posted on September 2, 2003 06:41:09 PM new
I don't know how many people will agree with me, but I feel the Powersellers program is very favorable towards those who sell the larger ticket items. I sell cross stitch booklets, most of which sell for an average of $4.99 each. In order for me to maintain the lowest requirement to the powersellers program I have to sell at least 200 books a month for three consecutive months to be "invited" to be a part of the powersellers program. But, for those who sell computers and high ticket items, I would only have to sell maybe 3 or 4 items a month to be "invited" to be a powerseller. That also means that I have to work about 195 times more when selling the smaller ticket items and make that many more people "satisfied" (as we all know as seller some of them never will be even if we drive the stuff to them personally and hand deliver it)to keep the required feedback rating of 98%. My feedback rating is 98.9%. I don't know if I am the only person who feels this way about the powersellers program or not. It just seems that the guys who are selling the smaller ticket items are not as able to attain the requirments for this program as are the ones who are selling the bigger ticket items. Please write me with your response. Below is the letter that I sent to Ebay. Maybe if anyone else feels the same way, they could write Ebay powersellers program too. Maybe I am the only one who feels this way, and if I am I would like to hear that too. I hope to hear from you guys about this. I am not attacking those of you who sell the larger ticket items, but us little guys deserve some recognition too.....
Here goes the letter:
RE: Powersellers Program
I think that the powersellers program is very biased. The whole idea of having to sell a certain dollar amount before you qualify seems very prejudicial to me. I sell many, many items a month but since they are almost 100% under the dollar amount of $10.00, I may never reach the amount of total sales that it takes to be a powerseller. On the other hand, those who sell items that are up in the hundreds of dollars may need to only sell 3 or 4 items a month to qualify. I sell on the average of about 200 or more items each month(not so lately as I have had spinal surgery and am recovering from that) with a 98.9% feedback rating. I feel that I am worthy of being a powerseller, but because I don't sell a certain dollar amount I don't qualify. I feel that the powerseller program should be based on sales volume per item, not on a monitary basis. We sellers of the smaller priced items are just as important to Ebay as the ones who sell the high ticker items. Let us be recognised just as well as them too. Just because we don't sell things that cost hundreds of dollars does not mean that we are not honest, trustworthy and deserving of the powerseller program. We work 10 times more to sell 10 $10.00 items as someone who sells only one $100.00 item. Please consider my feelings and I am sure it is also the feelings of other great sellers in the same postition as myself. Thanks so much.......Karen Cabrera
posted on September 2, 2003 06:43:54 PM new
What on earth do you believe eBay does for the powersellers anyway. It's the most useless designation going.
Republican, the other white meat!
posted on September 2, 2003 06:48:21 PM new
I just think that maybe the bidders look at it as a "higher standard of seller". Maybe I am wrong and it is not that big of a deal anyway. Does anyone have anything good to say for the program or is it just a farse? Thanks so much for any comments>>>Karen
[ edited by imaxstitcher on Sep 2, 2003 06:49 PM ]
posted on September 2, 2003 06:50:52 PM new
Ebay rewards those who make them money, not those who sell great quantities of items.
My store reports show my average item sells for $1.92 and I've been a powerseller for months. I know eBay has figured this amount quite wrong but many of my items are priced under $2.
The second you hit their golden $$$ amount, regardless of your item count, you become a powerseller.
Perhaps you should "bundle" like books together to increase your dollar amount. This would reduce your single item listings and give you more time to sell more items. I don't know how feasible this is for your type of item but maybe you should change up your business approach. If you sell related items to the books (materials, thread, hoops, etc.) maybe you could set up a "kit" so your bidder can get everything they need in one bid!
If you convince your bidder that they can get started without having to buy materials all over the place, maybe you'll draw more attention and money.
posted on September 2, 2003 07:11:24 PM new
I am sorry I have to disagree with you... I am a "hobby" seller... I will most likely never be invited... but eBay should recognize sellers who sell over a certain amount... I am not sure of all the benefits but if they get more than I do, hey they are putting out the effort...
