A December 2009 survey of AuctionBytes readers who sell on eBay indicates that larger sellers are more likely to see a decrease in sales due to eBay's new Top Rated Seller (TRS) program than smaller sellers. Sellers with the highest gross merchandise sales were also more likely to report that their listings appeared lower in search results as a result of eBay's changes to search and the new TRS program, and fewer of them believed that the TRS program accomplished the goal of recognizing and rewarding sellers who provide great buyer experiences.

When asked, "All things being equal, please indicate how the recent launch of the Top Rated Seller (TRS) program has affected your sales," 35% of all respondents said their sales had decreased; 44.9% of the large sellers (annual sales over $100,000) who took the survey said their sales had decreased; and 53.8% of the largest sellers (annual sales of over $500,000) said their sales had decreased as a result of the TRS program.

Sellers with over $100k in annual gross merchandise sales on eBay comprised 24% of respondents.

A greater percentage of larger sellers also reported that their listings appeared lower in search results as a result of recent changes to search and new TRS program (Large sellers: 41.4% - All respondents: 36.6%).

Fewer larger sellers said they believe the TRS program succeeds in its stated goals of recognizing and rewarding sellers providing great buyer experiences (Large sellers: 13.7% - All respondents: 16.5%).

Additional survey results appear in the December 20, 2009 issue of AuctionBytes Update along with an introduction and methodology.

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