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Bargain Listing Rates Coming For Card Sellers....No More Paper Payments


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EBay lowering fixed-price sellers' listing fees

Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:56am EDT

By Alexandria Sage

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - EBay Inc is cutting the fees U.S. sellers on its site pay for fixed-price items, in one of the company's boldest moves this year to boost merchandise for sale, lure new buyers and take on competitors.

Total sellers' fees will decrease in most cases under eBay's plan to improve the balance between buyers and sellers on the world's largest online auction site, and thereby reduce customer defections to rivals such as Amazon.com Inc.

"I'd say this is the most fundamental change we've made, ever, to the marketplace," Lorrie Norrington, president of eBay marketplace operations, told Reuters. "It's a huge shift from where we've been."

Instead of charging sellers to list each item separately, eBay will charge 35 cents to list any number of the same types of fixed-price items. Similar changes will be made in Germany and Britain, eBay's second- and third-largest auction markets.

The move, effective September 16, is a bid to reduce the clutter of similar items on eBay -- 100 pairs of white socks will now be sold as a group, for example. The change is timed to boost business heading into the crucial holiday season.

Such items will remain listed for 30 days instead of seven, helping sellers avoid the time-consuming process of re-listing unsold items and lowering the risk of inventory going unsold.

Fixed-price items, which made up 43 percent of merchandise sales on eBay last quarter, often attract newer or less-sophisticated online buyers who don't want to wait for a multi-day auction to close. EBay says fixed-price sales are popular because they bring in newer, more in-season goods, whether its plasma televisions or the latest video game.

EBay has been trying to attract more buyers as its main auction site has experienced slowing growth in recent years. The novelty of online auctions has waned and rivals like Amazon have muscled in on its turf with strong fixed-price offerings.

"Consumers are voting with their wallets and saying, 'Auctions aren't really the way I want to buy cosmetics,' or something like that," said Scot Wingo, chief executive of ChannelAdvisor, a sales consulting firm that advises online merchants who sell through eBay and other sites.

He called eBay's move a "relatively big change" to make before the holidays that also shows eBay's new management is willing to look beyond the traditional auction format.

Patti Freeman Evans, research director at Jupiter Research, said given the fast-growing nature of fixed-price sales, eBay's move is "very opportunistic, but also in line with what their customers are telling them they want."

MOST COMPETITIVE?

EBay's fixed-price focus reflects a shift in e-commerce. Consumers are now more comfortable with Web shopping and barraged with choices, whether it's auctioneers, retailers or classified sites like craigslist.com promoting bargains online or in stores. Also, sellers often post wares on many sites.

EBay, a San Jose, California-based company with 84 million active users worldwide, said lower listing fees, together with rejiggered back-end fees that will vary according to category, will make it the most competitive fixed-price player.

EBay said an "average" fixed-price seller that once spent $5,000 in eBay fees each year would now spend 11 percent less under the new fee system.

A revamped search engine, which is now being tested and will be introduced in September, will give buyers looking for a specific item options to buy at a fixed price or via auction.

This year, eBay has been taking steps to reward its best sellers and give new incentives to buyers, including coupons.

Fraud protections have been enhanced and upfront listing fees have been cut in favor of fees for successful sales. Sellers with high customer service ratings have won discounts and their goods featured more prominently than other sellers.

Further changes eBay said it would make include a maximum shipping price for sellers in media and electronics categories, with incentives to offer free shipping, and requiring sellers to include at least one electronic payment method.

The latter may irritate some small, but vocal, sellers who have objected to recent eBay changes.

"This will be viewed as 'eBay continues to push PayPal down everyone's throat,'" Wingo said.

Besides its main auction business, eBay also owns online payments service PayPal and Web-based call service Skype.

(Editing by Braden Reddall)


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Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.

Comments

  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭

    It gets better............. No More Paper Payments Allowed.....

    /////////////////


    eBay Changes Search, Bans Checks & Money Orders

    By Ina Steiner
    AuctionBytes.com

    August 20, 2008

    eBay made major announcements overnight, including major fee changes to its Buy-It-Now Fixed Price listing format effective September 16, 2008 (see today's other news stories in AuctionBytes.com for details). eBay said it would also make changes to Finding (search), Shipping and Seller Standards. And in a move that was expected by many, it will move to an electronic checkout system, banning checks and money orders.

