post from outside "the network" (remote or outer regional area) to an address also outside "the network" -- it doesn't work at all. You may as well just send it by regular mail.The express system doesn't function Australia wide.  I am in an outer regional area, and I don't offer EXPRESS POST because of the above reason, I can't even get "next day" to Sydney or Canberra from here despite the fact that I am in NSW --AND YET--- eBay is now telling me that to keep my TOP RATED SELLER tag on product lines, I MUST (this month) offer a service to ALL Australia, which isn't even available for all Australia! So, the solution maybe is to write in my listings - "ebay has forced me to do this, but they have made a mistake with this requirement, so ignore the express option" - but I can't because undermining confidence in ebay policies on a listing is a policy violation.  

[jensmanchester-australia]

To qualify you only have to offer the express post service - it doesn't mean it has to be an overnight service.

You can offer regular post as the free post service and then charge an additional fee for express post and still qualify.

Even when outside the express post service network express post is usually a quicker service than regular post.

[medieval_shoppe]

"Usually quicker" - isn't good enough though is it? If it's not quicker to/from/between certain locations, it should be offered with reservations, not to everybody. I will get low star ratings for offering services that Australia Post simply don't provide.  

[jensmanchester-australia]

I am outside the express post network and send about 70% of my parcels express post and rarely do I get a low rating for postage times.

My item posted email explains that as I am in WA express post takes a few days so the buyers are well aware it is not an overnight service. Usually they are just thrilled to get their parcel as quickly as possible.

[davewil1964]

I think you protest too much. Are you a TRS at the moment? If so, how have your sales increased since you achieved that 'status'? If not, why do you think you will be disadvantaged by less competitors having the TRS+ logo against compliant (only) listings?

I will achieve PS and TRS when the threshold drops later this month (although my sales indicate I would have got it in about 4 months anyway). i will never get TRS+ against any listings so, for me, nothing will really change. Given my sales over the last two months have been records for me, I don't expect the lack of a logo that I never had before to impact on my sales.

Do you think a significant proportion of your buyers are silly enough to search by 'best' match? And/or pay attention to pretty logos?

if you have a look at the 'buying' board and see the complaints there it would be obvious that buyers rely on price, regardless of the sellers' feedback/integrity. Rarely a mention of TRS. Because they don't care; they are after cheapest price, even when it will bite them.

[medieval_shoppe]

Interesting food for thought there. Yes I am a TRS; and I like the way it moves you to the top of listings. The goods I sell are not usually judged on price, but usually on quality, for this, a lot of trust is needed, so to have the TRS logo helps I think, although I must admit that if you are buying a normal packaged branded item, that price is everything (I know if I am buying a CD for example, I just buy from the cheapest seller, because they're all identical, and I will get it regardless) but that's not my market.

I just feel that the ratings system is so sensitive, that the last thing you should be doing is to always offer services that the postal service can't always give (very foolosh) -- and yet this is what eBay wants me to do. It sounds wrong.

"why do you think you will be disadvantaged by less competitors having the TRS+ logo against compliant (only) listings?" --- good point, but I think there's still a problem with what they're asking me to do. People are going to feel let down.

Once I did an express parcel to Victoria - it took 5 days, which is what it takes normally. If I do express to Sydney, it takes about 3 days - normal post often takes 3 days to Sydney from here. It's pointless. I can see the negative feedback now: "offered express, but it took a week to arrive" 

[digital*ghost]

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@medieval_shoppe wrote:

Interesting food for thought there. Yes I am a TRS; and I like the way it moves you to the top of listings. The goods I sell are not usually judged on price, but usually on quality, for this, a lot of trust is needed, so to have the TRS logo helps I think, although I must admit that if you are buying a normal packaged branded item, that price is everything (I know if I am buying a CD for example, I just buy from the cheapest seller, because they're all identical, and I will get it regardless) but that's not my market.

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I understand where you're coming from, but perhaps this is where the change to the badging for TRS+ will be of benefit. Listings compliant with the requirements will not have a Top Rated Seller badge, in fact no one will except on their own dashboard (visible only to the seller, like the Power Seller status logo is now).

People will see "eBay Premium Services" in search results and on listings. Although I disagree with the inclusion of the word 'eBay', it at least is more indicitave of how the badging is awarded - by which I mean Top Rated Seller indicates the seller has earned something, whereas 'eBay Premium Services' indicates the seller is offering something (aside from the item) that other sellers aren't (meaning the free post, 30 day returns and an express option), so if there was any comparison by potential buyers based on who is a TRS or not, perhaps by shifting the focus slightly from the seller to extra services available, the comparison - if any - between sellers will not be based on impressions of the seller's quality.

It's worthwhile remembering that while TRS+ listings will get a boost in search results, TRS is still effective even if not visible and will also apparently give a boost to the listings of sellers who qualify, so hopefully the positions your items have gained won't be affected too greatly. 

[medieval_shoppe]

Thanks for your thoughtful replies. digital*ghost - wot, no badge ??? - well that's really dampened what little enthusiam I initially had for TRS+  For the hassle of offering all that, I would need eBay to be VERY VERY generous with boosting my listings, and I am not sure if they would be. I am not sure what to do now. That TRS badge was a big incentive, and I thought thay would inflate the badge concept not remove it. Thanks for the info.

[digital*ghost]

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@medieval_shoppe wrote:

wot, no badge ??? -  

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Not to make light of your dampened enthusiasm, but 

When I read the announcement re: eBay Premium Service replacing the badges, my first thought was that TRS was like a little secret eBay decided to keep between the seller and themselves, hence also why eBay preceding Premium Service, also left me somewhat bemused. (i.e "We won't tell anyone you're an awesome seller *wink wink*, we'll just make it look like eBay is doing something cool").