What's the benefit of being a TOP Seller
EB just sent an email that I was in danger of losing my top seller status. And I didn't even know I was a TOP seller. So somebody tell me what this (worthless) TOP seller status is good for?
45 comments
EB just sent an email that I was in danger of losing my top seller status. And I didn't even know I was a TOP seller. So somebody tell me what this (worthless) TOP seller status is good for?
inhawaii
·8 months agoYeah, providing excellent service is so overrated. 🙄
gurlcat
·8 months agoTo be fair it's not just about service. You could provide flawless service at every turn but be too small to reach the 100 sales/$1000/year minimums for TRS. There was a guy posting frustration about that just the other day.
kchcollectibles
·8 months agoI'm a 5th grade teacher. I use my TRS status to give my students an example of what they can achieve if they put their mind to it.
tarotfindsandmore
·8 months agoThe TRS+ badge shows up on the listings that meet the criteria laid out above. The badge doesn't show up on seller feedback or store pages, just the listings.
gurlcat
·8 months agoI don't know why there isn't a page where a TRS seller can see how much money they've saved on FVF's in the past year or whatever. They really should have that if they want sellers to want the status, LOL.
Here's a really simple way to think of the savings. -The 13% FVF you pay for most categories, it's 11.7% if you're TRS and the listing was TRS+.
Here are a couple examples of the actual money. Note the math I did in green: You know how every day the Sellers forum has another seller who just learned they get charged FVF's on shipping and sales tax, and they're rippin' hellcats about it? I have found that usually my TRS savings pretty much erase that, plus or minus some cents. Of course this might not be the case for an item with much higher shipping cost and/or delivered to somewhere with really high sales tax. Anyway just food for thought.
Basically, it's not a ton of money, and for some sellers it's just not worth the 1-day handling and/or free returns. But if those aren't problematic for you, it IS money, and it adds up (again, sure wish I could show you an annual total!).
liawri-75
OP8 months agoI don't know where you got YOUR breakdown because I don't see it. Is it on the invoice or the actual order details. When I go to order details:
mamacassidy
·8 months agoThere is a difference between Top Rated Seller and Top Rated Seller Plus. The breakdown gurlcat posted shows the additional 10% discount for Top Rated Seller Plus.
Qualify as a Top Rated Seller
To become a Top Rated Seller, you must meet the following guidelines:
Once you meet these requirements, we will automatically upgrade you to the Top Rated Seller status at your next evaluation.
Top Rated Plus
As a Top Rated Seller, you can qualify for a Top Rated Plus seal and additional benefits when your listings offer the following services:
You can choose to offer these in some or all listings. For listings that qualify, you earn the following benefits
chapeau-noir
·8 months agoOops, supposed to be a general post.
Once again, there is NO such thing as a 'Top Rated Seller Plus', it's a listing designation and only a listing designation. This means that sellers have a choice as to which listings they want to qualify for this, which creates flexibility.
gurlcat
·8 months agoJust a slight correction: "This means that sellers have a choice as to which listings .... " -Only Top Rated Sellers have that choice.
jonathanbrightlight
·8 months agoAgreed, that's an important distinction. Being a Top Rated Seller is a prerequisite for your listings to qualify for Top Rated Plus, but it is not the only requirement.
Also, I don't know if it's been mentioned, but in many categories (including Books, Movies & TV, and Music, which are most of our listings), you don't even have to offer Free Returns, just 30 Day Returns (but can be Buyer Paid), and while you won't get the seal, you still get the discount.
From the policy page: https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-standards-policy?id=4347&#top-rated-plus
In some product categories, we'll extend the discount benefit (but not the seal) even if you don't offer 30-day free returns.
When you use freight shipping or sell items in the following categories, you need to offer 30-day or longer returns, but the buyer pays for return shipping:
fern*wood
·8 months agoI assume the same/1day handling is still required for the listings in categories that don't require free returns to qualify for the discount?
chapeau-noir
·8 months agoThat's implied - you can't have top rated plus listings without being a top rated seller.
gurlcat
·8 months agoLOL going back through the reply string, I can't find where anybody was confused in the first place. The OP couldn't understand why my transaction screen didn't look like theirs, but not because they were a TRS who didn't get a discount. -They're NOT TRS at all. But for some reason that led to mamacassidy sharing eBay's distinction between TRS vs. TRS+ .... and I'm not even sure why you thought that needed reiterating, but oh well.
gurlcat
·8 months ago@liawri-75 That is the right page. It just looks different from the ones of mine I showed beause:
1. You need to click on that 'down' arrow next to the 'Fees based on' $14.15.
2. That listing didn't have a TRS discount.
In case you didn't know, just being a TRS seller (alone) doesn't give you the discount. You must also have 30 days free returns and a 1-day or same-day handling time. This is called TRS+ (plus) and it is on an individual item listing level. -Some TRS sellers have a 'mixed' store, where some of their items are TRS+ and others are not. Like for example if some items are customizable and they can't guarantee only 1 day handling, then they just don't get the fee discount on those listings.
chapeau-noir
·8 months agoI lose TRS every year because I stop selling for 3 to 5 months out of the year. I open my store again and after a while it comes back when I sell enough. I don't notice it one way or the other. It does have benefits, though.
