Two eBay sellers achieve one million feedback
29/08/2008 at 00:41
It’s time eBay invented a new colour shooting star, because this month two sellers have reached one million positive feedback on eBay.
On the 26th August everydaysource gained their millionth feedback, and hot on their heels on the 27th accstation followed them through the one million barrier.
The top feedback star currently awarded is at 100,000 feedback, which just 400 sellers worldwide have achieved. The highest feedback for a UK seller is gowingstore with 486,639, which places them 9th in the worldwide rankings.
For the two companies who have one million feedback it’s an epic achievement and one worthy of recognition. Congratulations to both of them.
ebuyerfb says
1:26 am on 29/08/2008
Nice, the combined feedback total of all verified members of my site recently reached that number as well.
I’m actually a regular customer of accstation.
thierryf1968 says
7:22 am on 29/08/2008
1 million feedback is really impressive…
I went on ebay to check what everydaysource sold and noticed the huge quantity of both negative and neutral feedbacks…
They don’t fight the negatives feedbacks left by others?
does this mean they just ignore problems? too many small items to send out and problems are just too clostly?
northumbrian says
7:25 am on 29/08/2008
they get more feedback in a month,
than we have received in 10 years
its simply mind numbing
ebuyerfb says
7:34 am on 29/08/2008
Does anyone have a projection of when BUY surpasses both of them?
david says
8:17 am on 29/08/2008
they both seem to have borderline DSR scores to qualify for an anchor shop
wonder how ebay will treat their search visibilities and shop level should they drop below the dreaded 4.6 mark.
northumbrian says
8:41 am on 29/08/2008
2
these guys must work wonders most days, yet the focus is on the negatives they get
200 negs or 300 negs or even 400 negs when your move stock the way they do ,are only numbers, why waste your time and worry about them
northumbrian says
8:46 am on 29/08/2008
what I find much more interesting than their feedback
is that they both use Channeladvisor
northumbrian says
8:50 am on 29/08/2008
as doe,s the top uk seller,
must find a few DVDS to flog
northumbrian says
8:52 am on 29/08/2008
5
if I were shifting the gear they are
I would worry little about ebays DSRs and just count my money
david says
9:02 am on 29/08/2008
me too. But if they were treated as any normal ebay account as a result of lower DSR then there would be less money to count
northumbrian says
9:50 am on 29/08/2008
not nesseceraly for high volume sellers, it may cost more money and time to keep ebaysDSRs to the Discount level ,
than the actual Discount received
a few bob clicked on postage and send 100.000.000 items
ebay could stuff their postage and packing DSRs
northumbrian says
9:58 am on 29/08/2008
or these guys could be are really clever , they have it set up that they run close to the line, they get the ebay discount and also click on postage ,
though at least one offers free postage
northumbrian says
10:05 am on 29/08/2008
to be honest if I were those guys, and were treated as a normal ebay account ,I would be a little insulted
Sue Bailey says
10:10 am on 29/08/2008
I think that smaller eBay sellers can see this as an opportunity: do your buyers want the “4.6″ experience with these huge marketplace-dominating sellers, or do they want the “4.9″ experience and the personal touch with you? Competition isn’t only about price. Take advantage of the fact that you can do what buy.com and everydaysource and accstation just can’t.
northumbrian says
10:21 am on 29/08/2008
I dont care about the experiance, they can have straight 5s for DSRs
but I aint paying for it
serialsellers says
11:06 am on 29/08/2008
IMO distinction between 4.6 and 4.9 experience is a figment of imagination. The only thing that matters to buyers is whether they are happy with the transaction (positive feedback) or not (negative feedback). Nobody wants to pay for the “extra touch” when it comes to mail order business…
Chris says
12:57 pm on 29/08/2008
Were the 4,000+ who gave negatives and the 4,000+ who gave neutrals to everydaysource happy with their transactions? I certainly wouldn’t buy from them. Over 8,000 bad buyer experiences in 12 months. How many hundreds of small sellers would it take to equal that number, when a small seller can be suspended for a couple of negs or neuts
Sue Bailey says
1:10 pm on 29/08/2008
#16: I think the reason that many people continue to trade on eBay is EXACTLY for that extra touch: the personal email, the individual assistance, etc. etc. etc. For one example, I see a lot of larger sellers saying they can’t justify answering all the emails that eBay buyers send. Buyers send those emails because they want an answer, so that is one place where a smaller seller can really shine: they can deal with those people on an individual basis. Not everyone is all about the rock-bottom price.
