Top Rated Seller - FREE POSTAGE? WHAT?

[sunsetstudies1]

So if we don't offer FREE POSTAGE we don't get the benefits of the program?

What a load of rubbish? !! What smart guy thought of that? And i suspect he got a nice raise for it too.

Aust Post charges are though the roof only to be raised again anytime soon.

And they want free postage? ??????

I haven't complained before about the unfair price hikes and increased commission fees, ever. but this is just getting beyond it...

No wonder there are next to no watchers on my items, cos they are not as visible to others as they used to be.

Kind of like a big-brother control of listings. What a joke.

[phorum_junkie*]

If you don't like the qualifications for TRS+ then don't offer free postage an express delivery option, nobody forces you to and many, many sellers manage very well without any of the perceved advantages of having TRS status. As I only sell for half the year I go in and out of having TRS status and have never found any difference in my sell through rate. Ebay claim that you may feature higher in best match searches but just as many TRS rated sellers complain that they are pages down as others who do not have it

I am not certain what price hikes you are refering to either, with the advent of free listings being included in store subscriptions and the 40 free listings for non store ids my fees are going to be quite a bit lower even allowing for the increased fvf.

[digital*ghost]

The Top Rated Seller requirements haven't actually changed, so if you qualify for TRS now, you'll qualify when all the new programs have been implemented and - supposedly - still get a bit of a boost in rankings (moreso than non-TRS sellers, anyway).

When all the changes have finally been implemented, there won't actually be Top Rated Seller badges of any kind displayed on listings or in search results, as they're switching it to 'eBay Premium Service' for listings that meet the requirements, and the Top Rated badge will go the same way as the Power Seller logo (visible only to the seller). 

I will not be making the adjustments to my listings that will qualify for the TRS+ / Premium Service thing, but the one good thing about that program is that it's listing-specific, so you can choose to have some, none, or all of your listings qualify. So if you think you would benefit from having some items higher up, you could perhaps compromise and find a few suitable items to offer all the required services, and hope they help bring attention to your other items. 

[21ladyluck]

IMHO the simple answer as usual is MONEY.

Anyone who gives free post just adds it to the cost of the item. Everyone knows this INCLUDING the customer. So the customer isn't getting a deal. In fact, just the opposite because it prevents me as a seller from combining things and reducing the postage. You can't reduce postage if it's already added into the item

How this hurts sellers ... if the customer searches by lowest price (NOT lowest + post), then we sink to the bottom since ours includes the shipping in the price. So your listing may never be seen by that customer if you have a lot of competition.

Why would eBay do this to their "best" sellers? MONEY of course. Since it benefits neither the buyer or the seller, then it must benefit eBay. And it does. We pay the commission based on the sold price NOT including the post. But if your selling price includes the post cost, then you're paying commission on the post too. Surprise, surprise. Not.

Dear eBay this is my opinion. Not fact as eBay sees it. Just one frustrated seller forced to lose my badge.

Pam

[gamedudecomputers]

I agree with the OP.

I consistently get very good feedback about postage speed but my TSR was still removed because some annonymous buyer marked my freight down a bit.

To prevent this score from affecting a seller by offering free freight is rubbish. It does not guarantee a better buying experience and forces better sellers out of the top slots in favor of others that get good TSR just because they cant be scored.

I cant offer better combined freight prices with free freight, buyer looses and ebay wins.

I pay more to ebay for the final valuation fee, ebay wins and seller struggles to make a buck.

I send within 24hours yet I am held responsible for freight companies and even more the fact that some buyers dont get you have to be where your address is for signed deliveries.

If I have the package left I get "faster deliveries" but I lose the ability to prove delivery thus risking a not received dispute.

Overall a very transparent ebay tactic to get money and take away any real ability to leave feedback.

I remember when a seller could leave negative feedback to buyers and the system was simple but fair, now its geared to force sellers to comply with a vision of online shopping ebay thinks should be.

Freight in australia is a joke, its expensive and we have to compete in a worldwide market where freight is cheaper and taxes are lower.... It is a joke really.

If at the very least the TRS score was a tad more flexable it would accomodate for the odd buyer who does not understand the affect of the score or even understand that the score isnt neccessarily a reflection of the seller but that of a third party which really is not fair at all to the seller.

[arlottstreetstation]

You've hit the nail tight on the head....These changes help NOBODY except Ebay, because, as you say, the Final Value Fee includes the cost of Postage & Sellers have to build in the cost of Postage to the Sell Price....Just ONE MORE example of the arrogance they have developed.......If I had the organisational skills I would be trying to set up a Co-Op of all the disgruntled Ebayers & start our own "Back To Reality" type Site......

[kird-ape-games]

Im pretty sure in US and UK sites, the FVF also includes your P&H charges.

So dont be surprised if that hits ebay Australia in the near future.

And it will be then that everyone will offer free postage. Its basically ebay pushing everyone in the direction they want them to go.

[cq_tech]

I don't suppose anybody can tell me where I can get hold of this "free postage", can they?

I've asked at the post office but they can't tell me where I can get "free postage" either.

They did tell me I could buy their postage though, then give it away, but fair dinkum, who'd be stupid enough to do that?

[thecatspjs]

Firstly I want to make it clear that I do not agree with the way ebay are going about "encouraging" sellers to offer free postage for one single second, nor do I think I think it is fair that in offering free post in the current ebay set-up, it costs someone more (a seller or the buyer)  than the actual post charge due to FVF and gives more dosh to ebay.

But ........... the more I start to shop online, off ebay the more I am personally witnessing growth in the on-line AU market place, with more and more large brand name and retail outlets offering "free postage" to buyers at in-store prices (noting some with strings, but others have even more loyalty offerings) so I do kinda understand why the move has some relevance.

[ambridgebuckskins]

As a buyer, we want to buy things for the cheapest price whilst not doing away with quality. Thats just human nature in some of us.

But as a seller, when we crunch the numbers, we realise that 'free postage' will either shoot our prices up as the post cost is included or will send us broke a lot quicker than we knew possible.

Big online stores or shop fronts often strike a deal with Aust Post that would never be available to us smaller folk.

eBay do what they must in order to survive and grow in the changing world and l guess its up to each of us to view our selling model towards adapting (or going under).

I haven't gone the free post road yet and can't work out a way to do so with still coming out ahead.