The Other Shoe Finally Drops

[digital*ghost]

Most sellers will probably wake up to the email, but since I'm up I thought I'd mention part 2 of the reduced fees and other changes introduced recently...

Featured store $49.95 per month (no more basic store, so that's the minimum your store will cost) - from September 15.

I'm figuring that's going to get the most attention, but there's a few other bits and pieces worthy of attention - new standards for TRS, variant format introduced to more categories... An Item Condition clarification field...formerly know as the description (I wonder if the option to create an HTML description page will eventually be gone?)

Interesting stuff, to say the least.

[digital*ghost]

Just on the practical side of things, a store maintaining around 125 individual listings will essentially be in the same position as before the change in terms of basic fees paid (or slightly better off considering the reduced FVF). Stores maintaining over that number of listings will still be better off than when stores were $19.95 and 40c insertion fees because (near as I could tell) insertion fees are remaining at 20c. Number of listings may change when the variant format is extended to other categories (sorely needed in jewellery, home furnishings and craft supplies, so I hope all of those get them).

Of course, as dave pointed out, that only applies to stores selling non-media items. Book, music, DVD etc sellers just keep having to pay more. >_>

[22kaz22]

Ebay have finally admitted they are all for the big sellers, those who have shops and large businesses and don't want to know about those of us who got them to this position. I have sold for many years on Ebay and they were happy enough to take my money left right and centre for all their fees and increases. I generally have more than 300 books listed each month - how kind of them to suggest a piddly 30 per month may be auctioned 'for free' if I don't mind get 99c for something that costs than that in the first place!

Thanks Ebay for your support of the little person who is just trying to survive. I too will be returning to the other place where sales are slow but they don't cost me money, I might actually make some.

[digital*ghost]

I found this is more distubing than fee increase.

Changes to the eBay Top-rated seller program
As buyer expectations continue to evolve, the eBay Top-rated seller program needs to keep pace. In 2013, a number of changes will be introduced to the seller standards program on eBay.com.au. Listings from Top-rated sellers that provide these buyer experiences - including 0-1 day handling time, free postage with an express postage option and 30-day money back returns, will receive higher rankings within best match.

Learn more about how to get ready for the changes coming in 2013.

I may have to close my store when it happens next year.

The TRS stuff concerns me, too. In the above paragraph, they make it sound like TRS will still be based on the DSRs you get, but if you provide certain services then your listings will get a greater boost in Best Match than another TRS that has a 2 day handling time... But when you read the info via the link, it's clear they'll be changing the critreria by which a seller can qualify. If you can't be a TRS unless you offer free postage, 30-day returns and a 0-1 day handling time, I almost don't see the point in the TRS mantle at all - it's basically eBay dictating to buyers what they should expect as top service, the implication being that those who don't/can't are providing sub-standard servce.

It also looks like they'll be introducing the automatic returns system, where a buyer can select "Return this item" from the dropdown menu in their purchase history rather than contact the seller directly.

[lane-ends]

i like the free post push again, and 30 day money back guarantee. So they want you to refund the" free" post, and loan the item out for free for 30 days?

Store fee rise was obvious, though I am surprised at the amount.

i guess they are saying get serious or get out.

[kokomobua]

It's such a shame, ebay just seem to keep chewing off their own noses.

I remember when I first joined ebay (well over 12 years ago) as a buyer. Gee I loved it, the weird, wild and wacky things that you could buy, stuff that you would never find in a million years in a B&M store.  For years I did almost all of my "stuff" shopping on ebay, such treasures to be found! I trumpeted ebay's praises from the rooftops to all my friends and family. "Wow, where did you get that?" - "Ebay!!")

Nowadays it is 90% generic plastic crap that can be found in 100 B&M stores and on thousands of websites.

The unique stuff that used to be all over ebay is now most likely being sold at local garage sales and markets, or festering in people's attics and basements. I find I am buying less and less on ebay (and I used to be a HUGE buyer) and turning more to places like gumtree (although I am sure they will be bringing in fees there at some stage, too), local markets, car boot sales and even "real-life" auctions.

