Another Ebay rule change!
 

Found this one by accident. Guess I'll have to update my template when I get a chance.

Apparently Ebay now frowns upon sellers having "selling terms" and "Policies".

Honestly, I don't know how sellers with thousands of items in their stores can keep up with the constant whims of the Ebay bureaucracy.

I didn't even know this was a rule. Stumbled upon it when I went to go revise an item and the following popped up.


A listing may not include statements that discourage bidding activity.

For example, you cannot say things like:

"Find out more about our selling practices policy."

“Don’t bid if you do not agree with my terms”

This kind of information is unprofessional and may discourage good buying activity on your item.

Please edit your listing, making sure there's no mention of these words or something similar. If there is, you won't be able to list your item. This could also negatively impact your ability to participate in the Top-rated seller program.

Find out more about our selling practices policy.


Of course this is because Ebay cares about us, and the number of bids we get. They don't want us scaring away potential bidders with silly "terms" and "policies".

Hard for me to wrap my head around the purpose of this. Somebody with sociopathic control issues must be in charge of the ship.

"Just a venue"


Vent over. Learn to adapt Dave, learn to adapt (pep talk to myself).

Actually, it makes sense to me and is unsurprising. Ebay has long announced its intent to move closer to the Amazon marketplace and away from the garage sale model. Amazon does requires all sellers to abide by the same policies. Many sellers put in terms that are contrary to express Ebay policies. I've seen sellers demand payment in less time than Ebay mandates, refuse to guarantee receipt of items in contravention of Paypal and Ebay policy, and so on. Ebay is trying to standardize transactions.

wow
 

I find it hard to understand that saying "Please don't bid if you are not going to pay" is against any type of commercial rule. It's freaking common sense. So, I wonder if you can say "Please pay after you win". Amazing. Next Ebay will tell you what kind of toilet paper to use.

I'm still miffed about ebay telling me a couple of weeks ago that I can only now sell $500 per month. After being a member for a 2+ years and having 100% feedback. Nice job, ebay. Way to alienate your customers.

When?
 

Hi Dave,

Do you know when they started this policy, or when they will begin enforcing it?

Thanks,

Jeff

Ebay is pretty much over-stepping their boundaries, BUT they ARE trying to make sure you get the most out of your auctions. Not because they give a crap about you though, but because they give a crap about their percentage and fees.. There shouldn't be anything wrong with sellers having their own standards or rules, but then again, ebay doesn't care. You're the one taking the risk, and not them.

Ebay placed restrictions on me two months ago after a good 6-7 year run as a seller with ZERO negative feedbacks...and last month they stripped me of my top seller rating and my 20% discount because in the last three months I've gotten three 1 or 2 DSR ratings for 'communication'. So three of my buyers who felt I didn't communicate well enough with them cost me $170 last month. It's exasperating..I've scaled waaayyy back on my selling this month. Maybe I'll go back to my regular listing habits when I get my 20% discount back. I don't understand why ebay wants to kill off auctions and become more like Amazon...there's already a site like that and it's called Amazon.

From a buyer's perspective I'd certainly prefer standardized rules. I don't want to have to read the fine print of every ad I look at to make sure there are no unusual terms or conditions. In fact, it is my understanding that a seller's rules don't supersede eBay's anyway, so it really just seems to be added confusion and increased potential for disagreements.

I have almost no rules at all on my auctions...the only thing my auctions state after the description is "Payment is due within 5 days of auction end." What else is there to add? Most everyone knows ebay's rules supersede anything the seller states so why bother?

About a month ago I was bidding on a collection of coins listed on ebay. The seller included a phrase something to the effect of, If you added these coins up individually they would have a catalog value of around $3200. Ebay shut the auction down. Apparently you cannot mention catalog value, that it violates some rule. Does anybody know why?

I used to put in my listings, "I leave positive feedback as soon as I receive payment. If you are one of the many that do not leave feedback after a positive transaction, please do not bid on my items". I received the same response from Ebay after I tried to relist an item with that wording.

