What Is an eBay Power Seller?
An eBay PowerSeller is a person or business that sells items on eBay's online auction and shopping website in very high volumes--and that receives consistently good customer-service feedback. Ebay businesses that achieve PowerSeller status gain access to special perks and benefits, such as high-priority customer service and promotional merchandise from eBay. There are specific selling and customer service criteria that a business must meet in order to maintain PowerSeller status and gain higher seller ratings.
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Background
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There are five tiers of PowerSellers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Titanium. The benefits a PowerSeller receives are based on its tier. Typically, PowerSellers are involved with selling one article or a type of product, and are considered by eBay as the most consistent and reputable sellers.
Sales Volume
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To qualify for the lowest tier (Bronze), a seller must average a minimum of $1,000 in sales per month for three consecutive months. For the higher tiers, the requirements increase by increments. Silver PowerSellers must average at least $3,000 in monthly sales or 300 items sold per month; Gold PowerSellers must achieve at least $10,000 in monthly sales or a minimum of 1,000 items per month; Platinum PowerSellers are required to maintain at least $25,000 in monthly sales or 2,500 items per month; Titanium PowerSellers must reach at least $150,000 in monthly sales or 15,000 items sold.
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Customer Feedback
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Buyers on eBay can rate a buying experience as "positive," "neutral," or "negative" over the previous 12 months. The seller must have feedback from a minimum of 100 people, with 98 percent of those being positive. In addition, buyer's can also leave detailed seller ratings (DSR) that evaluate specific categories of a transaction, including "item as described," "communication," "shipping time," and "shipping and handling charges." Five stars is the highest rating; one star is the lowest rating. A PowerSeller must achieve a DSR of at least 4.6 stars on all four of the categories. In addition, PowerSellers are limited to only a small number of 1-star and 2-star DSR ratings.
Policy Compliance
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Ebay requires specific policy compliance for PowerSellers on issues such as shill bidding (a practice designed to artificially drive up the price of an item), feedback manipulation and selling counterfeits or unauthorized copies. Bronze PowerSellers may not have more than four policy violations in a 90-day period. Silver and Gold may not have more than five violations over the past 90 days, with Platinum limited to six violations and Titanium allowed a maximum of seven violations. Also, eBay can suspend a business' PowerSeller status for 180 days in some cases.
Benefits
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Platinum and Titanium PowerSellers are entitled to full specialized account servicing, including priority customer support and technical assistance, 24-hour access to email, chat and phone service. Gold PowerSellers receive some specialized support benefits and 24-hour contact options, while Silver members do not receive any specialized support and can use phone support only from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Other PowerSeller benefits include unpaid item protection, health insurance solutions, and discounts on shipping rates and final value fees.
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