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July 2009 Update |
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Seller Resources |
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Seller update: September 2009
Updates that impact your listings are now being consolidated with more lead time for you to adapt. These updates are scheduled to take place the weeks of September 22 and October 1, 2009.
- Rewards for sellers delivering great buyer experiences
- Enhanced search presents more relevant listings
- Easier, more profitable selling on eBay
1. Rewards for sellers delivering great buyer experiences
Today's online buyers expect the best, and eBay sellers who deliver will enjoy even greater rewards—more visibility in search results for Fixed Price listings on eBay.com and eBay Motors, discounted fees, a prominent badge on their item pages on eBay.com and eBay Motors, and other great benefits. Quality is not a result of how big you are, but your dedication to doing right by your customers. The main focus of these changes is to give sellers the rewards, insights, and help they need to improve and succeed.
- New way to look at DSRs: Underlying all these changes is a shift in the way we look at detailed seller ratings (DSRs). Our research shows that low DSRs are a more accurate measure of the quality of buyer experiences provided by sellers on eBay. That's why we are evolving the way we measure quality, focusing more on how many low DSRs—1s and 2s—a seller receives than on a seller's DSR averages.
- The 1s and 2s a seller receives are tracked for each DSR: Item description, communication, shipping time, and shipping and handling charges. Low instances of 1s and 2s will be the main quality requirement for the new US Top-rated seller status and the PowerSeller program—and even continuing to sell on eBay. Sellers are encouraged to focus more on avoiding 1s and 2s than on getting more 5s or higher averages.
- You can see a snapshot of your standing with US buyers toward the new low DSR requirement updated monthly, starting the end of this month (July 2009) in your Seller Dashboard. In October, you'll be able to see your standing updated daily with US buyers and all buyers.
- New eBay Top-rated seller status on eBay.com and eBay Motors: It's not sales volume that distinguishes quality of service. That's why, starting in October, a new PowerSeller status—eBay Top-rated seller—will highlight and reward those sellers creating the best buyer experiences.
- US Top-rated sellers will earn top rewards on eBay.com and eBay Motors: 20% fee discounts, exclusive promotion in search results for Fixed Price listings, exclusive ability to purchase Featured First, and a prominent Top-rated seller badge on their item pages.
- Canadian sellers will be able to qualify for the US Top-rated seller program by meeting the same criteria as US sellers, based on their DSR's from US buyers. Sellers meeting the US criteria will be eligible for the 20% discount for listings on eBay.com and eBay Motors.
- Until April 2010, the current PowerSeller discount structure based on average 30-day DSRs will also continue on eBay.ca and, for sellers that are not US Top-rated, on eBay.com and eBay Motors: 20% for 4.9; 15% for 4.8; and 5% for 4.6. PowerSellers will continue to get those discounts until April 2010 as long as they continue to meet the 30-day DSR requirements. This gives PowerSellers eight full months to keep those discounts while they evaluate and adjust their business practices to meet the new requirements.
- Starting April 2010, there will be a new discount structure for PowerSellers on eBay.ca, eBay.com and Motors:
- For listings listed on eBay.com and eBay Motors: 5% for PowerSellers and 20% for PowerSellers with US Top-rated seller status
- For listings listed on eBay.ca: 5% for PowerSellers and 20% of PowerSellers reaching US Top-rated equivalent standards based on transactions with all buyers, not just US buyers.
For more details on qualifications for the new eBay Top-rated seller status and how low DSRs are calculated, see Frequently Asked Questions.
- New PowerSeller requirements and rewards: Starting in April 2010, quality requirements for all PowerSellers will be based on low DSRs, and benefits will be extended to lower-volume sellers who meet those requirements:
- To ensure PowerSeller status rewards consistently good service, a minimum of 100 transactions in the last 12 months will be required for all PowerSellers.
- To allow more sellers providing great service into the program, the sales dollar volume requirement will be lowered to US$3,000 per year.