northumbrian says
1:27 pm on 29/08/2008
these days I am a smaller seller , its not a question of justification or expense,
I simply refuse to answer idiotic questions I would love to deal with these people on an individual basis lol
Gerry007 says
2:15 pm on 29/08/2008
Personnal customer service is why B&Q employ over 50′s who have experience in their field, so you may be in a very big 25k sq ft warehouse, but there someone that knows something.
If I am looking at buying online & need a question answered & do not get a response then it’s very likely I’ll go somewhere else.
However being a seller too, It is very frustrating when you spend alot of time putting all the details in the descriptions & then you get an emails asking a question thats answered in the listings.
northumbrian says
2:36 pm on 29/08/2008
I bet B &Q get a grant or allowance or tax break from the Government to employ old codgers,
and if not answering questions mean that the imbeciles go elsewhere, I am going to answer less questions
just john says
3:09 pm on 29/08/2008
stupid questions = bbl list
questions that can be answered in auction description = bbl list
moan about postage =bbl list
I would love too block the stupid offer brigade
In a recent call to powerseller support i asked why i cannot block bidders with less than 50 feedback Answer – “A new bidder needs a chance”
Ye a chance too wreck accounts
Gerry007 says
3:17 pm on 29/08/2008
# 21 North
bet B &Q get a grant or allowance or tax break from the Government
Actually I understand that’s not the case!!!!!!!!!!
to employ old codgers,
Careful North, I fall into that cat’.
serialsellers says
3:18 pm on 29/08/2008
#18 – I think that online shopping/eBay is ALL about quickly analysing similar items and buying the cheapest one – hence all the price comparison websites (obviously doesn’t apply to all types of items where expertise of a seller plays an important role). Unless “being able to shine” directly translates into money – what’s the point? We’ve found out that going that extra mile doesn’t make any difference at all. Customers want to buy an item and receive it quickly in as described condition. Obviously, everyone expects a certain level of service and most businesses provide it. DSRs are an artificial and forced way of rating sellers and make as much sense as asking buyers to rate the quality of photographs or spelling mistakes. Regarding email – we’ve got an automated system that emails buyers at different stages of the process – most of them seem to be unaware it’s a software that does it…
northumbrian says
3:19 pm on 29/08/2008
me too not only am I an old codger ,I am a cantankerous
grumpy cynical old bugger, and thats just my daughters opinion
Chris Dawson says
3:21 pm on 29/08/2008
#22 How would you have earned your first 50 feedback if all sellers thought like you and blocked buyers with under 50 feedback
Chris says
3:42 pm on 29/08/2008
A friend of mine who has sold online for several years has a theory that some new buyers find a way of asking a question, even if it is something already stated, as a way of assessing the seller. There’s no physical shop they can go into to check out the quality of stock etc., perhaps they just need that accurate, courteous reply as reassurance.
