posted on March 13, 2002 01:58:53 PM new
I dont get it,Whats all the Animosity gared at Powersellers?? Selling,Making Money,Capitalism is as American as Apple Pie Dammit!!Why Hate what is establish? It is Very Hard Work to Put up the Numbers Needed to get this Title on e-bay.Some do it with volume some with High Priced Quaility.But NONE would Last without serving there Customer!!So Whats to Hate?
posted on March 13, 2002 02:45:35 PM new
Some people feel that PowerSellers may have too much volume to be able to offer good customer service (too busy to answer e-mails, too far behind to ship promptly, etc.) And it's true that SOME PowerSellers are impersonal and not very customer service-oriented. And there are some that list items so cheap that "mom and pop" sellers are basically put out of business.
The PowerSellers I have dealt with have all been simply wonderful, except for one who took 3+ weeks to ship.
Unfortunately, it's the handful of "bad" PowerSellers that tend to spoil it for the rest of us. (Yep, I'm a PowerSeller, but customer service and buyer satisfaction are my #1 priorities.)
When considering whether to bid on an item, I always check the seller's feedback, especially the feedback of a PowerSeller, and decide whether to bid or not. Feedback usually says more than the logo does, anyway!
posted on March 13, 2002 04:24:31 PM new
What's there to check in a Power Sellers feedback? They have to maintain 98% postive feedbacks, and anything less than 2% means nothing because it's usually left by morons who are lying or clueless.
Power Sellers are easy targets. When you mix a nimble mind with a pessimest, you get posters who just speak their emotions which tend to criticsize but don't offer any beneficial information. Yea, Power Sellers "overcharge" on handling; yea Power Sellers don't offer quick shipping. Maybe Power Sellers are doing it the best way. Shipping the same day may be costly for a Power Seller; Having a higher start bid on a highly competitive item loses bidders. If they're operating a high volume biz, it totaly makes sense everything they do.
posted on March 13, 2002 05:34:09 PM new
I am a powerseller BUT I do not feel the need to advertise it. There is only me, myself and I to do all the work. I do work long and hard. I do not think that the fact I sell at least $2000 a month on ebay is anyone elses business. So I do not put the powerseller logo in my descriptions.
I believe that bidders think they get better service - fast shipping, emails answered, their hand held in many cases - if they are dealing with a "mom and pop" or someone who does it for fun.
I have great customer feedback - 98% talks about my fast shipping. I answer my emails within 24 hours - usually within minutes but I try to takeone a couple hours off over the weekend. My end one auction notice go out within 2 hours of the end of the auction.
Some people think that if you do too much volume you can not give them the service they want.
So why advertise that your a powerseller? Does it really make a difference one way or the other? I do not think so.
Being a powerseller doesn't get me more business or less business.
posted on March 13, 2002 05:43:54 PM new
Feedback is not just about percentages of positives and negatives. When I mentioned checking a seller's feedback, I meant that a potential bidder should actually READ the comments and see what they say, not just look at the numbers.
Positives may be glowing, or they may be not-so-positive after all (i.e. "Product received, but slow shipping" ). And negatives may be from an unreasonable bidder who is obviously in the wrong, or they may be well-deserved. I've even seen negatives that had positive wording in them (and vice-versa), but one would have to read the comments to see exactly what happened.
(stray smilie)
[ edited by thedewey on Mar 13, 2002 05:45 PM ]
posted on March 13, 2002 06:14:43 PM new
richierich -- I do display the logo in my auctions (the smallest one), but like you, I don't think it makes much difference one way or the other.
I was happy when I *finally* qualified last year, and put the logo on my auctions, mostly just because I could. (LOL!) I'm an individual too, and I do everything myself, usually working 14+ hours a day. So even though qualifying for a PS didn't offer any real benefits, I was still happy that all that work got me something, even if it is just a little round logo.
I figured if my sales dropped any, that I could always take the logo back off. But I haven't seen any drop in my sales, so I just left it on there. If anything, my sales have increased, but that might be because of other reasons ... for example, I'm listing more than I used to.
My feedback is 9,497 total positives, 3,779 unique, 12 neutrals (6 of which were positives from the good 'ol days), and 3 negatives (one retaliatory from a lousy SELLER ... one from a bidder who expected something different than what was listed and negged me without even e-mailing me (satisfaction guaranteed!) ... and the other from a bidder who thought I didn't "claim" her PayPal payment when she actually sent it to the wrong e-mail address, and one business day later, without bothering to e-mail me to ask why it said "unclaimed", negged me). Last time I checked, I've left around 33 or so negatives for deadbeats, the lousy seller mentioned above, and two bad check writers.
I leave positive feedback upon receipt of payment, which some people don't agree with, but it seems to work for me. As far as shipping, the vast majority of my packages ship the next business day, and the rest no later than two business days.
