eBay

yjw1 · ‎11-09-2003

We are very disappointed in lack of PowerSeller support.
The welcome package, although a nice though, is of no value to us. In all honesty, the little certificate thingie, with the ink smudges all over it was very unprofessional for such a large company.
Like in all business, it is vitally important to show appreciation of your valued customers. I think it is safe to say PowerSellers are Valued Ebay customers. I know I dropped $1600 with Ebay last month.
Ebay….If you really want to show your appreciation of PowerSellers, reward are exceptional sales records with FEE DISCOUNTS. Something of real value, like maybe a few percent for each PowerSeller level we achieve. Help us be a stronger business.

It won’t matter soon as the fees to list, sell, add options, list for 10 days, receive payment, transfer funds, etc, etc…..and the poor US doll……will soon make this unprofitable. We will be downsizing or looking at other retail options.

off_to_uni · ‎11-09-2003

Hi yjw1,

I agree eBay should give Powersellers a discount. Every other business I deal with, the more I spend with them the bigger the discount, so why not eBay as well? I know, I know, because they don't have to, it's not as though we would stop selling. To bad we couldn't form some sort of union... now that would be interesting.

In all honesty, the little certificate thingie, with the ink smudges all over it was very unprofessional for such a large company.

This still gets me upset, do you think eBay would send out the same amateur effort to it's investors? But they sent this junk out to us, who they need like a body needs blood.

jaymor8 · ‎11-09-2003

yjw - I don't know about you, but I would think that as PowerSellers, we would be considered very valuable 'employees' to ebay. Afterall, we are the spark that keeps the flame alive. Unlike the 'once in awhile' buyer who pops in and out of ebay at random and makes little to no difference in the scheme of things, WE are the backbone of the company.

Now, your point is still well taken. All of your ideas still hold weight and I for one have always believed that our hard work and tenacity in spite of recent bad sales, should not go unrewarded. We should be given 'incentives' just like in any other corporation (including our Military) and perhaps even bonuses and/or fee deferrals.

It's complete and utter BS that ebay send crappy tokens of esteem such as certificates and mugs. It's patronizing! You're absolutely right - ebay is HUGE and they give NOTHING for nothing. I have always been in awe of the company's cheapness and lack of fiscal generosity. It's very bad business to not keep all the wheels well oiled. Eventually, it'll come back to bite them in the a$$.

Jackie...

thebidwatcher · ‎11-10-2003

Hey there fellow PS's.

I have not been the fortunate recipient of a welcome package so I cannot comment on its level of quality etc. Frankly it does not mean much to me but I would put it my fridge along with my son's "student of the month" paper certificate. With the range of Power Seller perfomance being from $1,000 - $multi 100,000's per month, I would not put more than a "thank you" note's importance on it.

If eBay gave discount incentives for performance, you would not be happy. That would mean that the big retailers who operate on eBay would be paying very little for fees and expenses and the smaller sellers would be paying full pop. When I sat at Voices in Toronto, The fellow beside me sold over $1,000,000 a year on eBay. What discount should he get? Another guy sold $500,000. What discount should he get? Me I am hoping to be silver at the end of the month. What should I get?

A better approach might be to take more strategic advantage of the discount days and store offerings. For example, you know that new feature with the subtitle that costs 50 cents? It only costs 2 cents (or something like that) in your store.

Instead of a mailing of a PS certificate, I would rather get a mailing from a high performing PS on how to maximize my return on the resources available to me. I would rather learn form the experienced rather than feel like they are getting a better deal.

Now one area where I DO think the heavy hitters do get a better shake is in the area of feedback. Have you seen some of the negs these dudes rack up? So if you are looking for perks with perfrmance, look there. That's where the privileges lie IMO.

Cheers and happy selling.

Lisa (thebidwatcher)

yjw1 · ‎11-10-2003

PowerSeller levels are based on more than just volume. You can sell $1,000,000 in volume and not reach any PowerSeller level if you do not have good feedback. Platinum sellers getting high discounts than Bronze…I have no problem with that. That is what incentives are all about.
Negative feedback is always going to increase with volume. Particularly when sellers post negative feedback for NPB. Most of us have know that when leaving justified neg. feedback you will get retaliatory unjustified neg. feedback returned (the big problem with the feedback system). This is why sellers are reluctant to leave neg. feedback….and it hurts all of us.

