» 2010 » January

On Tuesday January 26th eBay made announcements to price changes on the platform. The headline reads “Our Lowest Insertion Fees EVER…” So we decided to put that claim to the Mythbuster test. We all love to watch Adam and Jamie on the TV show drop and blow up stuff to see if it works, so I figure lets put this statement to the test!

The STATEMENT:

“I reject your reality and substitute my own” …Adam Savage (MythBusters)

Since the announcement, I have had the pleasure of seeing and hearing all the comments both for and against the claim, so I will put it to the test using the following criteria:

1) I will ONLY deal with data sets that are pertinent to MY PRODUCT CATEGORY of Clothing. (I refuse to speak about what I do not know about, those who do lose all credibility in my opinion.)

2) I will compare LIKE data sets (apples to apples).

3) My results are not scientific, factual, tested, sponsored by eBay, or even all that good for that matter, so just ignore everything and continue on with your life.

But seriously folks…what is important for you to take away is not so much my results, but HOW I came to these conclusions. What I hope is that you will learn to think, do and come to your own conclusions and then make good decisions about how to navigate your business with these new pricing changes on eBay.

Auctions

OK, here we go, lets start with Auction Style Listing Fees….

Above are screen shots SIDE BY SIDE of the old fees on eBay vs. the new fees for Auction Style Listings.

1) Lets start with $.01 – $.99 cent starting auctions. Old fee was .15 cents, the New fee is FREE*, and the details are in the *

• You get only 100 of those free per month, I have not found a price after that 100?!? However my guess is that it would be .10 cents each based on the fee structure of the store fee chart (which we will look at later in the post)

2) Insertions fees for New chart shows a decrease in fees for ALL levels of starting auction price.

Determination: This is so overtly OBVIOUS that I have no other choice but to stamp this part of the myth as CONFIRMED!

Next chart, lets take a look at the Final Value Fees (FVF) for auction items, which are the fees you pay when an item is sold on eBay…

1) The Old fees had a graduated pay scale based on the ending price of the action. At the lower end items sold up to $25.00 were charged 8.75% for the fees.

2) On the New plan, fees are no longer graduated. There is a FLAT FEE of 9% which is .25% HIGHER than before for items under $25.00 however for higher priced items it is a flat 9% fee and it is capped at no more than $50.00 for any item ever.

• for example in the OLD table, an item that would sell for $100 would get 8.75% for the first $25.00 of the sale and then 3.5% for the other $75 of that $100 item. The FVF fees for that would be $2.19 + $2.63 = $4.82
• Under the New fees you would now pay $9.00 that is an increase. However as you scale the ending prices UP the FVF fee will increase until you get to around the $2000 mark. After the $2000 level the prices actually are CHEAPER than they were before.

Determination: While most items on eBay will see an increase in FVF some higher priced items ($2000 and beyond) will see a decrease in FVF fees. Logically I could stamp this one as busted, but some fees will decrease ($2000 and up) so I must stamp this one as PLAUSIBLE, yet unlikely for many sellers!

Fixed Price

Next lets look at Fixed Price Fees…

Fixed price is the FASTEST growing segment of eBay and is the focus of the leadership at eBay as the growing darling of the platform.

1) The Old fees for Fixed price was a flat fee of .35 cents.

2) On the New structure eBay has set up some tiered prices based on:

• whether or not the seller operates an eBay store.
• what store subscription level the seller has with eBay.

Personal observations: I believe eBay is wanting ALL fixed price sellers on the platform to open stores and then eBay can move all of the inventory currently as fixed price into the store. This will allow sellers with fixed price models a nice landing spot for all their listings and buyers can “shop around” better with a single seller and their wares. Good move for ANY fixed price volume seller in my opinion.

Also eBay says it will be offering “store items” to be listed in search, that is really a play on words here. There will no longer be “store items” as we once knew them anyway. eBay has completely done away with items that are in store and “not in search”.

NOW all items in stores are FIXED PRICE so this is NOT an apple-to-apple comparison if you take store items of old and compare them to store items (fixed price listings) of today! You need to keep that in mind and I will revisit this later in the store section of this post.

Determination: Store owners will see a SUBSTANTIAL decrease in fees for fixed price listing. However sellers without store subscriptions will see an SUBSTANTIAL increase in fees. I again must stamp this scenario as HIGHLY PLAUSIBLE!

Next up is the Final Value Fees of the Fixe Price listings on eBay. I want to remind you of the parameters of this article once again…

— I will ONLY deal with data sets that are pertinent to MY PRODUCT CATEGORY of Clothing. (I refuse to speak about what I do not know about, those who do lose all credibility in my opinion.)

