SMC Discussion Areas

Got this last night.

Seller Update: Fees, Rewards & Standards
eBay buyers want value and selection from sellers they can trust--and good sellers deserve rewards for delivering great customer service. That's why we're making a number of important changes that may affect you:

Reduced Listing Fees
You asked, we listened. We're reducing Insertion Fees and adjusting Final Value Fees to lower your up-front cost to sell on eBay. You wanted free Gallery, now you've got it--plus more feature discounts.
Lower Insertion Fees
Making Gallery free
Lower fees for Gallery Plus, Picture Pack, and Feature Plus


Rewards for great sellers
There will be discounts and incentives for those who satisfy customers best. Who decides who gets rewarded? Customers do, by giving sellers high Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs).
More search exposure through Best Match
Fee discounts for PowerSellers
Increased protection for PowerSellers


Feedback Changes
Significant changes coming soon will increase buyer confidence and showcase good sellers.
Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
Positive repeat customer Feedback will count and Feedback more than 12 months old won't.
Negative and neutral Feedback left by the buyer will be removed for transactions in which a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) or if the member is suspended.


For more details on how these changes may affect you, attend a special Seller Webinar at 10:00 a.m. this Friday, February 1. You may also see announcements from eBay executives on the Announcement Board.

I received this as well.

Ok, maybe I've been burned  once too many times  but Ebay  is already hiding  bidders names, which I think now allows more shilling, and  now let's add repeat customer feedback?? Good, so my friends, family and my  other accounts  can add postive feedback on auctions they shilled.
And please explain how  buyers can only receive positive feedback. I understand  getting  bum feedback from deadbeats  or idiots, but I've also dealt with some #$%#% buyers. who need to tagged as bid at your risk.
Sorry,  I'm at work, cranky and tired, and maybe i'm missing something here.

Kilroy,

At the time of your post, your "number of posts" was at 666; so, maybe the devil made you do it...  :oh:

Did all of you look at the rate increases?  They are jacking up the final value fees  :veryangry: !

Here it is..

Business is business, but I HATE, HATE, HATE how eBay is trying to tell us all the great things they are doing, when they are actually taking more money from you.  They decreased the listing fees by about 5-10 cents (WOW, you are soooo generous  :glare:).  But, as Dr. Galaga said, they SEVERELY jacked up the final value fees - over a 50% increase.  So, in the end, they are getting more money.  The masquerade almost cheeses me off more than the increase.

Another thing that has always angered me was how you get nailed for BOTH eBay and Paypal fees, when eBay owns Paypal.  When Paypal was a seperate company, I could understand their need for revenue.  But, eBay bought them a few years ago.  Did we get an elimination (or at least reduction) of Paypal fees - NOPE.   :censored: :censored: :censored: :censored:

I guess eBay could tell us caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).  Ah, emptor this, eBay. :veryangry:

I too am disgruntled about rate hikes, but I also have to think without Ebay, My collection of stuff would not be what it is today... Ebay has assisted me with finding some rare and awesome peices for my collection over the last 15 years... and has also helped me sell and liquidate other collections I've bought and made money on... so I could continue to collect.  So Yeah I don't want to pay more, none of us do.. but also without Ebay I wouldn't be where I'm at today as far as my hobby... as I simpley cant' afford to go to auctions and shows all over the country..

SO I just see it as a necessary evil, just like higher gas prices, property tax...etc...

I could stop using it but then my Collecting hobby would suffer and I wouldn't enjoy it as much or would maybe give it up,, and I don't want to do that...

Just my 2 cents.

The whole "can only leave positive feedback for the buyers" thing is what gets me.  I talked to a guy the other day and he has 2 accounts.  1 for buying and 1 for selling.
The fees associated with selling are high, but as I sit here at work with no customers coming in the door and being slow for this whole month. The rent still has to get paid and the bills keep on coming in. 
Compared to that Ebay is a deal for selling.

Just my .02

Their email really pumps up the fact that they lowered the insertion fee 5 cents but no mention about the 3.5% increase in final value fees.  Yes they are a necessary evil, with empasis on the latter.......... but in the end you have to give devil his due.    ANOTHER THANKS TO MATT FOR HELPING ME WITH THE SHIPPING ON THE JACOBS 26 I JUST PURCHASED!!!!! 

You know it's funny the increase in fee's doesn't bother me as there are ways to offset them a little when you sell smaller items like I do. But for whatever reason the not being able to leave negative feedback to the buyer hit a nerve  :veryangry:. I can't even explain why it bothers me it just does, what's really odd is I can't remember ever giving a buyer negative feedback. I have come to the decision that after my last auctions end this weekend I will not be selling on ebay anymore until this policy is reversed.

I'll continue to sell as it still offers me the best possible potential buyers that I'll get anywhere... and if i do set a reserve on something. I'll just build in a couple extra bucks of what I need to get out of an item to make up for any fees that I'll get hit with... so, it really turns into more of a Buyers Premium, like any live auction house charges.. .the expense to buy something gets passed to the buyer... and not the seller... it's just not listed that way...

Just a way to "Beat the system" so to speak....

Signguy is right on..I'm sure well see "padded" selling prices or additional "handling" fees now for stuff. Probably see alot more RESERVE auctions as well.