How exactly do I go about getting the top rated plus badge?

Retailer77 · #1 05-10-2016

Hey guys I fit all the criteria for becoming top rated seller, just wondering how do you go about getting it?
Do you somehow apply for it?
thnx

Play · #2 05-10-2016

First, although you might fill the criteria, make sure the review has taken place and you have been upgraded to that status. Then your listings need to now conform to the requirements, i.e. 30 days returns period etc. (may differ slightly in US). All of which you can find under seller performance tab.

davids01 · #3 05-10-2016

The only thing i didn't like with becoming a TRS is that eBay would want to call ALL THE TIME, i got so i just wouldn't answer the phone for them anymore.

Play · #4 05-10-2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by davids01

The only thing i didn't like with becoming a TRS is that eBay would want to call ALL THE TIME, i got so i just wouldn't answer the phone for them anymore.

Is this a US thing, as ebay UK hasn't ever called me.

davids01 · #5 05-10-2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Play

Is this a US thing, as eBay UK hasn't ever called me.

I guess it must be, they called me so much i got so i programmed the incoming numbers into my phone and just listened to the messages. They really didn't ever have anything useful to say that would benefit my store, so the delete key was on speed dial.

stressed08 · #6 05-12-2016

Do NOT do it!!! I went from top rated seller of 13 years, perfect ratings, growing business. They talked me into becoming PLUS (accepting returns was the only change i had to make... to save 20% on monthly invoice) and within 30 days I went from top rated to banished, below average, paypal holding funds, and bottom of every search page because of the damn returns!!! It has cost me several thousand already... they refuse to help. My past top rated status means nothing. The only sales I've had are from other countries since. (In the US, even other countrys listings are above mine... i'm literally last on every page.) The road to hell is paved with good intentions :/

*One item carrier (Fedex) broke
*Another USPS lost, buyer got refund, later delivered and kept
*The third was a $29 shipped item, I offered a partial refund of $10, they denied trying to extort an extra $2. For a pictured flaw. ($18 set of floormats, $11 shipping, I offered her $10, she said no I want $12. At $10 she was getting the item free.)

These 3 stupid things happened within a 30 day period, now the account isn't salvagable. I have to sell 400 items to get my percentage where it needs to be, but they limited the items I could sell too so I'm pretty much kicked off eBay for a year until my ratings recover. All because I took the top rated seller 20% off bait.

Retailer77 · #7 05-12-2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by stressed08

Do NOT do it!!! I went from top rated seller of 13 years, perfect ratings, growing business. They talked me into becoming PLUS (accepting returns was the only change i had to make... to save 20% on monthly invoice) and within 30 days I went from top rated to banished, below average, paypal holding funds, and bottom of every search page because of the damn returns!!! It has cost me several thousand already... they refuse to help. My past top rated status means nothing. The only sales I've had are from other countries since. (In the US, even other countrys listings are above mine... i'm literally last on every page.) The road to hell is paved with good intentions :/

Im not sure I understand....how did you go to the bottom of all search results by simply accepting returns?
If you had an influx of returns that seems like an issue despite the top rated plus...not because of it.

stressed08 · #8 05-12-2016

I had never accepted returns before, and had 100% positive feedback, no complaints, very high 5 star ratings, to even be top rated. I was top rated for over two years, before I chose to take them up on accepting returns in order to receive the discount. This is where you become top rated 'PLUS'. All of a sudden the returns started coming in and I regretted changing my policy already. I had no idea what it would turn into 30 days later on my next review. What a nightmare.

yankee · #9 05-12-2016

Had absolutely nothing to do with top rated Plus.......

GreenBean · #10 05-12-2016

All that glitters is not gold.

Be careful of what you do.

TRS can kill accounts.

Those issues you have now will compound and you are in strife.

Retailer77 · #11 05-12-2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by stressed08

I had never accepted returns before, and had 100% positive feedback, no complaints, very high 5 star ratings, to even be top rated. I was top rated for over two years, before I chose to take them up on accepting returns in order to receive the discount. This is where you become top rated 'PLUS'. All of a sudden the returns started coming in and I regretted changing my policy already. I had no idea what it would turn into 30 days later on my next review. What a nightmare.

Ouch...that sux..especially the fact that if you had become top plus after the February change those three returns would not have done anything to your status

Retailer77 · #12 05-12-2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by yankee

Had absolutely nothing to do with top rated Plus.......

Exactly...this is what I was trying to say also lol

stressed08 · #13 05-12-2016

Yes, it does. Maybe not for op, if they already accept returns. However, for me accepting returns ruined everything. I was cruising, on my way to 100k a year side business, great niche, with 100% happy customers. Now I'm out of business with 10k+ in inventory and forced to make stealth to sell. NOT worth saving 20% a month for all the extra hoops to jump through.

Heres another example people are getting screwed on top rated plus...

Another thing to keep in mind is you can change around your whole store, to conform to top rated plus, but if your post office doesnt 'arrival scan 95% of the time within 24hr, you'll be kicked off the program. (First class doesnt guarantee scans other than delivery, so that effects the rating. Other times, the post office will expedite a priority package and get it across country thousand plus miles in a day or two. In these times, they often don't 'acceptance scan it.. the first scan will be Alaska, Miami, wherever a day or two later.) I have found this to happen most on oversize items.

The automated systems that got you to be 'top rated' will start to work against you when you become 'top rated plus', even if you continue business as usual.

