Lost My TOP SELLER Rating

[puckstopshere]

😞

"the requirement for Top Rated sellers to have tracking uploaded on at least 90% of transactions"

Knew this was coming.  I sell in the hockey card category.  I have tracking on about 0.1% of my sales - so, I will never be a Top Seller again.  Boo hoo!

[bobsaccomanno]

You know it's bad on ebay when Pierre stops caring.

[reallynicestamps]

why hockey players who have agents and individually negotiated contracts can have a union. 

Does anyone think that this situation is going to affect the take home pay of Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin or Steven Stamkos?

Yet, they are front and center whenever you see players coming out of a meeting. 

The only guys who need a union are the new players who get entry level contracts. 

Because that is the priniciple behind the union. The stars are valuable to the owners, the newbies are not. The stars use their power for the powerless in regotiations. Are the stars negotiating their own contracts? No. Or not really. They are there to protect and speak for their team mates.

It is unfortunate that this good work is undermined because of a perception that the highly paid stars are only in it for themselves. And part of that perception is parapazzi. Why take a photo of Joe Blow coming out of the room when you can sell papers with a snapshot of Sydney Crosbie?

[bilge21]

"Horse hockey! The much vaunted "extra exposure" is smoke and mirrors and not worth anything really."

That is a question of opinion.

My experience has been very different.

My sales to the USA dropped by 50%-60% immediately once the TRS status was removed from search results and listing pages in late July. That drop represents thousands of dollars every month. 😞

While the effect of positioning in search results is rather minimal, the real damage was done by potential buyers simply NOT looking for items from non-TRS sellers.  eBay did a good job over the years convincing buyers to buy from TRS - the sellers you can trust for higher standards of service. Many American buyers in fact select TRS only as a filter, excluding all my listings in the process.

It is quite possible sellers in other categories had different experiences.

Now that my eBay store is closed I frankly no longer care.

I am about to lose my TRS as well, due to not having enough transactions in the past year. While I am over $3000 in sales, I am short by 10 transactions.

IMHO, it's made no difference whether I have TRS or not. Last week I spent several hours tracking all my listings in each category and in about 80% of the time, my listings are on the very last pages, while newer sellers and sellers with worse DSRs/feedback are listed before me. Even sellers that have listing violations in thier ads, pictures and even item locations are on the first page.

I'm about to close my store as well as like Pierre, it's coming to the point I simply don't care either. eBay is NOT the same as it was when I started selling my cartridges 5 years ago. There is simply way too much competition now and eBay really doesn't give a crap about listing violations anymore.

[tobyshitzu]

"Many American buyers in fact select TRS only as a filter, excluding all my listings in the proce"

I doubt it.  When that started it was a prominent option on the left menu.  Then they moved it on .com to the "more options" pop up with the other little used ones.  now its gone altogether (still on .ca), not even possible to get trs only

[puckstopshere]

Verrrrrrry interrrrrrresting.

My Top Seller rating has reappeared.

[pierrelebel]

"I doubt it"

Of course you would.

The reality is that the TRS selection was there in July on .com when I lost my TRS status.

The TRS status is still there in search results (default Best Match) when searching on .com. It makes no difference if you search by list or gallery view. Many buyers will not click on a listing not showing the TRS status when there is such large choice of listings showing TRS..

Now, low volume sellers may not see a difference.  It does not mean it is not there, more so for high volume sellers who  can measure the difference..

[puckstopshere]

did your 1 day shipping time fall under par maybe

Absolutely not.  I have always been a fast shipper.  The line that I quoted in the original message is from the message I got from eBay.  They stated the reason for my losing Top Seller - lest than 90% tracking.

[pierrelebel]

"My Top Seller rating has reappeared"

Not on eBay.com:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190758332331?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_fro... 

[puckstopshere]

but only until you could use their assistance when you need them

I gave up on sending messages to ebay.  Never got a reply.

I have found that calling them is the best way.  They give you a code to use if you call in the next 15 minutes.  It insures that you will not be on the phone for an hour waiting in line. 

I have had all recent problems resolved quickly on the phone.

[puckstopshere]

Not on eBay.com:

Yes, I realize that.  But it was gone on ebay.ca as well.

[tobyshitzu]

"Now, low volume sellers may not see a difference.  It does not mean it is not there, more so for high volume sellers who  can measure the difference.."

Follow some very large sellers, who would dwarf anyone who has ever posted here, who have it on and off and its easy to see it makes no difference to volume when they lose it.  Also the dominant opinion on .com ps board that lower fee is the only advantage.

almost 100k listings for "canada stamps" on .com for ebay to draw from for best match.  Only 13 of the  first 100 in BM have TRS.  symbol

I highly highly doubt anyone but curious sellers surveying the competition ever popped up the menu and ticked trs only when it was there.  Which is likely the reason they dumped it

[art-in-the-making]

Our TRS US standing was obliterated when one customer bought 11 or 12 paintings and giclees over a period of days running into weeks, paying each one individually.