Additionally, I do not understand why ebay won't change the feedback system all together. If I sell an item with no complaints from the buyer within 30 days after the transaction, then I should automatically get a generic positive if the buyer is too lazy to leave feedback. I have sold about 250+ items and I've only recieved about 50% feedback from the total buyers.
JMO!! -Mike

Maybe they should do something useful and ban phrases like "I found it in grandpa's attic" and "I don't know if it's original, but it doesn't say reprint anywhere on the card". I guess by eBay logic you aren't allowed to discourage bidding, but you are allowed to use misleading statements to encourage it. :confused:

No idea Jeff. I never saw an announcement and I just stumbled upon it last night, by accident when I edited a typo in one of my listings.

I have a statement in big, bold letters at the bottom of my listings which basically says, "If you don't like my shipping rates, please do not bid. They are clearly stated in the auction."

It was something I added, mainly in frustration. I'll change it to be a bit less blunt I guess.

Apparently Ebay is getting complaints because bidders don't like to read descriptions anymore. Even if they are in big, bold letters.

Thanks Dave...My template includes the words Policies, etc. although no threats or negatives towards buyers (although I would like to :)). Just wanted to make sure I don't need to change my template.

Regards,

Jeff

Exactly.

Actually, they would prefer you don't list your reprints AS reprints............because that would only serve to discourage bidding on that item. It's for our own good you see. ;)

This wording actually already is banned though, thanks to Ebay's unusable policies/help site, I can't find the specific citation for you.

Tabe

I found this post doing a search on 'top-rated' seller, trying to see if anyone else was getting weird results with ebay's program.

I lost mine today because of three 1 or 2 DSR ratings for shipping costs. Very, very ridiculous as I LOSE money on shipping every time I run straight auctions, and my BIN's are almost always 'free shipping'. I also had two bad ratings for shipping speed, which is laughable - I ship the day I'm paid, unless the post office is closed. I really hate to even guess why this happened, as none of the guesses are pleasant to think about, but the end result is the same...

...BIN's with free shipping. No more of the take-it-up-the-rear straight auctions which, by the way, nail you for 11% of the first $50...unless you are a top-seller.

Just venting. Off to lunch.

My experience is the USPO can be slow these days, and the buyer will sometimes blame the seller for the USPO's delay.

So true, and how ironic. Somebody now needs to fill the online auction void. I'm surprised nobody has come out with a site that mimics the "old" eBay.

The irony would be if amazon starts an auction site like the old ebay,

Another reason I don't sell on ebay anymore!

I don't like sellers having rules & policies. As a relatively new seller, I keep it simple. I don't have any rules. I just describe the item.

I don't get it.

I don't agree with eBay in many areas, but do agree that having a relatively uniform selling rules is professional. Each seller having his own idiosyncratic rules isn't good for eBay customers.

I still don't get it. What are you guys talking about, in regard to sellers having their own rules? You win an auction, you send payment, you get an item.

Well, your rules conform to eBay's I guess.

Some sellers require a blood test and stool sample before refund.

Just a thought...

Might it have to do with promoting sales from another venue other than ebay? You know, pointing you in the catalogs direction vice "The ebay way".

Or maybe it's just because... "They said So!"

Someone should organize a month long boycott of eBay, where a large group of sellers move all of their listings to sites like onlineauction.com or bidstart.com. See if eBay even notices. If they don't want to be the premier auction site anymore, then sellers should take their business elsewhere.

Ebay would have very little reason to care, they actually want to get away from the auction format and become a retail site for commercial vendors, not mom and pop flea market dealers. Thus, many of the hoops small dollar sellers are required to jump through.

Perhaps they will eventually separate out the 'auction' aspect of their business, then sell it?

I realize this is an old post, but I have never heard of this kind of policy. I will be happy to sell to the highest bidder regardless of whether they leave feedback or not. Is feedback that important to people that they are willing to lose customers and money over it?