Retailer77 · #14 05-12-2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by stressed08

Yes, it does. Maybe not for op, if they already accept returns. However, for me accepting returns ruined everything. I was cruising, on my way to 100k a year side business, great niche, with 100% happy customers. Now I'm out of business with 10k+ in inventory and forced to make stealth to sell. NOT worth saving 20% a month for all the extra hoops to jump through.

Heres another example people are getting screwed on top rated plus...

Another thing to keep in mind is you can change around your whole store, to conform to top rated plus, but if your post office doesnt 'arrival scan 95% of the time within 24hr, you'll be kicked off the program. (First class doesnt guarantee scans other than delivery, so that effects the rating. Other times, the post office will expedite a priority package and get it across country thousand plus miles in a day or two. In these times, they often don't 'acceptance scan it.. the first scan will be Alaska, Miami, wherever a day or two later.) I have found this to happen most on oversize items.

The automated systems that got you to be 'top rated' will start to work against you when you become 'top rated plus', even if you continue business as usual.

I have read ebay policies before and I believe it clearly stated that even if acceptance scan is not done by usps, and delivery scan is within your shipping time..it doesnt count against you

GreenBean · #15 05-12-2016

You can not be naive enough to believe this might be a true fact though.

yankee · #16 05-12-2016

Soooo....Top rated plus does not get you banned.... Worst case scenario is you don't qualify anymore. lol

All on my 4 month or older accounts charge shipping fees, take 30 day returns and are doing great as Top Rated Plus.

This logic that top rates plus kills your accounts makes zero sense to me. Accept returns or do not accepts returns is the same difference. If a buyer opens a case because you don't accept returns it is much easier to have problems.

stressed08 · #17 05-12-2016

After my account was ruined, I started printing labels, and sending the packages the next day. I used to rush to the post office, sometimes three times a day. Not anymore.. what's the point.

I can confirm, my rating has dropped from 98.01% to 91%. Each and every package was delivered within proper handling and delivery timeframes...just simply not always arrival scan within 24. It was always shipped within 24, next business day, just not always scanned according to them. Each of my listings had 1 day handling time (next day shipping.) as per their policy and should have been fine.

yankee · #18 05-12-2016

So fix your system. Print off an end of day form and start acting like a professional seller/business and all your post office issues go away. With an end of day form, even packages you did not ship show acceptance.

Your problem was your system, not being Top Rated Plus.

yankee · #19 05-12-2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by stressed08

Do NOT do it!!! I went from top rated seller of 13 years, perfect ratings, growing business. They talked me into becoming PLUS (accepting returns was the only change i had to make... to save 20% on monthly invoice) and within 30 days I went from top rated to banished, below average, paypal holding funds, and bottom of every search page because of the damn returns!!! It has cost me several thousand already... they refuse to help. My past top rated status means nothing. The only sales I've had are from other countries since. (In the US, even other countrys listings are above mine... i'm literally last on every page.) The road to hell is paved with good intentions :/

*One item carrier (Fedex) broke
*Another USPS lost, buyer got refund, later delivered and kept
*The third was a $29 shipped item, I offered a partial refund of $10, they denied trying to extort an extra $2. For a pictured flaw. ($18 set of floormats, $11 shipping, I offered her $10, she said no I want $12. At $10 she was getting the item free.)

These 3 stupid things happened within a 30 day period, now the account isn't salvagable. I have to sell 400 items to get my percentage where it needs to be, but they limited the items I could sell too so I'm pretty much kicked off eBay for a year until my ratings recover. All because I took the top rated seller 20% off bait.

What does any of these issues have to do with being a top rated seller?

They are in general bad situations but not because you were a top rated seller.

stressed08 · #20 05-12-2016

There are a lot of moving parts to the situation. In addition to never accepting returns for 16 years, I was also a full time eBay mobile user. I used mobile for EVERYTHING. As I explained in the OP's other thread.. there is some kind of a glitch processing returns from mobile device. It took 3 returns for me to figure it out....

THEN, a 4th return came in, and I caught it happening AGAIN on a currently open return I was able to prove there is a glitch, and eBay saw it happening in real time. They confirm, that on this 4th return, on their end, it is showing NOT accepted. However, I have screen shots on my end showing 'RETURN ACCEPTED - BUYER WILL RETURN SHORTLY'. There is clearly a tech support problem going on here, and it was forwarded to tech support, but now they claim "these cases are over 30 days old so it doesn't matter what tech support finds", after waiting the 7-10 days for tech support to confirm what myself and the rep just saw happening.

It was simply a problem of... some kind of tech support problem.... and me never accepting returns and trusting the system. On my end everything looked fine, and as I explained to them it looked like I did everything correct. I had literally never needed to process a single return before. Now 3 came in the first month, and 1 the next. It was a fatal combination of factors, all of which happened in a 2 week period.

yankee · #21 05-12-2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by realdeals

At the end of the day Retailer the best way for you to become top rated seller would be for you to give up and let someone else run your account. You are bound to fail so just pack it up now.

Is your life really that boring that you feel the need to tear people down that are trying really hard?

Come on dude, grow up, act like an adult and find something productive to do. Find someone posting garbage or trying to rip people off if you need drama in your life. Stop harassing people who are trying to better themselves. All it does is make you look poorly to the rest of of.

Retailer77 · #22 05-12-2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by yankee

Is your life really that boring that you feel the need to tear people down that are trying really hard?

Come on dude, grow up, act like an adult and find something productive to do. Find someone posting garbage or trying to rip people off if you need drama in your life. Stop harassing people who are trying to better themselves. All it does is make you look poorly to the rest of of.

Yankee, he is just hurt because I cut deep when I told him he had a small pee pee.