This is why feedback is now expressed in a percent. Don’t look at the number of neg., look at the percent ratting.

thebidwatcher · ‎11-10-2003

Excellent point about the percentage - you are of course right.

I guess it's only the buyers who have to watch out for the three strike rule then? More than 3 NPBS and you become NARU?

Is there any ruling on this for sellers?

www-labels4less-com · ‎11-10-2003

"Platinum sellers getting high discounts than Bronze".
This has never been advertised, I know platinum powersellers and they say this is not true. Please advise where you heard this.

thebidwatcher · ‎11-10-2003

I think yjw is saying that he would have no problem with this IF it was policy - am I right yjw?

Lisa

yjw1 · ‎11-10-2003

Lisa,
Correct, I would have no problem IF there was incentives for higher level PowerSellers.

moira@ebay.com · ‎11-10-2003

Speaking as a seller myself, what I love most about eBay is the level playing field. All sellers pay the same fees regardless of level. I think that spirit of fairness is what brings most of us here. Without eBay, we would not have the same kind of customer base or access to people in so many countries. And if I invested in my own selling site and marketing budget, it would really impact my margins and my ability to reach customers in any country in the world.

Regards,
Moira
eBay Community

thebidwatcher · ‎11-10-2003

Moira, although I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment about fees, this "level playing field" pitch is growing old.

At Voices, on one side of the table, we had heavy hitters who represented retail giants. On the other we had folk who were not even bronze level power sellers and they probably never will be. The heavy hitters had access to the eBay brass, were VIP's at eBay LIVE and were instrumental in making policy.

Even on the discussion boards we have threads that form policy have community leaders because they are either mega sellers or alpha personalites. This is way it is in business and it is the way it should be.

May I suggest the dropping of the term "level playing field" and finding a replacement?

Perhaps another focus group is order...

Lisa

www-labels4less-com · ‎11-10-2003

I have a few comments to make in regards to some of the posts.

I do not feel I am an "employee" of Ebay. Ebay is a venue only that we choose to list on. I do not see how an arguement can be made that sellers work for Ebay.

I feel that while the printing was poor on the welcoming kits, I thought it was a nice gesture and MORE than most other companies 1 millionth the size of Ebay do for large customers. Recognition is all that I think is expected and it has been delivered.

In regards to discounts for powersellers, I am glad there is not. I sell $100,000 per year on Ebay and I am glad that sellers who are capable of $250,000 per year do not have lower overhead than I do on Ebay.

Although Ebay has grown from a tiny company where the employees had to assemble thier own Ikea desks to the mega site it is today, it has retained its core values of a level playing field. I can only imagine the pressures to satisfy investors at a rate that outperforms natural membership growth. Ebay could have easily raised all listing fees a miniscule amount (that collectivley would have amounted to billions) but instead chose to keep Ebay affordable for all. I think it is an awesome Idea to have new pay features and options all the time and let those who have the money support the system so that those who do not have money for a purple background/bold/gift item/featured plus/sub heading/ etc will still be able to afford to list an item on Ebay.

moira@ebay.com · ‎11-11-2003

Lisa,

Suggestion taken, but "level playing field" is an eBay guiding principle. It is part of the secret sauce. It is always top of mind while we design products and services for different levels of users. We try to ensure that IBM and Betty Jo have the same opportunities to get a sale on the site.

... and if eBay stopped using the term, the community would continue to use it. It is very important to people. I hear community members mention it as the best feature of eBay in focus groups, Voices sessions, at every one of the On The Road sessions, in User testimonials and My eBay Stories.

Regards,
Moira

hugelyimpressive · ‎11-11-2003

I sympathise with both sides of this argument.

I am particularly in agreement with the principle of "buy more pay less" - although when it really counts, monopolies keep their purse strings tighter. Examples, the CanadaPost or Ebay. Neither of them is expendable to we PSers. We can't threaten to use somebody else, because there really is nobody else to turn to.

I would welcome discounts from the listing fees, graduated by colour of PS. Many of my items are listed in the UK site, because it's much cheaper, no penalty for 10-day listings etc. Bronze PSs could get a smaller percentage than Plats or whatever. The final value fees would remain the same.

