Selling coins on eBay
mrpotatoheadd
Posts: 7,576 ✭✭✭
Here is how eBay's DSR shipping ratings are described on the feedback page that buyers use (as buyers are instructed by eBay):
How reasonable were the shipping and handling charges?
4 stars says "Reasonable", 5 stars says "Very reasonable".
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From this workshop on eBay: Member Workshop: How to Improve your Detailed Seller Ratings
eBay workshop host channeladvisor (Scot Wingo) says:
DSRs are working if you understand eBay's objective which is to understand which sellers are bad/good/great. 4.8 is GREAT, 4.6 is good, < 4.5 is heading to bad.
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Quoted from another eBay thread in that same workshop:
anar@ebay.com View Listings | Report Feb-20-08 14:49 PST 133 of 262
You ask an interesting question about buyers who leave a “4” to indicate reasonable shipping. The DSR scores are helpful as a relative measure of how a seller is doing compared to other sellers in their category, and having some spread in the scores is helpful. Today 50% of sellers are averaging a 4.6 on their shipping cost or greater. Sellers with a 4.0 DSR or lower on their shipping cost represent the bottom 1% of sellers.
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So... eBay is telling buyers that 4 stars is "reasonable", while telling sellers that that very same 4 stars puts them in the bottom 1% of sellers. And what is Scot Wingo's (channeladvisor) advice to help keep your DSR above that magic 4.8 level?
1. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
2. Ship stuff at no charge to the buyer.
3. Pester buyers to leave you 5's for your DSR ratings.
eBay- gotta love it.
How reasonable were the shipping and handling charges?
4 stars says "Reasonable", 5 stars says "Very reasonable".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From this workshop on eBay: Member Workshop: How to Improve your Detailed Seller Ratings
eBay workshop host channeladvisor (Scot Wingo) says:
DSRs are working if you understand eBay's objective which is to understand which sellers are bad/good/great. 4.8 is GREAT, 4.6 is good, < 4.5 is heading to bad.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quoted from another eBay thread in that same workshop:
anar@ebay.com View Listings | Report Feb-20-08 14:49 PST 133 of 262
You ask an interesting question about buyers who leave a “4” to indicate reasonable shipping. The DSR scores are helpful as a relative measure of how a seller is doing compared to other sellers in their category, and having some spread in the scores is helpful. Today 50% of sellers are averaging a 4.6 on their shipping cost or greater. Sellers with a 4.0 DSR or lower on their shipping cost represent the bottom 1% of sellers.
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So... eBay is telling buyers that 4 stars is "reasonable", while telling sellers that that very same 4 stars puts them in the bottom 1% of sellers. And what is Scot Wingo's (channeladvisor) advice to help keep your DSR above that magic 4.8 level?
1. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
2. Ship stuff at no charge to the buyer.
3. Pester buyers to leave you 5's for your DSR ratings.
eBay- gotta love it.
0
Comments
Russ, NCNE
I usually leave 4s for okay sellers and 5s for great sellers. It sounds like I would be giving a negative when I leave "reasonable" and such.
The Beatles
paypal's cut, really are unbelievable. Sold a piece for around $1100, cost me almost $80.00 .....ridiculous. By offering free shipping
contingent on them paying other than with paypal, I can make a few more dollars on the deal.....* note.....customer still used paypal!
The Beatles
<< <i>I suggested to my account rep that since, even for the best sellers, the shipping DSR averages a couple points lower than the others that this should be adjusted for the purposes of the seller FVF rebates. >>
If I wasn't quite so cynical, I think I probably wouldn't have ever concluded that eBay set that rebate rating at the level they did, knowing it would be extremely difficult for most sellers to achieve.
<< <i>On my own listings, I have had to resort to offering free shipping with payment by money order or cashier's check. >>
Is this ok with ebay? I thought they would look at this as charging more for buyers that use paypal. I would like to offer the same deal, just wanna be sure the listing won't get pulled.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
<< <i>Is this ok with ebay? I thought they would look at this as charging more for buyers that use paypal. >>
You can't charge more for PayPal, but you can charge less for checks/money orders.
I know it sounds stupid, but that's the way it is.
edited to add...
