Power Seller Question

[poozybear*art]

I had a bidder on one of my non-art items who I was really nervous about because they had horrific feedback. Fortunately, they were outbid, but here's what has me scratching my head . . . the questionable bidder was a Power Seller, and I can't figure out why/how they achieved that status. They had 283 feedbacks, 6-7 negatives, a rating of 97%, and appeared to be doing about $200 in sales per month. So how does someone like that become a Power Seller? I looked at eBay's criteria for becoming a Power Seller, and this person didn't come close to fitting the bill. Ebay says Power Sellers are by invite only, so what the heck? I'm wondering if this person might have found a way to cheat the system and insert the Power Seller icon into their listings? I'm just really baffled by this one. Seeing stuff like this really makes the whole Power Seller thing seem meaningless. Kathy

[artistjillian]

I can't figure it out, either. -- ~Jillian artist, Jillian Crider Oh how I wish I were a happy little vegemite! 🙂

[artistjillian]

I think some people sometimes are given power status for other reasons, and they aren't reviewed. But for others, if they sell less than $1,000 a month for several months they lose that status. -- ~Jillian artist, Jillian Crider Oh how I wish I were a happy little vegemite! 🙂

[poozybear*art]

The only thing I can think of is a possible glitch in the system? The Power Seller page says that eBay automatically sends out invitations to qualified sellers each month. These are probably computer-generated invitations, so maybe a few people who aren't qualified slip under the radar? Likewise, I see some artists who I'm sure must be meeting the $1000 a month in qualifying sales, that DON'T have Power Seller status, so maybe that system is full of glitches too. (I know, go figure). I guess it just really frustrated me, because I spent all day packaging up knic-knacs that I sold for very little money on my main ID. For all the years, the thousands of transactions I've done, and here some total flake managed to become a Power Seller with way worse stats than I have. Not being a professional ebayer, I've never felt any burning need to reach Power Seller level, but . . . just sayin.

[artistjillian]

There are some circumstances ... -- ~Jillian artist, Jillian Crider Oh how I wish I were a happy little vegemite! 🙂