eBay Fee Rollback Part of UK Spring Seller Update

by: fashionista

I don't understand this....''Also, beginning early next month, sellers will be able to reply to buyers who contact them - by offering them a discounted priceon the item.''  
Can we really tell a buyer what we think of their offer?

Ebay originally instituted ''best offer'' for those sellers who wished to participate, it was an option, and their policy was ''if the best offer option does not appear in the listing it is against ebay policy to contact a seller (via my messages) with UNSOLICITED OFFERS''
Now it's a free for all, and the send the buyer an offer is right there on my messages.
I hate that, if I wanted to accept offers I would use best offer.

by: Ina

There's a difference between Best Offer and this new feature - you don't have to publicize it, just reply to a buyer that happens to ask a question about the item. Not sure if word will get out to the buyers about it,...

by: Basset

I just had something like this today -

Buyer sends a question on an item.

Seller's reply includes a section for ''respond with an offer''.  I did not.



So, if buyers become aware of the possibility of a reduced price will number of incoming questions increase?

by: The End

LISTEN WENIG :
"Ebay Retro" will rocket the stock(et).
NO PAYPAL. ALL other methods of payment allowed.
You can call me anything you want, but in my private life I'm a MARKETING GENIUS  {o)
I've "Made the Call" so many times, it's SuperNatural.

BUCKLE DOWN ! Don't be a BAIN CLOWN.

You're Welcome :o)

by: gizmo

It has gotten harder & harder on sellers. And now more? I for all purposes stopped anything on deadbay. I did get kicked out of chats yesterday , for calling buyers crybabys. Whatever! All this new stuff mentioned here , is just more of the same from this ever disappearing venue.

All such things went away when I gravitated to ecrater. no crybabys , no returns , no bull. No hoops , no pressure to perform to deadbay style ignorance.

I cannot see what they are trying to do. None of what deadbay has done in the past 7 years, makes any since. Ill say it again , business suicide. Proof is in the 2% growth , & very low stock prices. That should speak volumes.
Sorry , do not make any since , & they rarely do.

by: fashionista

Ina, that option is already available in the US, I don't know if it's available to all sellers or being rolled out.  I've had it for awhile.
My point was that ebay created Best Offer for this reason, now with ''send an offer'' available on my messages, 'best offer'' is pointless.
Some items/categories don't work for ''best offer'', there is not a high markup, we don't want to haggle.  Now it's not an option.

by: Rexford

Basset says "So, if buyers become aware of the possibility of a reduced price will number of incoming questions increase?"

Oh yes, and how annoying it will be.  It already is.

For a company that does everything in their power to get another fee I don't know why in the H.E. double hockey sticks they encourage buyers to ask for a lower price. This not only hurts sellers' sales it hurts eBay sales.

And as The End stated, OPEN YOUR EARS WENIG.  Undo what J.D. has done to destroy this company.  You can be a hero or you can be more of the same.  If you decide you want to be more of the same the noise will not stop and you will become just as hated as J.D. has become.

by: aim04744

I have used the send offer feature available to sellers and I actually dont hate it. Yes it is usually the result of an unsolicited BO, but those dont bother me if they are reasonable. those that arent I ignore.

However, after reading the other article on Wenig's plan for the future and my total $68 sale for the entire week last week, I am over ebay. Because I sell pre=owned clothing, I have not found another viable option and have hung on. No reason to invest more in the future of my Ebay buiness.  

by: iheartjacksparrow

Wow! A "you talked, we listened" that isn't going to bite sellers in their butts. I never thought I'd see the day when eBay actually rescinded a fee. I guess we can expect a fee increase in the Fall Seller Up-date (no doubt trumpeted as the "lowest fees ever").

by: Ebay Seller-Ebay Buyer

Ebay won't charge a fee for old listings, but they also place them last in the search and have them disappear from the search for much of the time, which is why many won't sell.  Ebay has driven tons of great American sellers to Amazon and now it's time to ruin UK's ebay

Got the reminder today of the terrible changes coming in May. Also now have 8 user ids to sell with instead of 3; so I can use the 20 free on 8 accounts instead of the 50 free on 3 accounts.  It will be confusing but I'll make some money with 8 id's doing 160 listings as opposed to just 3 id's doing just 60

by: AgendaSwallowsAll

The other day JD & Co. displayed ''Join our 75,000 Premium Store Sellers'' or similar. I thought to myself 75,000, is that all?

Intellect backed by years of research I no longer have the time for says that number has to have been 4-5 times that 75,000 at one point.

Each ensuing update over these past few years of the JD & Co. era has first had sellers drop their store level with many giving up in full or moving to other sites.