    Finding

    eBay is making two major changes to Finding (also called Search). First, it will change the mix of inventory on the site and will score fixed-price and auction listings separately in Best Match, but display them together on the search results pages. eBay's Jeff King of the Finding Team said this allows it to give greater weight to Time Ending Soonest to auction formats, which would be irrelevant to fixed-price listings.

    In addition, eBay will expose auction or fixed-price listings more heavily in search results, depending on the category. For example, it would likely show more auction listings than fixed-price listings in collectibles categories. The changes are designed to ensure that auction listings are not buried underneath Fixed-Price listings.

    eBay will also create a new factor for its Best Match search algorithm for fixed-price listings only, called "Recent Sales." This will reward multiple-quantity listings that have had recent sales over single- and multiple-quantity listings with fewer or no recent sales. eBay will continue to use factors such as DSRs (Detailed Seller Ratings) and shipping, in its Best Match algorithm. In addition, factors will be given different weights in different categories, as is done today. King said, "We let buyers tell us what's relevant," with eBay mining data based on buyer behavior.

    Changes to finding will go into effect on September 16, 2008.

    Seller Standards

    Beginning November 1, 2008, eBay will require sellers to have a minimum DSR of 4.3 across the board. eBay's Dinesh Lathi said this will affect a very small percentage of sellers.

    Payments

    eBay is moving to an electronic Checkout system, banning checks, money orders and postal orders. Accepted payment methods will include merchant credit card accounts, ProPay, and PayPal, effective late October.

    Shipping

    Lathi said eBay is "actively looking to bring shipping costs into the realm of the reasonable," stating that shipping is important to buyers, who will go elsewhere if shipping is high, and will draw in buyers if shipping costs are reasonable. In the Media category only, eBay will put limits on Shipping & Handling charges, effective mid-October. It will vary by specific subcategories.

    In certain "edge cases," Lathi said, such as an 80-pack DVD, there will be a safety valve: sellers will have the option of using the shipping calculator if the caps are not appropriate. The shipping caps will apply to the first shipping service. eBay did not have details about the caps available to reporters on Tuesday.

    Where shipping caps apply only to the Media category, eBay will give incentives to sellers to offer free shipping in all categories. It will give items with free shipping more exposure in search, and will offer additional discounts on FVFs (Final Value Fees). The discount will apply to individual listings, so sellers can choose which listings, if any, on which to offer free shipping.

    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭

    Sometimes, I hate it when I turn out to be right.........................


    //////////////////////////////



    eBay Makes Major Announcement, Creates Core-Store Hybrid

    By Ina Steiner

    AuctionBytes.com

    August 20, 2008

    eBay is introducing a host of changes it hopes will improve the site in time for the holiday shopping season. Most significantly, eBay will change its Buy It Now (BIN) fixed-price format, making it more like eBay Store-inventory, but with exposure in the main eBay.com core search results. It will also make changes to Finding (search), Shipping and Seller Standards. And in a move that was expected by many, it will change to an electronic checkout system, banning checks and money orders.

    Like its eBay Store cousin, the BIN fixed-price format will be expanded to a 30-day duration. eBay will change Final Value Fees (FVFs) on a category-by-category basis, making them more in line with the current 12 percent FVF for Store inventory listings (but significantly higher than the current FVFs of the BIN Fixed-Price format). Two categories - Clothing, Shoes & Accessories, and Parts & Accessories - appear to be the hardest hit in terms of higher FVFs.

    Unlike Store inventory format, which has very limited exposure in core, BIN fixed-price listings will remain in "core," meaning the listings will continue show up on eBay's main search results.

    The insertion fee for BIN fixed-price listings will be a flat rate of 35 cents. The new fee is generally lower than the current 7-day fee for the same format, which ranged from 25 cents to $4, and is higher than Store fees. (There is special pricing in the media category, see other story in AuctionBytes.com.) Sellers may now also list multiple quantities of the same item for a single 35-cent listing fee; previously, multiple quantities resulted in higher listing fees.

    eBay will make no changes to the fee structure for auctions and Store inventory format. Sellers may continue to list auction format listings with an optional BIN price for the same fee structure as exists today.

    eBay's new BIN fixed-price format changes take effect September 16, 2008.

    Dinesh Lathi of eBay's Selling Team said, "As a company, we're moving to success-based pricing, we are increasingly aligning our outcomes and our incentives with those of our sellers."