When I search for stuff on ebay I am finding less and less offerings - I used to have to trawl through 10s and 100s of pages to view all the cool stuff, now there are only one or two pages when I search my specifics.

By the time sellers add postage costs and enough to cover all their ebay/paypal fees and the cost of the item itself, prices of the new stuff are becoming just as expensive as the B&M stores.

Ebay is trying far too hard to replicate Amazon, instead of concentrating on the unique marketplace it originally started out as.

I think on Sept. 14 I will pull all my listings and close my store, and do the local market on a Sunday morning instead.   To be honest, I'm totally over the rude impatient buyers, packaging awkward parcels and lugging it all up to the post office.

There's no fun here anymore.  It used to be fun selling and buying here, now the selling is just a chore, so if I sell at the local markets I have only one day of pain, a $15 flat fee regardless of what I sell and the rest of the week off.  The way sales are here lately, I don't see any great loss. Actually I'm kind of grateful, it's given me the boot up the backside I needed to stop trading on ebay and start the local markets.

[jensmanchester-australia]

The cost for a featured store was reduced to $24.95 when the new store fees came out in May.

The basic store is now going to be removed but the featured store will be staying at the $24.95 price.

With the removable of the basic store there will only be two options for stores:

Featured for $24.95 a month or Anchor store at $499.95 a month.

[kokomobua]

Jen, as I understand it, featured store is going up to $49.95 a month on Sept. 15

[syrupsmummy]

This is a copy of the email I received this morning.

Important fee changes to Basic and Featured Store subscriptions

Basic and Featured Store subscription fees
From 15 September, the monthly subscription fee for Featured (and until it's retired, Basic) Stores will increase from $24.95 to $49.95.

This increase has become necessary as the fee changes made earlier this year (most of which were reductions) incentivised more sellers than expected to take advantage of Stores pricing. Buyers have different expectations about the service they receive when dealing with businesses compared to individual sellers, and Stores on eBay have become the easiest way for buyers to identify a business.

This new subscription fee is aimed at allowing the more serious businesses on eBay to continue operating a Store, while individual sellers should consider taking advantage of the 30 free listings* available every month.

We encourage you to consider operating a Store if you are running a business on eBay.com.au.

Find out more.

[sparkes9669]

This isn't good for buyers either. The base costs for a store increase the base price for items being sold.

Smaller reputable sellers will be tempted to have several accounts to take advantage of the free listings and will become lost amongst the less reputable sellers. So the risk of buying from a small shonk operation increases as harder to identify based on length of time trading etc.

If anything this could help traffic to the other trading sites particularly as they advertise here on ebay in the banner adds.

I feel sorry for sellers sometimes.

This is one of those times. 😞

[jensmanchester-australia]

This is a copy of the email I received this morning.

Important fee changes to Basic and Featured Store subscriptions

Basic and Featured Store subscription fees
From 15 September, the monthly subscription fee for Featured (and until it's retired, Basic) Stores will increase from $24.95 to $49.95.

This increase has become necessary as the fee changes made earlier this year (most of which were reductions) incentivised more sellers than expected to take advantage of Stores pricing. Buyers have different expectations about the service they receive when dealing with businesses compared to individual sellers, and Stores on eBay have become the easiest way for buyers to identify a business.

This new subscription fee is aimed at allowing the more serious businesses on eBay to continue operating a Store, while individual sellers should consider taking advantage of the 30 free listings* available every month.

We encourage you to consider operating a Store if you are running a business on eBay.com.au.

Find out more.

Thanks for that. They never sent me that email so apologies for my previous post with the incorrect information.

That is very unfair. Seems to be just another push to remove the smaller casual sellers from eBay.

It has been obvious over the last couple of years that eBay really don't want the smaller sellers so this is just another way of making it harder for them.