Making a Living from Your eBay Business (2nd Edition)

There are reasons to become a PowerSeller, beyond the obvious one of making lots of money. eBay offers PowerSellers better support, more information, and a few other decent perks. In fact, each level in the PowerSeller program comes with its own collection of rewardsthe bigger you are, the more you get.

Priority Customer Support

Chief among the benefits of PowerSeller status is priority customer support, as detailed in Table 25.2. Having the extra handholding from eBay is greatespecially the ability to talk with an actual live eBay employee, which is darned near impossible for us regular sellers to do.

Other Official Benefits

Other benefits offered to members of the PowerSeller program include

• Free eBay Keyword banner adsup to $200 per quarter

• Health insurance for PowerSellers and their employees

• Access to the PowerSeller discussion board

• Monthly PowerUp! email newsletterand quarterly printed newsletters

• Invitations and VIP admission to special eBay events, including the yearly eBay Live convention

• Ability to purchase unique PowerSeller logo merchandise

• Ability to display the PowerSeller logo in all item listings and About Me pages

Note

In addition to eBay's PowerSeller discussion board, check out The Powerseller Report (www.tprweb.com), an independent site that caters to eBay's top sellers. PowerSellers can also join the Professional eBay Sellers Alliance (www.gopesa.org), a nonprofit trade organization for eBay's highest-volume sellers.

Psychological Benefits

As you can see, the concrete benefits that accrue from PowerSeller status are less than awe-inspiring. (Fast responses to your emailsboy, is that impressive or what?) No, the real benefits of being a PowerSeller are psychological.

Some buyers see a listing that features the PowerSeller logo and assume that they're dealing with a trustworthy and presumably savvy seller. If, to potential buyers, the PowerSeller logo inspires a greater degree of confidence, then membership in the program is beneficial. On the other hand, some users view the PowerSeller logo as the sign of a big business. If these users prefer dealing with individuals, displaying the PowerSeller logo can actually be detrimental.

Bottom line, being a PowerSeller is probably a wash. If you qualify, great. If not, no big dealalthough a lot of users really like the status that goes with the qualification. It's a badge of honor that signifies how successful you are on eBay.