Changes to meet buyer demand on eBay.com.au (26/07/2011)

[CmtyGuide@ebay.com]

Changes to meet buyer demand on eBay.com.au (26/07/2011)

This thread is to discuss with other eBay members the **Changes to meet buyer demand on eBay.com.au** announcement made on 26/07/2011.

These changes include:
· Changes to fees on eBay.com.au
· Introduction of eBay Top Rated Sellers

Please feel free to use this thread to ask any questions you may have about these upcoming changes, as well as other changes mentioned in the announcement.

Please remember, eBay Community Guides are here help you find what you need on eBay Forums but cannot offer advice pertaining to other areas of eBay or engage in conversation. You can find more information about eBay Discussion boards and how they work here: Discussion Board's Help Page

[blue*nile]

Hey Blue*nile
What do you mean by "just when you think you have seen it all?" and yes paypal did help as i had all the proof i needed and my account is now unfrozen, it was just a shock as i was down internet access last week for 48hrs and in that time the buyer had almost hit the final step in the refund process. and the thing is that it's not a $2.50 item more like 2k.

I have seen seller after seller crumble and still ebay are only thinking of the buyer, i do understand where buyers are comeing from but also understand if you make all the right choices as a buyer ie seller item and finally and most importantly pay with paypal if you don't get your item you will get your money back.

hi.. i was referring to what happened to you re the item being at the po & you not being at fault at all..

you didnt mention it had gone your way in the end .. so i was in sympathy for you

:)

[blue*nile]

.../...
& I should have added: eBay retain a WHOPPING 20% of the value of the final bid when I list, as I had always done, with 'feature plus' -so that my art does not disappear in a sea of foreign 'carp'-, i.e. my Pro Hart painting sells for $500, I give eBay over $100 (even before PayPal fees, if the buyer decides to pay with this eBay owned mean of payment), between the coloured, bold, surround, etc... the exhorbitant 'category featured listing' -$49.95, now, used to be prior to Sept 2011, $19.95...- and the obscene FVF almost $40.00 ! Add to this the cost of an original work of art by a legend the likes of Pro HArt, not really cheap, the cost of the framing (qualkity will cost another $100, minimum), and here you have it: I now WORK my a... out for... eBay ... Or, will I ???

while i agree with most of the disgust expressed by sellers re ebay tactics & profit raking .. i am merely saying .. we do have a choice as to make money with them or elsewhere ..

and if by using ebay the money made is more than elsewhere (after fees) then it is difficult to walk away from that ..

they know what they have here , they know there are few to equal the exposure & member rate of purchasing so they can in fact charge what they want, given the seller makes a profit they possibly expect that people will grudgingly put up with it .. to a point .. im sure with all the money they must spend on marketing & surveys they have an idea to what point they can push people to before they will quit ..

i am not disputing the fees are high , possibly excessively high .. i dont know i havent sold elsewhere with lower fees & had the same sell rate ..

so its hard to compare them with ebay .

i am just saying .. people will leave but ebay know they will soon be replaced..they know their seller turnover ..

possibly other sites are cheaper re fees but at what cost to a sellers profit ..

thanks

[pricelessbooksandrecords]

while i agree with most of the disgust expressed by sellers re ebay tactics & profit raking .. i am merely saying .. we do have a choice as to make money with them or elsewhere ..

and if by using ebay the money made is more than elsewhere (after fees) then it is difficult to walk away from that ..

they know what they have here , they know there are few to equal the exposure & member rate of purchasing so they can in fact charge what they want, given the seller makes a profit they possibly expect that people will grudgingly put up with it .. to a point .. im sure with all the money they must spend on marketing & surveys they have an idea to what point they can push people to before they will quit ..

i am not disputing the fees are high , possibly excessively high .. i dont know i havent sold elsewhere with lower fees & had the same sell rate ..

so its hard to compare them with ebay .

i am just saying .. people will leave but ebay know they will soon be replaced..they know their seller turnover ..

possibly other sites are cheaper re fees but at what cost to a sellers profit ..