1) The chart for the Old fees had a 12% FVF fee for items under $50 and there is NO CHANGE in the New model. These fees remain the same.

2) In the Old fees items over $50 were charged 12% on the first $50 and then 9% for anything over $50 up to $1000. On the new chart items price at Fixed Price up to $1000 are now flat at 9%.

• Let take our example from before with an item priced at $100. Under the Old fees you would be charged $6.00 + $4.50 = $10.50
• Under the new flat rate of 9% you will now be charged $9.00 for the FVF of that same item.
• If the Fixed Price item is $1000 or more you are only paying 2% and even a public school drop out like myself can assess that is cheaper than before DUH!

Determination: This one is so blatantly obvious I feel almost juvenile having to say this but this one is ABSOLUTLY Confirmed!

Store Inventory Format

NEXT we move to the last of this study, the store items…

1) The fees for stores subscriptions remain unchanged! The eBay store fees are the same as they ever where. That part was easy right?!?

HERE IS WHERE THE “eBay tabloid bloggers” and the so called “eBay seller commentary” will try to trick you!!! Look at the comparison of Store Inventory Format below…

Do you see that? I am not sure if these “tabloid bloggers” are ignorant, or if they really are trying to be deceptive?!? However the TRUTH OF THE MATTER is there is nothing to compare it too. That additional format that was once available to store sellers called Store Inventory Format (SIF) has been removed in the new eBay changes. It NO LONGER EXISTS!

There will only be 2 listing formats on eBay now, Fixed Price or Auctions….that’s it! If you have a store you get different pricing (as we have discussed above) on these 2 formats, but there is no longer a 3rd format. Do you get it!!!!

Store Inventory Format (SIF) does NOT have a special format any longer. Store will only have the Auction or the Fixed Price PERIOD.

What happens if you do NOT understand this key point, then everything else will confuse you. Just remember that eBay simply REMOVED Store Inventory Format (SIF) completely, it is off the table, no longer an option, adios amigo. If you do that then you can better make a determination on if the eBay fee changes are an increase for you or a decrease.

So over all, does the initial statement from Dinesh Lathi of “Our Lowest Insertion Fees Ever…” live up to the myth? YES it does, absolutely and you know why? Because the first 100 auctions that start at .99 cents are FREE and dammit, there is nothing cheaper than free…DUH, unless eBay pays me to list.

I want to hear from YOU, what do you think about these un-scientific findings? Please leave your comments, we love to start the discussion.

SEATTLE, Jan 28, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced financial results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2009.

Operating cash flow was $3.29 billion in 2009, compared with $1.70billion in 2008. Free cash flow increased 114% to $2.92 billion in 2009, compared with $1.36 billion in 2008.

Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock-based awards outstanding totaled 461 million on December 31, 2009, compared with 446 million a year ago.

 

Net sales increased 42% to $9.52 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $6.70 billion in fourth quarter 2008. Excluding the $354 million favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales would have grown 37% compared with fourth quarter 2008.

Operating income increased 75% to $476 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $272 million in fourth quarter 2008. Excluding the $31 million favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, operating income would have grown 63% compared with fourth quarter 2008.

Net income increased 71% to $384 million in the fourth quarter, or $0.85 per diluted share, compared with net income of $225 million, or $0.52 per diluted share, in fourth quarter 2008.

"Millions of people now own Kindles," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. "And Kindle owners read, a lot. When we have both editions, we sell 6 Kindle books for every 10 physical books. This is year-to-date and includes only paid books — free Kindle books would make the number even higher. It’s been an exciting 27 months."

 

Full Year 2009

Net sales increased 28% to $24.51 billion, or 29% excluding the $182 million unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, compared with $19.17 billion in 2008.

Operating income increased 34% to $1.13 billion, or 39% excluding the $40 million unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, compared with $842 million in 2008. Included in 2009 operating income is the impact of our settlement with Toysrus.com LLC for $51 million. In 2008, operating income included a $53 million non-cash gain recognized on the sale of the Company’s European DVD rental assets.

Net income increased 40% to $902 million in 2009, or $2.04 per diluted share, compared with net income of $645 million, or $1.49 per diluted share, in 2008.

Highlights

• Kindle and Kindle DX are available for immediate shipment to over 100 countries. Additionally, the Kindle for iPhone App is now available from the Apple App Store in more than 60 countries. Customers around the world can now synchronize reading between their Kindle, Kindle DX, personal computer, iPhone, iPod touch and soon, Blackberry, Mac and iPad.