From eBay:
Payment Surcharges - Although sellers may offer a discount to the buyer for preferred forms of payment, sellers may not charge eBay buyers an additional fee for their use of ordinary forms of payment, including acceptance of checks, money orders, electronic transfers or credit cards.
I've offerered free shipping coutless time for in exchange for not using paypal. The far and away majority still used paypal.
The few $ on shipping doesn't compensate them for the saftey of using a credit card and speed of getting the item.
It's a battle that sellers can't win I'm afraid. I remember the good old days before paypal.
<< <i>If I wasn't quite so cynical, I think I probably wouldn't have ever concluded that ebay set that rebate rating at the level they did, knowing it would be extremely difficult for most sellers to achieve. >>
My cynical self has noticed that the fee increase kicked in on 2.20, but the rebate program doesn't start until July.
Russ, NCNE
my dsr score is 4.7, some people when filling out surveys will never give a perfect score, its just their nature to do this.
and because they do this by nature i get to pay more FVF`s.
ebay is not "improving" the format to make it better for buyers and sellers, it is squeezing more profit from its product.
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>my dsr score is 4.7, some people when filling out surveys will never give a perfect score, its just their nature to do this. >>
To get the fee discount, any score except a perfect 5 will have a negative impact on your rating. IMO, it's just plain cheesy to create a rating system where you tell a buyer that giving a "4" means "reasonable", and then use that very same "4" rating to punish the seller with the denial of an offered benefit.
<< <i>
<< <i>my dsr score is 4.7, some people when filling out surveys will never give a perfect score, its just their nature to do this. >>
To get the fee discount, any score except a perfect 5 will have a negative impact on your rating. IMO, it's just plain cheesy to create a rating system where you tell a buyer that giving a "4" means "reasonable", and then use that very same "4" rating to punish the seller with the denial of an offered benefit. >>
Yep, crazy huh?
that may not move quickly.....if you add all that up, and you by contrast have an Ebay business that you only pay fvf's only when you've
made the sale.....no overhead per se.....then we really can't complain too much in a cost-to-do-business basis. I know it's a bit of a
rationalization.....but.....we reach hundreds of thousands of people with our listings...just a few more than who might walk through our b&m
on any given day. You can always "hide" the extra costs into the price of the product and offset any perceived loss by the increases in
charges that Ebay has instituted. I am just a part-time seller, so these changes really affect me more than the major players on Ebay, so
understand that no matter what my feedback score is, I will never see a break in costs or rebates from them.
me thinks we protest too much! It's business! That's my take......by the way, here's a couple of pictures of my first bust half dollar that
I just received today...purchased of course, on Ebay!
The Beatles
<< <i>If you pay rent on a b&m plus utilities plus wages plus state disability for each employee plus maintenance on the premises plus inventory
that may not move quickly.....if you add all that up, and you by contrast have an Ebay business that you only pay fvf's only when you've
made the sale.....no overhead per se.....then we really can't complain too much in a cost-to-do-business basis. >>
I didn't complain about eBay's fees. I'm unhappy about the fact that eBay tells buyers that a rating of "4" is good, while at the very same time, withholding a fee discount from sellers who get that "4" rating.
ratings go, like I said, no matter what I get as a feedback rating, and mine is really good...4.7 shipping charges reasonable, 4.9 shipping
time, 5.0 in both communication and item as described.... a 4.9 average.....but I don't do enough volume to get anything back, I don't
believe, or any discount on fees.....it's the small guys like me (187 positive feedbacks) that get the real short end of the stick....but I will
keep using Ebay until and unless something better comes along.
The Beatles
<< <i>As far as the ratings go, like I said, no matter what I get as a feedback rating, and mine is really good...4.7 shipping charges reasonable, 4.9 shipping time, 5.0 in both communication and item as described.... a 4.9 average.....but I don't do enough volume to get anything back, I don't believe, or any discount on fees.....it's the small guys like me (187 positive feedbacks) that get the real short end of the stick.... >>
As long as one is getting a 4.7 on shipping charges, it doesn't matter how much volume one does- no discount.
Don't you think it odd that, even though your feedback (in your words) "is really good", eBay considers it lacking?
The shipping discount? It's a carrot on a string and a two faced policy