posted on October 25, 2001 12:24:37 AM newAneye4art, I never said all powersellers run hundreds of auctions. What I said was if I see a powerseller logo I will check and see how many auctions they are currently running. In re-reading my post I realize I should have said "Too many of my questions to powersellers who run hundreds of auctions at once have been ignored.
In my experience sellers (powersellers or not) who run hundreds of auctions at once generally do not provide the same customer service as those who run less. My point was simply that along with powersellers like you and igolf who do an excellent job, there are those who try to make up for quality with quantity, fail miserably regarding customer service, and have tarnished the powerseller logo. So for me, rather than being reassured by it, the logo will more likely make me take a more critical look at the auction and seller. JMHO.
[ edited by BlondeSense on Oct 25, 2001 12:30 AM ]
posted on October 25, 2001 06:54:50 PM new
"Bidders are attracted to PowerSellers' listings because they know that
PowerSellers offer great service and have superb feedback"
Uh, all they gotta do is click on the FB number to see that... And my number is over 1,000 superlatives with one neg.
posted on October 26, 2001 06:36:54 AM new
aneye4art wrote: I think the logo reassures a bidder that you are a reputable seller.
NOT EVEN CLOSE!! Well, okay, maybe newbies would think that. All it really means to buyers with much experience is that you sell a certain amount per month and ebay will overlook your sins and transgressions. You MAY be a reputable seller, but your feedback will reveal that as well or better than any PowerSeller logo.
Some of my worst buying experiences on ebay were with PowerSellers, and one pulled a feedback extortion trick on me while ebay turned a blind eye.
So I hit the back button when I see the PowerSeller logo, with one exception: if it's something I'd really like to have AND the seller goes out of his/her way in their TOS to tell me what fabulous pro-buyer customer service they have. Most don't.
posted on October 26, 2001 07:44:20 AM new
CleverGirl: You may be right as far as the logo only reassuring newbies to ebay. However, I still don't think the logo is a detriment to my auctions.
In my TOS the only thing I have recently added is "Bid with confidence" under the logo. I don't feel I have to toot my own horn as far as my customer service. I figure if bidders are really interested, they will look at my feedback. I am just curious...if you came upon one of my auctions and saw I am a powerseller (and I am only bronze which is not a big deal), would you immediately back out since my TOS does not blatantly promote my customer service skills? Would you check my feedback before backing out...or back out immediately upon seeing the logo? Again, I am just curious. Maybe I will consider revising my ads. I really had no idea the logo brought such negativity with it.
posted on October 26, 2001 08:09:26 AM new
aneye4art
Remember that the posters here only represent a tiny percentage of the eBay users.
A "fad" or "trend" that I see on this board, and other eBay boards, is that the "mood" or opinion of the board seems to follow the most vocal of the posters on that particular board. That "follow the leader" mentality is not a bad thing, but it is a way for users to feel a part of the group, especially if they can all agree on an issue and get that agreement brings applaud from the other members because they do agree.
It's not a popular thing to disagree or go against the tide on a public forum. Generally, disagreeing with the group brings very strong flames, and those users quickly get tired of the flames and don't bother posting their opinions.
But, remember, many, many satisfied power sellers are busy over at eBay and don't have the time/complaints/issues/problems to air on a public forum. They are too busy selling. They are too busy using the resources (i.e. email and phone support) that eBay provides for them. They are too busy being successful on eBay to air their problems on this board.
You have to decide what works for you and how you want eBay to help you be a success.
posted on October 26, 2001 08:31:37 AM new
igolf: I realize that the posters here are a very small sampling of the ebay population. I simply am curious about their perspectives on the powerseller logo since I have it in my auctions and have had for several months now. Like I said before, I really don't think the logo is a detriment to my auctions, however, I also did not know that many people associate the logo with a poor seller either. Will I revise my auctions based on what people say on this forum? Probably not. If I revise my ads, it will be because <b>I</b> feel it would be best, not because I know that a couple of posters here don't like the logo. I have not had any problems with my ads since I started using the logo, and will probably continue to do so. However, there is always room for improvement.
posted on October 26, 2001 10:50:27 AM new
Empires: You are quite right. AW at best represents a small percentage of ebay users. Then when you weed out the buyers from the sellers you end up with a miniscule number. I buy. Check my feedback. 95. All positive, all from buying. My other ID has 143 feedback, all pos, more than half from buying.
