eBay

raphael@ebay.com · ‎03-10-2015

Hello everyone,

We've just released the details of the 2015 Spring Seller Update. You can read all the details here:

http://pages.ebay.ca/sellerinformation/news/springupdate2015/index.html

Feel free to post any questions, I'll do my best to come here daily to answer as much as possible.

Happy Spring!

momcqueen · ‎03-24-2015

Ah yes. French. That makes sense. Where the inelegant word 'potato' becomes the elegant term 'pomme de terre'. I understand. Thank you again. I'll let you know what comes of my UPC searches in a few days.

raphael@ebay.com · ‎03-24-2015

@rockp5233 wrote:

Raphael,

My question ; will these new fees will be applicable on my existing listing on may 1st at 00:01 or I will be charge for new listing starting this date ?

Hi rockp5233,

The new fees take effect on midnight, May 1st 2015, on any new listings created on or after that time and on any Good 'Til Cancelled listings that renew after that time. Your existing listings won't be impacted, unless you relist them or if they renew on or after May 1st.

rockp5233 · ‎03-24-2015

Thanks Raphael !

drygallen · ‎03-24-2015

This latest seller update is a step back. I am a power seller with 12 years experience and $300k in sales. I have a premium store with average 800-900 listings. I now find that of my 500 "free" listings I am limited to 0nly 100 in collectible categories. After that, I am charged seller fees. What happened to my 500??? Ebay is basically making a money grab from sellers by these changes. They are discouraging sellers, especially small sellers, from listing items. Decreasing free listings for non-store sellers from 100 to 20 will eliminate many, many sellers. Ebay should remember that without sellers and listings, they have no business at all. Free listings should be increased, not decreased. I also note that free listing "offers" have been changed to only include new listings. So what happens to listings, that aren't covered free? they don't get relisted. I am quite sure total number of listings in the ebay system have fallen since this was instituted. Ebay needs to remember that if something is not listed, it can't sell. So if sales are down, fees increase. Right?

I also think that charging final value fees on shipping needs to be stopped. The idea was to penalize sellers who list low and jack up shipping to make a profit. however, we all have to pass on that extra 10% on shipping. Cost increases get passed on to the buyer. Higher costs reduce sales. Ebay needs to realize that this is really a volume business. Higher sales means more profit for ebay

raphael@ebay.com · ‎03-24-2015

@drygallen wrote:

This latest seller update is a step back. I am a power seller with 12 years experience and $300k in sales. I have a premium store with average 800-900 listings. I now find that of my 500 "free" listings I am limited to 0nly 100 in collectible categories. After that, I am charged seller fees. What happened to my 500??? Ebay is basically making a money grab from sellers by these changes.

Hi drygallen,

Let me start with some good news: under the new fee structure, you actually get 100 additional free listings in the Collectibles category. That means you get your 500 listings with no insertion fees just like today, plus an extra 100 Auction-style.

@drygallen wrote:

I also note that free listing "offers" have been changed to only include new listings. So what happens to listings, that aren't covered free? they don't get relisted. I am quite sure total number of listings in the ebay system have fallen since this was instituted. Ebay needs to remember that if something is not listed, it can't sell. So if sales are down, fees increase. Right?

Promos are designed to stimulate the business where it is needed at the time. If we need more new listings, we make sure those are what we generate with a promo. The terms of promos will continue to change over time to align with what areas of the business need a little push.

@drygallen wrote:

I also think that charging final value fees on shipping needs to be stopped. The idea was to penalize sellers who list low and jack up shipping to make a profit. however, we all have to pass on that extra 10% on shipping. Cost increases get passed on to the buyer. Higher costs reduce sales. Ebay needs to realize that this is really a volume business. Higher sales means more profit for ebay

One other really important reason for us to implement FVF on shipping was to push sellers to offer free shipping. It is proven that buyers prefer free shipping, even if the item price has been adjusted to cover for that cost. In fact, removing the shipping cost takes away a large amount of things that can go wrong in an eBay transaction.