One has to ask just what have they had to gain for all of it? Not only has the number of Premium Store subscriptions dropped substantially with a portion of the result detailed above but those sellers were for the most part heavy spending buyers with a disposable income far higher than what it may have otherwise been.

Where is the intellect? Do they not understand what they've done and instead of an attempt at reversal they keep on coming up with that which contains zero Real World intellect, I don't get it while at the same time they've spent directed their resources at making the site so labor intensive with changes to Selling Manager and so much more that any seller who made their way through marketing expertise no longer has the time to apply such they're so involved dealing with the system glitches created by these changes and/or continually adjusting their business model in the attempt stay ahead of possible account issues the result of JD & Co's ''Defect Rate'' system.

Has anyone noticed there haven't been any Free List promotions as of late? If they've abandoned this in the hope sellers who don't have even the lowest level store are going to open one and/or sellers who have a lower level store are going to upgrade to premium, JD & Co. are going to have a rude awakening.

Reducing the number of free listings for non-store sellers, abandoning promotions and all else stated in the upcoming U.S. update is nothing more or less than another nail in the site's coffin. They've created the Monster chasing all of the sellers who were buyers as well in favor Chinese Mass Marketers & Big box who may spend a fraction on the site, who the hell is going to want a store or an upgraded store?

JD & Co. has reaped fees of $7-9k every 4 months from our non-store account with our utilizing the free listings and promotions but we utilize that account for low margin or loss product sales, no way in hell we're going to pay even $14.95 per month, in our thought they should be kissing our A** for the fees they've gained on our giving stuff away.

We deal with buyers where I'll say to myself, no one can possibly be that ignorant, they must be yanking my chain or setting us up something that has increased tenfold since JD & Co. have done their best to recruit the ignorant, the unfortunate, straight out thieves, competing sellers whose quest is to damage and all project the identical process of thought so it's hard to determine who is who and/or what their objective is.

I have to say the same about JD & Co., no one could be that ignorant but in this case they are highly educated individuals or they'd not be in the position they're in so I have to assume all is going exactly as has been planned.

Bloomberg says ''Bain's 'Creative Destruction' Destroys Lives'', JD couldn't even come up with something original with his ''Disruptive Innovation'' strategy but rest assured, they mean exactly the same thing.

 

by: Rexford

They said "you talked, we listened". Shouldn't they have said "you talked and we had no other choice due to the backlash". Or "you talked and our legal team said no way".

by: ajeweler

I wonder if the vero program from e**y got shut down for using Citi bank promo "when you talk we listen" my behind!! seems like they are abusing and the beatings will commence until ferther notice


note if we spoke and they listened they would have long ago removed the new defect rate

by: Volvo351

The "heard" their customers and actually LISTENED? My Gawd! A total shocker.

by: Shop and Ship

Well, it's still fleaBay ... "you talked, we listened ... and so did your cat!  

by: Shop and Ship

Against my better judgement I called eBay CS today about some "defect" issues. After being told twice by CS  that defects could be removed and "returns postage" could be re-credited to my PayPal account, "appeals" said that defects can only be removed when the Buyer calls in and admits that they lied. Ha ha ha!  

by: Enough Is Enough!

This reminds me of when ebay backpedaled last November on the utterly ridiculous forced ''Three Month Holiday Returns, Or No TSR'' plan on all merchandise, new, used, and collectible.

When no one opted into the program, they rescinded it. Well, they offered 25% discounts for those who bought in, but at least did not take away the 20% savings for the overwhelming majority who didn't......

by: RCL

What is the point of having, and stocking, a store with unusual unique items if I have to replace them every month to keep "fresh"? Idiots run this company--they think a store is just a checkout option.

by: comet

Well you know-==-those Brits DO have that lovely accent.  It's very charming to American ears.

So maybe THAT is why they rolled back the penalty for their NOT SHOWING ITEMS so they CAN SELL.

The Brits asked very nicely and politely un like us Americans who have been SCREAMING for YEARS now about the defect policy;  forced returns; forced loss of TRS; Forced GSP; aided and abetted thievery; lack of honest feedback---

Or maybe--not.  

by: Marie

Personally I don't like this "make an offer thing".  To me it makes it appear to buyers that all pricing on Ebay is negotiable.  I don't offer Best Offer and I don't think I should be made to entertain these offers just in a different manner.  If I wanted to offer this I would on my listings.

As for this 18th month fee on stale listings.  There is a way to avoid this.  The fee if it ever did come back or the drop in searches because it is a stale listing.

I use Quantity Manager.  Not really to manage my inventory but for $9.95 a month, they will evaluate your GTC listing when it comes time to renew it and make the determination due to age, sales qty and views if you are better served to relist or do a sell similar.  I've been using it for a couple years now and it works great for me.  A small amount to pay so you don't have to do all that work yourself.