eBay to reward top-rated sellers

eBay to reward top-rated sellers
eBay is planning to reward top-rated sellers in a bid to drive business at the internet auction site.

The company said that from October sellers who receive the highest ratings from buyers will get 20% discounts on the fees they pay to eBay and feature more prominently in search rankings.

eBay added that 150,000 sellers in the US are expected to immediately qualify for the rewards, and that the programme would launch in Britain and Germany at the same time as the US.

Sellers with as few as 100 transactions a year and US$3,000 a year in sales can qualify for the programme based on buyer feedback, eBay said.

“For buyers, the new eBay Top-Rated Seller status makes it easy to find the highest quality sellers on eBay based on the feedback of other buyers,” said Lorrie Norrington, president of eBay Marketplaces.

“For sellers, the Top-Rated Seller status recognizes and rewards their commitment to consistently delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction,” she said.

eBay has been hit by stalled sales growth and its net profit fell by 29% in the latest quarter due to a drop in its online Marketplaces business and the strength of the US dollar.

The Marketplaces unit, consisting of electronic commerce websites including eBay, Shopping.com, StubHub, and Kijiji, recorded revenue of US$1.26bn, a 14% drop from the same quarter in 2008.