Change to eBay Sellers Update - What do you Think?

gemint · March 17, 2015 5:21AM

If I read it correctly, it looks like they will now charge a listing fee for unsold items. Will this apply to the gross offenders of listing thousands of cards for ridiculous BINs or are they too big to be hit with this? It looks like they're also reducing the monthly free listings from 50+50 to 20+20.

Fee updates encourage use of listing formats and durations for greater selling success
To improve the visibility of sought-after merchandise—and help sellers increase their sales—eBay is introducing a number of updates to eBay's listing fees and features on May 1. Changes include:
Unlimited insertion fee credits for listings that sell in auction. As an incentive for using the auction-style format successfully, sellers will be credited for the insertion fee on auction-style listings when that item sells (exclusions apply†).
Adjustments to monthly allotments of free listings. eBay will update the monthly allotments of free listings*—zero insertion fees—for both eBay Stores subscribers and sellers without an eBay Store.
The 10-day duration on auction-style listings will no longer have an added feature fee. Sellers can maximize visibility and enjoy our longest duration for auction-style listings.
A $1 special duration feature fee per listing for sellers who choose 1- or 3-day auction-style listings. Charging this fee will help discourage the use of shorter durations where they are least successful.
Reserve price will increase. This feature fee will increase in price to the greater of $3, or 2% of the reserve price (the minimum price that must be met for your item to sell), with a cap of $100.

mtcards · March 17, 2015 5:26AM

It would be ironic if they cut the free listings to a minimum....funny though that when they first came out with free listings, it was obvious to everyone, except ebay, that the free listings would result in pages of crap

Edited to add: After reviewing the changes, it actually is better for me, if I am reading it right. I still keep my 150 listings per month for BINS, I get an additional 100 free auctions listings (without the need to sell) for collectibles, which is my main category and then all the listings I want to run in an auction free of charge if they sell. I think it weeds out the pages and pages of commons being put up every month. Now, I guess we have see it in action to see the bad parts (ie pass it to see whats in it)

charrigan · March 17, 2015 5:52AM

I only skimmed but it seemed mostly unobjectionable. I liked that they removed the fee for 10-day auction listing (which will hopefully encourage more auctions vs BIN) and increased the fee for reserve-price auctions (who likes those? Nobody). I'm also fine with the change to insertion fees--currently, people are circumventing the free auction/paid BIN distinction by listing many auction items with extremely high "BIN-like" prices. This should discourage that. As someone who both buys and sells, these changes seem reasonable for everyone involved.

packCollector · March 17, 2015 6:18AM

seems to me that as a basic store subscriber , I now get 150 fixed price and 100 auction listings (assuming I sell in collectibles) compared to just 150 combined free listings. looks like a win for small sellers of cards and collectibles

gemint · March 17, 2015 6:37AM

It might be better for store owners but if I read it correctly, non-store, small-time sellers will have their free listing allotment cut by 60%.

mtcards · March 17, 2015 6:39AM

<< It might be better for store owners but if I read it correctly, non-store, small-time sellers will have their free listing allotment cut by 60%. >>

I took it as if they now have unlimited free listings as long as they sell.

gemint · March 17, 2015 6:45AM

<< 

<< It might be better for store owners but if I read it correctly, non-store, small-time sellers will have their free listing allotment cut by 60%. >>

I took it as if they now have unlimited free listings as long as they sell. >>

That's correct. I list a lot of my cards for around VCP average +/- a bit, especially PSA 10s which are highly volatile. So those would be where I rely on the free listings since they aren't guaranteed to always sell for VCP.

bighurt2000 · March 17, 2015 8:28AM

Still trying to figure this out so if you have a store already this is what there saying.

Monthly listing allotments.

Basic 150 Fixed Price + 100 Auction-style monthly listing allotment for Collectibles only

Premium 500 Fixed Price + 100 Auction-style monthly listing allotment for Collectibles only

Anchor 2.500 Fixed Price + 100 Auction-style monthly listing allotment for Collectibles only

Is there an fees if your items don't sell from your monthly listing allotments?

Also I never list more than my monthly listing allotments so fees that apply for additional item listed
over my monthly listing allotments is non issue. But what about when there running a free listing
promotion auction or fixed price are you now going to get charged if your item doesn't sell during
these promotions?

Thanks for any help.

James

jgrigali · March 17, 2015 8:44AM

It's a move that is going to drive the little guys completely out of the market. It's another move made by the suits at Ebay with the ONLY intention of making more money, saying it's to benefit the seller and buyers is complete hogwash, its ALL about the bottom line, they're a publicly traded company afterall all.. If an alternative auction site ever gets ANY traction, they will annihilate eBay. I really don't understand why eBay just doesn't allow unlimited listings. If you have solid searches it will sort through the crap really easily and they will make more off of final values than store subscriptions very easily. Just now they offered 1500 free listings if they were "new" listings...i circumvented that and "sold similar" and have sold ~3k dollars worth of cards. thats 300 in eBays pockets (piddles certainly in the grand scheme but they would have 0 otherwise).

packCollector · March 17, 2015 9:10PM

Basically they want everyone to subscribe to a store is my take on the changes of the last few years. If you sell $1600 a month in stuff or more It is a no brainier and cheaper to have a store since the final value fee is a percent cheaper

DoctorK · March 17, 2015 9:16PM

<< Still trying to figure this out so if you have a store already this is what there saying.

Monthly listing allotments.

