Becoming a Top Rated seller not only earns you a snazzy Top Rated Plus seal next to your username, but also entitles you to even snazzier final value fee discounts and USPS shipping discounts.
How to Qualify as a Top Rated Seller
To become a Top Rated seller, you need to have 100 transactions from U.S. buyers with a combined value of $1000 (during the past 12 months). If that sounds like a lot just think of it as selling 9 items worth a total of $84 each month. You’ll reach Top Rated Seller status in no time!
Top Rated Seller Listing Requirements
Top Rated Sellers need to offer a 14-day money back return policy (or longer) and 1-day handling (or faster). One day handling means that if a buyer pays for an item on Monday morning at 9:57 and 33.4 seconds, then you need to upload tracking information by 11:59:59 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday.
Top Rated Sellers Need Complete, Accurate Orders and Satisfied Buyers
In a nutshell, you need buyers who are happy with the shipping speed and the condition of the item (i.e. “item as described”). You need 98% percent of your transactions to be free of “defects” like negative feedback or low “item as described” ratings. For more information on seller defects, read eBay’s Becoming a Top Rated Seller and qualifying for Top Rated Plus.
Benefits of Top Rated Seller Status
While a 20% discount on an item’s final value fees* is nothing to sneeze at, the REAL savings can come from the shipping discounts on Priority Mail (domestic and international), Priority Mail Express (domestic), and First Class International packages.
A 2oz First Class International Package retails for $7.10, but Top Rated Sellers pay on $5.48. For more detailed information about shipping discounts, see the eBay page Saving from U.S. Postal Service.
* 20% discount applies to final value fees on the item, NOT final value fees on shipping charges
Top Rated Seller discounts ONLY apply to your eBay listings
Any items you sell outside of eBay (e.g. items sold on Bricklink, BrickOwl, Bonanza, Amazon, etc.) unfortunately DO NOT qualify for Top Rated Seller shipping discounts.
Final Thoughts
While many users find Top Rated Seller discounts attractive, the 1-day handling requirement may be too demanding for eBay sellers with other jobs, commitments and all around busy lives. The bright side is all eBay sellers using eBay labels qualify for some generally lower, but not insignificant USPS shipping discounts (see the shipping discount chart on eBay).
If you can provide top-notch service and a fast turnaround, go for Top Rated Seller status. You’ll save money. Money saving aside, consistently fast shipping can earn you an even more valuable commodity–happy, repeat buyers.
Further Reading:
Becoming a Top Rated Seller and qualifying for Top Rated Plus (from eBay.com)
Savings from the U.S. Postal Service (from eBay.com)