Its sounds really great becoming a powerseller on ebay, one would imagine that this would entitle you to discounted fees and other various perks for effectively being a frequent and long standing seller,This could not be further from the truth, a powerseller has all the benefits of selling on ebay stripped away with what appears to be no upside what ever.
So how does ebay explain the cough "benefits" of becoming an Ebay Powerseller:
-Top-rated seller eligibility and access to 1:1 phone consultations to help achieve Top-rated seller status
-Customer Support
-Unpaid Item Protection
-UPS rate discounts
-Health insurance solutions
-Powerful Giving Program
-PowerUp print and email newsletters
-PowerSeller Discussion Boards
-Logo merchandise
-PowerSeller templates for marketing
So as you can see direct from ebay the benefits are large, well largely useless and for the most a complete waste and no different to any non-power selling account.
So what do you miss out on, why is IT BAD to be a powerseller?
Well here is a chart with prices for a regular eBayer in colomn 1 and then colomn 2 for 30+ and power sellers;
Auction, Fixed Price and Classified with Best Offer format
To calculate the insertion fee multiply the start price by the number of items offered in the one listing and then use the table below to find the associated insertion fee.
| Listing Start Price | First 30 listings in one month* | For 31+ listings in same month Plus PowerSellers & sellers registered as a business without a store |
| $0.01 - 0.99 |
Free for first 30 listings per month | $0.30 |
| $1.00 - 19.99 | $0.50 | |
| $20.00 - 49.99 | $0.75 | |
| $50.00 - 99.99 | $1.50 | |
| $100.00 - 399.99 | $2.50 | |
| More than $399.99 | $3.50 |
* Private Seller Eligibility Criteria applies.
Private Seller Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for 30 free listings per month members must have a Registered Address in Australia, and must not be a PowerSeller, registered as a business or a Store subscriber. Listings must be single quantity and not fall within Excluded Categories.
See above Chart displaying prices for various Auction and note how the second column with prices for everything is the column for powersellers (there are all the entitlements you lose by becoming a power seller!)No to mention the fact that you are now recognised as a powerseller im sure taxation offices would be interested in you and you selling.
In short... do everything you can to prevent being a powerseller, you miss out on the free 20 listings per month, no free galleries and no benefits.
So if you do still use ebay as a seller and have not already been put off by the quagmire of fees the powerseller status may be the last straw to break the Camel's back.
So what do yo have to do to be unlucky enough to qualify for this privilage (of paying more than a newbie account to list etc)
What are the requirements?
To qualify for the PowerSeller program, sellers need to consistently sell a significant volume of items, provide a high level of service to their buyers, maintain a positive Feedback score, and meet the requirements for detailed seller ratings and eBay Buyer Protection and PayPal Buyer Protection case standards. Membership in the program is free.
You don't need to apply for the PowerSeller program. If you qualify, you'll automatically be included. Just check your Seller Dashboard to see if you've achieved PowerSeller status. PowerSeller levels include Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Titanium depending on the number of items you've sold or the dollar amount of your sales.
If you're not a PowerSeller yet, you can always work your way up by meeting these requirements:
Be registered with eBay for at least 90 days.
Have an account in good standing.
Maintain a positive Feedback of 98% or higher over the past 12 months.
Follow all eBay policies.
Have a minimum of 100 transactions and $3,000 USD in sales with Australian buyers over the past 12 months.
Receive at least a 4.40 average from Australian buyers across all 4 detailed seller ratings (DSRs).
For all transactions with Australian buyers, have no more than 1.00% of transactions with low DSRs (1s or 2s) on item as described, and a maximum of 2.00% of low DSRs on communication, postage time, and postage and handling cost.
If your account falls below these requirements, you may lose your PowerSeller status.
So despite the difficult credentials of qualifying once achiveing this status you will (should) find yourself question what exactly the benefit is and then coming to the same conclusion that i have.
Summary:
No more 20 free listings per month, no more free galleries, loss of profitability, no longer under the rader to taxation.
Conclusion:
ebay powerselling makes you worse off and less profitable then a beginners account so ebay powerselling is a dis0incentive
