Will Ebay.ca remove the ability to list in US dollars sometime in the near future

[dutchman48]

After reading on the boards as well as some of the comments on the weekly board, how many sellers think this will become permanent as it is in all other countries? Only listing in Can dollars on the Canadian site.

Could be an interesting discussion

[pierrelebel]

"Will Ebay.ca remove the ability to list in US dollars sometime in the near future"

The answer to that question is obviously YES.  It was made clear by Rodney (eBay-Canada country manager).

Timing?  Who knows?  I suspect by the end of 2016, early 2017.  Changes take a long time to implement at eBay.

[dutchman48]

But this would be a very minor change for them, but not so minor for a lot of sellers. How about the fall update??

[dutchman48]

Plus they make all kinds of changes without worrying about Canada and do nothing to fix them later.

[pierrelebel]

"Finally, as eBay's only dual-currency listing platform, our French and English sites present architectural challenges that sometimes slows or event prevents the delivery of new functionality that has tested well on other sites. Removing USD support would simplify things for eBay as well as the companies in our ecosystem moving forward.
 If we do ever decide to retire the option to list in USD on the Canadian site, we will communicate that decision, then look to do so gradually, over a period of time, to minimize disruption for sellers. Canadian sellers who prefer to sell in USD would still be able to list using eBay.com.  "

The way I read this comment by Rodney is that a final decision has not yet been made but will be made within the foreseeable future.  It is a major change for eBay.ca and I suspect it will take a year or more to fully implement it.

The eventual result would be to put eBay.ca on the same footing as all other eBay sites around the world: using exclusively the currency of the country while allowing sellers to list elsewhere (within eBay) if they so desire.

[dutchman48]

Hi Pierre

Off topic slightly but not really. If you have a basic store, could you theoretically list on Ebay Germany, UK, Australia, etc and get the 150 free fixed and 100 free auctions on every site or is restricted to Can & US?. I do realize you would have to list in their currencies and language could be an issue as well.

[pjcdn2005]

No, you wouldn't get 150 free listings on every site.

Some of the other sites do have free listings. For example, the uk site gives 20 free listings/ month for non business sellers. But if you start selling on another site you will probably have to follow the new sellers rules...get paid in 21 days etc...

[pierrelebel]

That 150 "free" listings on both eBay.ca and eBay.com is an anomaly and will most likely be eliminated at some point in the future.

Sellers on eBay.com (there is a lot more Americans selling on eBay than Canadians) are getting 150 "free" listings for their US$ 20 a month.

Canadians pay only Cdn$ 20 (US$ 14/15 or so) and get twice as many listings.  I love it and use it but I realize it will not last.

Someone in San Jose is bound to take a look and feel Americans are being disadvantaged! Someone in San Jose will scream "Unfair!  We won the war of 1812 and those Canadians should not get an advantage over us!"  Someone else may comment "It is unfair competition.  It is against NAFTA!"

Any eBay seller (renting a store or not) has the privilege to list on any eBay international site and paying fees based on the schedule in each country.  Some sites are funny as they will charge you a different fee as a "business" compared to an "individual".

[dutchman48]

Oh well. I guess we are the only site with Ebay that has multiple currency as well as double listings on 2 sites. I agree with you, that will come to an end. Big question is when.

I would probably be better off listing free on the D------e site but they have their own issues. Another story.

Maybe we should start a poll to see:

1. When our 2 privileges will go away

2. When they will do away with Ebay.ca (as not being profitable and lots list on .com anyway.)

[rose-dee]

Someone in San Jose will scream "Unfair!  We won the war of 1812 and those Canadians should not get an advantage over us!"

________________________________________________________________________________________

Umm, Pierre, I'm sorry to have to correct you on this, but we (well, the British, along with whoever fought in Canada) won the war of 1812, not the Americans.  This is why we're called Canada now and not "New Washington" or some such thing, and why they have to let us fly a separate flag.    

However, I do agree with you that the particular advantages we have on eBay.ca likely won't last, and that someone at eBay HQ will complain about it being unfair.  I wouldn't be surprised to see .cafr disappear at some point in the next year too. 

[pierrelebel]

"but we (well, the British, along with whoever fought in Canada) won the war of 1812"

We know that but nobody ever told them!  They still think they won that war!  http://www.warof1812.ca/summary.html

[vintagenorth]

Hi Pierre, over on the dot com boards quite a few sellers have mentioned that they sell on .com and also list on .ca in order to get more free listings. This is recent so probably since eBay went to 20 free listings for non-stores. Looks like they can use both sites too, and list in U.S. dollars, maybe that is one reason for changing to Cdn dollars only on .ca.

[pheasantvillecollectables519]

So this is why my Sell Similar keeps coming up with C$ for listing currency.  I can still change it but it's annoying, plus sometimes I forget.  Only happens when I do an individual listing, not Sell Similar or Relist in bulk.

I do not like this change.  But I would rather list in Canadian dollars than list on .com because of shipping options, unless they add Canada Post to their shipping options which I doubt they'll do.