- Also starting in April, PowerSellers can have 1s or 2s for item as described on no more than 1.00% of transactions and on no more than 2.00% for communication, shipping time, and shipping and handling charges.
- Highest rewards for sellers with the great service:
- Starting in April, there will be a new structure for PowerSeller Final Value Fee discounts, with the biggest rewards going to the best sellers: The maximum 20% for top performing Powersellers and 5% for all other PowerSellers.
- Until April, the current PowerSeller discount structure based on average 30-day DSRs will continue: 20% for 4.9; 15% for 4.8; and 5% for 4.6. This will give PowerSellers who continue to meet the 30-day DSR requirements plenty of time—eight full months—to keep those discounts while they evaluate and adjust their business practices to meet the new low DSR requirements.
- Starting in October, when US Top-rated sellers get the new Top-rated seller badge displayed prominently on their item and other profile pages on eBay.com and eBay Motors, the current PowerSeller icon will no longer be displayed on buyer-facing pages like the item page and other member profile pages on eBay.com and eBay Motors. We will continue to display the PowerSeller icon on eBay.ca as we do today.
US Top-rated sellers get the new Top-rated seller badge on their item pages on eBay.com and eBay Motors.
- New standard for all sellers: We're evolving the way we assess quality for all sellers on eBay:
- The minimum standards for sellers on eBay.com and eBay Motors will be replaced with new requirements based on a seller's incidence of DSR 1s and 2s.
- For Canadian sellers, we will continue to base minimum standards on average DSR's, which must be no lower than 4.1 for item as described, and no lower than 4.1 for communication. We will not look at shipping time or shipping and handling time DSR's for Canadian sellers with respect to minimum standards, given the impact of cross border sales on these ratings for typical Canadian sellers.
- Canadians will need to continue to meet the 4.1 minimum average DSR for item as described and 4.1 minimum average for communication in order to list on either eBay.ca.
- Additionally, Canadian sellers who fail to meet the new US criteria below risk being demoted in search on eBay.com, and/or being restricted from listing on eBay.com:
- In October, all eBay sellers whose listings appear on eBay.com or eBay Motors will need to have 1s or 2s for item as described on no more than of 3.00% of transactions, and on no more than 2.00% for communication, 2.00% for shipping time, and 2.00% for shipping and handling charges on transactions with US buyers.
- In April 2010, the standards will be stricter. All eBay sellers will need to have low DSRs (1s or 2s) on no more than 1.00% of transactions for item as described, and no more than 2.00% for communication, 2.00% for shipping time, and 2.00% for shipping and handling charges on transactions with US buyers.
- To ensure lower volume sellers are not penalized as a result of one or two transactions, it will take at least four instances of 1s or 2s on transactions with US buyers before consequences based on low DSRs are enforced.
- Sellers with more than the maximum allowed 1s and 2s on transactions with US buyers will receive lowered placement in search on eBay.com and eBay Motors and may face limits on selling activity until their ratings improve.
- Sellers with excessively high rates of 1s and 2s on transactions with US buyers or other low performance measures may be restricted from selling.
- The current Seller Performance Standards policy will be updated with the new DSR requirement.
- Changes scheduled with time to adjust: We're giving sellers extra time to evaluate their selling practices in the light of these changes-and still take advantage of new rewards as soon as possible.
- Starting in October, current PowerSellers of all levels—and sellers with US$3,000 in sales and 100 transactions over the past 12 months—can qualify as US Top-rated sellers and get all the rewards right away.
- The current PowerSeller program discount structure will remain in place until April 2010.
- For listings on eBay.com and eBay Motors listings, that means PowerSellers who don't meet the US Top-rated seller requirements in October will be able to keep their discounts according to the current discount structure until April of 2010: 20% for 4.9; 15% for 4.8; and 5% for 4.6. That gives them eight months to adjust business practices and qualify for US Top-rated seller status.
- For listings on eBay.ca, the current discount structure remains, 20% for 4.9; 15% for 4.8; and 5% for 4.6, remains until April, giving eight months to adjust business practices to qualify for the new discount structure based on rates of 1s and 2s on transactions with all buyers.
