eBay determines who is awarded PowerSeller status and who isn't, and have strict requirements. To get in at the minimum PowerSeller level, you must have a feedback rating of at least 100 (minimum 98% positive) and sell at least $1,000 worth of items every month for three months in a row. There are different levels of PowerSeller membership as you sell items of greater value: $1,000 total is bronze, $3,000 is silver, $10,000 is gold, $25,000 is platinum and $125,000 is titanium.



If PowerSellers fail to meet the required amount of sales with, or their feedback falls below 98% positive within a 3 month period, they lose their PowerSeller status. In short, the only people who get to be PowerSellers on eBay are the people who have been successful for a good while, and are on track to stay that way.

This is the most important part of understanding how PowerSellers think. They don't see what they're doing as being some hobby - instead, they see themselves as a business or trader.

Let me explain, if you run a stall in a marketplace, the chances are that you have a general area of business, but you mostly just sell whatever you can get your hands on that week but it's no way to run a real business in the long-term.

PowerSellers think far more like shops. They sell the same things again and again, every week - regular stock for regular customers. They do 'boring' business things like keep inventories and budgets. They know what they're going to be selling, how much they buy it for and how much they expect to sell for. Just like a real shop, there can be hard times sometimes, but their income is stable and their business can grow slowly.

The best advice I can give you on thinking like a PowerSeller is this: don't take long-term risks for short-term gain. Look after your reputation, manage your selling properly, provide good customer service and the rewards will come to you in due course. And you'll get a little badge next to your name that makes people trust you more!

One possibility that you might have realised so far is what eBay can do for any other businesses you might have. Remember, millions of people visit eBay every day - why keep everything separate when you're starting to tap into that kind of power?

However great eBay may be, in order to be a truly profitable Powerseller, you will need your own product to sell in time. Thinking like a Powerseller is NOT enough as you make your way down the road to eBay selling success, but at least by this time, your business growth and reputation will be large enough to allow you to comfortably work on other areas of your business - whilst it "runs itself".