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]

They tried that (mandatory free postage in select categories) in the UK.... It didn't work and was fairly quickly changed, but still...they've now set up a system where you either "choose" to have listings with free postage, or accept the consequences in terms of lower BM rankings.

Yep... makes sense as far as the theory goes of eBay trying to replicate other online shopping stores/malls.

[suitcase_of_memories]

Hi Jillywinkle, thanks for taking the time to read my comments & empathising ! 

What gives me hope in this day & age is the fact that Internet Selling/Buying can only GET BIGGER ........ so ebay has had the market to itself all these years, but now that most of the world accepts this IS the new shopping experience more & more 'ebay's' will open & then they will regret all the lack of loyalty they have displayed toward the very people who were responsible for establishing their name as a household word......we will all dump them for a more loyal auction site.

Regarding FREE POSTAGE,how on earth can a seller incorporate Free Postage into their ITEM PRICE when it could end up being sent anywhere in the world........even the cost from Australian State to State can be quite different, so there is NO WAY a buyer can cover offer FREE POSTAGE without losing both on postage & in MORE FEES TO EBAY & PAYLAP !

They certainly haven't informed me that they've deposited that $1,000.000.00 in my paypal account  for the business concept of a 2nd site purely for vintage & antiques !!!!!!

Re Powerseller status, I was lumbered with it like many others who WERE NOT trying for it, funny, not long after they were so generous with Powerseller handouts they introduced the 30 Free Listings ... .which as we all now Power Sellers are exempt from taking any advantage of.

The people running these businesses all grew up on the Michael Douglas credo of 'Greed IS Good'.....integrity, loyalty & similar words will all be obsolete soon. How sad !!!

[suitcase_of_memories]

dazzleday, thanks for the giggle !!!!

'I am in reluctant agreement with the many other previous posters that this may be a cash grab, which I find hard to believe as eBay has, in the past, always behaved in such an honourable, staightforward and enlightened way'

[thesoulyearns]

Regarding FREE POSTAGE,how on earth can a seller incorporate Free Postage into their ITEM PRICE when it could end up being sent anywhere in the world........even the cost from Australian State to State can be quite different, so there is NO WAY a buyer can cover offer FREE POSTAGE without losing both on postage & in MORE FEES TO EBAY & PAYLAP !

eBay knows it's financially risky for the seller to suggest free postage internationally because it can differ so much. That's why they don't have that checkbox next to the international rates but do for the local service. If you think about it, this new pressure to use free postage started long ago by having that checkbox. This is now an extension of that. In a few years, we'll most likely see an extension of the current settings and so it continues until we're all using free postage as standard.

Eventually they will probably promote free international postage too, once their service is more streamlined and they've tested out the "encouraged" free postage locally first.

[davewil1964]

I suspect 'free' postage will never be mandatory here. If they could impose it, they already would have, as they have in the US (or FVF on postage; same thing).

I offer 'free' postage on items that are cheap to send, but I certainly have no interest in paying eBay 65c+ to include it on parcel stuff.

As far as 'best' match goes, I can't imagine there are really that many buyers out there who would be mug enough to use it. My buyers, at a guess, don't, otherwise I wouldn't sell anything.

[jillywinkle]

What gives me hope in this day & age is the fact that Internet Selling/Buying can only GET BIGGER ........ so ebay has had the market to itself all these years, but now that most of the world accepts this IS the new shopping experience more & more 'ebay's' will open & then they will regret all the lack of loyalty they have displayed toward the very people who were responsible for establishing their name as a household word......we will all dump them for a more loyal auction site.

No worries suitcase, I totally agree & this whole shebang, is a bit of a grieving process for us to go through. The ship jumpers, such as myself that is.

On the other hand it's terribly exciting and inspiring to be moving on finally. As you put it so well, the internet is THE future of shopping & ebay is actually becoming a bit old fashioned, if you get my drift.

In the last 12 months, I've noticed incredible changes & ease of access to great software, marketing tools, useful information from geeks to lame ducks such as myself...access to html & new sites popping up offering artists, artisans etc specific website software & hosting for ecommerce.

Moving at a very fast pace. Ebay is going it's own funny old way & those who cut their online baby teeth here, will succeed elsewhere...so thanks ebay 🙂 it's been fun & it's been grand selling things here, I have now not to treat customers, how to be professional, gleaned tons of information etc...

[vickibob50]

I have never put pen to paper before, but I too am unhappy with ebay!!!!!!

Twice I have had a store, back in 1990's and now. I am a hobby seller who has made ebay great, lots of my money has gone their way.

I have had sales and run my stock down was about to reopen with bigger improved store, but not sure what to do now.  Markets are not for me, due to disability. But where else can I sell online with the same exposure??

Also I am waiting to hear replies from ebay to all the questions....

[thesoulyearns]

Twice I have had a store, back in 1990's and now. I am a hobby seller who has made ebay great, lots of my money has gone their way.

I have had sales and run my stock down was about to reopen with bigger improved store, but not sure what to do now.  Markets are not for me, due to disability. But where else can I sell online with the same exposure??

Also I am waiting to hear replies from ebay to all the questions....

Going back on my word here but anyway...

Something that seems to be popular with Stores is the 30-day listings. One way to replicate that with the casual seller, "30-free-listings a month" account is to open a number of different accounts. Whether eBay will allow this, technically, I can't be certain. But if they do, then you can run the free 10-day listings (the maximum time per individual listing), list 10 items per month on each account, use Selling Manager (for free), and assign the Rule that if they don't sell within the 10-day period, they are automatically re-listed. So, it's like a store in a way. It would take a bit of tweaking but if you put in the effort, I bet you could work out a way to make the casual seller status into a replicate store.

[thesoulyearns]

This and the previous reply is to Vickibob. Just fixed the quote...

Twice I have had a store, back in 1990's and now. I am a hobby seller who has made ebay great, lots of my money has gone their way.

I have had sales and run my stock down was about to reopen with bigger improved store, but not sure what to do now.  Markets are not for me, due to disability. But where else can I sell online with the same exposure??

Also I am waiting to hear replies from ebay to all the questions.... 

Going back on my word here but anyway...

Something that seems to be popular with Stores is the 30-day listings. One way to replicate that with the casual seller, "30-free-listings a month" account is to open a number of different accounts. Whether eBay will allow this, technically, I can't be certain. But if they do, then you can run the free 10-day listings (the maximum time per individual listing), list 10 items per month on each account, use Selling Manager (for free), and assign the Rule that if they don't sell within the 10-day period, they are automatically re-listed. So, it's like a store in a way. It would take a bit of tweaking but if you put in the effort, I bet you could work out a way to make the casual seller status into a replicate store.

[vickibob50]

Thank you, but I am a power seller and what alot of trouble when I normally have over 500 listings. But I will take this information into consideration.