- The new DSR requirement for all sellers for listings on eBay.com and eBay Motors and the enforcement of the new Selling Practices policy are also being phased in over time to give sellers an opportunity to understand the new requirements and adjust their practices and listings.
- Get an at-a-glance overview of scheduled changes.
- Enhancements to help you get good DSRs: Sellers have been quite clear on changes needed to help them get DSRs in line with great service. Toward that end, we're making some key adjustments to the DSR system over the coming months:
- All transactions and DSRs from repeat buyers will count-great news for sellers who inspire repeat business from satisfied customers.
- Strong measures will be in place to prevent buyer abuse.
- New messages to your buyers about shipping in Feedback flow: When buyers go to leave you Feedback, they'll see your uploaded tracking information and a message indicating when your package was delivered. For listings with free shipping, they'll also get a stronger message encouraging them to leave a 5 for shipping and handling charges.
- No shipping DSRs with local pickup: When the only delivery option in your listing is local pickup with no shipping charges, your shipping-related DSRs will be "turned off."
- New Selling Practices policy: A new Selling Practices policy will define clear standards for accuracy and professionalism in listings and listing descriptions, and for all stages of a transaction. Adhering to the new policy will be required for eBay US Top-rated seller status in October and for all other sellers in early 2010. In short:
- Information within a listing such as item condition and seller terms and conditions need to be consistent.
- Sellers will be expected to follow through on their stated terms through all stages of a transaction.
- Also, comments that undermine confidence in eBay sellers or misrepresent a seller vs. buyer's responsibility in a transaction will not be allowed in listings.
- Optional buyer charges for shipping insurance removed: The insurance option creates the perception that buyers need to purchase shipping insurance as a protection on eBay, an experience they're not accustomed to on other ecommerce sites. In fact, sellers have always been responsible for their items until they arrive safely in their customers' hands. That's why shipping insurance will no longer be included in the purchase flow as either an option or requirement for buyers.
Of course you can choose to purchase insurance on shipments, but not ask buyers to buy insurance separately. In some categories like Antiques, Collectibles, and Jewelry, shipping insurance for sellers is essential. When appropriate, you can include the cost of insurance in your item or shipping price.
- New Seller Dashboard:
- At the end of this month (July 2009), you'll be able to get a snapshot of your current 1s and 2s with US buyers, updated monthly through a link at the top of on your Seller Dashboard.
- In October, you'll be able to track your 1s and 2s with US buyers and all buyers on a daily basis and get insights about the specific business practices contributing to low DSRs.
TAKE ACTION:
- Get familiar with the focus on low DSRs (1s and 2s), the new standards for all eBay sellers for eBay.com and eBay Motors, the PowerSeller program, and the new Top-rated seller status.
- Starting at the end of this month, check your Seller Dashboard for a current snapshot of your 1s and 2s with US buyers updated monthly. Watch for the new Seller Dashboard coming in October for more insight, including daily updates of 1s and 2s on DSRs with US buyers and all buyers. Check it often.
- Get started now to make sure you're in the best possible position to meet the scheduled changes and maximize your rewards.
- Follow best practices for getting high DSRs from your buyers and minimizing the instances where you get a 1 or 2 rating.
2. Enhanced search presents more relevant listings
Starting on eBay.com, we're introducing a number of changes specifically designed to surface your relevant listings to more of the right buyers.
- Best Match update: We're continuing to refine and improve the technology for surfacing the most relevant, best-quality listings from sellers providing the best buyer experience at the top of search results—and give you the information and tools you need to get the best possible exposure for your listings.
- Listing performance score for Fixed Price—Impressions count: When only a few people view a Fixed Price listing and the item is snapped up quickly, it's a fair indication that the listing is more relevant to those who see it than a listing with thousands of impressions and no sales.