• The U.S. Kindle Store now has more than 410,000 books, including 100 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers, more than 8,000 blogs, and more than 130 top U.S. and International newspapers and magazines, including: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Times (U.K.), Le Monde, The Economist, The New Yorker, Newsweek, and Time.
• The Company announced that authors and publishers around the world can now use the self-service Kindle Digital Text Platform (DTP) to upload and sell books in English, German and French to customers worldwide in the Kindle Store.
• Amazon.com announced a new 70 percent royalty option for Kindle DTP, enabling authors and publishers to earn more royalties. Beginning June 30, authors and publishers who select the new royalty option will receive 70 percent of list price, net of delivery costs.
• The Company introduced Kindle Development Kit, which gives developers access to programming interfaces, tools and documentation to build and upload active content for Kindle.
• North America segment sales, representing the Company’s U.S. and Canadian sites, were $4.96 billion, up 36% from fourth quarter 2008.
• International segment sales, representing the Company’s U.K., German, Japanese, French and Chinese sites, were $4.56 billion, up 49% from fourth quarter 2008. Excluding the favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, International sales grew 37%.
• Worldwide Media sales grew 29% to $4.68 billion. Excluding the favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, sales grew 23%.
• Worldwide Electronics & Other General Merchandise sales grew 60% to $4.61 billion. Excluding the favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, sales grew 54%.
• The Company completed its acquisition of Zappos.com on November 1, 2009. Zappos.com contributed approximately $200 million to fourth quarter revenue.
• Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS), a new web service that makes it easy to set up, operate and scale relational databases in the cloud, was introduced by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Amazon RDS provides cost-efficient and resizable capacity while automating time-consuming database administration tasks, freeing users to focus on their application and their business.
• AWS introduced Spot Instances for Amazon EC2, a new option that allows customers to purchase and consume Amazon EC2 compute resources. With Spot Instances, customers bid on unused Amazon EC2 capacity and run those instances for as long as their bid exceeds the current Spot Price. Spot Instances can enable lower costs and provide significant short-term capacity for customers with flexibility in when their applications can run.
• Both Amazon EC2 and Amazon S3 lowered pricing during the quarter. Amazon EC2 lowered prices up to 15% for all On-demand instance families and sizes, while Amazon S3 introduced new pricing tiers that will reduce storage cost for multi-petabyte customers by more than 15%.

Separately, the Company is announcing that its Board of Directors has authorized the Company to repurchase up to $2 billion of the Company’s common stock. The program allows the Company to opportunistically repurchase its shares from time to time when it believes that doing so would enhance long-term shareholder value. The repurchase authorization does not have a fixed expiration. Purchases may be effected through one or more open market transactions, privately negotiated transactions, transactions structured through investment banking institutions or a combination of the foregoing. This stock repurchase authorization replaces the previous $1 billion stock repurchase authorization, approved by the Board of Directors in 2008.

Financial Guidance

The following forward-looking statements reflect Amazon.com’s expectations as of January 28, 2010. Our results are inherently unpredictable and may be materially affected by many factors, such as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, changes in global economic conditions and consumer spending, world events, the rate of growth of the Internet and online commerce and the various factors detailed below.

First Quarter 2010 Guidance

• Net sales are expected to be between $6.45 billion and $7.00 billion, or to grow between 32% and 43% compared with first quarter 2009.
• Operating income is expected to be between $275 million and $365 million, or to grow between 13% and 50% compared with first quarter 2009. This guidance includes approximately $110 million for stock-based compensation and amortization of intangible assets, and it assumes, among other things, that no additional business acquisitions or investments are concluded and that there are no further revisions to stock-based compensation estimates.

Fewer Definite Declines, More Flat and One Moves to the Almost Certain Growth Column

COLUMBUS, OH – (MARKET WIRE) – 1/26/2010 – Forecasts for same store sale growth are inching upward for retailers from a year ago, according to the January ForecastIQ® (a service from Prosper Technologies, LLC). Of the 27 retailers ForecastIQ® tracks every month, eight are likely/almost certain to see an increase in same store sales over in February and March (compared to seven in January ’09). More retailers are predicted to be flat and less are forecasted declines through March, indicating retailers aren’t necessarily as “sick,” but not yet on the road to a full recovery.

Total Number for Retailers Tracked

	JAN-2010	JAN-2009
Almost certain increase*	4	3
Likely increase	4	4
Flat	4	2
Likely decline	4	2
Almost certain decline	11	16

*An “almost certain increase” indicator means that in February and March, retailers are almost certain to experience same store sales growth from the same period a year ago.
Ross, TJX, Aeropostale and Buckle are almost certain to see an increase in same store sales through March. However, both Aeropostale’s and Buckle’s projected growth have leveled off since last year, while Ross and TJX make larger strides. Warehouse clubs BJ’s and Costo are likely to see an increase.
On the other hand, forecasts remain soggy for higher-priced retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap and Neiman Marcus; they are almost certain to post declines. Hot Topic is almost certain to see a decline as well, whereas a year ago they were likely to experience an increase.