It doesn't matter what your rules are ebay's rules supersede any rules you put on your auction. Ebay made a rule last year that supposedly went into effect in December that all seller must offer refunds on returns and that the buyer gets 14 days to return the item after they receive it. Oddly though on their listing site you can still choose "no returns" and you can even choose 3 day/7 day/14 day returns. Even with all that if someone paid with paypal they can pretty much return an item within 60 days. This happened to me with a remorseful buyer who made a paypal claim more than 30 days after he received the item and almost 6 weeks after the item ended. My auction stated 7 day returns.


On an unrelated note to all that this morning I had a discussion with a fellow who unbeknownst to me was blocked and was ticked off about it...he emailed me and told me that I sold something for way less than it was worth because he was blocked from bidding. This guy is not on my blocked bidder list so he must have at least 2 non paying bidder strikes in the last 12 months..I just changed that last week. I asked him if he has any strikes against him and he is very evasive...he wants my phone number for some reason. Creepy.

By the same token, I allow international bidders because as a seller I don't want to be turning down bids.

I would say at least 10% of my bidders are international...you have to allow them to bid if you are serious about making money on ebay. However I did have to amend my rules to actually state that I will not mark any item sold on ebay as a "Gift". Rarely do I get asked to do that, but it happens.

Just got this email from ebay a few minutes ago...lots of rule changes heading this way.

=======================================

Spring Seller Update

Dear southst9:

Your commitment to great service is paying off! With eBay growing at double-digit rates, you now have access to more than 100 million active buyers. Updates coming this spring will help keep those growing ranks of online shoppers coming your way, help get your listings in front of the right buyers, protect your track record, and boost your efficiency.

Free pictures coming in July!

Your upfront cost of selling on eBay is going down again! Now, starting July 2, on top of listing up to 50 items Auction-style FREE each month, you'll get FREE pictures for all your listings , both Auction-style and Fixed Price. You can upload up to 12 pictures per listing and all 12 pictures will be free—including free zoom and enlarge! Listings with lots of great quality photos sell more, so start loading up now.

Updates to the eBay Top-rated seller program mean more attention for your great listings.

Ecommerce standards for service have evolved in the three years since the eBay Top-rated seller program was first introduced, and savvy merchants have adapted to compete. Now the Top-rated seller program will also evolve to keep pace.

Starting in June, Top-rated sellers will need to have tracking information uploaded to eBay within their stated handling time on 90% or more of their transactions with US buyers. As of June 1, the 20% final value fee discount and greatest average boost in Best Match will go to those listings from Top-rated sellers that include 1-day handling and a minimum 14-day return policy with a money-back refund option. Your listings without these two services will still have the Top-rated seller badge and some boost in Best Match but will not earn the discounts or the highest average boost in Best Match.

You already upload tracking information, so you're on track to keep your Top-rated status. To keep the maximum benefits, add the combination of 1-day handling and a minimum 14-day return policy with a money-back refund option to as many of your listings as possible.

As an extra reward for adding these in-demand services now, from March 1 to May 31, you'll get a bonus 5% discount off your final value fees—along with your current 20% discount—for all listings with 1-day handling and 14-day or longer returns with a money-back option. Act now to take full advantage of this bonus discount!

Safeguards for your hard-earned performance record

New seller protections help ensure your performance record is an accurate reflection of your great service:

Get an automatic 5-star Detailed Seller Rating (DSR) for Communication when you specify same-day or 1-day handling, upload tracking information by the end of the next business day, and no communication is needed between you and the buyer.

Feedback left for a transaction where the buyer had an unpaid item recorded will be automatically removed.

Earlier this year, eBay started displaying an automatic message on the View Item page to buyers outside the US regarding customs-related delays and customs duties. Because of this, any Feedback from international buyers that only references customs issues will qualify for Feedback removal.

Updates to boost your efficiency and profitability

Manage your business policies from one handy location. Opt in to a new way to create and manage custom payment, shipping, and return policies and apply them to listings quickly and easily.

Streamline returns: An optional new way to manage returns virtually automates the process according to the terms you specify. Your buyer simply clicks a link in My eBay to print a pre-paid shipping label. When you get the item back, simply click a button to issue the refund. Your final value fees are automatically refunded.