[dutchman48]

They do not get the store equivalent, only 20/20 on other sites which from I have been told, everyone now can get.

I also found out Singapore Ebay is free to list and no FVF's at all (basically a free site). Only store and extra fees if you want them.

[pierrelebel]

"Looks like they can use both sites too, and list in U.S. dollars"

Yes they can.  They always could (it is nothing new) but most American sellers do not even know eBay.ca exists!

[rose-dee]

"Finally, as eBay's only dual-currency listing platform, our French and English sites present architectural challenges that sometimes slows or event prevents the delivery of new functionality that has tested well on other sites. Removing USD support would simplify things for eBay as well as the companies in our ecosystem moving forward.
 If we do ever decide to retire the option to list in USD on the Canadian site, we will communicate that decision, then look to do so gradually, over a period of time, to minimize disruption for sellers. Canadian sellers who prefer to sell in USD would still be able to list using eBay.com.  "

________________________________________________________________________________________

Well, this was an interesting pronouncement, also interesting that Rodney stepped in to make it.  I read "architectural challenges" as "too much cost", for one thing.  Secondly, "delivery of new functionality that has tested well on other sites" sounds like a convenient excuse to me.  They've been making new functionality work on .ca for quite some time. 

I agree with Pierre's view: "The way I read this comment by Rodney is that a final decision has not yet been made but will be made within the foreseeable future."

... and I suspect we had all better be prepared to be forced to list in $Cdn if we want to continue to list on eBay.ca.

A few weeks ago when this topic was first mentioned by Raphael, I recall pointing out that eBay was probably trying to slowly get us accustomed to an unpalatable concept that would at some point be obligatory, by telling us that their "data" showed that all Canadian sellers would either benefit or see a neutral effect from listing in $Cdn.  It seems that time is around the corner now.  

And I'm afraid I still think there is more behind this than the specious explanation given today would indicate.  No wonder they removed the reference to "15% more sales when listing in U.S.".  My goodness, who would want sellers to believe that if eBay needs (for reasons only they know) to have sellers list in $Cdn?  New propaganda required, quick! 

Lastly, I find this part of Rodney's remarks rather disturbing: "Canadian sellers who prefer to sell in USD would still be able to list using eBay.com".  

So, let me get this right: It appears eBay will likely force us to list only in $Cdn on .ca in the near future.  Yet many of us who mainly sell to the U.S. prefer to list in $US for obvious reasons of profitability.  At that point, the only option will be to list on eBay.com.    In other words, the only way Canadian sellers will really be able to make a profit (if you sell largely to the U.S.) will be to list on .com.

Is it really just a coincidence that the recommended "workaround" for a longstanding and serious problem that we're told eBay will never fix (the ".com cart disconnect"), has been for Canadian sellers to list on .com exclusively?  This would be a absurd suggestion if it were not that eBay might have other motives in trying to direct more Canadian sellers onto .com, i.e. to ultimately phase out (or at least pare down) eBay.ca.  

Consider this: perhaps this was the true reason eBay never resolved the cart disconnect -- they never intended to in the first place.  One might even cynically say that the disconnect was a deliberate step toward getting more Canadian sellers to list on .com.   

Is eBay trying to "shepherd" Canadian sellers off eBay.ca?  I personally believe so, perhaps for fiscal reasons. Quite frankly if I'm still around here in 2 years I wouldn't be surprised to see the whole site phased out. 

[dutchman48]

That is because it is too cold in the Igloo for a computer

[dutchman48]

And now no Paypal to deal with so they can spend more time killing Canada and supporting China.

Right now, the US sellers seem to be far more concerned about the Chinese than Canada as Ebay is definitely supporting and helping the Chinese more and less help and support for Canada.

[dutchman48]

Maybe I will start listing my .ca stuff in $C to get ready and see what happens.

Bigger concern is when they change the .com listing privileges for us, what to do with those listings.

I have about 1400 listings now and still growing. I would never upgrade my store at this time as sales are RIP right now

Time to start looking for other options where it is not constant change or my own site again..

[pierrelebel]

" It appears eBay will likely force us to list only in $Cdn on .ca in the near future."

Personally I do not think it will be in the "near future"  As stated above, I expect implementation by late 2016, early 2017 (just a guess on my part based on my understanding of how eBay works).

It is not the end of the world.

For a few years now I have been using eBay.cafr for listings exclusively in Cdn$ and eBay.com for listings in US$ (I use eBay.cafr to get the free searchable sub-titles).

Both work fine.  From time to time I take a look at my competitors and most of them still list exclusively in US$ - thinking they get more money in their pocket based on the current rate of exchange.  It is their right to think that way.  A statistically valid analysis of prices realized show differently.  On average, I found that an item selling for USA$ 50.00 (for example) will sell for Cdn$ 65.00 if listed in Cdn$.

I expect many Canadian sellers to disagree with my observations and conclusions.  That's OK.  I am ready for the change.