If you want your online business to boom on eBay, you’ve got to work hard at becoming a top-rated seller. That title – which takes a fair amount of effort to acquire – is well worth your while when it comes to putting your product in front of prospective buyers.
So what are the advantages? How about getting higher priority in search results? Or having your title as a top-rated seller appear on all of your listing? Or getting a discount on the final value fees for every product you sell?
Not bad, right? So how do you get there. Here are some tips from The Powerseller Pod that will come in handy when building your reputation as a trusted eBay seller.
Tip 1 – Sell more. The top-rated seller badge isn’t granted to just any old seller clearing out the clutter in their lofts; you must be selling goods regularly to make yourself eligible. The official figures from eBay state that you must have a minimum of 100 transactions and a minimum total of $3,000 in sales during the last 12-month period.
Tip 2 – Create great and honest listings. Attractive, informative and honest listings have many benefits. For one they increase your chances of making sales as customers will be able to find out all of the information that they need from your description. By creating a completely honest description about your goods you also decrease the likelihood of buyer protection cases being lodged against you. This is important as sellers with too many of these cases are excluded from being classed as top rated.
Tip 3 – Post quickly. You wouldn’t think that postage would have too much bearing on you as a top-rated seller, but shipping sold items quickly will make customers feel more valued. This is likely to lead to better feedback scores for you! In an ideal world it would be perfect to post your items on the same day that a buyer makes their payment but obviously this isn’t always possible or practical. Always remember that, for small items, you may be able to pay for postage online and pop the item in a post-box rather than visiting the post office.
Tip 4 – Make customer service your priority. Without the support of your customers you will find it impossible to become a top rated seller. eBay insist on a feedback score of 98% or higher, meaning you really must address the needs of your buyers. Respond quickly to any queries, package items appropriately so that they don’t arrive broken and always be courteous, friendly and professional in any contact with your clientele. You may find that other little touches such as adding a handwritten note thanking the buyer for their purchase can also improve your feedback score. Anything that makes the customer feel valued is a good thing!
Tip 5 – Be patient. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. You can have the best intentions of becoming a top-rated seller, but it is important to remember that it will take time. For one thing you must have been an active member of eBay for 90 days before you are eligible to become top-rated, and within this period you may find it difficult to reach the required level of sales and feedback. Don’t panic if you aren’t a top rated seller yet though, just keep ensuring that your customer service is up to scratch, that you dispatch items quickly and that you continue to sell and you will be making progress.