I was obviously aware our tracking uploads would be going off the rails but - had heard this wouldn't matter "too much" for Canadian sellers and thought we would be able to keep the badge, at least, on dot com. So I grouped the shipments and didn't upload tracking numbers at all. Plus, I thought, eBay would never be so foolish as to require wasting a small fortune by shipping 11 paintings individually. Wrong.

Obviously our tracking uploads within one day were blown out of the water. What I didn't anticipate was that our U.S. sales would tank completely, down to a tiny trickle, almost exclusively returning customers.

Once I saw what was happening, we mended our irresponsible and evil ways.

Now our tracking percentage for (next?) month's U.S. TRS evaluation is at 89.47% LOL.

Will see what happens...

[altimateoutlet]

so now I am asking myself, What is the point to spending time listing when I will be lucky to have our products seen!  

[rad456]

I lost mine too. Still shows on ebay.ca but not on ebay.com

Does anyone know what exactly the requirements truly are?

I don't feel that Customer Service does after speaking with them.

My account shows that I did not meet the upload criteria (but I restated I was a Canadian seller).

Second was it shows me having 99 transactions in the past 12 months. However when I click on my Powerseller status it shows 212 transactions in the past 12 months. I was told by Customer Service the 99 transaction are US and 212 transactions are total international. No way are 47% of my transactions are only US.

I a bit peeved. This month I have sold some bigger $ items and the 20% TRS discount would sure be nice.

[recped]

No way are 47% of my transactions are only US.

Not definitive but out of your last 10 feedback received only 6 are from US buyers!

[tobyshitzu]

To get TRS on ca and have the discount for all listings on .ca/.com all you need is 100 sales to anywhere totaling at least $1000 a year and meet the low dsr requirements for wordlwide sales (less then 3 or  per category for low volume seller ).   None of the .com stuff - tracking, returns,  handling time makes any difference at all

To get TRS on com and get the discount for all .ca/.com listings you need 100 sales/$1000 in a year to US buyers only.  meet the dsr requirements to usa buyers only, meet the "cases"
requirements to usa buyers, and  meet the .com return/ handling time thing.  To get the badge to show on .com you need the tracking upload too

[i*m-still-here]

Ebay keeps it's "people" in line by using a reward/punishment system to control sellers.

It's a method which works well when training dogs and raising children.

When used on responsible mature adults it's insulting.

For a long time I thought it was a joke the way sellers allowed it so much power, but then I too fell into line with the rest.

In fact, I now understand why sellers as a whole need to be controlled.

Thing is:  For a system like this to really work well it has to be painstakingly fair or it fosters resentment.

Here is one example of where the system is falling apart.

Just one. 

There are many.

[katherinemunro]

Hi all,

I also lost my TSR recently. I called Ebay and they said it's only because of my high shipping fees. It's not my fault that shipping by Canada Post costs more than in the USA. I think that most American customers don't understand that and therefore give me a low rating on the shipping fees.

Everything else is fine and I have a 100% feedback score which I work really hard for and I accept returns and never have complaints about the quality of my items.

So, why won't Ebay give Canadians a bit more leeway when it comes to shipping fee feedback ratings? It won't give us an unfair advantage over Americans - it will level the playing field so we are all at the same advantage.

I think if we Canadians band together and keep pointing out this unfairness they might do something about it.

Like some have you have said,  sellers are the reason why Ebay is making money so we deserve to be treated fairly and if we aren't then as soon as someone has a really good Ebay alternative then we will move over and abandon Ebay forever!

Thanks and please keep writing and calling them about this!

Katherine

[dianequeenofstuff]

I'm late returning to this topic, mostly because... 😉

I was totally amazed in Dec. that they gave my newest ID with only a 51 feedback score both TRS & Power Seller seals!

Last time I checked, I had only a 16% sales record. No way I made over a grand in the past year.

Thanks for pointing out that the seals don't show on dot com, because I did get around to adding the information to all the newer listings on my other two sites!

It does make me out to be a lier on  dot com so I'll have to edit the inserts again. Maybe I should add, TRS.CA to my titles?

I know it won't help my status in the search results.

We can blame it all on Canada Post, they are for the most part, our business partners, and whom ever CP has working with eBay right now does not give a hoot. Seems they would take more care in fostering our supporting their business now that they are in the red. (latest up coming CP changes help, but it's only a bandage solution)

There is  no hope for this ID to ever regain her seals. She is never invited to the listing sales, and perhaps because I joined dot com when there was a choice?

I wonder if I marry the two sites, will I still be invited to the listing sales on .ca?

Speaking of those listing sales. Wow they must really be hard up for CA sellers to bring them on every other week!

Still only a bandage solution, the problem is we don't get the exposure we need, so sales are slow.