    For items that sell for $25 or less, the FVFs decrease for items listed in the Computers & Networking; Cameras & Photos; and Electronics and Video Game Systems categories. However, once the pricing goes up to a certain level above $25, the FVFs actually increase in these categories due to higher percentage fees in the next tranche, and due to a restructuring of the tranches.

    In all other categories, the FVFs are higher across each tranche, making for significantly higher commission fees in the BIN Fixed Price format, with FVFs in the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories and Parts & Accessories categories are the highest of all.

    eBay will also make changes to Finding (search), Shipping and Seller Standards. And in a move that was expected by many, it will change to an electronic checkout system, banning checks and money orders. See today's other news stories in AuctionBytes.com for details.

    eBay will host a Town Hall meeting on Friday, August 22, 2008, from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm Pacific time.

    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • Does this mean e-bay will only have overpriced buy it now's...............Oh greatimage
    image

    Mark
    --------------------------------------------
    NFL HOF RC SET
  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    man can someone translate?

    Kevin
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭


    << <i>man can someone translate?

    Kevin >>



    ////////////////////////////////////

    Mega-Sellers win BIG.

    Many little sellers go under the BUS.

    Clothing sellers get KILLED.

    Electronics sellers get a tiny break; might be bigger than tiny.

    Collectible sellers might be OK.

    PayPal wins BIG.

    STORES become transfer-stations and warehouses. BUT, there
    may be some good search-gaming possibilities that will cause
    stores to work better than they currently do.

    Almost all sellers will pay more money to EBAY.


    andsoitgoes


    //////////////////////////////


    edit:

    A few minutes ago, I noticed that the NEUTs are no longer counted as NEGs.
    Lots of folks are back to 100%, in the morning.




    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • 1966CUDA1966CUDA Posts: 2,013 ✭✭✭✭
    "eBay is moving to an electronic Checkout system, banning checks, money orders and postal orders. Accepted payment methods will include merchant credit card accounts, ProPay, and PayPal, effective late October"

    So these are the only forms of payment we will be able to accept as sellers????
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "So these are the only forms of payment we will be able to accept as sellers???? "

    //////////////////////////////////////////////

    Yes.

    And, ProPay is NOT a viable option for most sellers. VERY expensive.

    By Friday, we should know if EBAY will strip NPBs from the ability to
    leave NEGs. EBAY has often complained of their inability to determine
    "who is s telling the truth about payment" in NPB disputes. The EPS
    will make it clear that sellers don't file NPBs against SCUM unless it's
    warranted.
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • AllenAllen Posts: 7,165 ✭✭✭
    Are they serious? Tons of ebay buyers are going to leave because a lot of them do not have paypal.
  • They are going after the sellers on the listing fees and then the paypal fees.... Just they are not happy getting most of the paypal already...

    I wonder if the Gov't will get involved with this issue, since they have no competion they will win..

    Cory
    ----------------------
    Working on:
    Football
    1973 Topps PSA 8+ (99.81%)
    1976 Topps PSA 9+ (36.36%)
    1977 Topps PSA 9+ (100%)

    Baseball
    1938 Goudey (56.25%)
    1951 Topps Redbacks PSA 8 (100%)
    1952 Bowman PSA 7+ (63.10%)
    1953 Topps PSA 5+ (91.24%)
    1973 Topps PSA 8+ (70.76%)
    1985 Fleer PSA 10 (54.85%)
  • BoopottsBoopotts Posts: 6,784 ✭✭
    What Ebay should do-- and why they don't do this is beyond me-- is calculate FVF's on a seller-by-seller basis, with the FVF % being gradually reduced as the total percentage of one's listings which actually sell increases.

    Example: Seller 'A' lists 1000 items and 30 of them sell. Seller 'B' lists 1000 identical items and 150 of them sell. What Ebay should do is charge a smaller FVF % to seller 'B', since more of his stuff was priced at a market clearing rate. This would have a couple of different beneficial effects, including the following:

    1) Since most sellers who price stuff on the high side of the market-clearing price are simply cluttering up search results these sellers would now have an incentive to lists their goods at prices that are more in line with realized prices. This obviously improves the Ebay experience for all buyers, many of whom (like myself) get sick and tired of wading through thousands of idiot-auctions where the BIN price (or starting price, as the case may be) is completely out of line with the market price.

