eBay conducted a survey last week to learn how users felt about a program that rewarded buyers through the eBay Bucks program for their selling activity. The survey asked if Top Buyers would sell more if they got special perks, such as an exemption from PayPal holds; free listing fees; and a special phone number to call for help with selling.

eBay Bucks is a program officially launched last year in beta and rewards buyers for their buying activity. eBay ran a promotion last fall that rewarded some participants for their selling activity during the holidays as well (see this November 19th article in AuctionBytes Newsflash).

Last week's survey asked respondents how they felt when selling on eBay, and asked them to rate those feelings on 6-point scales, such as Pessimistic - Optimistic; Stupid - Smart; Unappreciated - Appreciated; Bored - Excited; and Manipulated - In Control. The survey also asked sellers the degree to which the agreed with statements such as:

• eBay encourages me to come back and sell more;
• eBay treats me like a valued seller;
• eBay is a fun place to sell;
• eBay is a site where I can sell my items at great prices;
• eBay has a great rewards program for sellers;
• eBay is a site that I would recommend to my friends and family.
• eBay is my first choice when selling items online;
• eBay provides great value for fees paid;
• eBay drives good levels of buyer traffic to my listings;
• eBay cares about small sellers;
• eBay keeps me well informed about things that affect me as a seller;
• eBay rewards me for providing good service to my buyers;
• eBay appreciates my business;
• eBay is making changes that will improve the marketplace;
• eBay is the best placed for me to sell online.

The survey also included a Net Promoter Score question, "How likely is it that you will recommend eBay to a friend or colleague" on a scale from Very Unlikely to Extremely Likely.