I can't believe more sellers have not complained about this. You are exactly right. My business has come to a stand still. I have 4.9 ratings, but like you, I don't have the volume. When buyers see the "why" they are considered top-rated it reads:
"consistently receives highest buyers ratings; ships items quickly; has earned a track record of excellent service".
That's not true, they forgot about the "sales volume" part. ebay now has a flavor of Tupperware or Avon sales...get out there and meet those sale goals!
I've looked at the ratings of some the "Top-rated" sellers. I have seen 4.7's, 4.8's. I question the whole gimmick of it.
Can anything be done about this?

Let us know how your boycott works out but please just use normal sentence case and not all the bold/underlined stuff that makes reading a little difficult.

"WE THE SELLERS ARE EBAY!!!"

I am certainly not eBay. They are simply a venue for selling and only one of several I use regularly. I didn't make them and they didn't make me. I will will continue to do what is best for my business and I assume eBay will do the same for theirs.

Ebay is a wholesalers paradise now. You'll notice that they've dropped the listing fees but raised the ebay's comission fee when you sell the item. This saves money for the TRSs who sell thousand of items in a month. Their sales volume covers their listing expenses. For those of us who sell maybe 10 - 15 items a week the fees kill our bottom line. Its cut throat now. You have to restructure and restrategize your business to survive.

ablast2thepast:

Your OP is very similar to one I posted on the Q&A board but had it removed with a threat to ban me from posting or using ebay at all. The reason given was not that clear, but I think they were saying that I posted to the wrong board.

So with the threat of being NARU'd, I'm posting this.

I am a seller with more than 1700 feedback with no negatives at all, this is my buying id. I am sick and tired of having my life made harder by ebay.

It already is extremely annoying that a competitor can bid on my auctions and leave positive feedback with a less than satisfactory comment which has already happened to me recently. It also annoys me that people can achieve high feedback ratings for very low price items and - as auctions older than 90 days do not show details of what or how much the item was - apparently end up with the same ratings as someone who has sold many auctions for hundreds of pounds each because the system is not properly maintained and in fact continually changes for the worse. I believe this kind of thing happens because ebay have a very bad attitude to the sellers that have helped them create a success of the site.

I am absolutely livid about this TRS nonsense. I am sure if this was challenged legally ebay would not be able to carry on with it. TRS is basically about the volume of sales and they don't even mention that. If they did, I wonder how many buyers would pay any attention to it?

It's of little import that people come along saying they don't pay any attention to it, as there must be loads of people who do. It is very prominent, in that you couldn't possibly miss it.

I believe it is deliberately misleading.

Ebay are getting away with it because it affects the small seller, not the bigger ones who could afford to take legal action.

It has definitely impacted my sales and my life and it simply is not fair.

It's defeatist to say we cannot do anything about it. We can and we must object to this.

Many sellers are also buyers, and having less money means they won't spend as much, so it is ultimately weakening for ebay generally to do this. Whoever is making the decisions is obviously too shortsighted to see this.

It's really soul-destroying for the many sellers impacted by this, and ebay should be ashamed of themselves for doing something like this.

We must protest loud and long. For a starting point, ebay are not following their own policies, which are that people are basically honest. It seems to me here that ebay are being basically dishonest.

If only they would be honest, and say that TRS's are defined by sales volume as well as the other criteria, it would be acceptable.

The fact remains that there's going to be a certain percentage of sellers and buyers who are going to lose faith in ebay in the face of this overt manipulation of the truth.

We need to protest in the hope that ebay will see the error of their ways.

Thank You Cinderlladragon...
Finally someone who see the whole picture for the whole group of sellers.
One thing I have learn through my many years of life on this earth is "apathy towards wrong doing" will destroy,eventually everyones (sellers) freedom...
It sickens me ,when sellers who are of the mind set.."well I'm ok,why rock the boot"...or "Yea,its not right but what can you do?"..This same way of thinking has rob a peoples country of its freedoms...
And even those who are ok..Ebay will throw to the wayside when they are no longer needed..
It takes lots guts to stand up for whats right..
It is a coward who sticks his head in the sand,and pretends its ok...

And as a seller...(since 1999)..I am willing to fight for what is right for ALL sellers who are being discrimnated against..but there is only POWER in numbers..one man cannot fight the masses.And action really does speak loader than words.
I believe we the sellers can make ebay accountable for its actions with the TRS status..
Ebay is promoting with FALSE advertisment to the BUYERS(paraphased...saying that the TRS are the only Ebay sellers that can be trusted) ,when in fact there are thousands of other sellers with the same rating not included Ebay are discriminating its sellers.
and the TRS is really about those sellers volume of sales.
Ebay is manuplating the search engines (default) in a way to prepick what they want the buyers to see..not based on the time frame as before,or the selling price.
We sellers all pay EBAY for a service which should be fair and even to all.
If those sellers who do not have the TRS staus,but are entitled to it according to the statement ebay posts:"consistently receives highest buyers ratings; ships items quickly; has earned a track record of excellent service". they should contact ebay and at least complain...
I would hope Ebay would see the light and change the policy to allow those sellers to have the rating applied to them or Ebay at least take off the ballon that states.."consistently receives highest buyers ratings; ships items quickly; has earned a track record of excellent service".
If anyone has the link to complain too perhaps they will post it here..

Well congrat's on being assertive in this matter!!!
There seems to be a lack of concern regarding the whole ebay thing...who was it that took over to make it better by using "top seller"? management has not made the road for all, user friendly~and to top it all off...yes times have changed....but why mix us hobby sellers' with the big guys...I feel that ebay needs some reorganization in their sellers list of shopping to well inform the buyers of commercial verse hobbyist and treasure sellers. Boy have things gone to Hellllllllo in a hand bag!....bottom line, buyer and seller beware regardless of the title "top seller" this month because it could be gone next month....what's that say for the sellers reputation? bad month? or bad sales? makes ya wonder ha! and Ebay if you are watching......"Please take note! and make some changes that makes since and Let it become an equal playing field in the land of auctions and reputations." quit discriminating against though's who are the foundation to ebay!

Yes Bob,
Hello, I did read it! and it still stands. how does this clarify your reputation and standing when it is given and taken away every month,it is still based on total sales with the power sellers. where as feedback shows long term customer service. isn't that who ebay is trying to clarify to the buyers? I just feel that it is discriminating and segregating. and it is still based on sale volume. What's up with that?