thanks

NO, blue*nile, it is NOT WORKING AT ALL for eBay in my category -art- in Australia (I must qualify), lucky PayPal makes up for the loss opf profits, in fact we are, ourselves, selling ten times less than we used to (in volumes and $ value, between two id's) and only three or four serious sellers of quality art are left, I could name tens of serious sellers who used to sell on eBay and now sell on other -Australian- platforms. Also, I feel for poor maxeaus, above, yes, I dont know what category he/she is writing about, but, yes, eBay is the place for counterfeit goods, and fakes and misleading description, why? eBay do not 'verify' their members, sellers/buyers (anyone can open an account with eBay with any details, any address, any email address...) , and eBay do not invest in their business as they should, to have specialists sort out the fakes from the genuine goods, there are solutions to your problem, maxeaus, but GREED, once again, prevent eBay from implementing them...

[deanswrx]

Hey blue*nile thanks i do agree with some of what you said but not all as i do sympathise with myartdeli as i am in a similar catergory and have purchased a prohart in my time on ebay..I made sure it came from reputable seller and had a certificate of authenticity with them..
In my case the seller was good enough to put a photo of the cert in the auction, So i phoned the gallery to authenticate it prior to purchase, Since the sale 3 years ago i have not seen another one pop up on Ebay since..

Also from what i can see myartdeli you are passing up many a good sale with the line "second chance offers will not be sent on this item." but then i notice you try to sell the same item the month after and it does not sell for $28 when the month before it sold $150 another sold for almost $630, one month later it sold for $505 thats good money passing you buy imo.

what i am trying to say in genreal is that sometimes sellers use words to there advantage ie rare scarce but then after seeing the item listed and sell week after week... price doesnt even really come into a rare item its how much you see it and how highly demanded it is..Sellers need to think from a buyer perspective this happens all the time and hence these items are really not very rare scarce or limited..However you then have the situation where you finally get something that is ultra rare and highly demanded but because rare is in 500 or more listings above yours..your listings are now lost in the sea of 'rare' items. .

[pricelessbooksandrecords]

we are talking FEES deanswrx, THE NEW EXHORBITANT FEES eBay now charge sellers who list with 'category featured' and add the 'add-ons' so that their listing can be seen by prospective buyers. What do YOU think of the new listing fees and FVF, yourself? What we sell at the moment are originals, yes, and they ALL SELL EVERY TIME, what you see are ALL DIFFERENT in fact, unknown to you, they look very similar, but check the EDITION NUMBER of the one SOLD & THE DETAILS IN THE WATER-COLOURING, ALL DIFFERENT THEY ARE (the water-colours are over etchings in limited editions, that is why). And YES, WE DO NOT SEND 2nd CHANCE OFFERS, WHY, you may wonder? Because it ressures the buyer, he knows it is 'firmly' sold to HIM, or HER... An old eBay strategy which reinforces the fact that the buyer entered into a serious contract with us when he won the item, we will not 'flog' it to someone else... And what we sel,l. is rarem because they are originals, signed by Pro HArt, and Pro Hart passed away in 2006, hence will not execute, nor sign any more...

[deanswrx]

Hi myartdeli sorry i did go off the topic abit but seen $$$ passing u by and you must tell me where you got that ebay stratergy from was it PESA.
And really there should be more buyer satisfaction if you second chance and state that you have #s 15/20 for example and if it reaches the desired price you will offer more.

And i was refering to you as being the seller of the real rare items not all the other jokers.

This is what i think about the new and old ebay listing fees fvf's add on and featureds..I think its a joke that people have to PAY for more exposure..As this is the service ebay provide us regardless..This is the reason 99% of sellers are going out of business or are already as they keep following what ebay is telling them to do...You should not have to PAY to be SEEN!! I think its a joke that people fall into the trap of lavish exposure..I can tell you all right now it makes no difference what way you list it..How it comes up in search, what page its on and feedback has nothing to do with it...At the end of the day if it is a item of high demand or is extremely rare regardless of any contributing factors or your standing in search results you will be found and you get the end result just as good as someone who has added all the glitz and glamour.. you cant search by seller who paid the most fees or who featured the most items or by featured items, so i think its just a gimmick and an expensive one at that ..

