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The DSR rating system was introduced to eBay a while ago now and some sellers have found that their DSR ratings are being adversely affected by circumstances that are out of their control. Some buyers won’t give any seller five stars no matter what they do, and I’ve seen them state this in forums. This puts the seller at a disadvantage to begin with, as no matter what you do, you can get a low rating for no reason.
As an eBay seller I found that my postage stats have taken an absolute pounding, despite the fact the postage charges are clearly stated in my descriptions, I only charge the actual costs of posting the item and they are displayed on the packaging so the buyer can see that. Perhaps the buyers think the postal costs are too expensive but I don’t fix them and there isn’t anything I can do about that. Some buyers openly admit to not understanding the DSRs so the ratings can hardly be described as objective and with some buyers it won’t matter what you do.
I was started to get concerned I could lose my account over postage stats so as an experiment I started to offer free postage where I could in an effort to revive my stats. I didn’t want to do this but I could see no other option, and I’ve been surprised at the results. My postage stats have obviously picked up as offering free postage gives you an automatic five stars and I’m actually getting higher bids because they don’t have to cover the costs of postage. Postage is obviously seen as an extra charge and that is perhaps what annoys people.
It’s not possible to offer free postage on every item – I would end up making a loss on smaller, lighter, low value items but if I do get marked down on postage for this, my five star stats for free postage balance them out.
Sellers that only sell the occasional items could find their DSRs look worse than regular sellers. So if you group items up and list them all on the same day, then when it comes to ratings it should all even itself out and even if your stats don’t look perfect, they’ll look better than they did.
For tips on how to win eBay auctions at the last minute, you might like to read:
http://expertscolumn.com/content/how-win-ebay-auctions-last-minute
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It doesn't sound good for sellers. Ebay might lose business.
Thank-you for sharing this information, I think I may have to sell things on ebay at free postage too. I hope your profits out weigh your loses in the long run. :)
From a buyer's point of view, I agree: Postage is really annoying sometimes. There are items on ebay which cost around 15 dollars, and the postage is 30 or more! I mean, there's no point buying that then! But of course, sometimes it is necessary and I also understand that.