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Explain that statement then.

To become TRS is hard, hard work. To get there you have to operate squeaky clean.

I fully and totally accept you did not think you were doing anything wrong.

That was naive.

ebay wants perfection from its sellers. That is near impossible to do.

:peace:

Here's the rub.

When you make TRS, you can get a little bit extra provided you are operating OK.

I can hardly explain the stupidity of how ebay works. Takes me all my time to wade thro' their cr*p.

If you want TRS, if you can work within the parameters, it can be an advantage.

I would also add that TRS status is NOT necessary to be successful. Yes, the 20% discounts are nice and the "best match" boost will increase sales a little bit, but at the end of the day if you have a popular product, you can make a lot of sales without it.

GreenBean and I (and others) joke that eBay is actually run by trained monkeys - some of their decisions seem idiotic to us. But eBay is just doing what works for them, looking at the big picture. That is what corporations do.

At my last job, I was at the director level. I was also a smoker (I no longer smoke) so I heard all the jibber-jabber when I was outside having a cigarette. Many people thought the way the company was operating was stupid - and maybe it was for some areas of the company. But we did what worked for the company as a whole, not what worked for each individual employee (that would be impossible). When people would ask me why we operated this way, my answer was always "how can you argue with our success? NO recession here!"

So we try to discover how eBay works. Not how we THINK it should work, but how it works as they have set it up. We beat the system by understanding what they do, not by questioning the wisdom of what they do.

TRS don't raise red flags if they operate well - mind you, perhaps (in your shoes) I would not crack my head to get TRS - just work on tightening up your operations

Amen jeffweico - I realized that early on for corporations and such...for the greater good and progression

When everything settles, decide the approach.

Early days after issues of suspension are truly very emotional and painful.

Tell me about it! The first time I lost an account, I went from thinking I was "all that" to wondering which homeless shelter I would end up in. I went from making $6,000+ per month to making NO money.

I cried. I was depressed. I had sleepless nights.

Back then, the forum was not around and I didn't know anything about stealth. I gave up on eBay and started focusing on my job. I got promoted three times and started making VERY good money. I forgot all about eBay.

Several years later, I started heaving some health issues. My doctor told me I couldn't take the stress of continuing to work in such a high-stress job. Ironically, my boss was thinking the same thing. And - looking back, I can see why - I was a complete mess. I left the company and looked back into eBay, which is when I found the forum.

Thanks to this forum, I am back on eBay, PayPal AND Amazon. I have several accounts which lessens my risk. I make decent money and could probably do even better, but I've learned to relax a bit. Money isn't everything. I don't want to be the richest man in the cemetery.

I quit smoking. Where I was eating 3 meals a day in restaurants or taking it to go from the drive-thru, now I make my own meals (mostly) and they are much healthier for me. I have lost 89 lbs. I have enough money to do what I want to do and my time is MINE, I make the decisions.

Don't get me wrong, I do work hard, sometimes 12 hours a day or more. But I take time out to see the new movie I want to see. I visit friends and relatives. I go to lunch sometimes, or do other things with friends. And, most importantly, I LOVE WHAT I DO! Not every single aspect of it, but overall I'm happy.

And that means EVERYTHING!

Good luck to you OP!

We have all been there. But you can bounce back, and become even stronger.

I have bounced back. I learned a lot along the way. Stealth gave me new ideas. I am selling more than before.

You are never guaranteed that you won't be suspended again but stealth gives you the ability to lessen the impact.

eBay is moving away from small seller like us. They put their brand in our hands but we don't have the deep pocket to absorb any liability issues that may arise from what we do.
eBay profits have increased recently. They partner with big brands, they are welcoming the big guns in retail. It makes sense for them.

Stealth gives us the breathing room we need to continue selling like the 'old eBay' was.

I agree. The only thing we can count on in life is that things will change. Some changes will be for the better, some for the worse, but there is no stopping it. NOTHING is exempt from change.

Just look how things have changed in the past 20 years - or 10 years - or even 5 years. Its not just eBay, it is everything - technology, society, politics, etc.

While I cannot predict how eBay will be 5 years from now, I DO know that if I am still selling on eBay, it probably won't be the same things I'm selling now. I won't be using the same stealth methods we use today. Stealth itself has changed as lot since 2007 and will almost certainly change in the future.

Very well put. eBay will keep evolving and we will have to learn to adapt. Getting close to having sold on eBay for 10 years. Looking back things have changed so much. Stuff I never could have predicted. I expect to say the same thing 5 or 10 years from now if I am still selling on the site. You never know. 10 years from now eBay might not be the dominant auction site. You never know.