    2) By extension, this approach would encourage competitive pricing, which would improve Ebay's bottom line (or at least I think it would).

    3) It would make conducting searches less burdensome and time consuming, which should result in a net increase in the # of searches per time period for the average buyer.


    What Ebay should NOT do, and yet what they're apparently doing, is putting these goofball BIN listings into core, which will do nothing but make it more difficult to weed out the crap when you're looking for something to buy. If I'm looking for a random lot of refractors, for instance, I don't need to see 500 listings by screwballs who are trying to sell said lots for 500% of the market price. What I do need are competitvely priced lots, or lots with a very low starting bid. If Ebay started aligning seller incentives with buyers' desires they would see a lot more successful auction outcomes.

  • TheVonTheVon Posts: 2,725
    This is why capitalism is good. Right now eBay is basically operating in a communist vacuum because no other auction sites can compete right now. So they just do whatever they want and we'll all stand in line for our stale loafs of bread because there's nothing else we can do about it.

    I'm still bidding in auctions on eBay, but as a small-time occassional seller I've pretty much decided it's not worth the hassle anymore.
  • BoopottsBoopotts Posts: 6,784 ✭✭


    << <i>This is why capitalism is good. Right now eBay is basically operating in a communist vacuum because no other auction sites can compete right now. So they just do whatever they want and we'll all stand in line for our stale loafs of bread because there's nothing else we can do about it.

    I'm still bidding in auctions on eBay, but as a small-time occassional seller I've pretty much decided it's not worth the hassle anymore. >>




    And this last point, strangely enough, is yet more evidence as to why capitalism is good. Ebay has more-or-less decided that small time sellers aren't worth the hassle, or that they would at least like to dissuade small time sellers participating. So, they provide the incentives for these small time sellers to bow out, the small time sellers oblige, and the market outcomes become more efficient.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "What Ebay should do-- and why they don't do this is beyond me-- is calculate FVF's on a seller-by-seller basis, with the FVF % being gradually reduced as the total percentage of one's listings which actually sell increases. "

    ////////

    That will be incorporated into the new scheme.
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • BoopottsBoopotts Posts: 6,784 ✭✭


    << <i>"What Ebay should do-- and why they don't do this is beyond me-- is calculate FVF's on a seller-by-seller basis, with the FVF % being gradually reduced as the total percentage of one's listings which actually sell increases. "

    ////////

    That will be incorporated into the new scheme. >>



    In this case then I think this one change alone may more than offset whatever negative effects the rest of the changes may have. And actually, after reading through your OP I think most of these changes are going to produce a net benefit (in the long run).
  • Nascar360Nascar360 Posts: 1,854 ✭✭✭
    Since you only have one payment option it looks like EBay/PayPal will be able to provide the IRS with your Auction winnings a lot easier now. See the recently passed hosing bill for the new IRS requirement.

  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "In this case then I think this one change alone may more than offset whatever negative effects the rest of the changes may have. And actually, after reading through your OP I think most of these changes are going to produce a net benefit (in the long run). "

    /////////////////////////

    Could be so.

    It is important for the haters/critics not to dismiss the changes as a "desperate move."
    It is desperate as heck, but that does not mean it will not have some good effects.

    The problem with the scheme to give more incentives to successful sellers is that ALL other
    sellers will lose the ability to EVER be "successful." Items that sell - on EBAY that means
    junk from China - will always get preference in search under the concept of "featuring
    items that have sold in the past." The MEGA-sellers - buy.com - will sell lots of single AA
    batteries for $12.99 delivered, I guess.

    ........

    I will be VERY surprised, if Donahoe is still in charge next year at this time.

    If Lorrie Norrington is able to partially execute JD's disruptive innovations,
    and adjust them to retain the seller-base, she will likely be the next honcho.
    When broom-rider Meg flew away, LN should have been named, but she
    was not into the politics deeply enough.

    I met with LN for more than an hour, during my 2007 trip. She gets IT.


    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • If fixed-price, Buy It Now listings show up in regular searches and last for up to 30 days at 35 cents per listing, what role would stores play? In what scenarios would they be helpful or necessary?

    image
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭


    << <i>If fixed-price, Buy It Now listings show up in regular searches and last for up to 30 days at 35 cents per listing, what role would stores play? In what scenarios would they be helpful or necessary? >>



    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    Stores will be "listing-design centers," "warehouses," "launch-platforms," and STORES.