That's why in the improved Best Match, Fixed Price listings will have a listing performance score based on the listing's recent sales in relation to the number of recent impressions it received. An "impression" is any time a buyer sees a search results page that includes the listing.
For example, in the new Best Match, a listing with 100 recent impressions and 10 recent sales will score higher than a similar listing with 1,000 recent impressions and 10 recent sales.
This listing performance score will be a more accurate measure of how buyers perceive a listing's relevance than recent sales alone.
- New multi-quantity and single-quantity Fixed Price listings will be given exposure in Best Match even though they have no sales history. These listings will be given a certain number of initial impressions based on the performance scores of similar listings. This change will improve the exposure of new Fixed Price listings that are relevant to buyers.
- Titles count. Relevant titles will be more important than ever in getting the best position for Fixed Price listings. Since a good listing performance score is basically a close ratio between your impressions and sales, in some situations a title that is too general could bring you a short-term gain in impressions, but end up giving your listing a lower listing performance score.
- Seller performance counts: Top-rated sellers will get promoted in Best Match for Fixed Price listings on eBay.com. Sellers not meeting the new minimum standard will be demoted for both Auction-style and Fixed Price listings. On eBay.ca, listings will continue to be eligible for demotion or promotion in search according to current criteria.
- Shipping counts: As always, shipping costs are considered. Keeping costs reasonable and offering free shipping continue to be best practices. Fixed Price listings with free shipping will continue to receive added exposure. Auction-style and Fixed Price listings with excessive shipping will be demoted.
- Auction-style listings will continue to receive a boost in search results when they're about to end. Given the improvements in the way new and single-quantity Fixed Price listings are treated, and the new guidelines for Auction-style listings with Buy It Now, it will be even more important for sellers to use Auction-style listings the way they work best—with a low start price to attract buyers and stimulate bidding. Some sellers may see significant fee savings by moving Auction-style with Buy It Now inventory to Fixed Price.
- Optimized by category: To make sure the most relevant inventory from the best sellers surfaces on top of search results, there may be variations by category in Best Match.
- No one "silver bullet." Many factors are considered in Best Match and can vary with different circumstances. But the bottom line best practices for optimizing your position in Best Match will be the same. List in the right format and the right categories, write accurate and relevant titles, offer good prices and reasonable shipping and provide good service.
Run reports to see how your listings are performing in specific key word searches.
TAKE ACTION:
- For most sellers, the best practices to get visibility in search results are the same: List in the right format and the right categories, write accurate and relevant titles, offer good prices and reasonable shipping, provide good service.
- Re-evaluate your listing titles! This will be more important than ever for Fixed Price listings.
- Use the new Search Visibility tool to get insight about how your listings are performing and the impact of specific listing practices on your position in Best Match search results.
- Consider moving some of your Auction-style with Buy It Now inventory to the Fixed Price format.
- Consider adding Best Offer to your Auction-style listings to give buyers more choice.
- As always, test a variety of listing formats and strategies to learn what works best for you.
- Updates to Auction-style with Buy It Now listings: Auctions with a great start price draw millions of buyers to eBay. To protect that important distinction for the eBay marketplace, we're establishing some new guidelines for Auction-style listings with Buy It Now. For all Auction-style items listed on or after September 22, the Buy It Now price will have to be at least 10% more than the auction start price.
TAKE ACTION:
- Use Auction-style listings the way they work best: With a low start price to stimulate bidding.
- Consider moving some of your Auction-style with Buy It Now inventory to the Fixed Price format. You can also use Best Offer with Fixed Price.
- Listing features discontinued: To keep the emphasis squarely on relevance and quality, we're make changes to available features: Doing away with some and making changes to others:
- Featured Plus, Border, Highlight, Gift services, ProPack and Homepage Featured will no longer be available. These features will no longer appear in any listings as of September 22, and sellers who purchased them before that date will be issued appropriate credit. See FAQs for more information.
- Featured First will be available only to Top-rated sellers and won't be displayed when buyers select a different sort order than Best Match.
