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From eBay fact sheet in seller centre:
"The auction insertion fees used to be $1.50 for items under $1.00 and $3.50 for items over $100. We have worked hard to streamline the pricing structure of auctions for our store sellers so that there is one rather than two prices, especially for categories that convert better using the Buy It Now function".
If this was indeed the case, then why do non-stores get access to FREE auctions ? If
What is the reason for this level of market interference ?
In the US store packages include FREE auctions in additional categories - and their market is far more flooded with the eligbile category than the Oz market is.
And pray tell.... how the heck has eBay worked hard to do this ? it had four selling platform options ... it still has four selling platforms ...
edited to ask why the heck did the size of my font end up so large ...
I didn't change any thing I did at my end ...
Micro-managing at its worst, IMHO.
Ridiculous and not remotely believeable eBay spin / excuses aside ("worked hard" to come up with $3 across the board?? holy wow, yeah that's real hard work, I'm surprised I'm not dead due to exhaustion from the days I've had to price my products, but I digress....), the end result is clear discouragement for stores to list as auctions, except in their (eBay's) selected categories. Granted, there may well be categories that convert better as BINs, but that doesn't categorically rule out a store from being consistently more (or even just as) successful with the auction format in other categories. I don't understand the harm in a store using whichever format fits their own business the most. 
@thecatspjs wrote:BINs sell better on eBay because they have driven the markeplace that way and killed the auction market in the process of pushing BINs.
I would not have such an issue with it, if stores were able to access the same 40 Free Auction Listings that non-store IDs have, without having to set up seperate IDs. Having to run multiple non-store IDs is just not good for small business growth (or their operators) to have to operate in this bizarre manner.
While this is true, auctions still work well on some products. I still regularly run auctions of collectibles on our non- store account and find they work much better than BINs. If the item is rare, the auction forces potential buyers to bid as they will miss out to some-one else if they don't. It puts a rigid time frame and sense of urgency on the buyer which is not so prevalent on BINS.
What direction is ebay pushing sellers into with the doubling of fees for auctions ?
I would guess that the majority of auctions are for used items, with BINS being well suited to new items. Combine this with recent ebay announcements encouraging sellers to move away from selling single listing items to multiple listing items ( more than one of the same product for sale ) and it appears ebay is upping the pressure on sellers of used, one off items in favour of new mass produced items.
It only takes a quick read of other threads to see the devastating effect these changes will have on some highly respected, proffesional sellers such as the seller who is found in Australia 
Ebay will be very much poorer, bland and boring if sellers such as this are forced from the platform..........
The changes are another nail in the coffin of my business model, along with many other sellers here I suspect. If sellers don't start taking the fairly obvious ebay hints now and make changes or move on, it could all get very uncomfortable for them very soon.