Gerry007 says
3:43 pm on 29/08/2008
# 25
I am a cantankerous
grumpy cynical old bugger, and thats just my daughters opinion
Oh all Daughters say that about their dad’s. It only costs £10 to get them on side (or is it £20 today)
# 26
Agree Chris, I still check every feedback to see the comments. Pathetic I know, but there’s still pride in what we do & a little thanks go’s along way.
northumbrian says
4:03 pm on 29/08/2008
Chris
unfortunatly I tend to agree with 22
a stupid question often comes from a buyer who turns out to be a pain,
when they buy.
in todays climate I would rather block a bid and lose the bid,as get a negative
we are here to make money ,not spread the gospel, and turn the other cheek !
professional sellers whos living depends on their ebay reputation and feedback, need to do what they can to avoid problem buyers ,
serialsellers says
4:16 pm on 29/08/2008
Completely agree with the following:
stupid questions = bbl list
moan about postage = bbl list
asking why is there a pickup charge = bbl list
just john says
4:41 pm on 29/08/2008
#26 i agree , but the game has changed i cannot afford too take the risk. Show me someone that can or thinks they should take the risk on a stupid or daft buyer ill show you a fool.
I started sell on ebay 9 years ago. It is my bread and butter new changes have forced these measures. it is now a higher risk too allow stupid buyer too buy. before it did not matter there was next too no risk.
Ill attempt too lesson the odds on numpty buyers were ever possible why should i be punished for numpty buyers.
#18 look at ebay 1 year from now!…Ebay was the place too buy anything at the lowest price. If you wanted anything it was there. thats its edge.
Anytime you were asked where can i get BLA BLA. Chances are the person would say Ebay. Thats the edge it had over amazon.
The cheapest and best place to get anything.
Various sections have less listings now. Some things are no longer listed.
just john says
4:50 pm on 29/08/2008
numpty sellers on PS board – bbl list
Theres a seller on the moaning about postage. On laptop nipples. 4.25 or something in total. the majority say neut and give bad dsr on postage costs.
So guess what those nipples will cost 4.65 next time he attemps too buy them. Because the seller is being restricted on loading the postage rate, he will have too put on actual cost. It helps no one to moan about postage. Other than ebay . many seller cannot get there head round that.
Gerry007 says
5:39 pm on 29/08/2008
#31
Agree. Unless the person does not have access to a PC, the 1st place that comes to mind when searching is Ebay. I, when I want something or do a price check always 1st, before all else check out ebay.
So often I’ve bought on ebay at much lower prices than locally (Elondon). But we have to take into account P&P and that’s rising all the time.
christmascruise says
5:44 pm on 29/08/2008
We ALL KNOW that it doesn’t hurt them, that at least one of those two sellers (though probably BOTH), belong to the favored PESA group (some powersellers selling as a group, dealing in non-unique, mass produced, bulk items, which can be purchased in local stores) and their IDs continually come up FIRST on “Best Match” searches AHEAD of sellers with FAR BETTER feedback AND DSR scores.
So much for ebay’s “level playing field”!!!
northumbrian says
6:34 pm on 29/08/2008
I was once of the opinion any bidder was a good bidder ,my blocked bidder list had around 10 or so lifetime total,
I now block bidders routinely , the list has hundreds
Chris Dawson says
8:38 pm on 29/08/2008
There’s a world of difference between blocking buyers you think are potentially troublesome and whole sale blocking of any buyer with less than 50 feedback. How the hell will eBay ever get us more buyers if they had to have 50 feedback before anyone would sell to them? It’s an unworkable proposition….
I suggest anyone that thinks it a good idea check through their previous buyers and find out just what percentage of them have LESS than 50 feedback. I suspect for most sellers it’s the vast majority of their buyers.
ebuyerfb says
9:04 pm on 29/08/2008
@ #36
I agree that eBay can’t use any positive feedback score (even 0) as a block. What I’d like to see is them lower the number of buying violations required to block. Right now the strictest is four reported violations in a six month period. That is completely ridiculous.
amajorukpowerseller says
11:53 pm on 29/08/2008
But they aren’t really two different companies. What’s really quite interesting is that both ebay accounts are under the same ownership, along with more than two others including itrimming and eforcity. Cumulative feedback (as of the time of writing) for the four accounts is 4,808,502. Which by my reckoning makes them the biggest ebay seller globally by a significant margin. A very impressive achievement indeed and genuinely to be respected.
