PowerSeller Icon destroying my business .... HEL P please :(

[prodigy_techus]

Dear ebay,
Please help me. It has happened to me before also & is happening again.

As soon as the powerseller icon comes beside my ebay ID, business falls by more than 60%. I asked many foreign sellers about it & many regular customers too. This is what I got as the analysis:

The words POWER SELLER makes me look as if I am too big a seller to care about the small buyers, it makes buyers reluctant to deal with me because they think I won't care about them to provide personal service (which I do by the way). Many long time faithful buyers told me that they thought I became greedy & money minded once I started SHOWING OFF that I am a POWERFUL seller by having the POWER SELLER trophy, as if I cannot be touched because I am a Mafia Don like person.

Also, people are generally kind hearted, they always want to give business to a struggling person rather than a BOASTFUL WINNER who shows off that he is a POWERFUL seller / POWER SELLER.

The very words POWER SELLER bespeaks huuuuuuge arrogance, if it were LOYAL SELLER or TRUSTWORTHY SELLER or HONEST SELLER - it would increase business, but POWER SELLER is like saying "look you buyers, I am powerful, don't mess with me Grrrrrrr" ............. I am not like that & I want to just remain an ordinary HUMBLE seller.

Please remove the POWER SELLER icon or get me out of the program or at least tell me how I can get the system to remove me as soon as possible.

I am quickly losing my customer base & business as well. And the tone of the customers when sending emails is very frightened & serious rather than the jovial & informal language they used to use before I became a Power Seller 😞

I love my customers, please help me out 😞

Wishes,
Praveen

[amitava123gems]

Hi,
I am a Top Rated Seller in all 3 groups of eBay sites. ebay.co.uk treats me as second class member. They dont show pics of my listings even though I spend extra 10 cents for U.K. viewership for each item.
But English buyers are gentlemen. They read my description and bid. They have faith in me. God is with me.
Germans are best in the world. They dont pretend. They mean.
Okay brothers,
Thank you very much.
I belong to eBay India. I am devoted to eBay India.
Truly,
Amitava

[prodigy_techus]

I didn't know that Top Rated Seller too could have bad experience. It seems cheaper to just post internationally from ebay.in than to post on US or UK sites.

[prodigy_techus]

How about at least having an option to display the Power Seller logo or not?, That should be possible for now !

[prodigy_techus]

Any more new ideas folks ?

[ratnachhaya]

I am not sure it was due to power seller status but my selling is poor last quarter. It is also due to my failure to list new items.

I think "eBay Recommends" or something like that will be a good option. As it is our feedback tells most of story.

I also think, buyers do go thru feedback, specially when they are working with new seller and that suppress all other parameter to their decision.

If you are good at service once and again, buyers know how you treat them so the "POWERFUL SELLER" tag barely matters to them.

It may be possible for few to get distracted but overall I think it is not core issue but just a side of larger selling/marketing issue.

Thanks!

[prodigy_techus]

If I were a buyer & went into a BMW showroom, I'd expect absolute perfect treatment. But if I went into a discount store, I'd not mind the pushes & shoves.

I would trouble the BMW staff over tiniest of things, but would not mind much & be cooperative in the discount store, knowing that I get a good deal for the money.

This POWERSELLER trophy is like a BMW tag, raises expectations unnaturally high.

[ratnachhaya]

True! A place and its status determine the expectations of a visitor. But isn't it what a seller should strive for 'a tag of status' which comes at a price of finest service at tiniest detail.

Your answer is in your own post.....:-):-):-)

[ratnachhaya]

Thats the reason for some seller are doing really well despite so many negative issues eBay.in filled with, while some are doing bad blaming very same policies.

[prodigy_techus]

I agree, but you see - when you give Great service without the customer expecting it, the customer is truly Elated & blown away.

However, when they are already expecting it, no matter what you do - they are not surprised nor satisfied.

I would like my service to do the talking and come as a surprise, not arrogantly showcase it via a PowerSeller tag.

Which would blow you away? - Getting BMW service in a BMW showroom or getting the BMW class service in a TATA showroom ?

[ratnachhaya]

I think, we should not design our policies and ethics based on what buyer look for but with the idea that what is ideal for our business.

1) I know and this is what happened to me almost once a week that buyer pays and ring me within minutes asking when will you ship. They ask in way that you are suppose to ship within minutes no matter if it is 7 AM or 10 PM.

2) Many buyers drop mails the moment they pay asking where is my item as if we are suppose to carry it personally moment after they purchase and keep writing them every hour.

more stories can be added here but I think, it is one in week only and remaining 10 are nice and appreciate how you treat them.

Many of my buyers only communicate with me after receiving product with a line of satisfaction.

I am certain, you want one good buyer at cost of 9 bad because that one is foundation of your business. It is worth best service to all 10 because you don't know which one is going to be your "good" one.

Any ways, keep good service and one day you will know what it gave you in return.