    In the past several weeks, in some categories, it has been noticed that search-results
    have been being more kind to STORES. If new ways to game the search-algo are found,
    stores will still be a workable platform.

    At $16 a month, about 50-cents a day, STORES are, if nothing else, a convenient place
    to build, launch, and manage CORE BIN listings.

    With more CORE BINs listed, store traffic should increase substantially.

    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • SDavidSDavid Posts: 1,584 ✭✭
    At least they're leaving auctions alone. I was afraid they would charge amazon type FVF's even for auctions, which would be really stupid especially in collectibles.

    As long as I can click on that "auctions only" tab, then as a buyer I don't care what they put in core. I've rarely looked at fixed price listings in the past and that will still be the case.

    If requiring electronic payments (which for most of us means paypal only) allows them to get rid of all these trailertrash losers who never pay, I'm fine with it. It's simply too easy for these goofballs to say they mailed a check, which makes it hard for ebay to get in the middle of it. If they announce that they will start kicking off buyers who don't pay within a certain timeframe, then that will win over at least some of the sellers who will otherwise be turned off by taking paypal. (I wonder what DSL will do?)
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "As long as I can click on that "auctions only" tab, then as a buyer I don't care what they put in core. I've rarely looked at fixed price listings in the past and that will still be the case."

    /////////////////////////////////////

    Some of the BETA pages show BINs on the right-side of the page and AUCTIONS on the left-side.

    This prevents the page-seven appearance of auctions ending in five-minutes.
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • This all makes me wonder again what is keeping the folks at Naxcom from getting it together and fixing their site so that it's a viable auction competitor. They seem to have the listings and product - somewhere on their site - but easily navigating that site remains a headache. Too bad they won't sit down with real users and see how real users use that site. They might find that leads to more profits. They have the potential to be good, but don't seem to want to be.

    image
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    So in the collectibles category items that are run of the mill and on ebay every day get priority in search engines while rare and hard to find cards get buried???? Makes sense to me.
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
  • BarfvaderBarfvader Posts: 2,859 ✭✭✭✭
    Well I'm one of those that have only used money orders since joining eBay in 2003.

    I refuse to have a Paypal account and will be one of the many buyers that will leave eBay. I don't buy into the it's faster line as I have sent out my payment either the day of winning or the very next day and have had sellers receive in 2 to 5 days on average. And as far as safer, well knock on wood I have had no problems in my dealings. I'm a mostly $10 and under kind of buyer (the kind that I see many people complain about not paying and giving out negs like it was nothing) but have purchased higher amounts (over $100) from time to time. I've always researched the sellers feedback and if something didn't seem right I would not bid which has kept me safe in my dealings.

    So for me it sucks because without eBay I wouldn't have gotten back into this hobby back in 2003 but it's their playground and if one doesn't like the rules one can leave. So it was a fun run and all but guess my buying days will be done on there. image
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "So in the collectibles category items that are run of the mill and on ebay every day get priority in search engines while rare and hard to find cards get buried???? Makes sense to me. "

    //////////////////////////


    Things that "have sold before," will be favored in search.

    "Mickey Mantle," - if they can keep it out of the Disney and fireplace results - should
    be a preferenced term.

    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "This all makes me wonder again what is keeping the folks at Naxcom from getting it together and fixing their site so that it's a viable auction competitor...."

    /////////////////////////////////////////////

    Since EBAY is in near-Titanic mode, no other venue is likely to
    make a try. Those who do will likely fail.

    A "card-site," in any event, is not the solution. A "collectible site,"
    might work, someday. EBAY is likely to setup a segregated collectible
    area, soon; but, not too soon.

    MY advice to folks wanting to stay in the collectible-selling biznez is
    to start working FULL TIME on setting-up your own website.
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • AllenAllen Posts: 7,165 ✭✭✭
    Ebay brings way more traffic than your own website could begin to imagine.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Ebay brings way more traffic than your own website could begin to imagine. >>



    /////////////////////////////////


    MANY EBAY sellers are reporting that their own sites are outperforming
    their EBAY listings. Some by VERY wide margins.

    It COSTS money to set the sites up correctly. That money has to be
    spent on an ongoing basis.

    /////////////////////////////////////////////



    "Free S+H" will now earn a "free" subtitle on EBAY listings.

    image
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • PoppaJPoppaJ Posts: 2,818
    I've seen a lot of mega-giant businesses, such as eBay, over the years, go through the same business strategies that many people look at as potential failure down the road.

