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This comes from a doll artist forum, a friend's experience:
"Just a note to share the conversation I had with live help last night. I asked her two questions about the new search venue they are about to launch permanently in November. I wanted to know exactly what I would be getting for buying featured plus and also what determines best match. I was just in shock after our conversation! First of all she said that when I start selling more and improve my sellers rating, communication and shipping featured plus is a great way to go! That was the first time I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle her. Then she explained the best match to me. I have to admit that I didn’t even know about the seller’s dashboard and that is where she sent me to view my seller rating. I thought the new star rating was what she was talking about but No! The graph on the dashboard (located under your account) has to be a ten and mine is 5.9. I asked her how to do raise this and she said that is simple just sell more and maybe offer free shipping to raise tour seller rating! Perfect feedback doesn’t matter anymore and you can’t even buy your way into the front page. To make a long conversation short, apparently all those little low price auctions that list several in a week will be getting the front page because of the amount of detailed seller ratings they can achieve. She also said that best match was structured around the buyer’s desires within the category. She kept telling me to improve my communication, shipping and listings and I will see myself on the front page in the future. My shipping is always more than I ask and now they want me to waive all shipping. So, that means once again Ebay has dogged the big money auctions that take us a week to complete, and give the rewards to those who list several at a time which places more monies in their pockets than our once a week auctions. We just can’t win for loosing. I said to her, but what about the auctions that sometimes reaches $3500 does that not matter. She repeated to improve my seller rating and offer free shipping and better communication. Now how’s that for a big reward for we who work so hard and many hours on each of our sculptures? I know this has been discussed here but I thought I would share this conversation with you. I suppose there is nothing we can do about this and it really has started to show as after three days, my auction has 400 lookers as apposed to 7 or 900 by now. That’s a huge difference."
From Karen,
I had the same experience; my lookers dropped way off. Sure the economy is down but this was a sudden drop, coincidently, when they changed the listings 
I don't know what we can do? I just hope they listen and see what they are doing to the artists on ebay 
Karen
P.S. Her rating of 5.9 is very high! Mine was only 4.8 and I have 100% feedback rating.
Dances With Teddy BearsHi Karen
Thanks for sharing that info. I'm hearing so many negative things about eBay. They are doing themselves in!
I sell, or had been selling, on eBay. Can someone tell me how to find my dashboard. I've looked and looked to no avail. Where are they hiding it?
Thanks!!!
Laura,
Look on the left hand column and you'll see a listing for "my account". Look down your account list and you'll see "seller dashboard".
Karen
The kids and teddy tooKaren I know how frustrated you are. I was just telling my husband, why spend the extra money to put in the featured section to be put on the next pages. 
This is just crazy !!! I did go in and check my dashboard and was also very surprised. I have a 100% rating and never a problem. They are really messed up....Also I really don't understand that artist Karen De Lorenzo with her wonderful panda bear has been on the first page from the start. I must be missing something.
Thanks for all of your detective work on this.
Hugs
Bonnie
Dances With Teddy BearsThanks, Karen. Why on earth do they hide it? I do consider this hiding. You have to search for it. Why not have a quick link to the dashboard. I even went to their Help site and couldn't find a thing explaining how to find my dashboard. Not that it's of any help to me. Grumble Grumble.
They don't care about the little people. And I'm a little people. As are most of us here.
What a shame. I used to love eBay.
I wonder what dastardly deed they'll do next.
Newcastle, OntarioKaren,
I found the seller dashboard but I don't see a graph on mine - this is what I have. Maybe because I haven't sold anything in the last 6 months? It compares me to other sellers in a one month period and a 12 month period.
hugs,
Brenda
desertmountainbearThis is what I have also. I do not see how you can get 10 when the graph only goes up to 5
Joanne
FenBeary FolkI can't find mine, I have an ebay UK account, so I think we don't have that yet but when I go to ebay help it tells me all about it but not where it is
on the seller dashboard your rating is out of 5 not 10.
Wazza Bears AustraliaHAVE YOU NOW Notice with the new look of the your page for your bear, THEY NOW Advertise other bears on your sale page!!!!!!!!!
Posts: 3,540If you build it, they will come....I'm another who thinks Nancy's Bid 4 Bears is the safest way forwards at this point in time. 
Melanie,
I don't quite understand it either. I'm not trying to single out any one artist but I really don't recognize most of the names that come up at best match, in fact, I really wonder where they received such high ratings? I've haven't seen them listing? Volume does count! Listers that list two or three or more items a week will rate higher. Hmm makes me wonder whether these new names come from another background where they are volume sellers and that is feeding into their rating scores? I guess we could all open shops and sell multiple small supplies? 
Just kidding. This is very confusing to collectors
Karen
Lakeland TeddiesI agree with Debbie. We should all list on Bid4Bears or on The Teddy Patch from now on. As I have mentioned many times before, The Teddy Patch is FREE to list yet for some reason, not much seems to sell on that site. Not sure why, but I keep trying.
Peggy
White Forest BearsMelanie,
I don't quite understand it either. I'm not trying to single out any one artist but I really don't recognize most of the names that come up at best match, in fact, I really wonder where they received such high ratings? I've haven't seen them listing? Volume does count! Listers that list two or three or more items a week will rate higher. Hmm makes me wonder whether these new names come from another background where they are volume sellers and that is feeding into their rating scores? I guess we could all open shops and sell multiple small supplies?
Karen
I asked Ebay how to improve my search ranking, as I am in the"green" as far as their stupid dashboard goes. They said I had to be a powerseller, which I don't list that often so that won't happen anytime soon. Also they said if I list MORE items it'll go up....and that won't happen as it's art we are creating, not reselling things. They've ruined it for bear artists and everyone else like us.