Around 200-300 auctions is about how many I can comfortably handle at a time and still provide personalized service (that's very important to me), although I did list 1,600+ on December's free listing day (oh yeah, that was fun! ROFL!).
posted on March 13, 2002 06:22:04 PM new
Most buyers don't care about how much volume their seller does. As long as they get their item under the stated terms, what does it matter?
About this whole "customer satisfaction" concept. Not everyone wants "personal service." I think that term is too often used to mean "we're too small to get good prices but we'll e-mail you twice a day to show you we care."
Please, just send me my Beanie Baby and be done with it. I don't want the cashier at Wal-Mart to e-mail me and ask if I am enjoying my Twizzlers.
posted on March 13, 2002 09:32:11 PM new
ROFL! The products I sell are geared to young- to middle-aged ladies (as am I), and some of them prefer more communication than others. I try to respond accordingly.
For example, if I send their total and they write me a chatty letter back, sure, I spend a little time talking to them. I've made many friends this way, and it's fun getting to know my bidders. I sell craft/hobby-related things, so it's actually a lot of fun hearing what the bidders plan to do with their new stuff and to swap ideas.
If it's a "strictly business" buyer, that's fine too. Unless they have a question, they will receive a total of two e-mails from me during the whole transaction: one with their total, and one to let them know their payment arrived and when their package is being shipped. Friendly, but to the point, and with no fluff.
The "fun" part is when you get a REALLY chatty person who starts sending jokes and chain letters .....
posted on March 14, 2002 01:05:01 AM new
>>"Please, just send me my Beanie Baby and be done with it."<<
Beanie Baby? People still sell those things? Does anyone still want them? I have a few dozen left over from when I used to sell them a couple of years ago and am considering donating them to a charity. Hopefully one that won't put them behind glass and put ridiculous prices on them.
posted on March 14, 2002 04:10:27 AM new
I just had a very good transaction with a Powerseller. Reasonable price, prompt service, shipping at near cost. I'd gladly use the guy again if he had some other stuff I wanted--and I looked too!
There should be no difference between a powerseller and any other. Let the buyer know what's going on and ship their stuff in a timely fashion in a sturdy package.
posted on March 14, 2002 07:31:06 AM new
I honestly believe some of the Powerseller bashing comes from envy.. Some people want to be PS's but for whatever reason have not achieved that goal and those people just claim "sour grapes"...as Dennis Miller would say, "Just My Opinion, I may be wrong.."
posted on March 14, 2002 01:51:03 PM new
Hi All, This is my first posting on AW ever! =)
I've been doing Ebay auctions as a hobby for about 2 years, and as a full-time business since last November(and LOVE IT). I just recently earned the Power Seller designation, and while I thought it was cool, I didn't really know what all fuss against PS's was about.
One thing I've learned about this business is that all you really need to do to succeed is to be competent. People who go a little farther, can do even better. I like to think that our increasing success is simply due to that fact alone. We buy our merchandise smartly, advertise honestly on our auctions, put up starting bids at the right price, charge fairly for s/h (and we DO charge handling fees), leave feedbacks in a timely manner (pos and neg), answer emails promptly and most importantly we SHIP QUICKLY. I really don't get why more sellers just don't ship the stuff out asap.
Doing these things are what have allowed us to earn the power seller designation in such a short time. I don't post the logo on our auctions, because I think that's unnecessary and takes up valuable room on my ads, which I try not to clutter and keep clean and readable (which many of my competitors don't do). It's a moot point anyway, because now Ebay puts a nice little logo on your ID, right next to your feedback counter. That's enough for me.
Going back to my point, some power sellers, at least ones like me, were able to earn the designation by just doing what you're supposed to do as a seller. I have one employee, and we are currently running 20-30 auctions a day. At the pace we're going, I fully expect to be at 100 auctions a day within the next 6 months. We provide excellent service, stand behind what we sell, and we know we provide value. Isn't that all that matters?
Thanks for listening, and I'm sure I'll be particpating on these topics more in the future. I'm learning alot from all the discussions, that's for sure.
posted on March 15, 2002 02:53:28 PM new
Some Powersellers I buy off of are great,in fact I look for their aucions to buy.But then there are the Powersellers who lie in every line they type in their ad and are going to rip you off if you let them.Part of these auctions are nothing but lies and pure bull #*[email protected] know I buy from the same companies.Why can't you at least be truthfull about the product and what it REALLY sells for and not a bunch of lies,and oh yea lets not forget the line that says don't believe what the competition is trying to sell you only this one is the real thing!Give me a break!
I'm an individual too, and I do everything myself, usually working 14+ hours a day. So even though qualifying for a PS didn't offer any real benefits, I was still happy that all that work got me something, even if it is just a little round logo. 