Aneye4art, should you change your auction format because of what two posters said? Probably not. You gotta do what you feel is best for your auctions.
I would like to add one more idea to consider -not necessary to change your mind, just someting to consider: I've been on AW for almost a year and a half. Occasionally I will see a post stating "Well, I've always done it that way and it hasn't hurt my sales". This makes me want to grab the person by the collar and yell "How do you KNOW!?!" If there is something regarding an auction that turn bidders off from buying, they are not going to email the seller and say "Hey, I would have bid on your auction if only...", naw, they are simply gonna move on, and the seller will never know that they lost a sale.
Again, this is just my humble opinion as a buyer.
posted on October 26, 2001 05:52:24 PM new
I'm a Bronze and ebay emailed me warning me that they would terminate some of my auctions because the PS logo did not have the required link... or I shrunk it down... or there wasn't enough white space, per their specs...
I was running about 200 auctions at once until they started changing their rules... i.e. no website links, PS specs, advertising other ebay items I'm selling, Limited # of pics, etc....
So, I haven't gotten around to making all the changes so now I'm down to around 5-20 at one time... besides, I was using ebay as a advertising medium to market my website... If I can't do that, then, I decided to reduce the number of listings...
Net effect to me is it is costing ebay and me $$$ but their policy irks me.
posted on October 26, 2001 08:43:32 PM newCleverGirl: You may be right as far as the logo only reassuring newbies to ebay. However, I still don't think the logo is a detriment to my auctions.
Well, it would be a detriment to ylur auctions THIS bidder, wouldn't it?
In my TOS the only thing I have recently added is "Bid with confidence" under the logo. I don't feel I have to toot my own horn as far as my customer service. I figure if bidders are really interested, they will look at my feedback. I am just curious...if you came upon one of my auctions and saw I am a powerseller (and I am only bronze which is not a big deal), would you immediately back out since my TOS does not blatantly promote my customer service skills? Would you check my feedback before backing out...or back out immediately upon seeing the logo? Again, I am just curious. Maybe I will consider revising my ads. I really had no idea the logo brought such negativity with it.
If it wasn't something I really, really wanted, I'd back out without even reading your TOS or looking any further at anything including your feedback. I mean, INSTANTLY back. If it WAS something I really wanted, I'd look for more than glib self-promotions about your personal service "skills." I'd look for something along the lines of a no questions asked, ironclad return policy, plus all the other things I expect.
I fully realize that not all PowerSellers are bad apples. However, I also realize PowerSellers have a "sales quota" to maintain, that ebay is fairly serious business to most of them -- which has nothing (necessarily) to do with their customer service level, and that ebay by its own admission gives PowerSellers more latitude on transgressions. Since these two PowerSellers burned me BAD (items totally misrepresented), and absolutely, positively, smugly and gleefully refused to do a thing about my displeasure over receiving things I didn't bid on, you bet I'll continue to skip PowerSellers.
I would also say that even though my own sentiments don't seem to be shared here by many othes, there ARE plenty of people who've had similar experiences to mine and a very negative attitude about the PowerSeller program. I've seen a number of discussions on this and other boards where the anti-PS sentiment ranged very high.
No offense but I think the "bid with confidence" line is silly if not counterproductive, for the reasons I've been discussing. Anyone with much experience on ebay will recognize that the slogan has nothing to do with PowerSellers. PowerSeller program isn't about quality (tho it may have been once upon a time), it's about volume. IOW, IMO you reveal your own lack of understanding about the PowerSeller program and the harsh realities of ebay.
Go ahead and run the logo as long as it makes you feel good. It is, after all, a nice accomplishment. There are probably enough newbies on ebay these days and folks who haven't been burned by PowerSellers that you can get by running it.
CG
Edited for UBB problems - again
[ edited by CleverGirl on Oct 26, 2001 08:45 PM ]
[ edited by CleverGirl on Oct 26, 2001 08:46 PM ]
posted on October 26, 2001 10:27:54 PM new
i have a question ..I have just seen a company with 194 postive with 4 postive this mouth and they have a power seller logo ...i thought you had to be doing 2000 in bussiness to have the logo
posted on October 27, 2001 01:05:40 AM new
Okay now i'm ticked.. LOL, I became a Powerseller last December & still am.. I used the logo for maybe a month...
