Discussion with eBay Canada Country Manager, Sept. 15, 3:00-4:00 PM ET

[carly@ebay.com]

Please join us on Thursday, September 15, from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT for a general discussion and question and answer session with Jordan, the eBay Canada Country Manager. Jordan will be here on behalf of the eBay Canada team to answer any questions you have about eBay.

If you are not able to attend, but want to leave some questions in advance please post them here, and you can check back later for answers. This thread will remain open until the workshop is over on Sept 15.

Hope you can join us!
Carly

[33nhl]

hello

i have noticed that in the past year all ebay fees listing or selling have gone up.
can you please explain why.. the way i see it by raising all your fees your are pushing away sellers from ebay to other online sites tah dont charge as much as ebay.

2) BUY NOW option was free then ebay started charging a few cents for that option which i dont mind BUT when you turn around and charge a %percentage of the buy now price that's an over kill..

I think ebay should really look at all ther fees and change most of them in order to keep and get more sellers iether wise you will be loosing alot of them to other online sites, becuase with out sellers you are not going to have buyers...

[a_username_not_taken]

hello

i have noticed that in the past year all ebay fees listing or selling have gone up.
can you please explain why.. the way i see it by raising all your fees your are pushing away sellers from ebay to other online sites tah dont charge as much as ebay.

2) BUY NOW option was free then ebay started charging a few cents for that option which i dont mind BUT when you turn around and charge a %percentage of the buy now price that's an over kill..

I think ebay should really look at all ther fees and change most of them in order to keep and get more sellers iether wise you will be loosing alot of them to other online sites, becuase with out sellers you are not going to have buyers...
_______________________________


I AGREE, EBAY FEES ARE RIDICULOUS

[delivery37]

I think we are all feeling the crunch of higher shipping fees as well.

I know that bigger companies are charged less for shipping due to the volume they ship.

Would eBay Canada consider representing the Powersellers with Canada Post to negotiate a better rate? It could be run with the "Preferred Small Business Venture One" program. All we would like to to be able to pool the volume.

Buck Macklin
http://stores.ebay.com/bucks-hobby-store

[bicycale]

Hi,
I'm a Canadian user accustomed to US-Canada transactions. When selling, I'm strongly requesting that the the 2 shipping tiers be changed from 1. within your own country, and 2. "International". Given the commonality of US-Canada transactions, it would be very useful if US and Canada users were prompted for the purpose of encouraging mindfulness when selling an item, to 3 Tiers of shipping rates: 1. within your country, 2. between US-Canada, 3. International.

Approximately 50% of US sellers are mindful of the fact that shipping to Canada costs more than within the US, BUT, is less than shipping Internationally. The other 50% lump you into International, and often quote you completely ridiculous shipping amounts, because they consider Canada as "International" due to either their disinterest in obtaining an accurate quote, or their limited geographical knowledge.
This would also cut down on that one repetitive email that I'm sure many of us Canadians constantly send: "How much is shipping to Canada".:-) I'm sure I've sent that question to US sellers hundreds of times.

I look forward to a response. Thanks.

transpyrenean

[jakeeangel]

I wanted to ask if you had a hand in making Canada Post realize the importance of the "little" eBayer? If you did - GOOD FOR YOU!!! I know lots of people emailed and called MP's and CP too but they almost never listen to the little guy. I don't know that this could have happened without someone big knocking on their door.

I have a question about Non-paying bidders. If someone emails a seller and says they won't be paying for the item or it's a fraudulent buyer with no intentions of paying, why do we have to wait 7 days to file UPI and then another 10 for the FVF? Is there not a way to speed up the process? Is there going to be an option in the future to file a UPI right away?

I'm thinking of one that will give the buyer a strike not the mutual withdrawal arrangement. Despite the safeguards there are some eBayers that maliciously go around bidding on items or buying them with no intention of paying for them. The long waiting period allows them to continue to wreak havoc on the eBay site and disrupt other sellers. :(

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Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

[jakeeangel]

I also wanted to express my interest in having Mission Fish or a similar organization so that Canadians can donate to charities like our American counterparts can. We can't do that right now on the .ca site. I'd like to know why and when that is going to change?

