and How to Join GPSA
|
More Information About The
Glass and Pottery Sellers' Association and How to Join GPSA |
|
GPSA, the Glass and Pottery Sellers' Association was founded in May of 2002 on the eBay Community Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain (aka PGP) Board. Our founder, eBayer febreb had received in the mail a poorly packaged, damaged pottery item that she had purchased from an eBay seller. Saddened by the damage, she wondered aloud in a post on the PGP board if an association could be formed whose logo could be used in the eBay listings of its members to assure buyers that pottery and glass items containing this logo would be properly packaged, honestly described and well-photographed. Many of the regular posters on the PGP board responded to febreb's post, and the Glass and Pottery Sellers' Association was formed. Febreb and fellow eBayer wgpaul put together the first few pages of a GPSA website including Member Guidelines and pages full of links, books, and information relating to both pottery and glass items as well as pages of helpful hints for photographing and packaging. Since the group's founding, GPSA has graduated from webspace on its founder's site to it's own domain, http://glassandpotterysellers.org , and the number of members has grown to over 150 sellers whose listings contain a variety of pottery, porcelain, and glass items. It also publishes an online newsletter. Members share expertise with each other on a private GPSA board, and the group is still well-represented by members who participate on the public eBay PGP board where it was founded. GPSA members greatly appreciate the support of eBay buyers. Our auctions may be found by searching eBay for "GPSA" with the "search title and description" box checked. We encourage buyers to look for the GPSA logo. 
|
|
|
| Membership in the GPSA is free upon acceptance. There is no paid staff. All work done by the GPSA is performed by volunteers. | ||
Please review the qualifications below to see who is eligible to join the GPSA. You will find a link to our convenient online application below. | ||
|
All membership applications are reviewed by the GPSA Membership Committee. The committee consists of five members who:
| ||
|
Some of the factors considered by the committee are:
| ||
|
After this review process each committee member votes whether to accept the new member.
If three or more vote "yes", an invitation and password are sent to the seller. If the vote results in a "no", the seller is notified specifically why, and also offered constructive criticism (we hope) on how to improve their chances of being accepted at a later date. |
| |
|
While an expertise or specialization in a type of glass or pottery is always an asset, it does not guarantee admission. By the same token - we don't require any special expertise. Honesty of descriptions, effort in photographing and researching items, a little humility, a comittment to customer satisfaction, and fair trading go a long way in impressing the committee. Current members include power sellers, antiques experts, part time eBay sellers and sellers who have recently made pottery or glass their specialty. The committee does not make its decisions capriciously or without regard for the seller. The GPSA is not a "clique" - we LOVE adding new members, and always offer a big welcome. Unfortunately we are unable to accept every seller who applies. We have dedicated ourselves to making the GPSA logo a symbol of assurance to our customers, and are very proud of our association's guidelines and the members who strive to provide exemplary customer service. We hope you'll join us! Please note: The use of the logo or the letters GPSA by non-members is not permitted. Non-members found to be using the association logo or initials without permission will be reported to eBay for misrepresenting their auction information and may also face additional action by the association including possible legal action. | ||