Hig postage prices vs. keeping up my top seller rating

[goatboy43]

Suppose I sell a post card for $1.25.  Frugality dictates that I send it in a envelope with a 49¢ stamp on it.  If I do it this way, my seller rating goes down.  EBay would have me use their label and send it first class at 1 ounce.  That would cost me $2.61 but I wouldn't get penalized as far as my seller rating.  What should I do?

[lloydsteventaylor · Accepted solution]

are you talking about this selling id because you are not top rated on this account? and i see you are already listing postcards with low shipping cost. you still can be above standard rated with what you are doing. but you would have to make some changes to become top rated. many sellers have at least 2 selling ids. one for top rated and one for above standard. you can research the benifits of being top rated but i think you will find in general that it is more for imagined prestige than for any real tangible benefits now. 

[disneyshopper]

For me, the only real advantage of being top rated is the commercial PLUS discount on shipping, but I understand ebay will/has taken away that discount, and everyone pays the commercial base discount.  I wouldn't know since I lost my top rated plus badge months ago due to being below the 3% shipping on time metric.  ebay tells me I'm on track to receive the badge this evaluation period since I am currently at 2.97%.  We'll see.  The 10% discount on FVF is minimal since I am a low volume seller.

[ms.rodriguez*]

Ok. Stop selling postcards with that account.   OR get a new acct.  and sell the post cards with that acct . where the shipping status doesn't matter.   Or sell the cards in groups of 2- 4 or whatever and charge 2.61.  Actually, I would add something to the shipping since ebay charges fees...   Or do nothing and lose your discount.

[partial*eclipse]

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@disneyshopper wrote:

For me, the only real advantage of being top rated is the commercial PLUS discount on shipping, but I understand ebay will/has taken away that discount, and everyone pays the commercial base discount.....

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What is the source of your information??  TRS are still paying Commercial Plus rates for Priority Mail, and I haven't seen anything about eBay discontinuing that.

[berserkerplanet]

I thought USPS was going to phase it out in the next few years?

[partial*eclipse]

Both Commercial Base and Commercial Plus show up in the domestic Priority Mail rates that go into effect in January 2018, so apparently they'll be around for at lesat another year.  Perhaps the plan to consolidate them  has been abandoned.

https://www.prc.gov/docs/102/102017/Notice%20CP2018-8.pdf

[disneyshopper]

I recall reading that in an eCommerceBytes column recently, but do not recall when it might happen.

Since I recently got back my TRS+ badge, I'm happy we still get the commercial plus discount.