If it means so much to you, put out the effort.
I for one don't begrudge them and in no way feel that it is a "bias" on eBay's part.
posted on September 2, 2003 07:19:07 PM new
sell shoulder rocket launcher,sell one per month and you will be okay
-sig file -------The thrill is gone!!
posted on September 2, 2003 07:20:55 PM newWe work 10 times more to sell 10 $10.00 items as someone who sells only one $100.00 item.
That's difficult to determine. If the 10 items are cross stitch booklets you may be able to list them fairly quickly with much the same description and packaging may be simplified.
Some of my $100.00 items have taken a long time to find and then to research and also a long time to package as they are fragile so I may work harder than you do?
PowerSeller support has been good for me but then I haven't had that many problems and I don't believe that flying the logo hampers my bids. I see many that knock PowerSellers all the time on the boards but never in real life.
posted on September 2, 2003 07:35:35 PM new
A lot of the items I sell do really great from Sept through February and really slow down the rest of the year. As a result, I'm a "seasonal" powerseller, six months on and 6 months off. I've never felt that it has affected my sales one way or the other. It's nice to know the support is supposedly there, but I've never had a problem so far that I couldn't handle by myself (knock on wood). Personally, if a customer is going to concentrate on any part of my auction, I want it to be the TOS and description, not the PS logo.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on September 2, 2003 07:36:28 PM new
My feelings are about the same. Been a power seller for years. Never have had the occasion to need any attention from ebay in dealing with my customers, I can handle that fine on my own. Rarely need any customer service, prefer to be left alone to do my thing. I've read threads where people seem to think buyers dislike powersellers and otheres that buyers like powersellers. I think it's a push. The medical plans offered to sellers are worthless, about the same as you get spammed with 100 times daily. The tips they offer are lame, seller of the month is the lame of the month in my book. I'd be far more impressed by a bulk listing discount, even if it were .0000001% that would be more valuable. Oh yeah they offered me a freebie to go to eBay live. They'd have to pay me to get caught dead at eBay live.
Republican, the other white meat!
posted on September 2, 2003 08:01:42 PM new
I've been a power seller off and on, never found a benefit really, and I certainly would not sell just to maintain that status.
I don't think amount of work involved should really be a factor in maintaining that status. I think it makes total sense for it to be based on a certain amount of sales, not amount of work. If it really means that much to you, why not sell a few big ticket items to reach your goal?
posted on September 2, 2003 08:07:06 PM new
I have been a power seller for years and don't get a thing from Ebay or anyone else for it. Being a power seller along means nothing but being a power seller with a long and good track record does help. That brings buyers. About the people that don't like a good pro seller, well that just shows they know very little about business. I have real good time watching those people trying to justify themselves.
posted on September 2, 2003 08:25:55 PM new
To claify one fine about the feedback requirement. It's 98% but it's not the same 98% calculation that you see by every sellers feedback number. It's a special Enron-like mystical calculation just for Power Sellers. That's why you see so many sellers with a 97% rating and a PS icon.
-------------- sig file ----------- He who angers you controls you
posted on September 2, 2003 08:50:06 PM new
imax, what you are saying made a lot of sense to me. I am exactly the kind of seller you are speaking of. Lots of auctions, little money, no chance of being a power seller.
Until I read Kiara's post which is right on.
I have five thousand rubber stamps and have several of each one. Once I set up my auction I can use it over & over again & can list 20 auctions in a minute by just clicking on each & then clicking "submit"
Occasionally I find something else to sell & can spend as much as a day working on my research & listing, so I know how much work is put into listing different items every auction. I don't think I could do it, I'd go crazy & I'm spoiled having it so easy.
Power Sellers deserve the logo, they work for it. If it were given by sales volume I would probably qualify, but I certainly would not deserve it.