If you need to check this yourself, take a look at each website associated with each account (e.g. http://www.accstation.com) and they all mysteriously lead back to the same PO box address…
just john says
10:49 am on 30/08/2008
#36 i totaly agree , but i can work and run with buyers with over 50 ratings.
number 50 was plucked out of the air. it would work for me . a rating off 1 may work for you.
If ebay protected sellers more from numpty buyers. It would make life alot easier.
My selling acount is more important than giving a new user an opertunity to increase there ratings. I take a chance on a inexperianced buyer then i take a chance on a neg or a neut.
Shops ban shoplifters
No crash helmets alowed to be worn in shops
large supermarkets do not allow large amounts of children in the shops during lunchtime.
Would you stick up for any of these inoccent groups?
just john says
10:55 am on 30/08/2008
#37
NO restrictions should be be made on sellers blocks . none at all , it should be your choice. As its your neck on the line.
You should not have too risk you buisness to NPS for anyone else’s gain.
Chris Dawson says
11:20 am on 30/08/2008
#39 You say your selling account is more important than giving a new user an opportunity to increase there ratings but I’d like to know what makes your account more important than mine. Why should you be able to block new sellers when I have to trade with them? Or do you want every seller to be able to block brand new buyers in which case there will never be a new buyer ever again?
If you want to control buyers use buyer preferences such as insisting that they have a credit card on file and/or a PayPal account and consider using immediate payment. Wholesale blocking of new buyers is not the answer.
Chris says
11:27 am on 30/08/2008
# 39 As a buyer with under 50 feedback I would be quite happy for you to put a restriction on, as long as it was prominently displayed on all listings and buyers weren’t left to find out when they tried to bid. That way I would be protected from sellers who equate low feedback to shoplifting. It may come as a shock but some people are still quite new to online shopping. If you want to lose that trade it should be your own choice.
just john says
11:53 am on 30/08/2008
#41 not every seller would use the block. Many sellers do not use the current blocks. Thus new buyers will not always be new buyers.
As for my a/c being more important than yours. You should not be forced too trade with them if you do not want too. That would be your choice and your risk.
#42 I see your point. And there will be innocents. And this is not due too bbl list or banning under 50 ratings buyers its due too the system/nps not working as it should.
Before these changes i was willing too educate/help and assist buyers experiance. I can now no longer afford that luxury/risk.
Couple of mistakes and thats the end of a seller account. You could be that mistake.
You also now have a scenario of some vindictive sellers out there with buying accounts.
And new rules on NPS. Mean some sellers are no longer getting NARU they are still able too buy.
A seller now has too protect ther account even more. Some people can afford too loose a few sales to minimize the risk too there account others cannot afford too.
Niel H says
1:36 pm on 31/08/2008
#17 it looks like Ebay are catching up with rogue high volume sellers lately, a few massive accounts have recently been made NARU – fastmemoryman, cofy_store_uk, tcbean123 and me55ingaround must have been contributing huge amounts of fees for Ebay yet all have recently been shut down (and all their closed auctions removed too which is a new thing?). From Ebay’s point of view I am not sure whether this is a brave or stupid move given the amount of fees these 4 accounts would have been contributing.
northumbrian says
2:01 pm on 31/08/2008
I dont block buyers,
they block themself, they either have not paid in the past,
or they ask stupid idiotic questions,
the one size fits all blocking that ebay provide is not adequate
what fits one category does not fit another,
jewellery buyers tend to be nuerotic females with PMT. you need a degree in psychology, not a blocked bidder list
Super Max says
6:02 pm on 31/08/2008
Might sound bad but pretty much anyone who asks a question gets blocked for me.
northumbrian says
6:12 pm on 31/08/2008
I do wonder why some buyers use ebay
they imagine faults, see massive problems, and are certain they are buying fakes
we refund without question offer paypal and have been around ebay for years buying from a seller like us is a cast iron certainty,
but some have to find suspicion or their not happy
ebuyerfb says
1:36 am on 01/09/2008
@ #46
I’ve found that just not answering the person’s question is a good way to get them to not buy from you. It is a lot easier than adding them to your BBL.
northumbrian says
8:19 am on 01/09/2008
I have found that not answering their questions when they win gets you bad DSRs, and a buyer who is annoyed before you even start,
so its best to block the nutters
david says
2:03 pm on 01/09/2008
and any further messages should be blocked once added to BBL. Or at least we should be able to manually block like we can with email.
