eBay Spring Seller Update 2018 Is Here

by: FeelingFroggy

What a hot mess this has become.

by: thebobman

My biggest concern is I typically use ebay for "parts or not working" or "Lot of 17 widgets" or "item not found on Amazon" or "you are not allowed to list in this brand". You can't do those on Amazon. A 6 pack of broken laptops is still worth several hundred dollars.  

by: epuise

My thoughts added:
Returns
eBay is reducing the number of returns policies options.
The five return policy options will be:
No returns accepted - Never use
30-day buyer-paid returns - I'm fine with this
30-day free returns - Can't, my items weigh 1-15 pounds & exceed dim wts
60-day buyer-paid returns - 30 days is plenty of time to 'decide'
60-day free returns - Oh, please...
Restocking fees will no longer be a return option. - WHAT ?
That means FALSE SNADS {remorse} - SELLER EATS POSTAGE TO BUYER ?

However, a limited number of categories will continue to have the option of offering 14-day returns including:
Collectibles & Art, Cameras & Photo and Medical, Mobility & Disability Equipment.
{ doesn't matter, w/ same onerous imposition of no restock fee }

Another change:
in order to receive the 10% Top Rated Plus discount and badge for listings,
Top Rated sellers will be required to offer 30-day free returns.
= WELL... THERE'S THE FEE HIKE...
the SNEAKY FEE HIKE...
you LOSE the 10% off the FEES that WERE hiked...
including the onerous FEE on EVER INCREASING POSTAGE.

THANK YOU, eBay...
MORE items going to OTHER VENUES...
only CHEAP, lightweight stuff on eBay.

WATCH your REVENUE... stay the SAME... or... DECREASE...
as USA Sellers of large, heavy, or valuable goods... LEAVE.

by: savymicheal

I already decided Top-Rated Seal isn't worth it. In recent years, like never before too many people are searching, scrolling up and down for the lowest price. So your items are bound to be found. The trick is to write descriptive headlines.

by: thebobman

>in order to receive the 10% Top Rated Plus discount and badge for listings,

I pay about $7,500 a year in fees. Every since the returns thing came up, it wasn't worth jumping through all their hoops to save maybe $1,500 a year. A handful of returns and the whole discount is meaningless. I just turned everything to "2 days to ship" & "no returns" and left it at that.

by: JohnGermaine

GAG!  eBay is NOT Amazon and never will be. eBay does NOT have a catalog, it provides a platform for PEOPLE to sell THEIR goods, eBay owns NO products!  This is pure insanity, I see a complete failure coming and quick.  Many buyers have given up because they can't find what they are looking for due to hidden listings. Sellers have about had it too. I have been broadening my platforms for quite a while, Etsy and Bonanza need to up their games and get themselves a bigger piece of the action since eBay is set on killing itself.

by: spooky

I see mostly collective and antique often one of a kind items (no others listed on eBay). I offer returns but in the past few years I think I have only had one return where the person simply changed their mind. All other returns have been based on some issue (mostly created in the mind of the buyer but some were issues I missed something) and percentage wise I get very few, maybe 2 a month on sell through of around 150 items each month so I don't get too worried.

by: epuise

No restock fee ?
WHY should I lose the $10-$25. POSTAGE...
for a Buyer Remorse return ?
Clearly... only lightweight items can be sold on eBay, going forward.

by: mcposty

Can't wait until September when my store expires, so done with Ebay.

This all sounds like a nightmare.

by: Philo

I like the restocking fees, it always scares off the fake returns.  Had one seller ask for it to be waived and- I said no problem since they were returning it exactly how it was sent.

by: angryllama

I don't see even ONE LOGICAL IMPROVEMENT in this FIASCO that would benefit SELLERS.  NOT ONE.  

by: angryllama

Who HURT these YoYo's out in San Jose and HOW can we take up a fund to get the MOVERS and SHAKERS into Psychological Counseling to CURE them?

by: angryllama

Anybody want to bet   AGAINST  my own contention that eBay Middle and Top Management are AMAZON PRIME Account users who are having BOX after BOX of Amazon stuff delivered to their own homes?  

by: Mark4

So glad we are leaving and pulling our 10,000$ a month inventory with us. Ebay is a sinking ship, the desperation with these "seller updates" is astonishing.  

by: NorthCoast

Ebay's response to a question about Vintage and Handmade:
''Although we are currently focusing on commodity goods, we will expand Product-based Commerce to all eBay categories. Since everything sold on eBay can be described as a product, we will enable all sellers to add their products to our catalog directly, including products for unique or long-tail items. We will make sure that those items are discoverable. We will also do our best to reduce the friction during the product creation experience where it shouldn’t be more burdensome than the listing creation experience today.  We're committed to ensuring search results appear in an intuitive way that enables buyers to compare and contrast items when making their purchase selection. ''

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Inventory-Optimization/Vintage
-handmade-and-OOAK-items/m-p/28172412#M4

by: Filadelfos

Sooooo.... if it's not in the eBay catalog, does that mean you can't sell it there?!  Do they really think they have EVERY product in their catalog?

by: epuise

MORE and MORE Antique Malls are OPENING or FILLING UP here in NY...
MORE and MORE... " I -USED TO- sell on eBay "...

by: drbev

After ten years of increasing effort for dwindling returns and constantly increasing aggravations, we have slowly decreased our Ebay inventory from 1100 to 300 items over the past year or so.  Now we are closing our store and removing about 200 more items today.  Sigh.  We used to enjoy it so much!

by: Rexford

LOL..........typical.  It never gets better, it only worse. May I have another sir?  Harder, please, I didn't feel it.

This one really makes me laugh " in order to receive the 10% Top Rated Plus discount and badge for listings, Top Rated sellers will be required to offer 30-day free returns."   They had to get that fee increase in there somehow.

The silver lining in all of this is that sellers will flock to the other sites that I sell on. They likely won't buy on eBay either, and guess where they will buy.

eBay has become a convoluted land mind of a place to sell. And the busy work to keep up with their changes never stop.  Not worth it.

by: Barbbie

Terrible.
So if you like this format as a buyer...just go to amazon now.
There is no benefit to purchase from ebay.
Why even bother with ebay?
At this point, honestly, I am worried. Ebay already compares your new item to used prices, so the "buy box" goes to the used stuff?
No restock fee means all items will now be switched over to added shipping.
There is just no other way to do it.
And by the way cheap items still cost money to ship depending on the weight, a restock fee on a 10.00 item pretty much doesn't cover any shipping but at least you can get something back and something is better than nothing.