Also never notice if another seller has it.
ETA: TRS plus is a non-starter for me.
liawri-75
OP8 months agoThis proves my point that EB is convoluted and poorly designed. I never know that I'm a trs until I get an email from EB. Would be nice if a "badge" was put at the top of the hub.
dhbookds
·8 months agoMust be on another account of yours.......it's commonly on the feedback page......
luckythewinner
·8 months agoYou seller level is displayed prominently at the top of the Seller Level tile in the Overview page of the seller hub.
gurlcat
·8 months ago@liawri-75 Choose 'Seller Level' from the Performance tab in your hub. It shows what your level is and why.
reallynicestamps
·8 months agoYou might get a badge, which most buyers don't recognize.
But if you have Global Top Rated Seller status, the badge will not appear on dotCOM listings.
gurlcat
·8 months agoThe badge and title are explained to buyers in each listing and on the seller's feedback page, in both the web and app view.
az93
·8 months agoBuyers feel confident buying from you.
funfactorychannel
·8 months agoTRS+ has two major advantages.
1. By having the return policy benefit that TRS+ sellers get it prevents a lot of return scammers and pro scammers looking for a freebie. (As long as your cost adds up less than 50% of the final price. Break even in a scam is not a lost)
2. The fee discount adds up
krazzykats
·8 months agoIt means I am the Top Kat!
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duffy4444
·8 months ago@liawri-75:
It may be good for you, it may not. If you wish to be in constant anxiety about TRS, then maybe it's worth it for you. It isn't for me and my business model.
About 15 years ago I was on the roller coaster of being in and out of TRS. I once received a cheesy paper certificate "worthy of framing". It was finally taken down from my office wall. I was in constant anxiety about the standards like 1-day processing, especially with occasional buyers wanting to cancel their order on day 2 or 3, after their purchase was already shipped. The result was a big waste of time, money, and energy.
In my business model, I'm very successful with a lot of my sales being sent with USPS First Class without tracking, yet with extremely significant savings on shipping costs that way more than make up for any TRS fee savings. That keeps me out of TRS, but by itself , lack of tracking will never drop me below Above Standard, where I've been ever since. On that Tracking Uploaded metric I'm currently at 59.52%, and the other metrics would otherwise easily qualify me for TRS if I wanted it. But I'm not about to stop using USPS First Class Letter and Large Envelope on those items that qualify for it because of very lucrative savings on shipping compared with Ground Advantage.
I also have peace of mind and lack of anxiety about keeping up with TRS standards that argue with my successful business model. Business models with other sellers may be different, and they can benefit from TRS if agreeable to constantly monitoring it for the benefits. I never saw a drop in sales after dropping out of TRS back to Above Standard, and for me it's not worth the effort, lost sales and anxiety of keeping up with it.
Do the numbers and see if it's worth it for you. Hopefully your decision will be more that just the flip of a coin.
Cheers, Duffy
buyselljack2016
·8 months agobenefit of "top rated" is that it means that you are located at a spot that is a longer distance (metrics wise) from "below standard"🤔
luckythewinner
·8 months agoSo somebody tell me what this (worthless) TOP seller status is good for?
If you don't know what it is good for, why are you pre-judging it as worthless?
But it does seem worthless if you have to keep hitting arbitrary marks that EB sets
They are not "arbitrary" at all. They are designed to reward sellers who have enough sale volume to clearly demonstrate that they ship what they promise, ship it on time, and do not disappoint buyers.
By the way, Top Rated gives your listings a boost in the Best Match algorithm.
tarotfindsandmore
·8 months agoOnly TRS+ listings qualify for a FVF discount. If you're selling enough, that 10% discount makes a pretty big difference. I saved well over 1K in final value fees in 2025.