 

Last week, I sat down with Alexis van de Wyer for an interview. Alexis is the Director of Advertising for eBay, where he holds global responsibility for launching and developing AdCommerce.

AdCommerce is eBay’s text advertising solution. He started his career in the telecom and finance industries, where he was in charge of developing and launching e-commerce and mobile commerce solutions.

While I have been aware of the AdCommerce platform, some of the recent changes and the way eBay is testing and enhancing the systems are really making AdCommerce spends very lucrative for traffic.

Alexis joined eBay in 2005 where he lead first the Product and then the Marketplace teams in Belgium. He joined the Global advertising team in 2008. Alexis holds an MBA of INSEAD (France/Singapore), an Msc in Applied Economics and an Msc in Engineering of University of Louvain (Belgium).

Listen to the Interview NOW!
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About eBay AdCommerce

You Are in Control

You decide what you are willing to pay for each click and you are in full control of your total advertising budget. You also decide on your targeting options (by keyword or by category) and on the design of your ads.

Review & Respond

Follow your own detailed ad performance reports to learn what attracts the right buyers and adjust accordingly to boost performance.

Only Pay for Results

Your text ads are displayed for free. You are only charged when someone clicks on your ad, so every cent of your budget goes towards attracting potential buyers.

If you have wondered about using AdCommerce for your eBay business then this is a MUST listen interview for you. I see this tool as a viable addition to many business models for extra exposure on the eBay platform.

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“Can paperless billing get me paid faster?” That one line is burned in my brain probably for eternity. I had to say it at least 100 times in one day. That is my line on the now nationally televised  American Express commercial that I was asked to appear in for American Express Open Forum

The big question that people ask seems to be HOW? How, did I get a commercial with American Express?

The simple answer is… I am a card member, duh?!? LMAO…but the more complex answer is “I do not know”. That is the reality of it, I simply do not know how I was picked and I just feel extremely fortunate to have 1st been picked and 2nd not to be left on the cutting room floor! I am guessing that my turn as a small business card member profile did not hurt the decision process. But I am not completely certain that had anything to do with it. American Express is a HUGE company and I would not assume one division always knows what the other is doing. Plus, I got that profile years ago.

It is not everyday that an average Joe or John ( ), like me,  gets to appear on national TV in every market in the country both cable and broadcast TV. I recognized this as a once in a lifetime opportunity and I decided to take my little Vado HD 8 GB Pocket Video Camcorder and get as much of the memories as possible.

From the time I landed in Hollywood till the day we wrapped, I took video to help pass the time and to keep these memories for me and my family.

Of course you guys, who are readers of the blog, are part of that family. I totally had you in mind when I made these videos. I wanted to take you along on the journey. There is a lot of footage to comb through and it takes a little time to get this stuff ready for you. I got part of it done and here it is. Check out Part 1 of the behind the scenes video for the making of the commercial….Enjoy it!

Please Follow Our YouTube Channel

Related Links:

American Express Commercial … HERE
The Amex Press Release … HERE
My Open Forum Company Profile … HERE

The eBay changes have been announced, set to roll out at the end of March 2010. This is the first of 3 for the 2010 year for eBay.

Read them and leave your comments in the comment section…what do you think? Lets hear it!

OUR LOWEST FEES EVER COMING THIS SPRING: FREE AUCTION-STYLE LISTINGS, FIXED PRICE AS LOW AS 3¢

March 30, 2010 will bring eBay’s lowest fees ever. Sellers of all sizes will have a range of options for easy selling and maximum profitability. For the vast majority of sellers, the new fee options will bring significant savings with dramatically reduced upfront cost.

Highlights

With eBay’s new standard fees you can list Auction-style with a low start price FREE—up to 100 items a month—and pay only if your item sells. Or you can choose one of the new eBay Stores subscription packages and list in Fixed Price with full search exposure for as low as 3¢ and in Auction-style at a significantly discounted rate.

Also starting March 30, there will be one Fixed Price format on eBay. Listings in the current Stores Inventory Format will automatically become regular Fixed Price listings with the same duration and appear with all other Fixed Price listings in eBay search results.

Subscribe or upgrade your Store now and pay no additional monthly subscription fees until April 2010!

NEW STANDARD FEES

List Auction-style FREE with a low start price—pay only if your item sells.