Return options retired: When sellers accept returns, buyers expect a reasonable timeframe and the ability to get their money back. As of May 2, the 3-day and 7-day and "Merchandise credit" and "Exchange" options will be retired for new listings and relistings. As always, you can still specify "No returns accepted" but note that offering a good return policy can help your sales.

New same-day handling time option. Let buyers know you ship the same day for orders received by your specified cut-off time.

USPS® First-Class Package service reclassified from Expedited to Standard. Take advantage of the savings this service offers, while setting the right delivery expectations for your buyers.

A message on the View Item page alerts buyers to the possibility of extended delivery time for items with longer than 3-day handling.

New requirements for pictures. High-quality pictures can make all the difference in enticing a buyer to choose your item over the rest. Starting this fall, all listings will be required to have at least one picture, and all photos must be at least 500 pixels on the longest side and cannot have added borders or text (watermarks okay).

Best Match using more information to get your listings in front of the right buyers. eBay's default sort order will begin looking at more information—including information in your item description—to evaluate items for ranking. Item Specifics, product codes like UPCs and ISBNs, brand, part numbers, and other descriptors will be increasingly important.

Removing more duplicate listings. Reducing duplicate listings in search results has made it easier for buyers to find what they're looking for and significantly increased sales for many sellers. Now Auction-style listings with the Buy It Now option will be considered duplicates to Fixed Price listings or to other Auction-style listings with the Buy It Now option for identical items.

Category and other updates

Electronics: Listing with the eBay catalog will be expanded to more categories, including DVD & Blu-ray Players, Home Theater Receivers, Home Speakers & Subwoofers, Home Theater Systems, and Home Theater Projectors.

Motors: Some listing features will be retired—Border, Highlight, Featured Plus!, and Listing Icon in Parts & Accessories and Motors Home Page Featured in Motors Vehicles.

Category and Item Specific updates:As always, changes to categories and item specifics are included with the rest of seller updates. Find out if your listings are affected.
Clothing, Shoes & Accessories
Coins
Computers & Networking
Consumer Electronics
eBay Motors
Home & Garden
Toys
Jewelry & Watches (Category adjustments in Watches only)
More information
Get details on the 2012 Spring Seller Update.
Use the Seller Checklist to stay on top of important dates.
Find out how you can update your listings quickly and efficiently with bulk editing tools.
For additional insight, you're also invited to talk with members of my staff during the next two days on a special discussion board we've set up for this purpose. Join me and other leaders from eBay in a Town Hall meeting on February 29, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. PST.
As always, thank you for selling on eBay.

Sincerely,
Michael Jones
Vice President
Merchant Development

=================================================

I half-seriously wonder if it's eBays attempt to increase profits by cutting discounts to sellers.

Though I mostly think they're trying to get sellers in alignment for the the big push to be like amazon.

Amazon Mantle Forgery TTA Ted Taylor
 

I believe that someone write earlier that Ebay wanted emulate Amazon's business model. The irony being that Amazon looks like it's wanting to become the old Ebay business model allowing sellers to list Mickey Mantle forgeries like the one below with a TTA (Ted Taylor) COA.

Attachment 57923

Attachment 57924

Attachment 57925

"Get an automatic 5-star Detailed Seller Rating (DSR) for Communication when you specify same-day or 1-day handling, upload tracking information by the end of the next business day, and no communication is needed between you and the buyer."

I like this a lot as a seller. I cannot stand needy buyers who want to send you 5 emails within 10 minutes of the auction ending about the exact minute their item is being shipped.Then they track the item the whole way and let you know the progress and if you do not respond to each email they bang you with 1's or 2's for communication. I would rather pay for postage with Ebay shipping within 1 business day and Ebay automatically sends the buyer an email on your behalf thanking them for their purchase and giving them a tracking number. I do not need to know about their Aunt's Back problems or be put on their Christmas card list.

I hear ya, Bob. I'm not a big seller at all; and when I do sell, I simply ask that the buyer pay within seven (7) days. But I get a kick out of the buyer who doesn't pay until day 10 or 11 and then they want to know "Will it ship today?" PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!

