eBay Testing Certified Seller Program

Online auction site eBay is testing a possible "Certified Seller" designation for some of its sellers. AuctionBytes reports that some eBay users who agree to take a survey are being shown a mock auction page that highlights the seller's "certified" status.

In the "Certified Seller" box on the mock listing, two of the qualifications for Certified Seller status are that the seller ships items in two business days or less and has a customer satisfaction rating of 99 percent or higher. Additionally, the Certified Seller is described as "committed to eBay's highest standards for customer service."

eBay appears to be soliciting more criteria for the Certified Seller status by asking customers who take the survery what they think the Certified Seller designation means.

According to AuctionBytes, there are three versions of the Certified Seller program logos. One says "eBay PowerSeller," a ranking that currently denotes sellers who maintain a certain high volume of sales.

• Click here to see the three Certified Seller test logos

Some eBay users believe the site would be better served by a program that certifies buyers. "That [would prevent] buyers with a history of fraud from buying anything ever, prevent buyer feedback until a) they've paid for the item and b) indicate they won't be returning it, and so on," wrote one commenter on AuctioBytes.

"How about making sure users register with real info?" wrote another. "Until then, every seller certification in the world means doodley squat."