    Don't think for a minute that eBay is in any kind of trouble that they can't fix, escape, or for which they don't have immediate plans.

    The brains running eBay are just starting to put their master plan into action.

    Every move they've made in the past year has, for the most part, been brilliant.

    I'm not saying I like all the changes, but I can certainly understand their reasoning for instituting many of them.

    How many times have you heard the term, Fleabay?

    That's what eBay was becoming ... a flea market, with everyone wanting something for nothing.

    I love the idea of all Buy-It-Nows, Fixed Price, or what have you.

    For those that set their prices too high or gouge on shipping .... bye, bye.

    For those that set their prices competively and offer fair shipping .... they'll succeed.

    eBay is a business, cleverly disguised as an auction house.

    The reason no one else has come out of the woodwork to battle this giant, is because there isn't anyone that knows how to do it better.

    I don't see eBay as getting weaker ....

    I see eBay as getting better.

    JMHO,

    PoppaJ

  • SDavidSDavid Posts: 1,584 ✭✭
    Faster, more reliable checkout on eBay
    Starting this fall, we're moving to an electronic checkout process that's faster and more reliable for sellers and buyers. As part of this move, checks and money orders will no longer be accepted on eBay, although buyers can still use these payment methods for item pick-up, at the seller's discretion. In addition, the electronic payment methods will be fully integrated into eBay checkout. For example, if a seller has an internet merchant account, a buyer will be able to directly enter a credit card and never have to leave the site.

    Today, items paid with check or money order are 80% more likely to result in an item not received (INR) than those paid with credit card or PayPal. Also, buyers who pay with check or money order are 50% more likely to leave negative feedback than those who pay with electronic methods. So starting in late October, 2008, we are moving to 100% electronic payments - credit cards, ProPay, or PayPal.

    This means that sellers will be able to offer credit card payments through their own merchant accounts, and payments through ProPay and/or PayPal, with all payment methods integrated into the checkout process on eBay. Seller will also get paid faster and be able to ship items quicker. And remember, for those buyers and sellers who use PayPal, we're backing every eligible transaction with our buyer and seller protections. (See more information on paperless payments and more on terms for the PayPal Buyer and Seller Protection plans.)

    ********************************************************

    Now that merchant accounts will be fully integrated into ebay's checkout, how many larger sellers will opt for that and dump their paypal account?

    As a buyer, I've only preferred pp auctions because they were less of a hassle and they offered more protection than checks/mo's. If there's a simple way for buyers to pay via cc, I don't see sellers losing out by very much because they don't offer paypal. And they would have much less fear of fraudulent chargebacks, as those buyers will still go with paypal because they have a better chance of success.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    Monroe is fielding the heat about PP's screwball SNAD policies.
    Hopefully, they will soon be FLOODED with "appeals."

    /////////////////////////////////////



    monroe@paypal.com

    If my stated return policy says "NO RETURNS" will that override SNAD claims with PayPal.
    YES OR NO?

    ...

    This is Monroe Labouisse, Director of North America Marketplaces at PayPal. I'm responsible for the PayPal business on eBay in North America.

    The answer to your specific question is "No, a 'No Returns' policy does not override a SNAD claim". The reason is that if a buyer files a "Significantly Not As Described" claim, then the buyer is telling us that the seller has misrepresented the item in their listing description. The contract a buyer agrees to with a seller when they buy assumes that the seller has represented the item accurately. If that's not the case, then I hope you would agree that it's fair for the buyer to be able to return the item.

    You say above that you were "scammed by a buyer who lied and it didn't matter to PayPal one bit". This absolutely should matter to PayPal, and if you're not getting the attention to your appeal from PayPal that you deserve, then I'd like to help.

    A few other things ... First, buyers agree to the PayPal user agreement, and then they reconfirm by checking a box when they submit a claim, that they do not falsify claims. Our warning at that point in the dispute filing flow is clear: buyers that falsify claims will lose their right to use PayPal. Buyers also have to provide us with detailed information about why an item is significantly not as described, which we will try to verify if a seller appeals. And we also have agents in our support center who look for buyer abuse, so if a buyer is filing a high rate of claims or abusing our system in other ways, then we also take action against those buyers.