[pricelessbooksandrecords]

WANT A LAUGH?
eBay rate my performance as follow (Copied & pasted):
" Your performance standards on the last evaluation are STANDARD "

NOW, MY PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS ARE AS FOLLOW:
Average detailed seller ratings Your average Low ratings
(1s and 2s)
Item as described 4.98 0.00% (0)
Communication 5.00 0.00% (0)
Postage time 4.98 0.00% (0)
Postage and handling charges 4.97 0.00% (0)
Ratings are based on your feedback received globally

WHICH MEANS IN ACTUAL FACT THAT THE STARS INDICATING MY PERFORMANCE AS A SELLER (ABOVE DETAILED FEEDBACK) ARE ALL FULLY COLOURED, THE FIVE STARS FOR THE FOUR PARAMETERS ARE IN THE SOLID GOLD COLOUR, CANNOT BE BETTER I SUPPOSE, SO, eBay , PLEASE TELL ME:
IS MY PERFOMANCE REALLY 'AVERAGE'? ARE YOU MAKING THIS UP BASED ON OTHER CRITERIAS YOU KEEP FOR YOURSELF, YOU WON'T DISCLOSE TO OUR BUYERS? WHAT ARE THOSE OBSCURE CRITERIAS? HOW CAN I IMPROVE IN REGARD TO MY CUSTOMERS? WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? AND DO NOT TELL ME I SHOULD SELL MORE/YEAR, DO NOT 'INCENTIVISE' ME, PLEASE, THE NUMBER OF ITEMS SOLD/YEAR DO NOT BENEFIT BUYERS, IT BENEFITS YOU !

YES, WOULD BE LAUGHABLE IF WAS NOT ANOTHER OF eBay PATHETIC & BIZARRE SCHEME, AGAIN... YOU DESTROY OUR BRAINS, OUR INTEGRITY, eBay MANAGEMENT, YOU 'MILK' US, SELLERS, LIKE THE 'COMMODITY' YOU HAVE TURNED US INTO .... I RATE, MYSELF (TOGETHER WITH MANY OF MY SELLERS FRIENDS) YOUR PERFORMANCE, eBay, AS 'WELL BELOW AVERAGE' & IN REAL FACT, 'OUT OF THIS WORLD', WHEN IT COMES TO THE ABOVE, NOT TO MENTION YOUR OBSCENE SELLERS FEES I DISCUSSED IN PREVIOUS REPLIES...

[deanswrx]

hahahaha it is laughable this whole system of late.

Lets just face it anyways you look at it Ebay is reeming us out. As sellers we have no rights yet we are doing all the work and we are the ones making them a profit ..yet we get inflated fees..and push to the side and told like yourself we need to do better...
However its not that you need to better or that you are average really its just simply a matter of being a small fish in a very big pond.
Its all about the $ when you are competing against sellers who are pumping out huge volume and profit each week..you and i dont even come close.. and hence we will not get heard..

However it makes me laugh out loud one of the biggest groups in australia following suit..eg using featured listings on things that will sell for the same regardless of the glitz..However they aren't featuring their items worth 5 figures or more..

How is that good business? I completely understand where your coming from..I got so sick of being lost in crowd of junk when i have something of value to offer so i started using other avenues free avenues where feedback doesnt exsist and buyer requirements are basically non exsistent...If i choose to broaden my horizon i can then go the opposite way and use those avenues to promote my ebay listings but at this point ebay is the last avenue for me.

if you want a laugh read my tread in the collectables catagorie that sellers are to scared to reply on.If you do not understand it message me and i will give you the buyers ID..then u will understand where im coming from..and how many people are giving free items away just to save themselves from the 'red dot' or low DSR's..

In general sellers need to grow a back bone and stand up for what rightfully they built.