Chris says
2:42 pm on 01/09/2008
Do any of you actually state on your listings that you don’t answer questions?
just john says
3:00 pm on 01/09/2008
#51 If someone asks a stupid question. Whats the chances of them actualy reading the auction?
I answer all questions , just not the stupid ones.
just john says
3:07 pm on 01/09/2008
#51 remember everyones definition of a stupid question will be different.
Title – playstation 2 game SPYRO
Q. Does this game work on a playstation 2?
That buyer is for the bbl list for me.
Chris says
4:16 pm on 01/09/2008
# 53 Your point about everyones definition of a stupid question being different is what was worrying me. I’d put myself on your BBL if I asked the question you quote! I’m probably comparing selling on eBay too much with other Customer Service jobs I’ve had, where I would have been sacked for not answering questions (even the person who came into the jobcentre to complain their gas bill was wrong).
#45 Try dealing with men who can’t decide what size a bit of wood they need.
Board_Surfer says
4:29 pm on 01/09/2008
Title – playstation 2 game SPYRO
Q. Does this game work on a playstation 2?
A Yes it sure does.
I guess all sellers are different too.
I have exactly 7 folk on my BBL all for not paying.
I would rather someone ask a stupid question than be a stupid buyer , which they aint until after they ask the question.
northumbrian says
6:03 pm on 01/09/2008
if you were in a bricks and mortar shop you would shut the door, or get security to throw out those who are out of their skull, and blutered,
on ebay you have to suffer the buggers
Chris says
7:38 pm on 01/09/2008
You have to get the person outside to be able to close the door. I’ve no experience of having security to call on. Anywhere I’ve worked it was a case of you coped, or if it was really bad ring the police, and anything could have happened by the time they arrived. At least you don’t have the immediate physical threat on eBay.
Board_Surfer says
7:50 pm on 01/09/2008
#56 you can tell who is out of their skull from an email?
Anyway you only suffer if you make yourself suffer, they are not annoying you, you are getting annoyed at them.
A stupid question takes no longer to deal with than a sensible one, usually less time.
Kate says
11:17 pm on 01/09/2008
#45 I don’t have any problems at all with jewellery buyers. (Apart from the American who tried to tell me that I was spelling “jewelry” wrong
)
I answer all questions including “what is the catalogue number for this CD” when it’s stated on the listing (although I do put “as stated on the listing” at the end of my answer). I sell to them too. And newbies. The only people on my BBL are non-payers. Can’t say I get too many complaints (the complaints I do get are usually about Royal Mail), and so far no negs (touch wood).
I think that some of you are being too harsh – after all some people ask a question – any question – just to see how helpful the seller is. I would do that with an expensive item (athough I would try to ask something sensible and not already covered in the listing).
I get far stupider questions when I sell my jewellery at craft fairs eg “are these real gold?” about £2.50 earrings!
I like to think I’m “customer service” oriented. But then again, I’m not the sort of seller that ebay wants any more, am I?
Richard says
2:18 am on 02/09/2008
I would imagine when you sell that many items your priorities are very different to the majority of ebayers, it requires a different way of thinking, for example.
Do you waste time fighting negs, answering stupid questions, worrying about DSR’s or would your time be better spent adding several hundred more lisitngs and packing products.If your prime aim is to make as much money as possible then that question is a no brainer. You know at that level you’re never going to be perfect, so why try any more than the minimum needed to keep you out of hot water with eBay.