I heard on eBay radio yesterday, because I asked, that we are next on the list for Mission Fish but when will it be done? I also would like to know what we are to do in the interim to donate proceeds from our sales to worthy causes? I don't see a way that Canadians can legally do that now. Another pink suggested I list on .ca and donate but I don't see a way to do it that is eBay legal. It's a major hassle to get written permission from an organization to post in your listings. Any suggestions?

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Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

[pierrelebel]

My next question concerns ProStores.

Somehow, the Home page at eBay.com offers a link to ProStores (under "More eBay Sites"):
http://www.prostores.com/

while the Home page at eBay.ca is silent about ProStores.

If you enter "prostores" in the HELP link (on top of every page at eBay.ca) you get:
"Sorry, no topics were found for "prostores" "

Is eBay.ca staff and management involved at all with ProStores or is that left to eBay.com only?

The information about ProStores suggests that Canadian sellers are welcome. Do you know of Canadian sellers who have joined the program and are satisfied with the results?

Has ProStores managed to offer a checkout system compatible to Canadian consumption taxes (GST/HST and PST), something that eBay.ca has not yet been able to do?

Is there any information you or your staff can provide specifically for Canadian sellers to help us make up our mind on that new program?

[jordanb@ebay.com]

Hi Everyone,

Glad to be back and visiting a new board to answer some questions today. Let's begin.

[jordanb@ebay.com]

Hi 33nhl,

eBay carefully evaluates the pricing structure and, from time to time, determines that some prices should be increased and others should be reduced. We believe that these changes are the right thing to do to ensure the continued success of eBay and the vibrancy of the eBay marketplace. These changes will allow us to provide our members with an even more valuable marketplace and help them become more successful in the future.

Essentially, by balancing the levels of supply and demand we are better able to provide optimal experiences for buyers and sellers alike. At the same time we continue to invest heavily in the technology that runs the eBay platform in order to provide the features and functionalities that encompass the Community's needs and desires.

[jordanb@ebay.com]

delivery37,

As a Canadian seller myself, I too am frustrated with high shipping costs and we are obviously not alone. We are in discussions with Canada Post to try and reduce the shipping costs for eBay sellers and should have more to report on this by early 2006.

[jordanb@ebay.com]

Hi transpyrenean,

Great suggestion and it is one that we are currently investigating in our continued efforts to make cross-border trade easier and more intuitive.

[jordanb@ebay.com]

Hi jakeeangel,

We are as excited as you are that Canada Post has changed their plans. We certainly were in constant communication with them about this issue but it was the powerful voice of the Canadian eBay Community that really convinced them. The most senior executives at Canada Post began reading our community's comments as our collective voice got louder. Not only were they blown away by the passion and dedication of the Community but they also recognized the negative economic effect this could have on Canadian eBay sellers.

As an aside, one of our main goals is to make the eBay economics more attractive for Canadian sellers and we think this latest decision by Canada Post really helps in that regard.

[jakeeangel]

Hi Jordan!

Any info on the NPB or Charity auctions questions?

Thanks,
Debbi

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Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

[jordanb@ebay.com]

Hi jakeeangel and pierrelebel,

With respect to your questions/suggestions regarding UPI as well as ProStores, let me ask Rodney (one of our Product Pinks) to respond as he is much more knowledgeable on these topics than I am.

[jordanb@ebay.com]

jakeeangel,

With respect to bringing the Missionfish/Giving Works program to Canada, we agree that it would be beneficial for Canadian sellers and charities alike. Right now we don't have an exact date for this to happen but we will be sure to let you know when it does.

Until then, if you do wish to donate all or part of your proceeds to Charity you are required to have prior written approval from the specific charity and to include a scan of that approval letter in your listing.

Clearly, this is not an ideal process, and everyone in our office recognizes and is committed to making it easier for our users to donate proceeds to their charities of choice. Stay tuned and please bear with us in the interim.

[jordanb@ebay.com]

Thanks for all of your questions today & see you soon.

Jordan

[carly@ebay.com]

Pierrelebel,

In follow-up to your questions about ProStores, you have a good suggestion to add some content regarding ProStores to the eBay.ca site, because it is a very exciting product offering, and something we will schedule for future development.