Go the Distance

eBay offers three major benefits to exceptional sellers who maintain their status:

1. Discounts for PowerSellers: For the first time ever, PowerSellers can receive tiered discounts based on feedback customers give about their buying experiences. Volume sellers who maintain a Detailed Seller Rating, or DSR, of 4.6 or higher will receive rebates on their fees ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent, with 20 percent off for those who maintain a 4.9 or higher average within the previous 30 days.

2. Better payment protection: PowerSellers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong are eligible for expanded protection against claims, chargebacks, reversals of unauthorized payments, and merchandise not received when they have registered PayPal accounts linked to their eBay accounts. Only transactions that are conducted through PayPal are eligible. The protection is free, has no annual limit and no longer requires a confirmed address for a transaction to be covered.

Content Continues Below

3. Increased exposure: In addition, all great sellers are getting increased listings exposure thanks to Best Match search results, which were introduced last year and, in March, became the default search criteria for eBay listings. Best Match is different from traditional eBay searches, which defaulted to the item ending soonest, says Todd Lutwak, senior director of eBay's seller development team. "Best Match takes into account format, time ending, relevance--how closely it matches what we think the buyer wants based on the title of the listing--and attributes," says Lutwak. "We're also elevating the sellers with high DSRs."