    ... Second, a buyer has to pay the return shipping when they win a SNAD claim, and we do not refund their money until they provide us a tracking number that verifies they are shipping to your address. So, there is a cost to buyers of making false claims.

    ... Third, you might ask "why don't we make buyers prove, with tangible evidence, that an item is significantly not as described before you accept their claim that it is?" The simple answer to that question is "that's not what our competition does, and in order to keep buyers satisfied with PayPal and coming back to it, we need to be as good as or better than our competition in this regard". In other words, a buyer can call their credit card company and file a chargeback and their credit card company will reverse their payment without the buyer having to produce tangible evidence first. So, we match that service for our buyers. It makes good business sense anyway, in my opinion - we should give our customer the benefit of the doubt and not assume from the outset that they are lying (just as we should for you if you appeal the decision). If they abuse our trust, as I said above, we will take action against them.

    ... Finally, as I said above, if you do want to appeal a SNAD decision by PayPal, there is a way for you to do it, and we should be giving your appeals the attention they are due. So, as I said, if that did not happen, please let me know.

    Regards,
    Monroe
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • This is no different than what amazon, naxcom and other sites have been doing for years. The fees on those almost always come out more than Paypal and Ebay combined and to actually get your money from Naxcom you have to pay Paypal fees anyway.

    This will have little effect I went paypal only last year and have never been happier on that side of the ball. Alot of these changes I see as positives like the new multiple fixed price listing for 30 days for 35 cents. I have several items I run for 7 days over and over paying fees everytime on them this will save me alot.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭


    << <i>This is no different than what amazon, naxcom and other sites have been doing for years. The fees on those almost always come out more than Paypal and Ebay combined and to actually get your money from Naxcom you have to pay Paypal fees anyway.

    This will have little effect I went paypal only last year and have never been happier on that side of the ball. Alot of these changes I see as positives like the new multiple fixed price listing for 30 days for 35 cents. I have several items I run for 7 days over and over paying fees everytime on them this will save me alot. >>



    ///////////////////////////////


    PP only is the smart/easy play for sellers. I would not go any other way.

    I doubt PP can convince folks of that, though.

    EBAY may very well backdown, if the SCREAMING keeps going.
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • BoopottsBoopotts Posts: 6,784 ✭✭


    << <i>Monroe is fielding the heat about PP's screwball SNAD policies.
    Hopefully, they will soon be FLOODED with "appeals."

    /////////////////////////////////////



    monroe@paypal.com

    If my stated return policy says "NO RETURNS" will that override SNAD claims with PayPal.
    YES OR NO?

    ...

    This is Monroe Labouisse, Director of North America Marketplaces at PayPal. I'm responsible for the PayPal business on eBay in North America.

    The answer to your specific question is "No, a 'No Returns' policy does not override a SNAD claim". The reason is that if a buyer files a "Significantly Not As Described" claim, then the buyer is telling us that the seller has misrepresented the item in their listing description. The contract a buyer agrees to with a seller when they buy assumes that the seller has represented the item accurately. If that's not the case, then I hope you would agree that it's fair for the buyer to be able to return the item.

    You say above that you were "scammed by a buyer who lied and it didn't matter to PayPal one bit". This absolutely should matter to PayPal, and if you're not getting the attention to your appeal from PayPal that you deserve, then I'd like to help.

    A few other things ... First, buyers agree to the PayPal user agreement, and then they reconfirm by checking a box when they submit a claim, that they do not falsify claims. Our warning at that point in the dispute filing flow is clear: buyers that falsify claims will lose their right to use PayPal. Buyers also have to provide us with detailed information about why an item is significantly not as described, which we will try to verify if a seller appeals. And we also have agents in our support center who look for buyer abuse, so if a buyer is filing a high rate of claims or abusing our system in other ways, then we also take action against those buyers.

    ... Second, a buyer has to pay the return shipping when they win a SNAD claim, and we do not refund their money until they provide us a tracking number that verifies they are shipping to your address. So, there is a cost to buyers of making false claims.

    ... Third, you might ask "why don't we make buyers prove, with tangible evidence, that an item is significantly not as described before you accept their claim that it is?" The simple answer to that question is "that's not what our competition does, and in order to keep buyers satisfied with PayPal and coming back to it, we need to be as good as or better than our competition in this regard". In other words, a buyer can call their credit card company and file a chargeback and their credit card company will reverse their payment without the buyer having to produce tangible evidence first. So, we match that service for our buyers. It makes good business sense anyway, in my opinion - we should give our customer the benefit of the doubt and not assume from the outset that they are lying (just as we should for you if you appeal the decision). If they abuse our trust, as I said above, we will take action against them.