- When sellers purchase Featured First or Bold along with International Site Visibility, these features will be displayed only on the site of purchase to ensure that domestic listings get top visibility.
TAKE ACTION:
- Take a new look at your listing strategy in the light of these changes and the new Best Match on eBay.com to make sure you get the best position in search and the best value for your fees. See more best practices.
- Product pages surfacing to more buyers: eBay product pages continue to be surfaced for more and more buyers. An expanded "Great Savings" box will feature listings from three PowerSellers instead of just one.
These pages have a higher sell-through rate than search results pages, and eBay is continuing to expand and improve the eBay product catalogs to bring them to more categories.
TAKE ACTION:
3. Easier, more profitable selling on eBay
Updates are coming to increase your efficiency, make it easier and more profitable to follow best practices, and do the right thing for your buyers.
- Unpaid items:
A new streamlined flow for unpaid items is being introduced on eBay.com, and will be extended to Canadian sellers in the future.
- eBay Resolutions. Beginning on eBay.com, we are introducing a new dispute resolution process for when buyers claim an item was not received or the item they received was different than described in the listing. The goals of the new process are to keep buyers on eBay by giving them a more familiar ecommerce resolution experience, and to reduce the amount of time buyers and sellers spend working out issues.
The new process is more efficient, with fewer steps and a quicker time frame. It also manages the interaction between buyers and sellers differently. In the new process, direct communication between buyers and sellers will continue to be strongly encouraged. However, in the event this doesn't work, buyers and sellers will also have the option to call eBay. We'll be taking a more active role in ensuring transaction problems are resolved. In some cases when we determine the seller was not responsible, we may refund the buyer at our own expense.
This new process was introduced on eBay.com in April 2009 and the number of buyers and sellers who see it is gradually increasing.
TAKE ACTION:
- Because your eBay.com buyers can submit claims through eBay and PayPal, watch for incoming emails from eBay about resolution issues, and continue to monitor the existing PayPal Resolution Centre.
- If you receive an email from eBay Resolutions about one of your transactions, make sure to act promptly. These emails will be sent to your My Messages inbox in My eBay and to the email account you have on file with us.
- Be sure to use shipping carriers who provide tracking and delivery confirmation, and make sure that tracking information is uploaded for all your transactions.
- Clearly describe the items you're selling and explicitly call out any flaws, so that buyers understand exactly what they will receive. Use descriptive text and include enough pictures to capture the true condition of the item.
- For more information, see FAQs and Best Practices for avoiding and handling buyer claims.
- Managing buyer emails made easy: Email updates will make it faster and easier to respond to buyer questions and manage your email with buyers.
- See the whole thread: Whether you prefer to manage buyer emails in eBay My Messages or in your own email inbox, conversations will be "threaded" so you can see the entire communication stream.
- Some of eBay's post-transaction emails to buyers are being streamlined. You'll be able to customize the emails through Selling Manager Pro. The new post-transaction emails will be:
- Payment Reminder: Only goes out if the buyer hasn't paid after three days. Coming soon: sellers will be able to have this fourth-day email coincide with an automated triggering of an unpaid item claim.
- Order Confirmation: Sent when the buyer completes checkout and pays. This will be the first email for buyers who pay right away.
- Order Update: Sent when the status of any item in the buyer's order changes, e.g., when the payment status changes or if the seller uploads tracking information.
TAKE ACTION:
- You can see the new emails through Selling Manager. Get it free! If you send out your own post-transaction emails, make sure they don't duplicate messages coming directly from eBay.
- Review, update and customize your emails by adding your own logo and messages through Selling Manager Pro.
- Go global! International selling is easier than ever:
- You'll have more control over where you want to ship. You'll have the same ship-to choices you have now, plus you'll be able to specify countries you do not want to ship to. For example you can indicate you ship to Europe, but specifically exclude Russia and Italy.