[pricelessbooksandrecords]

WANT A LAUGH?
eBay rate my performance as follow (Copied & pasted):
" Your performance standards on the last evaluation are STANDARD "

NOW, MY PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS ARE AS FOLLOW:
Average detailed seller ratings Your average Low ratings
(1s and 2s)
Item as described 4.98 0.00% (0)
Communication 5.00 0.00% (0)
Postage time 4.98 0.00% (0)
Postage and handling charges 4.97 0.00% (0)
Ratings are based on your feedback received globally

WHICH MEANS IN ACTUAL FACT THAT THE STARS INDICATING MY PERFORMANCE AS A SELLER (ABOVE DETAILED FEEDBACK) ARE ALL FULLY COLOURED, THE FIVE STARS FOR THE FOUR PARAMETERS ARE IN THE SOLID GOLD COLOUR, CANNOT BE BETTER I SUPPOSE, SO, eBay , PLEASE TELL ME:
IS MY PERFOMANCE REALLY 'AVERAGE'? ARE YOU MAKING THIS UP BASED ON OTHER CRITERIAS YOU KEEP FOR YOURSELF, YOU WON'T DISCLOSE TO OUR BUYERS? WHAT ARE THOSE OBSCURE CRITERIAS? HOW CAN I IMPROVE IN REGARD TO MY CUSTOMERS? WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? AND DO NOT TELL ME I SHOULD SELL MORE/YEAR, DO NOT 'INCENTIVISE' ME, PLEASE, THE NUMBER OF ITEMS SOLD/YEAR DO NOT BENEFIT BUYERS, IT BENEFITS YOU !

YES, WOULD BE LAUGHABLE IF WAS NOT ANOTHER OF eBay PATHETIC & BIZARRE SCHEME, AGAIN... YOU DESTROY OUR BRAINS, OUR INTEGRITY, eBay MANAGEMENT, YOU 'MILK' US, SELLERS, LIKE THE 'COMMODITY' YOU HAVE TURNED US INTO .... I RATE, MYSELF (TOGETHER WITH MANY OF MY SELLERS FRIENDS) YOUR PERFORMANCE, eBay, AS 'WELL BELOW AVERAGE' & IN REAL FACT, 'OUT OF THIS WORLD', WHEN IT COMES TO THE ABOVE, NOT TO MENTION YOUR OBSCENE SELLERS FEES I DISCUSSED IN PREVIOUS REPLIES...

I have now written to the President of eBay in the USA, Mr John Donahoe, including my above reply/comments and the link to the entire Discussion Thread.
I do not know about you but I feel myself that if there is to be any reversal of those changes and any improvement to the status of sellers in Australia, it will have to come from the very top of this large organisation:

Dear Mr President,

please, find below, copied & pasted straight from the eBay discussion thread, my comment on my rating as a seller.
The discussion thread relates to the recent changes re. 'Power Seller'/'Top-rated Seller' and the exhorbitant increases in seller's fees in Australia, well discussed throughout that thread.
I look forward to your intervention to bring more justice in the way sellers are treated in Australia.

Yours, faithfully,

C C
myartdeli
P.S.: My mum trades on eBay as theinvestorsartshop

[badbundybear]

I just rang ebay to find out why I paid $112.00 in final value fees on an item i sold for $1285.00. the item was listed in the first thrity items for the month of october and should apply for 7.9% fvf capped at $50.00.................AMAZINGLY I was told by the ebay peep that I am a power seller and the cap of $50.00 does not apply to me ......FANCY THAT, I HAVE NEVER EVER BEEN A POWERSELLER OR WANTED TO BE BUT EBAY GURUS HAVE NOW MADE ME ONE AUTOMATICALLY TO WHICH I AM TOLD BY THE EBAY PEEP I HAVE NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER..........So now ebay are AT THE PLEASURE making people powersellers when they dont want to be so the seller NEVER APPLIES FOR THE MAX $50.00 FVF , GOOD ONYA EBAY , YOU NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE ME WITH YOUR CORPORATE GREED AND WAYS TO SCREW OVER THE SELLER FOR EVERY CENT YOU CAN.

I have a suggestion to the ebay spin doctors , why doesnt ebay charge half the fvf fee to the buyer and half to the seller when a buyer wins an item ,,,,,,,,,LOOKOUT BUYERS I SUGGESTED IT & IT WILL PROBABLY BE IMPLEMENTED, listen then to the buyer scream all mighty hell...........pmsl