I really do see your point though & it's a good one & for some, not all, low item sellers, it probably makes sense.
posted on September 2, 2003 09:09:34 PM new
I am also a powerseller. "Silver" level, like that means anything. I believe the logo actually scares some bidders off, so I won't use it. If you need a powerseller logo to gain a bidders trust, you've got a serious problem. Let your feedback be what makes a bidder trust you. That PS logo and $1.25 will get you a small coffee at Dunkin' Donuts.
posted on September 2, 2003 09:31:33 PM new
I would hope to draw an intelligent enough bidder who would judge me by my auction, TOS and feedback. That's the way I bid. If a little logo turns them off I don't think it's the type of bidder I want.
posted on September 2, 2003 10:20:41 PM new
Your post sounds very familiar! I sell postcards and last year I wrote a very similar letter to eBay - the requirement at the time was that sales had to be $2000/month to be invited to become a Power Seller. I received a very nice answer from eBay that they were redoing the PS program and within months the entry level was dropped to $1000. ( I am sure I was not the only one complaining)
One holdover from my corporate life is "goal setting" and I decided I WOULD become a PS (though now that I am one I have to agree with the others that I am not sure it's worth much more than being a milestone). I figured out how many listings I would have to post per day/week/month with my sell through rate to acheive the "goal" and listed that many and more. That coincides with the time I decided to do the eBay thing full-time rather than as a hobby.
Edited to add: For me, that translated to 50 listings/day. The 50/day turned out to be "overkill" and I became a PS in three months and a Silver PS soon thereafter. I could see that summer was going to be a listing fee burner so I scaled back, lost my "silver" status but maintained the basic PS bronze level even with the drop in listings and the lower sell through rate.
I guess what I am trying to say is 1) eBay listens 2) PS status is an attainable goal even with low ticket items if you are willing and able to work hard enough and your market can bear the additional listings. Lucky for me the postcard category is large enough that my additional listings had virtually no impact on the market.
Good luck!
[ edited by neglus on Sep 2, 2003 10:24 PM ]
[ edited by neglus on Sep 2, 2003 10:35 PM ]
posted on September 3, 2003 05:07:52 AM new
I looked up PowerSeller in the dictionary and here's what I found:
pow-er sell-er (pou'er sell'er) n. Someone who pays a lot of money to eBay in fees and as a result, gets to "belong" to an "exclusive club" of over 100,000 "members".
PowerSeller status is a marketing tool designed to appeal to the human desire for recognition. Of course it favors people who pay more in fees. That is the whole point.
Such programs are devised by cynical marketing types who do not care about you or your hard work; the goal is to get you to spend 14 hours a day picking cotton as opposed to 12.
If you feel, as I do, that the PowerSeller program has nothing real to offer, don't whine about it; reject it. Work towards *your* goals, not eBay's goals for you.
Our motto: Bright and shiny baubles for persons with low impulse control.
posted on September 3, 2003 05:40:20 AM new
Fluff - You can't win the lottery unless you buy a ticket ( I never do and so don't plan on winning) and you can't plan on making a living on ebay unless you list. 'Power Seller' simply means that a person averages $1,000/month in sales and if one is working at eBay full time and hasn't achieved that status (whether or not they post the logo) should maybe check out another line of work. Perhaps a better definition is "eBay full-timer" (notice I didn't say 'professional') as opposed to an 'eBay hobbyist'.
posted on September 3, 2003 06:23:53 AM new
Here's a quote I found in an old web news article that may help explain why ebay tends to favor large sellers ---
information obtained from an auction management company, Andale Inc. who speculated that 10% of eBay's sellers generate 80% of the sales totaling
-------------- sig file ----------- He who angers you controls you
posted on September 3, 2003 06:30:47 AM new
neglus: Clearly there are people who put a lot of time into eBay and don't do even $1,000/month. I don't understand why they do this, but so far it's still a free country.
Check out the coupon auctions sometime.
My point is simply this:
If you're running an eBay business, it is in your best interest to minimize your expenses....which means keeping your listing/FVF fees low.
My eBay fees are less than 10% of my sales...and less than 5% of my revenues.