Though, it's probably easier to have a level playing field, whether you like the phrase or not. That is fairness to all. I guess the bigger you become as a PS, the less the fees should hurt. We could all complain about fees. The longer you think about it, though, the more painful that subject becomes. Imagine the major fee, income tax, that the government is going to take after all your hard work.

Ashley

mahsauction · ‎11-11-2003

We live in a capitalist society not a communist one. Hard work is rewarded through financial means. I don't buy the level playing field idea because I'm a capitalist. That's why I'm here on Ebay. Have a graduated fee discount system because everywhere else I only get bigger discounts when I buy in bigger volumes.

treasure-pot · ‎11-11-2003

Well, we can all dream but fees discounts will never happen and would never work.

It would truly be an additional nail in the respective coffins of smaller vendors on eBay and the big players (retail giants) would further monopolize an avenue they are already trying to exploit.

I am far more concerned with keeping eBay a level playing field although it gets closer and closer to tilting out of control everyday.

When PS'ers have to wait three days to get even a canned response to Trust and Safety issues you have to wonder where the eBay staff is spending its time. Are the biggest players monopolizing the service aspects of eBay? Has the company grown so large without adding adequate staff to accomodate their core business?

There seems to be a real propensity for eBay (and now PayPal) to trot out their "system improvements" with no real testing or consultation with anyone but the very largest of their customers. It is frustrating that the accumulated voices of bronze, silver and gold PS'ers seem to have so little impact on venue developments that can dramatically impact our businesses. I'd be really curious to know where all these ideas for improvements actually come from - are they mid-morning bolts-out-of-the-blue amongst the engineering staff or are they being driven by the need to satisfy the giant retail dynamos?

Bill

off_to_uni · ‎11-12-2003

Hi everyone,

The reason why eBay won't give discounts isn't because of the "level playing field" statement, it is because they don't have to. They control the online auction market for now and they are reaping in all the money they can, while they can... period.

Does anyone really think big business is that sensitive to people that it wants to make eBay a happy fair place... lol. Not a chance, they are in it for the money.

www-labels4less-com · ‎11-12-2003

"The reason why eBay won't give discounts isn't because of the "level playing field" statement, it is because they don't have to. "

They also don't raise listing fee's like they could, they don't have to as the current model works".
They don't have to give free listing days either as they know people will list eventually anyway

They don't have to have these message boards as it doesn't contribute to the bottom line

They don't have to do lots of things and that includes giving discounts to people like Disney and other Giant entities.

off_to_uni · ‎11-12-2003

"They also don't raise listing fee's like they could, they don't have to as the current model works"."

I don't know if they could raise them much higher without driving sellers away.

They don't have to give free listing days either as they know people will list eventually anyway

How often do they do free listing days? The once a year or so free listing days are more or less an encouragement for casual or new sellers to get more involved and hopefully get hooked.

"They don't have to have these message boards as it doesn't contribute to the bottom line"

The message boards are primarily designed so users will help other users, thus saving eBay money.

"They don't have to do lots of things and that includes giving discounts to people like Disney and other Giant entities."

Eventually eBay will have better competition for the online auction dollar, and they will have to adjust like other business's and give discounts to their best customers, if they don't you can be sure the competition will.

amberwoodottawa · ‎11-12-2003

There are a couple of things to remember when talking about volume of business that would qualify for discounts.

Some people are selling 10 items per week at $300 each and others are selling 100 items per week at $30 each.
If eBay were to consider giving a discount it would likely be based on the total return to eBay which would be different in both of the above examples even though their weekly sales of $3,000 was identical.

I have a manufacturing background where discounts to our customers was a formula based primarily on our return and not the volume.

That is why there are differences even with CP in pricing. My average shipping cost is around $30 per product yet CP's cost is not much greater in handling my product than what they receive for transporting a package they charge $9 for deliverying.

It wouldnt be very difficult to write a formula to provide an equitable discount based on return to eBay however eBay would want to know that in doing it, it were to receive some consideration in return. In other words, if their is no competition to eBay driving them to reduce their income, what will they get, aside from a Thank You or two from people enjoying the discount.

I, for one would be listing more inventory and not as concerned if it didnt sell. So in my case eBay would receive more listing fees from me and likey an increase in commissions from my selling more products from a greater listing of those products.