5 Secrets to Improve your eBay Business DSRs (Detailed Seller Ratings)

It seems that the new eBay US pricing structure hasn't made as much of an impact for most sellers as everyone thought, but the new worry is shifting heavily to DSRs (Detailed Seller Ratings). EBay's switch of the default search to "Best Match" is looming, and the new powerseller discounts started yesterday.

It's now more important that ever to formulate a plan to get those DSRs up. So let's go through a few tips to help you boost those ratings:

1. Keep Domestic Shipping Options and Policies Simple. Offer two carriers and 4-5 total options.

2. Simplify and Display Return and Shipping Policies. Write policies at an 8th grade level rather than taking a shot at "legal speak", while still making sure policies cannot be misinterpreted. Incorporate policies in main eBay template page in plain sight.

3. Have a seperate International Shipping Policy or FAQ with expected times, carrier info, and customs info. Remember, keep it simple and friendly. You're trying to encourage good ratings not cover your butt in case of something going wrong.

4. Offer free shipping on less competitive products (build shipping into price). Also, consider offering volume-based free shipping (e.g. Orders over $100 earn free shipping).

5. *Most Important.* Ask for a 5 star rating in your correspondences. Especially if you have a system that automates your emails. Let your customers know that a clean transaction deserves a *5* star rating.

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Ebay's Identity Crisis - New Feedback Survey Creates Controversy

After eBay introduced DSRs (Detailed Seller Ratings) with the release of eBay's Feedback 2.0, it was clear that eBay was trying to make its buyer experience a bit more Amazon-like. The buyer experience improvement project seems to be continuing as eBay posted this latest survey:

Sellers on the powerseller forum are all up in a huff, but it might not be a bad thing. Taking the complications out of feedback, and also taking the retaliatory negative option off the table, should increase buyer activity on the site. More buyer activity, of course, leads to higher average prices.

EDIT: An EcomInsight reader pointed out a blaring error in this entry!

Old Text:

After all, sellers on Amazon don't even get to leave feedback for their buyers (although sometimes you really want to). I bet eBay will follow suit and limit seller feedback options. I'd say watch out for testing this coming summer in the UK or AU.

Reader:

For what it's worth, Amazon sellers *can* leave feedback for buyers, but it's very hard to find how to do it and it's not clear where the feedback is shown. I only found out about this after it was mentioned on a board.

If you look in your Seller Account area, and then go to the "View your orders" section, making sure you have some orders visible. Click on one of the order numbers to view an individual order.

At the very bottom of the order page, you should see a "Feedback received" box. On the righthand side of that box is a link called "Leave buyer feedback."

Thanks for the correction! Read More...