- More shipping updates to boost efficiency and DSRs. Sellers are responsible for their items until they arrive safely in the buyers' hands. "Where's my stuff?" is one of the most common buyer questions. When buyers can easily find out for themselves, they're more satisfied with transactions and leave sellers higher DSRs—and you spend less time answering buyer questions. Tracking and delivery confirmation also play an important role in eBay dispute resolution for items not received or items significantly not as described.
Today when you upload tracking information, your buyers can access it in a pop-up window right from My eBay. If you pay shipping and print labels on eBay, your tracking information is uploaded automatically. Or you can upload the shipping tracking number or delivery confirmation, or mark your item as shipped on your own. When a tracking number is uploaded or an item has been marked as shipped, an email is sent automatically to notify your buyer.
A number of updates coming in September will to help improve your shipping service and DSRs and, at the same time, reduce your operating costs and buyer inquiries.
- Tracking for more carriers: Starting in late September, you'll be able to upload tracking and delivery confirmation numbers for more carriers.
- Shipping information more visible to buyers to help DSRs: Buyers will see a message next to your handling time on the item page to help set expectations. Plus they'll see tracking information and your stated delivery time right in the Feedback and dispute resolution flows. For transactions with free shipping, there will be clear messaging in the Feedback flow encouraging buyers to leave a 5 DSR for shipping and handling charges.
- No shipping DSRs with local pickup: When the only delivery option for your item is local pickup, your shipping related DSRs will be "turned off."
TAKE ACTION:
- Start uploading tracking information for all carriers whenever it's available.
- Sell internationally! Now you'll have more control over specific ship-to destinations and only your domestic DSRs will count towards PowerSeller and eBay Top-rated seller eligibility.
- Faster ways to edit listings and listing descriptions-including bulk edits:
- Starting in late September, you'll be able to make changes to most fields of your multi-quantity Fixed Price and Store Inventory format listings—even when those listings have already had a sale. For any sales prior to your updates, you and your buyer will have access to a record of the listing as it appeared at the time of the sale.
- Plus with the eBay Bulk Edit tool available in My eBay, Selling Manager (now free), Selling Manager Pro and TurboLister, you'll be able to make edits to most fields and the descriptions of up to 200 listings at a time.
TAKE ACTION:
- Use bulk editing tools to make the upcoming required updates to your listings: add your return policy and handling time to Good 'Til Cancelled listings by mid-September. Those fields can be edited now, and it's better not to leave it to the last minute.
- Remove any references to buyer purchase of shipping insurance and any other content that might violate the new Selling Practices policy. See the seller checklist for details.
- Take advantage of the new bulk editing functionality to optimize your multi-quantity Fixed Price listings for enhanced Best Match.
- Category and Item Specifics changes: Changes to categories and Item Specifics that were previously announced monthly are now included with other major changes that may impact your listings. Category and Item Specifics updates are coming the week of September 22 in the following categories:
Antiques: Linens & Textiles (pre-1930); Science & Medicine
Books
Coins & Paper Money
Clothing, Shoes & Accessories: Dancewear; Men's/Women's Accessories; Men's Clothing; Wedding Apparel & Accessories
Collectibles: Science & Medicine (1930-Now); Linens & Textiles (1930-Now)
Computers & Networking: Desktop & Laptop Components; Desktop & Laptop Accessories; Vintage Computing
Electronics: Pro Audio; Stage Lighting & Effects
Home & Garden: Holidays, Cards & Party Supplies; Inside the Home; Wedding Supplies
Motors: Golf Carts and Golf Cart Parts (moving to eBay Motors); new categories for new vehicle models; Wheels, Tires & Parts (adding item specifics; removing sub-categories)
Musical Instruments: Pro Audio Equipment
Pottery & Glass: Publications
Sporting Goods: Golf Carts (electric) and Golf Cart Parts (moving to eBay Motors)
Sports Memorabilia, Cards & Fan Shop: Cards; Fan apparel
Video Games: Internet Games
TAKE ACTION
- Stores sellers: Now you can go on vacation and put all your Fixed Price listings on hold—not just your Stores listings.
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Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