I do admit the 2 times I used customer service at the special E-mail it was very FAST, like MINUTES to a response/resolution.
However, I never got my POWERSELLER kit or my T-SHIRT!!!
Sigh... It would be nice if they ran promotions for Powersellers only, like say a free LISTING day once every couple months, I mean sure it would bog down Ebay w/ alot of auctions launching, but think of the FV they would make...
Just my 2 cents...
All that & a Bag of Chips Too!!
posted on October 27, 2001 09:06:45 AM new
CleverGirl: I guess if the logo in my ads is a detriment to my auctions, in so far as you not bidding, then I guess as the saying goes, "you can't please everyone all of the time". If you saw my auctions, noticed the logo and backed out immediately then that would be YOUR loss, not mine. Your loss in the sense that you would lose out on dealing with a reputable dealer that sells top quality merchandise for a fraction of the cost elsewhere.
Also, if I recall correctly, becoming a powerseller is not only dependent upon how much you sell per month, but I do believe you have to maintain a certain positive/negative feedback percentage. At least when you first join anyway. I am pretty certain I remember reading something about that in the email that ebay sent to me when they offered to me about becoming a powerseller. As far as the issue of transgressions and powersellers, I cannot comment as I have never had to deal with anything of that nature..I have no idea what you are talking about.
I also cannot agree with you on your opinion that my "bid with confidence" line is silly and counterproductive. I think that statement has a lot to do with being a powerseller. For me, the powerseller program IS about quality, good customer relations, and making a legitimate business for myself. For what it is worth, my "lack of understanding of the powerseller program and the harsh realities of ebay" have allowed me to become quite successful. I have many repeat bidders and many new bidders. I have bidders emailing me about a different print than that in my ad and purchasing. I am able to stay home full-time with my children, make more money than a part-time job in town, and work when I want. I am not going to argue with my own success.
"Go ahead and run the logo as long as it makes you feel good. It is, after all, a nice accomplishment" Makes me feel good?? Do you think that the logo is an ego trip...I run it to show I am an almighty powerseller? Please...I run the logo to demonstrate I am a serious seller...nothing more. Not only that, but several other big much bigger than me) sellers in my line of items also have the powerseller status and display the logo. I also run the logo so that they don't have anything over me, I have to stay competitive with them. I have not noticed any decline in my sales on ebay since I began listing the logo in my auctions (aside from a decline after 9-11-01).
All in all, my point is that if someone is going to not bid on an auction simply because they see a powerseller logo, they are really going to limit themselves. In fact, if you follow that argument, if someone had good transactions WITH only powersellers and refused to bid on an auction without the powerseller logo, that would be just as silly IMHO.
Also, you seem to neglect mentioning that you can get burnt by non-powersellers too. To bid or not to bid...that is the question.
BUT, there is always the mall.
posted on October 28, 2001 05:48:46 PM newdarrelll Said "Net effect to me is it is costing ebay and me $$$ but their policy irks me."
Not only does it cost ebay money (sales lost) but also costs them customer loyalty. Ebay needs to revise the "Phantom program". There is no incentive. No matter what the cheerleaders say. No financial incentive at all. Your feedback speaks for itself. I see some powersellers pulling the biggest scams going. Particularly in the tool division. Tools that should ship for $5-10 are being billed out at $20.00 or higher. Scam alert to the novices. I only targeted tools since that has been my interest in the last month. Not all sellers are equal or evil. Not only does it cost ebay money but the sellers money too. It's easier to avoid it and go to www.Amazon.com and buy it there.
[ edited by Empires on Oct 28, 2001 06:01 PM ]
posted on October 28, 2001 07:48:31 PM new
To all Power Sellers:
As a small seller, and a constant buyer, I have never cared whether or not an item was being sold by a Power Seller or not. If you have what I want, I'll bid. If you have good feedback, I will bid high. If your e-mails are nice, I will come back to your auctions again, even if I don't need anything. I appreciate Power Sellers, for you have worked harder at this than I have, but don't be fooled by the "STATUS SYMBOL" of the logo. If you have a good item, a great description and pictures, and answer my questions within a day, you have my bid! I'm not looking at all the rest of eBay's junk on the page.
