2/4/10 Powerseller Profiteer Newsletter

Your eBay Powerseller invite could arrive any day now…

Hello!

Well, April is finally here. Spring has appeared. There is an abundance of Easter Eggs (well they’ve been around since December I think) and it’s time for eBay to roll out their first updates to the UK site for 2010.

I hope you are prepared and have been following my advice given back in February when I first mentioned the changes that were afoot at eBay HQ for Spring 2010 and you have been busy getting sales under your belt and ensuring yours is the best customer service in order to keep your DSR’s up.

Don’t worry if you missed my original newsletter or you would just like to re-cap - you can find it all here: How to achieve Powerseller status fast 

So, from this month it’s good news for eBay sellers with lower sales volumes – great if you are new to eBay or are just considering starting to sell because it’s going to be much easier for you to reach Powerseller status and reap the benefits that go hand in hand. 

Here’s a quick overview of what you need to achieve:

•   A minimum sales volume of £2,000 over 12 months to UK / Ireland purchasers
•   A minimum of 100 transactions over 12 months
•   Detailed Seller Ratings (DSR’s) of at least 4.6 across all ratings
•   A minimum of 98% feedback
•   You must be an eBay business account holder rather than private
•   You should have no policy breaches and your account should be in good standing 

Full details of the minimum performance standards are here: Seller Update 

Anyone meeting all the above criteria from April 2010 will now earn 5% - 15% off their final value fees (depending on the number of sales) – not a huge amount granted, but with eBay, any reduction in fees, however small, should be most welcomed! 

As I’ve said, if you have been following my advice, any day now your Powerseller invitation will be dropping in to your inbox. Good luck! 

Payment holds – are they fair? 

There is another change I want to mention in this weeks newsletter and that’s the ‘Payment Holds’ situation. A few of my subscribers have complained that this just isn’t fair and whilst I know it’s a bit of a pain, I do understand why this system has been put in place.  

To bring you up to speed, for a little while now, eBay and PayPal have been randomly holding back funds that sellers have made through eBay sales for up to 21 days. It doesn’t happen to everyone and it only applies to newbie sellers. It’s also worth mentioning that if you are an established seller and simply want to open an extra eBay account this won’t apply to you because you are already trading. The reasoning behind all this is simply a security measure – i.e. to ensure that every eBay seller is trustworthy and is actually sending the goods out to the buyers. 

I do understand that this can be extremely frustrating; however what this extra measure is doing is stopping would-be scammers in their tracks. These crooks can’t now simply set up a brand new eBay ID, advertise 100 mobile phones at ridiculously low prices, take your money and then run without sending the goods.  

I’m sure you’d prefer that eBay is a safe place to trade rather than having the worry that people won’t visit the site for fear of being ripped off? I know I would. It’s like the extra security at the airports now – yes it takes longer to get through to departures with all the extra security, I don’t really want to get half undressed and have a full body scan and yes it is boring having to queue, but at least I know I’m not getting on to a plane with a bomb on it! Do you see what I mean! 

This is why it’s really important that you sell some personal items and build up your reputation on eBay first when you open up a new ID. This way if your money is held it won’t affect your business dealings. 

A tip to ensure you get prompt, positive feedback  

Anyway, the good news is this. If you are a newbie and your funds are held, it is very likely that they will be released much quicker than the 21 days if your buyer leaves positive feedback for you fairly quickly or you can prove that the item has been delivered. And that leads me to another point regarding feedback. 

As a newbie, with payment holds hanging over you, you really need your buyers to leave you feedback as quickly as possible. But, feedback is voluntary and in my experience most buyers don’t like being hassled to leave it. If you hassle them you may end up with a red dot rather than a green one so it’s not a good idea! This question came up recently when a subscriber asked me how he could make sure his buyers left feedback promptly without him sounding pushy. He is desperate to build his feedback so that he has a good reputation as a seller and this was posing a small problem for him. 

So, this is what I suggest. When packaging your goods, include a small note or packing slip with your eBay ID or eBay shop name on it and a short note of thanks that reads as follows, or similar: 

“Thank you for your purchase. We hope our products and service are to your satisfaction and we would really appreciate you leaving us some feedback. Enjoy your purchase.  Many thanks.” 

This is polite, subtle, but gets the message across plus you are also reminding your buyer of your eBay ID and eBay shop name (if you have one) which gives the potential for repeat business. Anyway, I always think it’s nice to receive an acknowledgement within my parcel rather than just a jiffy bag with the item in it! 

You can adapt this message slightly and include it in your ‘dispatch’ emails too if you prefer just as a little reminder. The important thing to remember is that you can’t force buyers to leave feedback, so don’t try to – it’s very annoying – just offer excellent products and great customer service and your buyers will want to leave feedback for you to show their appreciation. 

So, if you haven’t done so already, please read my previous newsletter that I referred to earlier just to double-check that you understand what’s required and you are ready for the changes this month. Then you can take advantage and bring your business on in leaps and bounds. 

As always I wish you the very best of success and a very Happy Easter, 

Amanda 

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If you are a new subscriber and have missed previous newsletters, you can catch up here: http://www.powersellerpod.co.uk/Newsletters.html 

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I produce this newsletter on the understanding that these are my own personal opinions and experiences, which are as accurate as possible at the time of publication. I cannot be held responsible for any error in details, accuracy or judgment whatsoever. 

© Amanda O’Brien 2010 

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