Top Rated Plus Seller...95% Tracking Seems Impossible

[12345jamesstamps]

Hi,

I am wondering how sellers can add tracking to 95% of their items being sold.

I find it impossible. Any answers?

How can a seller sell an item with free shipping at .99 and it has tracking?

And a seller needs this to be a TRS.

From my understanding you get more exposure for being a TRS.

So, I decided to make a few dollar purchases from TRS sellers to understand how they are able to do this.

Here's what I wonder if one can do to get to that 95% tracking on .99 items:

Can a seller add a tracking number...the same tracking number to like hundreds of different items sold to various buyers whether it was a tracking number used or like a USPS tracking number on a unused certified form.

One seller who is a TRS has 112 negatives with a lot of .99 items sold with free shipping...I just find it impossible to be a TRS but there must be some trick.

[redlinear]

Mine's probably well over 99%
Then again, I don't sell anything under $7.50

[brightlightbookseller]

We don't sell anything under $9 with rare exceptions, and none of those with free shipping.  Then again, most of our items qualify for USPS Media Mail, so that helps.

[a_c_green]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

Here's what I wonder if one can do to get to that 95% tracking on .99 items:

Can a seller add a tracking number...the same tracking number to like hundreds of different items sold to various buyers whether it was a tracking number used or like a USPS tracking number on a unused certified form.

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Nope. eBay verifies whether a tracking number has already been used elsewhere. 

One possibility might be that those sellers of 99¢ items are selling multiples to each buyer, which lets them combine the items into a single mailing using a tracked shipping method.

[harborauction]

I'm guessing the TRS seller with 112 negs you refer to would be based in China. If so they have a special deal on shipping charges with USPS & China, may have a special deal with our "landlord " also

[12345jamesstamps]

It's stamps the sellers are selling and looking at their feedback it's not multiples of items.

As a stamp seller myself...a buyer usually buys only one...my 'repeat buyers' will buy one item a week.

This is where I decided to make a few purchases to see how they do it.

[a_c_green]

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@harborauction wrote:

I'm guessing the TRS seller with 112 negs you refer to would be based in China. If so they have a special deal on shipping charges with USPS & China, may have a special deal with our "landlord " also

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Oh yes... I forgot about that. Yes, they definitely can ship cheaply like that.

A few years back I was fixing a neighbor's bike and needed a new rear derailleur. (Don't park your bike across the back of the parking space in your garage. 🙄) The original manufacturer over in China had them for sale on their own website, shipped direct from China to my house for an insanely low price, and it arrived in just a few days.

[12345jamesstamps]

Nope...they live in Turlock, California.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

You cannot do it selling a lot of $2 items. You can sell some $2 items if you sell a lot of more expensive items.

It is all arithmetic.

Doing arithmetic on FB can be misleading. Many of my buyers when buying multiple items from me, only leave FB on one item. Their time is worth money too, and it isn't like the multiple FB does me any good.

I am top rated, I choose not to add the stress of TR+ metrics. But I sell nothing under $8, offer fixed price shipping and only go a little lower when I run a sale on a limited number of items.

[12345jamesstamps]

These are buyers that have the 'TRS' next to their item for sale.

I don't see that next to your items for sale...is there is a reason why?

[dhbookds]

doesn't the ebay standard envelop program offer tracking?

[brightlightbookseller]

Are you sure you're not seeing the Top Rated Plus seal next to some listings?  That is a listing designation and requires free returns and same or next day handling I believe (I haven't looked at the requirements in a little while, but it was basically that).  It's only available to Top Rated Sellers, but it's not automatic for all Top Rated Sellers.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

If you look at my FB page, you will see I am TRS.

Never agreed to ship in a day or take returns so I am not TR+ and do not get a badge.

I also have never dropped below 100% shipments with tracking.

[12345jamesstamps]

Yes...but looking at these TRS sellers their shipping is not the eBay standard envelope under $20. they are using.

[12345jamesstamps]

OK.

I was seeing these sellers with the 'badge' next to each item listed.