I ALWAYS pay to feature...even back when it was $20, then it was $9.99, which was great.
This new "featured plus" or whatever is CRAZY. I did the regular $9.99 feature, which apparently isn't really being featured anymore as my auction has hardly had any looks compared to what we usually have.
It's so maddening!
Wazza Bears AustraliaWell i going to now have my rant about ebay. Never a problem until now. I put my bear up in feature plus, and after 14 hours still no bear showing in search. I wanted to cancell it and start again. i spoke with ebay live to have fees refunded and cancell it. NO GO. They would not refund. I cancelled the auction and relisted it again but without feature plus. Its been 9 hours and still no bear in search. They did say it can take up to 24 hours. I told then I am paying for 5 days exposure not 4 days. Why is it that some bears show straight away and then some take for ever to show? I don't get it. This has been the worse its ever been. I really don't get it.
I finally found a way to access Ebay Dashboard.. and it says "You are not eligible to access this feature"
Wonder why?
Hugs,
Melanie
I am registered via EBay UK, and cannot find my dashboard.
Lynette
Teddy Bear and FriendsThis might be totally inappropriate, but... Try the bear-oriented auction sites. Try the magazines' web sites. (The TBF e-news goes to 12,000+ collectors.) Run a banner ad and try the featured listings here on TT. Try Valerie's online magazine. Buy Google ad words. Participate in online shows. Set up an etsy store. In other words, stop using eBay to sell online and do something different. You have the power to vote with your business. If you don't like what eBay is doing, stop doing business with them.
I apologize if I've offended anyone. That isn't my intent. I just hate to see anyone accept this situation as though there aren't any other choices. There are lots of great choices. They might be more difficult because they're new, but then again, it sounds like eBay is being plenty difficult. Take charge and take your business away! There are plenty of friendly, interested people eager to help you sell teddy bears online.
Lakeland TeddiesWell said Mindy. I agree totally. Give The Teddy Patch a try -- IT'S FREE TO LIST. I keep repeating myself, but it's true. If we list there and let our customers know where we are, they will follow.
Peggy
Posts: 3,540
I completely agree with Mindy. Ebay doesn't seem to be the route forwards. YES, I KNOW it gave you Worldwide exposure in the past, but what is it doing for you now as a seller?? More and more I hear how frustrated you are. And I completely understand.
But banging your heads on the Ebay wall will not change Ebay. They are on their own destructive, downwards spiral. Buyers will begin to look elsewhere, and that's why I feel the other sites will be better options. Do sponsor adds on TT, or TB&Fs s or Bid4Bears....all of these are geared for teddy bear peoples. I feel these will, given the support, continue to grow and give back to the teddy bear community!
Ebay's passe at this point..... look to the future 
Newcastle, OntarioMindy,
I totally agree with you and I stopped using Ebay six months ago BUT I have a hubby with a good job, who pays all of our bills. My money is for extras. I have a few artist friends who pay ALL of their bills by selling on Ebay and it takes a lot of time to build up other selling venues like the ones you mentioned, and these artists don't have the luxury of time. They NEED the money generated from EBAY just to survive and it's hard to see the site go downhill like this, when it's sellers like them who supported it from the beginning. There is nothing out there with the customer base worldwide, that will replace Ebay, at least for now. Ebay is really affecting lives with what they are doing and it's really frustrating for them.
hugs,
Brenda
I agree Mindy.. I guess we all keep hoping ebay will go back to what it was... and I don't think it will. I myself have started an Etsy shop and have my Blog.. and will most likely go back to using my website even though it's a bit of a pain to update) and working on advertising it 
But I still don't think we've got our ebay whinning out of our system yet.. heehee. lol
Hugs!!
Melanie
Bears by EdieWell, I see one of the main problems being that we don't have just ONE option to ebay. With so many other choices, that are all small in comparison with ebay, a few go here and few go there and it all gets so diluted that as much as we all hate what is happening on ebay it is STILL the place where the MOST artists and collectors go. If we had just ONE main alternative that we could get EVERYONE - collectors and artists - to switch to then I think a lot would. I know lots have tried the other auctions but when bears repeatedly don't sell we give up and go back to where we know there is at least a chance of still being able to sell. I don't think there is an easy answer to this problem and I really think that I for one will probably just quit when I get fed up enough!
Mindy....you are so right!!!! :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:
I did my own little auction experiment....I listed a panda on Bid4Bears 3 weeks ago: results were that collectors from my mailing list did the bidding and my high bid was $900. Cost for me to list was just the final value of $13
Last week I listed another panda on ebay: results were that once again collectors from my mailing list did the bidding and my high bid was $900. Cost to me to list and final value was over $60 and it would have been more if my winning collector had paid using Pay Pal but my long-time collector is sending me a check.
So listing on ebay didn't improve my auction or even bring me any new collectors (like it used to). So I think that Mindy's advice is excellent. I've spent many hundreds of dollars in ebay fees over the years, now with ebay's changes I think that I'd rather spend my money on Mindy's excellent suggestions. I am glad I had exposure on ebay for the past 5 years. But I've got a great mailing list now and it's time to move on....to look for exposure in other places and find new collectors.
My bears have made several appearances in the recent issues of both TB&F and TBR....a fabulous way to get exposure to new collectors!
Thanks, Mindy, for the excellent suggestions!
Kathy
Kathy,
This is probably a dumb question but how do you contact your collectors? I've been struggling with this for years. If I try to contact more than 20 customers at once I risk the chance of being called a spammer by my internet provider. IT happened once, and it took me weeks to get back online!! I'm considering using "Constant Contact", but it's a fairly extensive program and I'm not sure I need it at this point?
Karen