I once sold a straw hat for less than my ebay fees. The buyer then wanted me to overnight it. I didn't, but I'm guessing I got dinged for that one. What a horrible seller I was.

Nah, Ebay is just "evolving" to keep pace with the savvy merchants.

They're just thinning out the herd a bit more.

I think I need an aspirin.

I may have to kiss goodbye to that 20%. It's becoming harder and harder to keep up.

I told a buyer that he was a very nice man. But he wanted to hear that he was very very nice man and so lowered my rating for shipping time, eBay cut my discount and I'm not living in the woods living off of nuts and berries.

And don't say "I believe the nut part of that story"

eBay's ratings system has always been bogus. That's unlikely to change anytime soon. Since they started it, it's been convoluted, illogical and laughable.

For an example, if a buyer can have no higher than a 100% rating and now lower than a 100% rating, what is the point of having a rating system for buyers? Either have a real rating system or none. Having a rating system where every buyer automatically gets the same rating is, well, stupid and pointless.

That's an uphill battle on it's own. Now, I guess I can't leave the house for more then a day, for fear a payment will come trickling in when I'm not around.

I guess that with the new requirements if you go leave Friday to go away for a weekend , you will have to put a vacation hold on your items and lose weekend sales or risk your Top Seller status. I say this because under this senario if someone buys an item Friday afternoon and you have already left for your weekend away, the PO is open on Saturday so that is the "next business day" as far as shipping goes then Monday is too late and is counted against you.

From the eBay site...
 

You'll automatically receive a 5-star shipping time detailed seller rating if:
*You specify 1-day handling.
*You upload US Postal Service, UPS, or FedEx supported tracking information by the end of the next business day (Pacific Time) after the buyer's payment clears. A business day is a normal weekday. Saturdays, Sundays, and major holidays aren't business days.
*Delivery Confirmation or tracking shows confirmed delivery 4 business days from when the payment clears or within your estimated delivery time if it's less than 4 days (for example, overnight shipping).

Starting in June, Top-rated sellers will need to have tracking information uploaded to eBay within their stated handling time on 90% or more of their transactions with US buyers. As of June 1, the 20% final value fee discount and greatest on average boost in Best Match will go to those listings from Top-rated sellers that include 1-day handling and a minimum 14-day return policy with a money-back refund option. Listings without these two services will still have the Top-rated seller badge and some boost in Best Match but will not earn the discounts or the highest average boost in Best Match.

Based on a February 20 evaluation, you'll need to take a few steps to keep your Top-rated benefits in June:


Start now to upload tracking information to meet the 90% mark. The easiest way to upload tracking information is to use eBay Labels. It's fast and easy, and tracking information is uploaded automatically. And USPS® now offers FREE Delivery Confirmation ™ with eBay Labels for many services, including First-Class Package service for parcels!



I'm confused. Does this mean I HAVE to buy tracking now on every package to maintain the 20 percent? I sell hundreds and hundreds of books a year, along with records, magazine, lots of media stuff, and I already regularly lose money on shipping because of ebay's $4 limit on media mail. (think about how heavy some books are, even with media rates they often exceed $4 with packaging costs included.) If I have to add tracking, too, at my cost, it's really going to hit me hard. I notice they don't mention media mail in their "many services." I'm guessing it doesn't qualify for free tracking, which basically screws me. God, they're a-holes. Every time I get one of these messages about new seller "protections," I know it's going to cost me money. Idiots.

OK Good! This was not specified in the email received today and I know from past experience using Ebay Shipping that if you print shipping labels after close of business on friday evening it defaults the shipping date to the next day being Saturday. I thought this was a valid question and do not take anything for granted, common sense wise, when it comes to Ebay! Weekend excursions back on for this summer! :D

I feel sorry for the "Store" owners who will have to ship next day on a 99 cent item that someone BINed from their store just so they can keep their discount. :rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure that when you get purchase postage via paypal, tracking is an extra nineteen cents ($0.19).

[edited to add] I track every package sent from eBay sales. If the item doesn't have tracking info, the purchaser can easily state that they never received the package and eBay will side with the purchaser every time.