Sellers, myself included, are all guilty to some extent of only seeing eBay from their own size of operation. Someone shifting 1000 items a day looks at things from an entirely different perspective to someone selling 100 a month.
northumbrian says
8:10 am on 02/09/2008
I am profit orientated, I sell things for money I do customer service because I have to ,not because I want to, its their money I want,
I leave charity work and evangilism to the church
just john says
9:09 am on 02/09/2008
#61 pmsl
Reminds me of another stupid question “Why are you selling this”
just john says
9:19 am on 02/09/2008
#57 Used too get verbal threats selling jewellery. Because items were late. Usually from the chav type heavy gold items etc.
To be honest the easiest buyer too get on with that i have found are the craft people. But even the craft buyer is morphing/changing into a different buyer with ebays changes.
ebuyerfb says
8:20 pm on 03/09/2008
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/09/ebay-one-millio.html
Confirmed, they are the same person just like amajorukpowerseller said.
Board_Surfer says
9:00 pm on 03/09/2008
If my memory serves me right they use 2 IDs because turbo lister couldnt cope with all of the listings on one ID.
Dustin Jones says
6:12 pm on 04/09/2008
It is good, but it doesnt really measure their business.
Upon doing a hammertap on their user name, accstation is doing about $600,000/month.
Their success ratio is 25%. Imagine how many tens of thousands of dollars th ey lose every month to unsuccessful auctions.
Now take our user name. We are doing 350,000/month but only receiving 2500 feedback/month. But our margins are much higher than accstation, where they are making pennies or a $1 an item where we can sell a V3 and make $35 with a 85% success ratio.
So while they have achieved 1 million feedbacks, it doesnt mean they are the biggest ebay company, the most profitable or largest seller on ebay gross profit wise.
Only means. …they have the most feedbacks.
On another note, accstation and eforcity are the same company lol. They use seperate user names to achieve more search results as ebay’s search algorithm does designate a certain amount of hits per user name. I think they have 3-4 user names actually. Check it out. Their websites, products and templates are all the same.
Congrats to them for sure though! That warehouse has to be pumping out at least 1-2K items per day!!!!
Chris Dawson says
6:33 pm on 04/09/2008
#66 I think you’ve hit the universal truth, feedback doesn’t pay the bills
As you say, still impressive though
ebuyerfb says
7:16 pm on 04/09/2008
#66 I think you’ve hit the universal truth, feedback doesn’t pay the bills
Not necessarily. Other than for myself feedback also pays the bills for companies like Toolhaus, RatePoint, and FeeFo.
Dustin Jones says
8:00 pm on 04/09/2008
Yea I hear ya 67 and 68. Im just saying, I see everywhere “man that company is the biggest on ebay”.
One thing is they live by pennies. We ordered from them several times to see what they are doing. They use the CHEAPEST packing supplies, free labels from fedex, literally no packaging material …and batteries and headsets and silicon skins made from the cheapest materials overseas.
Also think about the frustration they have when ebay makes a fee change.
Again, when they sell a $5.00 wired headset with free shipping that charges are
.60 cents to list, 80 cents FAV, $1.25 to ship, $50 cent actual cost, labor etc. When ebay increases FAV by 20-30% they sweat bullets.
Anyways i wont ramble, im just saying. They have their thing down (and im sure making alot of money) because they mandate direct import cost with their factories over seas. Also imagine having a database for email ads of 3-4 million customers (b/c 1 million feedbacks only means about 1/4 actually leave feedback) and they can drive that to their website and circumvent ebay fees.
Just my 2 cents. I prefer to sell less a day and make larger profits $20-35/piece so when ebay makes a fee adjustment im not having to cancel items that dont fit the profit margin or worry about fees with a 20% success ratio like theirs.
I bet their fees are in excess of 60-85K (maybe more?) per month.
http://www.monstercellular.net
http://www.cellularchallenge.net
Kate says
9:41 pm on 04/09/2008
#69 I bet with that amount of listings they negotiate their own fees.