Powerseller Minimum sales of 20,000/- !!!

[adit999]

Hello everyone,
I don't understand why I have still not gotten my POWERSELLER Certificate ??
Also why is eBay not giving discounts on listing fees and on other transactions ?? Aren't we the guys who provide the major chunk of income and also keep our customers happy and make them buy from us again and again ??
To top it all ..... I see today on 27/09/2007 that the powerseller minimum selling criteria has been raised for bronze sellers to 20,000!!!! A jump from 5000 - 20,000/- Rs is astronomically high I must say.
Any of my fellow sellers & powersellers have something to say about this ?? I am certainly not happy about this kind of move by eBay 😞
Thanks & warm regards,
Adit.

[sapana@ebay.com]

Hi,

Here are my thoughts on the concerns raised by you:

I think you are right when you say that US has lots of business. When we launched eBay (from Baazee), we also thought the same. We thought that having $1000 as the criteria for a PowerSeller will be too high for Indian seller and therefore we reduced it to 5000.
(Operationally it meant managing the program manually instead of having it on a global automated system)

However, as time went by, we realised that most sellers who are doing serious business on eBay (folks like you) actually do business of far more than 5000. In fact when we ran a report we saw that most of our existing PowerSellers will remain to be PowerSellers even with the new criteria.

Having said the above, I agree that it can become challenging for sellers who sell low value items (Stamps, collectibles, junk jewellery are some such examples). It will also impact and sellers who have high seasonality in their sales. Globally we are already working on a project to see as to how the program can be modified such that sellers who have high seasonality and sell low value items continue to receive the benefits of the PowerSeller program. While we do not have immediate answer to this topic, do allow me to assure you that the team is actively looking at solutions to this end.

I think the objective of PowerSeller program is manifold. From a buyer point of view, it is a quick reference point to find trustworthy sellers. From a seller point of view, it is a great achievement and certainly something to be proud of. From eBay’s point of view, it is a tool to differentiate business sellers from casual sellers so that it can service its business sellers better. Business sellers will need faster service, will require promotions and tools that can support their growing business. Tighter PowerSeller criteria will help eBay recognise such sellers and hopefully help them grow their eBay business.

Regards,
Sapana

[adit999]

Hi Everyone,
I think eBay India should be focussing on the feedback percentage rather than the minimum monthly average sales. Increase the current 98% positive feedback minimum to 98.5 - 99% OR minimum sales of 7500/- - 10,000/-
I think that would be a better and a feasible solution to everyone. I think mostly all the existing powersellers have already that kind of track record and will strive to keep it that way.

Sapana, thank you for your reply but I think the only help we are getting from eBay-India is calls about how much we are listing and why our listings have dropped ?? which in turn is not for OUR benefit but for eBay. Has it ever occured eBay-India that the reason our listings might drop is because we might have sold something and don't have stock for it anymore etc etc. There are a lot of sellers here like me who thrive on actual stock in hand. Apart from that we get packing material which is really good but in turn benefits eBay-India. How are we benefitted ?? If eBay-India wants to help powersellers then reduce fees + listing prices so there will be a lot of potential powersellers thriving to acheive that target and also the current sellers will have to maintain their track record.

Thanks & warmest regards,
Aditya Shah.

[sapana@ebay.com]

Hi adit999,

I believe the team is very intent to ensure that PowerSellers get maximum opportunity to improve their business. The Exclusive offers for Power Sellers
▪Selling Manager Pro at flat 20% discount
▪Promotions to Buyers via Direct Mailers and Onsite banners.
▪Feature promotions (will be announced as per the schedule)

as announced by DJ is just the first step in the process. Based on the sucess of these steps, they will further evaluate and bring new benefits to the PowerSellers.

I have slight difference of opinion from you when you say that increased listings benefit only eBay. I believe increased listings benefits buyers becuase they get to coose from more variety, benefits sellers as more lsitings mean more business and benefits eBay because both buyers and sellers are benefitted. However, I do agree with you that much more can be done here. I guess, it is more feasible for the team to provide personalised attention to the PowerSellers who have already built up a reasonable sized business on eBay.

I was going through your About Me page and I must admit that even I love Apple products :). I think they are a class apart! BTW, a colleague of mine sells lot of tech products (cameras, MP3 players etc) and he taught me a trick that I will like to share with you. Margins in tech products are often tight, however, the sucess of selling them well is bundling up popular accessories (margin heavy) with the product (ex - silicon case with an iPod). It is a win-win deal for both buyer and seller. The buyer feels happy that all his requirements were met at one place itself, and seller also makes more money out of the deal. I hope you will find the tip useful and if not already using it, you will use it to increase your eBay business.

Regards,
Sapana

[sapana@ebay.com]

Hi amitava da (amitava123gems),

I hope you have recovered completely now and are in better health. I was going through your listings and given that I have started taking active interest in Coins & Stamps category, I wanted to share some insights with you.

Since you have lots of products in one paisa auciton, I suggest you list some of them directly on eBay.com. They often have listing related promotions that you can use to reduce your cost. Your products will have a big market in those countries.

Another thing I have learnt about Stamps is that lot og International buyers come to India site to buy stamps that belong to commonwealth nation. I guess it is a collection theme over there. You may wish to create a category in your Shop to showcase Commonwealth stamps. Also, I try to kee our members updated of the promotions in Coins & Stamps category via Blog (http://blogs.ebay.in/coins_n_stamps_category_manager). Do try and ensure that if you have relevant products, they feature in the promotions. This will help you sell better on eBay.

I know how much you love eBay and I have high regards for your helpful nature. I beleive you have great products and I hope you will be able to enhance your business to meet the new criteria. Do not hesitate to write back to me in case you wish to discuss this further.

Warm Regards,
Sapana

[adit999]

Hi Sapana,
Thanks for the reply. Yes I do love Apple products and I absolutely love promoting them. Thanks for the tip in selling too. But I believe I have already done that and since I have higher valued products and branded cases it is slightly difficult for the buyer to actually know what benefit he is getting from the entire bundle. Those who appreciate the brands definitely like it, I must say.

I hope this thread and our feedbacks in the other thread posted by Mr. Umang make you reconsider your move of 4 folds.

Keeping my fingers crossed and hopes high,
Warmest regards,

Aditya.

[havenindia]

This is the first I have heard of minimum sales increase. My sales have been well below this for past few months. eBay should notify us, if we drop below and try to motivate. I have not even heard from them about the change.

[havenindia]

when I say eBay should motivate the Powersellers...I do NOT mean by more phone calls. 3-5 a day is TOO MUCH eBay.
Lets push for more incentives for Powersellers.