Changes coming soon to eBay.com.au (14/08/2012)

[CmtyGuide@ebay.com]

This thread is to discuss the Changes coming soon to eBay.com.au

These changes include:

Enhanced functionality for multi-variation listings

Show your item location to increase buyer confidence

Greater 'Item Condition' clarity for buyers

Share your listings through your social network

Changes to Basic and Featured Store subscriptions

Please be advised, off-topic and/or disruptive posts may be deleted.

[thesoulyearns]

Any big business has a longterm plan. They do respond to market trends but they also know pretty much where they want to be. If eBay has done a 'bait & switch' then it was probably to try and get most people into the Featured store and stay with it, as others may have already said. Many won't, as they can't afford it. That probably doesn't matter to eBay. The big plan is likely to attract bigger sellers/businesses than most people here, who are raking in tons of cash for themselves & eBay. This is the longterm plan.

Small sellers can still do the 30 free listings a month, etc. Infact, I'd advise most people to do that. It's a great deal and at least they've allowed us the opportunity to do that. But the trend is shifting away from small store owners. eBay will take the loss as the potential future gains are (time will tell) far greater.

[missionsellit]

How do you incorporate the "Free Postage" price into the sale price if you sell worldwide, and the postage for say a 500gm item in australia actually costs $6.60, but to europe it is over $20, and god forbid over $25 to USA with the security surcharge ???

Seems to me if I price it to cover the possible sale to USA, I will never sell another item locally. Seems like ebay still haven't worked out 7.9% of no sale is still zero commission.

Ok ebay employees, hands up , whose prepared to admit they were the inventor of this stoopid idea, seems any item over 500gms and worth less than $30 won't get listed by me anytime soon.  But wait !!  that = no listing fee as well !! .

Really well thought out ebay.

Or did I miss something which makes me the dipstick.

[i-once-was-bump]

Offering free postage is a huge disadvantage to small sellers because obviously we have to recoup the costs through the cost of the item,  and also it will encourage timewasting change-of-mind buyers who will want to return something and get full refunds, without having the postage component non-refundable. 

That is just one of several reasons why I want to tell the truth to my buyers and that is that "postage is included in the price".

At the moment eBay only give the option of "free postage" which is a lie and I don't want to lie to my buyers however eBay don't mind if I tell lies to my buyers.

Why don't they want me to tell the truth?

Is it because I would then be able to negotiate a price if someone wants to pick up the item?

Is it because I would then be able to negotiate a price if someone wants several items combined shipping with a discount?

These negotiations would then show as "discounts" on the invoice and eBay would miss out on a few cents from each sale.

[lyndal1838]

Bump, I understood that sellers could not give discounts of more than the postage amount.

How could you give any discount if you are not showing a postage price at all.

I have been buying some items lately that sell for between $8 and $10 on average with about $7.50 postage.  Other sellers sell for $15 with free postage, which is fine if I buy only one. As I rarely buy one at a time it is better for me to go to a seller who will post 3 of the item with a combined postage rate of $7.50.

[digital*ghost]

It's not just the free postage, it's free postage with a 30 day, no questions asked, money back guarantee that eBay are encouraging.

I'm happy to take change of mind returns (though not up to 30 days), but I'm not going to pay (via postage) for buyers to have that privilege. Yes, I could have a 'restocking' fee, but funnily enough "restocking fees" are seen a lot less favourably than a policy of refund of purchase price only (it's that perception thing again).

If eBay seriously wanted stores to meet buyer expectations, instead of making them unaffordable, they need to actually put in some work into site and make sure their policies are upheld. If they truly cared about the buyer's experience, they would stop sellers from letting buyers expect an item is located in Australia when it's being dropshipped from overseas. They would stop all the ".925 sterling silver plated" and "solid gold filled" listings. These sort of things are far more important issues than whether someone can expect an item in one or two days instead of four.

[thesoulyearns]

It's not just the free postage, it's free postage with a 30 day, no questions asked, money back guarantee that eBay are encouraging.

I'm happy to take change of mind returns (though not up to 30 days), but I'm not going to pay (via postage) for buyers to have that privilege...

Do you mean that you won't pay for their return postage back to you or you won't lose the fees via the "free postage"? Just did a bit of reading and on any purchase, eBay stipulates to the buyer on the Order page that the buyer must pay return shipping for returns.

Now, whether the seller can get their FVF back through simple change of mind after paying and receiving the item is another thing. They should, just as sellers get their FVF back for unpaid within 30 days or so of opening a dispute.

[ausfast]

Do you mean that you won't pay for their return postage back to you or you won't lose the fees via the "free postage"? Just did a bit of reading and on any purchase, eBay stipulates to the buyer on the Order page that the buyer must pay return shipping for returns.

I think they mean refunding the original cost to post to item to the customer would have to be refunded as well.

If you sold an item for $20 + $6 post, and the customer returned the item then you could say that you only refund the item cost of $20 not the postage.

However, when an item has been priced as $26 Free postage and the customer returns the item, it is difficult to do a partial refund as the customer as the impression that the postage cost to them was "Free" so they would want a FULL refund.

The other issue I have found with refunds in regards to FVF credit is ebay refunds your FVF if the transaction has been mutually cancelled, which CAN be done only if you have given a FULL refund. (Shows the total order price to be $0.00).

If a partial refund has been given I a not sure what actually happens to the FVF that you pay for the transaction...

[digital*ghost]

Do you mean that you won't pay for their return postage back to you or you won't lose the fees via the "free postage"? Just did a bit of reading and on any purchase, eBay stipulates to the buyer on the Order page that the buyer must pay return shipping for returns.

Now, whether the seller can get their FVF back through simple change of mind after paying and receiving the item is another thing. They should, just as sellers get their FVF back for unpaid within 30 days or so of opening a dispute.

ausfast is correct, for a change of mind return my policy is that the buyer is responsible for return postage and that they will receive a refund of the item price only. But if the item price includes the cost of postage and I refund in full, I have essentially paid the original postage, so I would have to complicate my policies further by adding a restocking fee  - some buyers will assuredly understand why, but many will not. (For faulty or not as described items, my policy is to refund in full, including any return postage).

I accepted a change of mind return several months ago and refunded the purchase price to the buyer. The item was showing as partially refunded in My eBay, but after I sent (and the buyer agreed to) a mutual canecellation of the transaction, my FVF was refunded in full, so I assume the same would apply if the item had been 'free' post and a partial refund given.

[thesoulyearns]

Nice work, Angie. Killed two birds with one stone there. eBay only mentions a full refund to qualify for a FVF credit (see link below) but we can assume from your experience that aslong as a mutual cancellation happens within the specified timeframe, your FVF is fully refunded. Does PP also refund their fees for returns/cancellations?

Here's what eBay says about FVF credit:

Receiving a Final Value Fee credit: To receive a Final Value Fee credit to your seller's account, you need to open and close a case in our Resolution Centre (Giving your buyer a refund doesn't automatically result in a Final Value Fee credit). Depending on how you close the case, you may receive a Final Value Fee credit. For more about the credit, see receiving a Final Value Fee credit.

Here's more on how to qualify for a FVF credit: http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/sell/credits.html

[ausfast]

I didn't know ebay allowed you to cancel a partially refunded transaction.

I usually just don't bother getting FVF back with partially refunded transactions, Will look closer next time.

Does PP also refund their fees for returns/cancellations?

Yes, when using the correct refund button in the paypal transaction page it shows the fees that are also returned back to you. Even for partial refunds, if you refunded 50%, they wil refund 50% of your PP fees.