eBay

2nd-time-around-jewelry · ‎09-20-2018

So eBay has been threatening me for a few months now that I will lose my Top Rated Seller Status because I am not getting enough "Global" transactions. I have more than enough regular transactions but apparently not the countries they consider important. So none of them count. So how do I force the buyers from those "Global" countries to buy from me? They do not consider the US or UK or a lot of other countries I ship to as counting as "Global". I think they are nuts. They should be happy for us to sell to anyone from any country. They lose nothing. They still get all their fees. But we sellers now lose our 10% off final fees & the top rated badge. It really doesn't amount to much but it was something like a little pat on the back saying "Well Done".

hlmacdon · ‎09-20-2018

Yep, on that very subject...

As for how to force global buyers? Free international shipping, Free 60 day returns.

2nd-time-around-jewelry · ‎09-20-2018

Thanks. Good article. But that will never happen with me offering "Free international shipping & Free 60 day returns". So bye bye to Top Rated Seller Status.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎09-20-2018

I definitely feel your pain on this particular issue. I lost mine for USA business over a year ago. Since then I have been stuck between 85 and 95 transactions and it really never moves. Whenever I check to see if it may have improved I get that wonderful reminder of:

Have you thought about becoming a Top Rated Seller?

You could receive a seal on qualifying listings and more!

To become a US Top-rated seller you need to meet the following performance requirements:

Have an eBay account that's been active for at least 90 days
Have a positive Feedback rating of at least 98%
Have at least 100 transactions and $1,000 in sales with US buyers during the last 12 months

As far as I can tell the ONLY reason I was voted off the Top Rated Seller island was only because of the 100 transactions. I may not have the quantity of sales, but my dollar sales to the USA is the bulk of my actual business. This is not even considered. I have 0 control over where my next transaction comes from, like most sellers. The way I see it it's just become another way they can avoid that whole 10% discount on fees. Now, in the future, we have to worry about these other levels we have to meet, NAD's etc that could cause increased seller fees. Yayyy us. The more difficult it becomes to meet these goals, the harder it is to get the visibility to sell more items on a regular basis. Going forward I really don't see myself ever getting that seal. Well, unless something happens to swing things back in the favor of sellers!!!

-CM

PS. The loss of that seal was very shortly after having to switch my business over to Canadian dollars. The only suggestion I have ever been given was offer free postage or build in with my items. This concept DOES NOT work with items that are very heavy/bulky and could potentially be shipped anywhere in the world. Pre dollar switch I averaged consistently 30 to 40 transactions per month. Now, 15 to 20 per month. Not the numbers needed to increase to meet requirements.

femmefan1946 · ‎09-21-2018

@lotzofuniquegoodies

And it really is impossible for a Canadian seller to ship Flat Rate or Free Shipping* on anything that is bulky or heavy.

And that means anything that is over 2cm/500grams must as a practical measure be listed on dotCA in loonies.

I've seen this with my books, which are pretty cheap, but once I put Calculated Shipping on them, the price doubles or triples.

I've basically stopped buying hardcovers except for a few titles that have a demand but are hard to find (Bescherelles and shorthand textbooks.)

*Which is never free, kiddies! It just means the cost of shipping is included in the asking price.

2nd-time-around-jewelry · ‎09-26-2018

Just received this e-mail from eBay. They are just adding insult to injury. If they changed their stupid rules, it would be easy to keep the Top Rates Seller Status. Not counting countries like the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, & Switzerland is just plain crazy. All those countries should count as Global because they are in relation to Canada.

Top Rated Seller status update

Hi ,

Unfortunately, your account no longer meets one or more of the Top Rated Seller requirements based on Global seller performance standards. This doesn't apply to your performance in US; UK and Ireland; and Germany, Austria, and Switzerland regions.

Visit your seller standards dashboard to find out which areas need attention and get your account back on the Top Rated Seller track.

Thanks for selling on eBay. We look forward to welcoming you back to Top Rated Seller status very soon.