Top-rated sellers supposedly get a boost in the search, but I highly doubt it's enough of a boost to offset all of the boosting promoted listings get. If you have 20 listings, the top ten may be promotions, the next 5-6 will probably be TRS+ and then the last 5 will be TRS and lower.
onefootflipper
·8 months agoIn one of my youtube videos I go over in detail the real cost of Top Rated Plus and how it is not worth it for most sellers. Most people are only ever examining the cost of the much increased returns versus the final value fee savings. What they are not taking into account is the huge labor cost that offering a 1 day handling time can incur. For many sellers that leaves them basically no choice but physically going into the post office every day and making sure all their packages get scanned.
Sure, you might have saved $1000 in final value fees in one year, but that also required 260 separate days where you had to make sure all your packages got scanned. That turns into $4 a day. I wouldn't drive to the post office and wait in line with my packages for $20, much less $4.
This is going to of course vary wildly from one place to another. My packages picked up from my normal spot never see a single scan until they hit the St. Louis Hub, usually at least 1 day later. Other people might have a local pickup postal employee who scans every single package when picking up and this will be no issue for them.
tarotfindsandmore
·8 months agoFor me, it was/is definitely worth it. I have a great carrier who comes to my door, grabs my tubs, and scans every package before leaving my property, regardless of the weather. I take the packages to the P.O. on his days off if I don't know who's subbing for him. Rather interestingly, every single package I've had any kind of issue with since I came back to full-time two years ago occurred with packages that were taken into the branch. When you take packages in, there are at least two extra pairs of hands your package will go through which means two more potential missteps for every single item.
Also, I've had a one-day handling time since 1997 so it makes no difference to me. I do agree that folks who have to go in to the P.O. may not find this practical, particularly if they're selling only a couple items a week, but in my case the 1K (it was actually about 1200) in discounted FVFs was well worth it. As you mentioned, the value of the program is highly contingent upon the seller's individual business model.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·8 months ago@onefootflipper @tarotfindsandmore
I agree. The cost-benefit analysis will differ from seller to seller. For me, the cost is not prohibitive. I have been doing one day handling for years, and my sales are such that it has never been a serious problem. And , probably due to the nature of my inventory, I get very, very few returns. That might increase as I add more vintage clothing (I have tons here to list, including stuff that is very vintage....bought when I was in high school LOL. ), but for now, not a problem. I do not have mail pick up, but my local PO is only blocks away, if necessary, or if it's just a really nice day, I walk there. And the staff is great---in a small town like this, going to the PO is like a tiny social occasion, see people, chat a little....and I usually make a couple other stops, including a nearby thrift store.
I've been TRS pretty much since it began (and I was already doing 30 day free returns before it began), and TRS Plus listings since that began.
So, on balance, it is well worth it for me. I do understand that it is a different matter for other sellers, in different situations. But then, that is true of a lot of things about ebay, isn't it?
gurlcat
·8 months agobokhoma
·8 months agoSome few buyers look at such things. Some check a seller's ratings and look at FB scores and other data about performance. So, it does have a bit of value that way.
But it also is personal for the sellers. It is a goal all should strive to reach. You feel good about reaching a level eBay has set for sellers. It is a sign that you are doing a "good job."
christworks
·8 months ago@liawri-75 For starters, you save on selling fees. You also have the ability to withhold up to 50% of refund, and not refund original shipping. Definitely not worthless!
liawri-75
OP8 months agoThank you.
But it does seem worthless if you have to keep hitting arbitrary marks that EB sets. And then have EB yank it from you. I think a lot of what EB does is arbitrary.
bonanza125
·8 months agoSaving on seller fees adds up during the year so its not worthless. Maybe to you. If you have the opinion that the being a top rated seller is not worth the savings you are receiving that's within your right to feel that way. I disagree with you on that.
jonathanbrightlight
·8 months agoThey’re not arbitrary marks. They’re consistent for all sellers. Sell enough with few enough issues and you’re considered a Top Rated Seller, based on concrete metrics and not subjective criteria like feedback.
You should read up on it here: https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/protections/top-rated-program
purchase1212
·8 months agoI just came here today to ask about this very topic.
why am I not rated 'top seller"
I do have more than $1000 in sales
If we evaluated you today
Transaction defect rate
0.00%0 of 99 transactionsLate shipment rate
1.01%1 of 99 transactionsCases closed without seller resolution
0.00%0 of 99 transactionsTracking uploaded on time and validated
100.00%23 of 23 transactionsTransactions and sales
99transactionsfern*wood
·8 months agoOne criteria is a minimum of 100 transactions over the past 12 months. Your details show 99 transactions, so you are right on the cusp.
purchase1212
·8 months agoOh, is that what it is?
thanks for the info.