I opened a basic store last month to get used to having a store and learn to use the features, as opposed to waiting until May 1st.
So, overall I have found it to be great so far. I seem to have more traffic having all my items in one central location with an identity. I have had an increase in multiple purchases from buyers.
However, I have used up about half of my 300 free listings already. I didn't expect to, but with the new 'Buy Now" at 30%, I have been listing a lot of auctions and corresponding fixed price listings instead of having a huge price gap for an item on one listing. (For items under $20 it is too big of a gap for me).
So, I am going through more listings quicker than I am used to. I was starting to think I should probably have a Premium store; with 1000 free listings per month I wont have to worry or watch how many I have left. I can list shorter durations to keep higher up in best match searches. Also the other little benefits like cheaper fixed price and cheaper insertion fees if you go over your free listings, and selling manager pro, etc...
So, I upgraded my account this morning. Thinking it would kind of roll into the bigger package.
This is what happened and my theory...
The balance of my basic store free listings for both .ca and .com are still there in my promotions section.
After listing a few items since opening the Premium store today, it is now also showing the balance of the 500 free listings for both .com and .ca. Free listings are being deducted from each of the 500 now.
I am now assuming, since I started the month with the basic store, I will/have been charged for it, and I get to keep the balance of the unused listings. I will also be charged the full (pro-rated?) price for May for the Premium store, and have the whole month to use up the free listings that come with it. If it is pro-rated, I guess that's just the cost of the store, I still got the full 500 listings for each site.
Someone asked a while ago if they will deduct the number of used listings from the upgraded store free listings if you upgrade to a larger store.
The answer is no. It seems you will pay the fees for opening both stores that month and get all the associated listings you paid for. I am assuming that if I blow through the 500 x 500, I will still have the balance of the 150 +150. I probably won't find out because I doubt I will use up the whole 1000 listings between now and the end of the month.
I am thinking it's probably not smart to upgrade your store in the middle of your subscription month. When is the best time to upgrade? Is it possible to avoid being double charged?
Probably should have come here first before pulling the trigger on the Premium store...