drygallen · ‎03-24-2015

Thanks for your reply. It was not really clear about the additional collectible listings. As far as the free shipping goes, I am in Canada and about 70% 0f my sales are international. It is impossible for me to bury shipping costs in an item price. Shipping even varies by region in Canada. I understand that this is also the case in the USA unless a flat rate box service is used. We have no flat rate service in Canada. Negates your reasoning on charging final value fees on shipping. My shipping on any item can vary from $10 domestic to $100 international on the same listing. Maybe ebay should think about removing final value fees on shipping in small market countries like Canada. I would bet that a very high percentage of sales by Canadian sellers are out of country. It would negate the need to pad shipping charges. Anything that makes an item more expensive, makes it harder to sell. Something to pass on to the "ivory tower".

As to the free listing policy, this only surfaced a few months ago. Previous to that, there had never been the condition of new items only. I maintain that it is a clear but unstated policy change.

pjcdn2005 · ‎03-24-2015

drygallen - Sellers who have been receiving the promos which specify that relisted items are not included are able to use the promo by using 'sell similiar' instead of relist. I don't know if it will stay like that so it is a good idea to check each time.

raphael@ebay.com · ‎03-25-2015

@drygallen wrote:

Thanks for your reply. It was not really clear about the additional collectible listings. As far as the free shipping goes, I am in Canada and about 70% 0f my sales are international. It is impossible for me to bury shipping costs in an item price. Shipping even varies by region in Canada. I understand that this is also the case in the USA unless a flat rate box service is used. We have no flat rate service in Canada. Negates your reasoning on charging final value fees on shipping. My shipping on any item can vary from $10 domestic to $100 international on the same listing. Maybe ebay should think about removing final value fees on shipping in small market countries like Canada. I would bet that a very high percentage of sales by Canadian sellers are out of country. It would negate the need to pad shipping charges. Anything that makes an item more expensive, makes it harder to sell. Something to pass on to the "ivory tower".

As to the free listing policy, this only surfaced a few months ago. Previous to that, there had never been the condition of new items only. I maintain that it is a clear but unstated policy change.

One thing to remember when talking about FVF on shipping with regards to cross-border transactions is that it is calculated based on the least expensive out of the following:

The first domestic shipping service on your listing that isn't Express, or
The international or express shipping service on your listing

What this means is, if you were to adjust your item price to offer free shipping to Canada but still had any shipping cost specified for any buyers out of country, you would get $0 in FVF on shipping for these listings. Note: this is true only if you list on eBay.ca. If you list on eBay.com, it's the opposite way as shipping services to US buyers will be considered domestic.

All the details of this can be reviewed here:

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/insertion-fee.html#fvf

drygallen · ‎03-25-2015

This is not on the same subject, but please have a look at my new post regarding returns. I would like to have someone in a responsible position look at this and reply to me. Thanks

drygallen · ‎03-25-2015

There is also a work around through Turbo Lister. R

ians_vintage · ‎03-29-2015

Wait, I'm confused. So you are saying that if I offered FREE lettermail shipping on a DVD in Canada (by increasing the price or absorbing the cost of shipping), but someone in the US buys it, and it is mailed Light Packet Airmail (which is the cheapest, non-courier rate through Canada Post to the US), the FVF on that US-buyer purchase is on the sale price ONLY, and not the US shipping costs?

Please clarify using this example...

pocomocomputing · ‎03-29-2015

@ians_vintage wrote:
Wait, I'm confused. So you are saying that if I offered FREE lettermail shipping on a DVD in Canada (by increasing the price or absorbing the cost of shipping), but someone in the US buys it, and it is mailed Light Packet Airmail (which is the cheapest, non-courier rate through Canada Post to the US), the FVF on that US-buyer purchase is on the sale price ONLY, and not the US shipping costs?

Please clarify using this example...

Yes, this has been true ever since FVF on shipping was introduced years ago.

ians_vintage · ‎03-29-2015

I've been on eBay for over 10 years and had no idea..

momcqueen · ‎03-29-2015

I've been on eBay for over 10 years and had no idea..