Here's another way to look at it, based on a different industry:
Cruise lines use a number of strategies to keep their expenses low. One is to have their passenger-service crew paid primarily by tips, just like in restaurants. Another (which I find more interesting) is to impose port charges for every cruise.
In theory, port charges are the fees imposed on cruise lines by destinations such as Bermuda. The cruise line is merely passing the cost along to the passenger. In theory.
In reality, port charges (which I've seen as high as 10% of the cruise fare) are NON-COMMISSIONABLE to travel agents. So if the fare is $5,000 but $500 of that is port charges, then the travel agent who booked the ticket only gets a commission on $4,500.
Today's ships carry thousands of passengers. The savings add up.
In eBay terms, if you as a seller only have to pay a commission on part of the total sale, you are saving money and keeping your expenses low. You will not, however, be qualifying for a very high level of PowerSellerness. You won't care, though. You'll be chuckling all the way to the bank.
Our motto: Bright and shiny baubles for persons with low impulse control.
posted on September 3, 2003 07:07:02 AM new
I get it Fluffy - back to the shipping charges again. I applaud you for making it work. This seems to be acceptable in some categories and not in others. Unfortunately, not in mine .
In fact, I would say the most successful postcard seller charges NO SHIPPING AND HANDLING charges and starts everything at $ 3.00 and has nearly 100% sell through rate with competitive (and very nice) bids on almost every item. He can do this because his product is exceptional and worth far more than the starting price. I don't know what his bottom line looks like because he must have a sizable investment in his inventory or lucked into a great estate!!
Whatever your product, I agree with you that you have to set your own goals and marketing plan and be prepared to change with the market. EBay cannot determine what that will be aside from establishing rules and providing a venue.
posted on September 3, 2003 07:36:12 AM new
Hey Karen, what do you really get from being a powerseller? Some recognition? A hotline to an 800 number?
I dont understand your drive to have this. As others have said, if you've got your own sales goals - you're still going to be doing 'your own thing' the way you've been doing it? Maybe you should look for rewards in your sales profits, or pleasing your buyers?
posted on September 3, 2003 08:51:35 AM new
Many hobbyists spend countless hours per month on their hobby such as sewing or model building and many ebay hobby sellers spend countles hours selling low value ebay items.
Seems easy to understand to me.
Many sellers that boast of near 100% selling rates have a heathly percentage of their items under the $1 mark. Of course you'll never hear them saying that.
-------------- sig file ----------- He who angers you controls you
posted on September 3, 2003 02:46:23 PM new
Ace, I can understand it,too. (I do it..lol)
I'd like to work it into full time, but investing the money is where I am cautious because I know I have and will continue to make mistakes. But I like it still. (Keeps me off the streets, ya know?)
Another seller said to me one time: "I am really chomping at the bit for a bid hit with all I've got listed."
I had to laugh. It is so true. Almost like its a gambler's high, or drug users hit high??
posted on September 3, 2003 03:21:13 PM new
You can bet tom's geting a rush now on his two plates that he bought for a few bucks at a shop of some kind. It's like a $5 exacta that pays $450 ( and hopefully more ). Instead of a two minute horserace it's a seven day race.
I guess we could sell sterling silver jewelry for a few dollars profit each but seeing low cost collectors go into the hundreds of dollars is more fun.
-------------- sig file ----------- He who angers you controls you
posted on September 3, 2003 07:13:41 PM new
I am in awe of you, AuctionAce. You must have snuck in during the night and pulled my vendor invoices. I didn't even hear you as you rummaged through my bank statements.
Here's a tip, AceMan: Unless you know what someone's expenses and cost-of-goods are, you cannot know what their profit is.
Oh, I'm sorry...you wouldn't know that, would you? You don't sell anything. I forgot!
Our motto: Bright and shiny baubles for persons with low impulse control.
posted on September 3, 2003 07:27:28 PM new
AuctionAce is a virtual font of info. Sits here 24/7 (under about the fourth ID now) and spouts about ebay and all the sellers and offers up tidbits and quotes but never once can back anything up when called on it.
.
