Top Rated Plus?????

[meme6253]

For The Top Rated Plus Sellers, Do you think you get better visibility?, Do you think your sales are better than others who are not Plus??, What discount & benefits do you really get??, Are free returns worth it??, I deal mainly in collectibles, & I do not want people having 30 days to play with, possibly break or damage my item & then get to return it on my buck!, I see they have done away with the free shipping requirement, So that part is good.

[nobody*s_perfect]

TR-Plus is a listing status, not a seller status. You can choose to meet the requirements (free returns etc.) on some listings but not on others; the listings which meet the criteria will show the badge.  Free shipping has never been a requirement for TR-Plus status.

[heckofagame]

I maintain it for the 10% discount on final value fees. I have found that the discount more than compensates for any return costs that I experience during the year. 

[anjofak]

I think the 1 day handling is a bigger cost than the free returns, 5$ book needs to now but if it just waited 1 or 2 days it could go out with a group..

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

"As a Top Rated Seller, you can qualify for these exclusive Top Rated Plus benefits if you offer same or 1-business-day handling time and 30-day or longer free returns:

• The Top Rated Plus seal will be displayed prominently in search results and in the listing description.
• A 10% discount on your standard final value fees, which is calculated on the total amount of the sale, including shipping and tax fee. The discount does not apply to the $0.30 per order portion of the final value fee."

As noted by nobody's_perfect, you can offer the 1 day handling and 30 day free returns on whichever items you select. I generally use it on all my items, but you don't have to do that.

I've never had any trouble meeting the TRS Plus requirements. A lot of what I sell would be considered collectibles, vintage, etc. As heckofagame said, the 10% discount more than compensates me for any returns I get (I get very few returns).

Also, I prefer free returns because I never need to argue with the buyer about who should pay for return shipping. No need for a buyer to falsely claim an INAD to get the free shipping when I already offer it for remorse returns.

Does TRS Plus get me better visibility? Maybe, but if so, I doubt it amounts to much. It might help me clinch a sale if a buyer is debating between buying from me and buying from someone without TRS Plus, but even in that case, it might not mean much.

For me, I'd probably offer the one day handling and the 30 day free returns even if there was no badge and no discount. But every seller is in a different situation. 

[a_c_green]

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@meme6253 wrote:

For The Top Rated Plus Sellers, Do you think you get better visibility?

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I would like to think so, sure, in terms of whether it's a factor in that "Best Match" ordering of search results. (I do not do Promoted Listings. Never saw the need to, as I'm a niche seller who doesn't need to get out ahead of 50,000 other sellers of the same thing.)

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@meme6253 wrote:

Do you think your sales are better than others who are not Plus??

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Not necessarily. I think it's more a factor of how good your listing quality is, as well as your feedback received from other buyers.

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@meme6253 wrote:

What discount & benefits do you really get??

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Preferred seating at restaurants and sporting events, and a 20% increase in gas mileage (Highway estimate). 😁

Beyond that... I dunno... I see mention of a 10% discount on Final Value Fees, so there's that.

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@meme6253 wrote:

Are free returns worth it??

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For me, yes. I can't recall the last time I actually had a return anyway. Again I think it's a matter of being in a niche market where you know what you're selling, and your buyers know what they're buying.

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@meme6253 wrote:

I deal mainly in collectibles, & I do not want people having 30 days to play with, possibly break or damage my item & then get to return it on my buck!

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Well, certainly that would depend on exactly what collectibles you're selling. In the past, I had a 15-day return policy (I don't recall why I picked that choice; it might have been the default setting), but when they said that we needed to offer a 30-day policy as part of the TRS status, I changed to 30 days, and noticed no difference whatsoever.

I think if disaster's going to strike, it'll happen pretty quickly, like within the first week of ownership, and after that no one's particularly watching the calendar anymore, and the buyer's attention will be drawn to whatever other shiny new thing he's bought since then.

[mybigsale]

@meme6253 

For The Top Rated Plus Sellers, Do you think you get better visibility?

Yes.

Do you think your sales are better than others who are not Plus??

Yes.

What discount & benefits do you really get??,

10% discount on final value fees, Top rated seal displayed in search results.

Are free returns worth it??,

Certainly, for the buyers. As a seller, I don't get returns - so not a problem for me. 🙄

I deal mainly in collectibles, & I do not want people having 30 days to play with, possibly break or damage my item & then get to return it on my buck!,

I deal mainly in collectibles and 1-offs. I have had 1 or 2 returns per year over the years (usually electronics the buyer doesn't understand how to operate).  So far this year I have had 0 returns.

I see they have done away with the free shipping requirement,

I have been TSR Plus for many years and never had a free shipping requirement (just free returns).

So that part is good.

I don't agree with all of eBays policies and rules. I think sellers would be better off without promoted listings. I choose to sell on eBay, so I enforce all of eBays policies and rules, use promoted listings, and am a Top-Rated Plus Seller. 

[dirk12955]

TRS is cool.

The girls seem to like it.   

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@a_c_green "I think if disaster's going to strike, it'll happen pretty quickly, like within the first week of ownership, and after that no one's particularly watching the calendar anymore, and the buyer's attention will be drawn to whatever other shiny new thing he's bought since then."

Exactly. If you offer free returns, the risk isn't much greater with 60 days than it is with 30 days, and little real difference between 14 days and 30 days. Statistically, most returns are brought within the first few days. This is why some ebay sellers with low return rates provide 60 day free returns...at 60 or even 30 days , the number is mostly there as a confidence builder for the buyer. It can help close the sale, while actually increasing the seller's risk barely at all.

There are , of course, some items and categories where caution is a good idea. Halloween costumes, for example, and I've been hearing that people who buy all those props for weddings....after the wedding, some of them suddenly become a lot more budget minded, and they start returning all that cra...um...stuff.... they never expect to use again....

[mybigsale]

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@dirk12955 wrote:

TRS is cool.

The girls seem to like it.   

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After seeing my pocket protector and then finding out I am a TRS - the girls go C R A Z Y! So, there are other benefits.

[dirk12955]

I get virtually no returns.     That makes  TRS fairly easy to maintain.     I have a difficult time 

seeing the benefits.

[evry1nositswindy]

I had 2-3 returns per year without offering free returns.  Once I started offering free returns, I get 2-3 per year.  The TRS discount is nice but it used to be more.  I haven't forgotten they took away some of our discount.

[dhbookds]

I remember when the return stuff started being discussed........Media people (books,movies) were sure they would be hit with big numbers as people would read/watch and then return.  As far as I can see, we never had many (if any) complaints like that......clothing is a different ball of wax.  But, like others.....for collectibles I haven't had many returns over the years and most of the few I've had, have been an error of some kind of mine........

Worth of TRS plus? some small credit.......which does add up over a year...... No strain to meet the expectations........ so why not?

[johnson_junk_company]

Like so many things eBay does, Top Rated Plus is a poorly constructed and executed program. First, they do not publish the actual categories that program is available in!!! One would think this would be the most important tool to entice sellers into the program, but no. eBay says “save 10% on FVF” but fail to say most sellers won’t qualify for it because it’s only available in limited categories! So you end up offering free returns and stressing yourself out over shipping (losing money on both) to get that fabled discount. Remember eBay wants to compete with Amazon and free shipping/returns and unrealistic handling times are their hallmarks! eBay knows they can’t require these things across the board because to many sellers will walk so they come up with this convoluted program trying to basically trick as many sellers as possible into offering free returns/shipping and same day handling. Don’t fall for it. Top Rated status is just fine and fees are part of the game. 

[heckofagame]

Top is tops. Don't settle for less.