Basic 150 Fixed Price + 100 Auction-style monthly listing allotment for Collectibles only

Premium 500 Fixed Price + 100 Auction-style monthly listing allotment for Collectibles only

Anchor 2.500 Fixed Price + 100 Auction-style monthly listing allotment for Collectibles only

Is there an fees if your items don't sell from your monthly listing allotments?

Also I never list more than my monthly listing allotments so fees that apply for additional item listed
over my monthly listing allotments is non issue. But what about when there running a free listing
promotion auction or fixed price are you now going to get charged if your item doesn't sell during
these promotions?

Thanks for any help.

James >>

No fees for unsold items. Only for listings that exceed the allotted amount for ones store level.

ndleo · March 18, 2015 1:46AM

I didn't see the part that says that they will charge for free listings that don't sell.

That would be a complete FU to the small casual seller.

I've been using those free listing to sell sub $5 cards with pretty good success, about a 65% sell thru. Peanuts to ebay, but the other number would have been $0.

ndleo · March 18, 2015 1:49AM

It's going to get worse once ebay and Paypal split. They Paypal money train would have left the station and ebay will have to find out more ways to screw the sellers.

BTW - John Donahoe is getting a $23 million golden parachute for doing such a great job.

mlbfan2 · March 18, 2015 2:04AM

<< If an alternative auction site ever gets ANY traction, they will annihilate eBay. >>

I've been hearing that since 1998. How many billion$ would it take?

mtcards · March 18, 2015 2:29AM

Sites like sportlots and comc have the potential to garner the business that would otherwise be lost from this change on ebay.....they still need some tweaks, but the potential is there

grote15 · March 18, 2015 5:57AM

<< 

<< If an alternative auction site ever gets ANY traction, they will annihilate eBay. >>

I've been hearing that since 1998. How many billion$ would it take? >>

Agreed. Have been hearing this for years but no one has even attempted it with any degree of success. Does anyone remember when Yahoo had auctions back in the day, lol..

WhiteTornado · March 18, 2015 6:44AM

<< 

<< 

<< If an alternative auction site ever gets ANY traction, they will annihilate eBay. >>

I've been hearing that since 1998. How many billion$ would it take? >>

Agreed. Have been hearing this for years but no one has even attempted it with any degree of success. Does anyone remember when Yahoo had auctions back in the day, lol.. >>

I remember Yahoo auctions. I recall selling a Griffey Rated Rookie on there, and a few other things.

CollectorAtWork · March 20, 2015 1:44AM

<< But what about when there running a free listing
promotion auction or fixed price are you now going to get charged if your item doesn't sell during
these promotions?
>>

I've been re-reading this part of the update about free insertion listings in auctions if your item sells. After reading the Seller Update, I believe that this is what it means. For example, if you have a basic Store, you are charged 25 cents for an insertion fee for auction listings (after your free monthly allotment). When you list your items for auction (after your free monthly allotment is used up), you will be charged 25 cents insertion fee for each listing. After the auctions end, ebay will check to see which auctions have bids where the items are sold. For each of those listings, ebay will credit you back your 25 cent insertion fee. Therefore, this means, for your 100 free monthly allotment of auction listings for Collectibles, you do not receive any free additional auction listings. This is because you were not charged an insertion fee for those listings, so when those items sell, ebay will credit you what you paid for the insertion fees, which is zero. So if you list 50 auctions, and 45 sell, you won't see 45 new auctions that you can list for free. You will just see a credit for what you paid for insertion fees for those 45 auctions.

For this question from the poster, you will not be charged extra if your auction doesn't sell. Basically, ebay is not charging anyone anything if their auctions don't sell. It is only if you paid an insertion fee when your auction is listed, then ebay will credit you back that insertion fee if your auction sells. If you never paid an insertion fee, then you will not be charged any new insertion fee if your auction doesn't sell. (and you won't be credited any new auction listings if your auction does sell.) At least, this is how I'm interpreting the new Seller Update.

gemint · March 20, 2015 1:59AM

<< 

<< 

<< If an alternative auction site ever gets ANY traction, they will annihilate eBay. >>

I've been hearing that since 1998. How many billion$ would it take? >>

Agreed. Have been hearing this for years but no one has even attempted it with any degree of success. Does anyone remember when Yahoo had auctions back in the day, lol.. >>

True, but I believe eBay is losing share in the sports memorabilia market. There are so many small auction houses that have started up in recent years that they couldn't possibly all coexist if they weren't pulling business away from eBay.

grote15 · March 20, 2015 2:11AM

<< 

<< 

<< 

<< If an alternative auction site ever gets ANY traction, they will annihilate eBay. >>

I've been hearing that since 1998. How many billion$ would it take? >>

Agreed. Have been hearing this for years but no one has even attempted it with any degree of success. Does anyone remember when Yahoo had auctions back in the day, lol.. >>

True, but I believe eBay is losing share in the sports memorabilia market. There are so many small auction houses that have started up in recent years that they couldn't possibly all coexist if they weren't pulling business away from eBay. >>

I would consider AH bidding a different platform than an online auction site like ebay.

Tabe · March 20, 2015 5:04AM

<< 

<< 

<< If an alternative auction site ever gets ANY traction, they will annihilate eBay. >>

I've been hearing that since 1998. How many billion$ would it take? >>

Agreed. Have been hearing this for years but no one has even attempted it with any degree of success. Does anyone remember when Yahoo had auctions back in the day, lol.. >>

They still have an auction site - just not in the US. Their auction site is very popular in Japan, for example.

Change to eBay Sellers Update - What do you Think?

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