    ... Finally, as I said above, if you do want to appeal a SNAD decision by PayPal, there is a way for you to do it, and we should be giving your appeals the attention they are due. So, as I said, if that did not happen, please let me know.

    Regards,
    Monroe >>




    I know you deal with products other than sports cards, but from the perspective of someone who only deals in cards on Ebay I can't find a single thing wrong with this policy. IMExperience if a buyer files a SNAD claim it's almost always because the item was not, in fact, as described. I've had something like 3000 transactions on Ebay where I've been a seller and I've never had a single SNAD filed against me, and I don't just sell graded cards; I also sell lots and stuff where there's certainly plenty of room to 'interpret' the auction description.

    If you aren't out trying to rip people off you are going to have very, very few problems on Ebay as a seller. You'll still get some nuts, but less than 1% of your deals are going to go badly. This at least has been my experience, and I believe it's in line with the experience of other scrupulous sports card sellers as well.
  • I too have never had a SNAD filed against me and my DSR on description has never dropped below 4.9. I have had probaly everyother type of issue with Paypal but the SNAD. They occur 1 in maybe 250 transactions. I hear everyone talk about not using Paypal on high dollar items if it were truly as bad as everyone says the big sellers who sell 5000 dollar items plus all the time would have stopped along time ago yet most still take them.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "If you aren't out trying to rip people off you are going to have very, very few problems on Ebay as a seller. You'll still get some nuts, but less than 1% of your deals are going to go badly. This at least has been my experience, and I believe it's in line with the experience of other scrupulous sports card sellers as well."

    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    Yup.

    There is ALMOST no problem in cards/coins/currency with fake SNAD claims.
    This is particularly true with TPGd stuff. (There is a good bit of after-sale
    extortion in ungraded stamps. Partial-refund requests have increased
    since the FB changes.)

    The problem is in fashion and electronics. They use the stuff, break it and
    return it. OR, they take your new stuff and send back their OLD stuff.

    The PP appeals process will work for a seller, if he knows how to use it
    and refuses to quit. MANY claims are settled on appeal in the seller's favor
    "as a courtesy," rather than via PP deciding on the merits.



    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    On the issue of FAKE SNADs, this little video of a collection call
    opens the gate to TONS of info on the RICO-elements of PP.

    The kid is a seller and had his merch stolen by a "buyer" and PP.

    So much for PP "fighting chargebacks on the seller's behalf."
    Their UA says they will; they don't.

    (The volume picks-up after the first couple of minutes.)

    MANY similar videos on YT.


    FDCPA Debt Verification Refused
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • Is anyone else disturbed at how cult like ebay and paypal have gotten?

    Almost like a mass movement. When the all holy speaker says, "no more paper payments", the masses behind him follow like sheep. It's eerie how wedded people have gotten to ebay, and the system they've created.

    Compare it to 20 years ago, when people were doing business in classified ads. No one cared about payment methods. No one cared about shipping costs (as long as they were reasonable).

    Almost like Oprah. When she says something, it's like gospel.

    It's creepy and eerie, and I'm usually not one to believe in conspiracies. Makes me think it's a much grander movement, people getting attached to something.

    There's the commitment and consistency principle in persuasion/in Cialdini's book, "Influence". You start small, and you get so commited, you can't stop halfway. Freaky.
  • Also, I don't know why shipping costs are such a big deal. Ebay is the wrong venue to rip people off.

    You can rip people off (charging $5 for a $1 envelope), whoop dee do, you made $4. But you're not going to have much repeat business doing it that way.

    If you play it straight, with an honest title, honest description, etc, you're going to get alot more business and make 10 or 100 times your $4.

    I'm suprised the ebay (and online marketplace) hasn't evolved by now to a more professional and legit place to do business. If you have a hotdog stand and you're ripping people off all day, you're not going to last very long. Why you'd think you'd last online, I dont know.

    Seems like the online world and off are still in two completely seperate places.

    Like Ebay lecturing the 3rd graders.....now class, you can't rip people off on shipping....
  • zep33zep33 Posts: 6,897 ✭✭✭
    I, for one, welcome our new Ebay overlords
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