To be honest, I thought, that this (with the FVF on shipping reverting to zero if domestic was free) was little more than a technical glitch.

ians_vintage · ‎03-29-2015

Yeah, you can imagine mu surprise (and apprehension) when learning this today.. seems too good to be true.

Going to list a new new items today, with free (aka embedded) shipping within Canada, and compare once sold.

momcqueen · ‎03-29-2015

It does have limited potential.

How many items can we feasibly ship domestically for free within Canada? Lettermail might be inexpensive with Canada Post but it leaves you as a seller hanging out to dry if your buyer claims it was not received. So then if you're looking at service with tracking there is Expedited Parcel which we do get a tidy discount through paypal shipping but you have to be able to eat an average of $10 to $20 on the postage and pad that cost into the item itself. In my experience, it is the buyers in remote parts of Canada (where the shipping cost is by nature higher) who are the most appreciative of free postage on a small- to medium-sized item.

So it really only applies in limited circumstances. It has to be free shipping for a Canadian but attractive enough at $15 more for an American (for example) to buy that you'll see the benefit of that FVF being zero if shipped internationally.

ians_vintage · ‎03-29-2015

Most DVDs and Blurays I ship domestically via LetterPost, and I've had near 100% success rate with items being delivered. So I listed a few things today with "free shipping via lettermail" in Canada, and then the usual Light Packet to the US (which has also been near 100% success so far).

But, now that the items are slightly higher priced, I suspect that US sales on those new items may drop off.

Anyway, I'll see how it goes. If nothing is moving, then I'll just switch it back. Most people seem pretty understanding of shipping rates in Canada not being cheap.

momcqueen · ‎03-29-2015

I understand completely. I have some items which are thin enough to ship via domestic lettermail too and buyers appreciate 'free' without question but sometimes underestimate how slow lettermail can be because you wait for an ebay item to arrive but a utility bill comes too soon. (No frame of reference.) Free domestic lettermail boosted my DSRs on the Shipping Costs category but lowered it on Shipping Time. Another thing to consider.

I had only one item go missing with domestic lettermail within the last year. Ironically, it was the first one I shipped for free and the buyer was gracious and understanding about the replacement that I sent to him afterwards with tracking however if he had not been I would have been not only out the cost of the item and postage but also staring at an ugly defect from it. Luckily, that was not the case. We had a good working relationship and for that I am grateful.

There is always a balancing act when weighing the choices here.

sealsbuyrequest · ‎03-31-2015

I guess the End is near at hand for me. As a retired Guy . E-Bay used to be a wonderful Site to Sell Items on.

But every time I get a new update from EBay , it seems to cost me more for less !!!!!!!! Many updates also make it much harder to do Business with the time to list an item going from 5 Minutes on a New Listing to 10 or 15 Minutes with all the new rules & extensive Shipping changes. Who ever is in charge at EBay should be very concerned about the ever changing Higher Fees and the need to

to advance the cause of Auction Listings as compared to Fixed Price Items. Fixed Priced Items are Value Priced by the Vendor to Sell Immediately in a short period of time --- which benefits EBay ( Ebay gets paid immediately ) rather than waiting up to 7 Days.

My Listings Sell 10 to 1 in the Fixed Price Category over Auction Items. People are tired of waiting for Auction Items to close & want to Buy it NOW at a price they understand. Record profits have been achieved at EBay & Paypal, so why is there a constant need of Greed in Fees. So in closing , this Seller is pretty much finished with Ebay and its Dictionary of Fees & Rules.

deeeight · ‎04-07-2015

store accounts pay less fees (final value percentage wise as well as additional item listings/listing upgrades) than regular seller accounts. If you do at least $1500/mth in sales the min 1% reduction in final value fees pays for the basic store subscription. Hell in many categories the FVF is even lower. I do mainly sporting goods. As a non-store account I paid 10% FVF with a maximum fee of $750 but with a store its 9% with a $250 maximum. For any auto parts its 8%.

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/storefees.html