Are you an eBay expert seller and do you already actively participate on the eBay.com eBay discussion boards giving help and advice to other sellers for free? If so, then eBay would like to invite you to join a new eBay Community Mentors Program.
eBay know that their army of sellers help and advise each other for free, so the eBay Community Mentors Program isn’t really anything new but simply recognition of the countless hours their member put in assisting each other. Naturally it comes with benefits for mentors, including some direct access to eBay and a badge on your eBay community profile.
Perhaps the most valuable benefit is direct access to the eBay community team including a monthly video chat. That’s a perk not too many people get to receive and well worth taking advantage of.
Is this yet more eBay cost cutting?
Some will say that this is eBay cost cutting and getting sellers to do the work that eBay Customer Support should be doing. They would be wrong however. Any eBay seller who has been around a few years will know that the best support and most knowledge about the practicalities of selling on eBay comes from the seller community themselves. Sure if there is a site glitch then the only people that can escalate that are eBay Customer Support, but if you need some intricate selling advice then your fellow sellers are generally much better positioned to answer.
All eBay are really doing with their Community Mentors Program is recognising the support already being given and offering to reward those sellers who tirelessly help their peers.
eBay Community Mentors Program benefits
As a member of the eBay Community Mentors Program you’ll get the following perks:
- Access to a private Mentor’s Lounge where you can connect with peers
- Direct access to eBay’s Community team, including monthly video chats
- Opportunity to shape new features for the Community
- An exclusive badge on your Community profile
- Invitations to exclusive events and opportunities
How to qualify for the eBay Community Mentors Program
Mentors are selected based on their eBay knowledge and their positive Community participation. To be considered, you’ll need to meet all of the following:
- Active eBay buyer or seller
- Post using your eBay trading ID
- Posted more than 500 times in the Community
- Active Community participant for more than 6 months
- Willingness to mentor others
You can apply to be a member of the eBay Community Mentors Program on the US eBay discussion boards.
23 Responses
cor wow a badge
bet its of a big brown nose
ok were being flippant above
but ebays taking the piddle
hows about some listing fee discount or shop subscription credit
were expert sellers
that expertise has cost us many years of time and expense,
ebay offering a badge and a chat for our knowledge is insulting
Personally I like badges ……… I applaud this initiative.
I still cherish my “Blue Peter” badge and also my “Desperate Dan Pie Eaters” Badge from 1977.
Badges are cool.
Disappointing. However………..
I will copy, paste, enlarge and print out this icon and glue it to my shirt.
I WANT A BADGE
As with most eBay sellers, I have better and far more important things to do with my time….. Like jumping through their never ending list of hoops for one.
Reminiscent of the print and colour your own ebay birthday card ebay used to offer
The best business advice we were ever given
Was
Even if your standing under big ben dont tell anyone the time
ok then if you really want to help
we need to know where you source your stock , where it sells best, and the most profitable line
all other advice is free once you complete stage 1. Once you have completed first 5 stages you are welcome to know all the information about stock sourcing etc but depending on your particular goals, current commitments, funding, space, family commitments age, health etc etc my particular model may not be suitable for you.
If I were to do it again I would not be selling what I am currently selling. There are better mark ups with fewer returns and (to cut a long story short) better business models (without going into the many many variables) out there (depending what your goals are – not everyones is net profit – its the time you need to invest to achieve that net profit etc etc etc).
Too in-depth for a post.
@alan Paterson
I don’t mind a bit of networking Alan, I find it beneficial for all parties concerned. However sadly I’m too busy managing my eBay buyer remorse “not as described” and empty box returns, too busy trying to get an antiquated messaging system to work, too busy trying to find a help page that doesn’t exist, too busy trying to work out the peer to peer returns metric, too busy trying to operate a system so full of bugs that it’s not fit for purpose. Get my drift?
And as to a badge, please feel free to make one but I wouldn’t really feel like telling you where I would actually like you to mount it. ?
Would not post with our actual selling I D as it is the same our website and other markets, and the eBay forums are all online and searchable, basically we want our products found hopefully on our site, and not links to ebay boards.
Plus this is much like the same thing Amazon do with Aces Tec on their board’s.
There is a wealth of Info out there some very good some downright awful.
I do love Northumbrian’s comments , always succinct and to the point ,always makes me laugh too and I dont often laugh doing Ebay.
@ Northumbrian , you have missed the whole concept of this new programme – networking with fellow sellers. Do you even know what a community is?
But as you said in your post further up page you wouldn’t give your fellow businessman the time if you were standing under Big Ben!
What a stinking foul attitude.
@paterson – don’t give this guy the time of day. He has completely missed the point and will exploit you. Don’t tell him anything.
Ross k ,oh dear………………….