What is a eBay PowerSeller?

PowerSellers are the people who have made it in the eBay business world.  Their achievement is recognised by the ‘PowerSeller’ badge next to their name. If you shop on eBay, then chances are you’ve probably already seen these people around.  To succeed on eBay, you want to think the way these PowerSellers do.

How does one get the title of PowerSeller?

Not anyone can be called a PowerSeller.  eBay has strict requirements that one must meet before gaining the title of PowerSeller.  These are the requirements:

1. You must have a feedback rating of at least 100 (minimum 98% positive)
2. You must sell at least $1,000 worth of items every month for three months in a row.

There are different levels of PowerSeller membership which is gained as your sales value increases:

Bronze - $1,000
Silver - $3,000
Gold - $10,000
Platinum - $25,000
Titanium - $125,000

If a PowerSeller fails to meet the required amount of sales in any single month, or their feedback falls below 98% positive, they will lose their PowerSeller status. In short, the only people who can get the title of PowerSeller on eBay are the people who have been successful for a some time, and are usually on track to stay that way.

So How Does One Think Like a PowerSeller? 

1. The Shop and the Marketplace.

This is the most important part of understanding how PowerSellers think. They don’t see what they’re doing as being some random bazaar, or a hobby - instead, they see themselves as a business.

If you were to run a stall in a marketplace, the chances are that you sell products of a certain category, but you will mostly just sell whatever you can get your hands on that week. If your partner managed to purchase a lot of goods at a special discount, then that’s what you’ll be selling. While this might be fun - and when you have a good week, you’ll have a really good week - it is no way to run a real business in the long-term.

PowerSellers think far more like shops. They sell the same things again and again, every week - regular stock for regular customers. They do ‘boring’ business things like keep inventories and budgets. They know what they’re going to be selling, how much they buy it for and how much they expect to sell for. Just like a real shop, there can be hard times sometimes, but their income is stable and their business can grow slowly.

The best advice I can give you on thinking like a PowerSeller is this: don’t take long-term risks for short-term gain. Look after your reputation, manage your selling properly, provide good customer service and the rewards will come to you in due course. On eBay, that reward will come in the form of a little badge next to your name that makes people trust you more!

One possibility that you might have realised so far is what eBay can do for any other businesses you might have. Remember, millions of people visit eBay every day - why keep everything separate when you’re starting to tap into that kind of power? The next post will show you a few ways you can use eBay to grow your other businesses.