• NO Insertion Fees for Auction-style listings when you list your item with a start price under $1—up to 100 listings per month. Pay only if your item sells.
• New low Insertion Fees when you list your item with a start price of $1 or more
• One easy Final Value Fee of 9% of the winning bid—and never more than $50—regardless of your start price or final selling price.
• 50¢ Insertion Fee for Fixed Price with Final Value Fees for the most part staying the same.

With no or low Insertion Fees for Auction-style listings—plus the fact that Auction-style listings get an automatic boost in search results when they’re about to end—the new standard rates are a great value if you sell occasionally or sell to earn extra cash.

NEW EBAY STORES SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES

List in Fixed Price with full search exposure as low as 3¢

• Insertion Fees as low as 3¢ for Fixed Price listings with full exposure in search results
• Fixed Price Final Value Fees for the most part staying the same
• New low Auction-style Insertion Fees
• Auction-style Final Value Fees significantly reduced over the new standard rate
• FREE pictures—up to 12 per listing
• FREE Selling Manager Pro with Premium and Anchor subscriptions
• Plus all the other great marketing tools you get with an eBay Stores subscription, including your own customizable store front and Markdown Manager.

Choose the package that’s right for you. Sign up now, before February 16, and pay no additional monthly fee until April!

• BASIC: 20¢ Fixed Price Insertion Fees, $15.95/month
  Consider a Basic Store if you list more than 50 Fixed Price or Auction-style items a month. It’s a great starter package if you plan to start an eBay business or ramp up your selling.

• PREMIUM: 5¢ Fixed Price Insertion Fees, $49.95/month
  Great choice for higher volume sellers (more than 250 items per month) and sellers listing in both Auction-style and Fixed Price formats.
• ANCHOR: 3¢ Fixed Price Insertion Fees, $299.95/month
  Get the same great deal as the old Store Inventory format-now with full exposure in search results! With an Anchor Store subscription, higher volume sellers get top savings and the lowest package rates on eBay.

  See fee charts for details.

  Use the Fee Illustrator Tool to help you decide.

  NOTE: Starting in March, meeting the new minimum performance standard for all sellers will be a requirement for Premium and Anchor subscribers.

One Fixed Price listing format
Starting March 30, eBay will offer one Fixed Price format with full search exposure. Existing Store Inventory Format listings will automatically become regular Fixed Price listings with their original duration at the new fees included with your Stores subscription package.

Fee Charts

eBay fees as of March 30, 2010

Current selling fees

TAKE ACTION: Takes steps now to take full advantage of these changes: Review the new fee options carefully. If you currently have an eBay Store, understand how your fees will change when your Store Inventory Format listings become regular Fixed Priced listings. Determine which new plan works best for the way you sell or the way you plan to sell. Use the Fee Illustrator to help you decide. Subscribe or upgrade your Store now and pay no additional monthly subscription fees until April 2010! Review your current Store Inventory Format listings—especially Good ‘Til Cancelled listings—and determine which ones you want to be renewed at the new rate. Some options to consider: Allow inventory to renew as regular Fixed Price listings at the new rate determined by the eBay Stores subscription package of your choice. If you opt not to subscribe to an eBay Store, your items will be renewed at the new standard rate. Revise your current listings to make them more competitive so they will perform well as regular Fixed Price Listings. Liquidate inventory you don’t want to renew before the new pricing starts: For example, re-price, send to auction, offer items at a special price with Markdown Manager, or use Best Offer. Review your Store Inventory format listings that are not selling now and may not perform well as regular Fixed Price listings. Revise and/or liquidate these listings. To help you identify this inventory, listings with no activity in the past 16 months will be flagged as a note in My eBay and other selling tools including Turbo Lister, Selling Manager, Selling Manager Pro, and Blackthorne. If you determine that a Premium or Anchor Store subscription is right for your business, make sure you meet the new seller requirements for a Premium or Anchor store by March 30.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the changes to eBay seller fees?
We’re introducing a new fee structure that will allow you to select an option that works best for you based upon your selling activity and preferred listing format. Beginning March 30, 2010, you’ll have the option to list with new eBay standard fees or, for a monthly subscription fee, choose an eBay Stores package with discounted Fixed Price fees and new low fees for auctions.

In general, are eBay fees going up or down?
For most sellers, the new fee options will bring significant savings with dramatically reduced upfront cost. Across the board, Insertion Fees are being dramatically reduced. Final Value Fees for Fixed Price listings are for the most part staying the same. See the fee charts for details.

What are the new standard (non-subscription) fees and who do they benefit?
The standard fees are tailored to help sellers who list primarily in Auction-style format and sell just a few items a month or throughout the year. We’re taking away the upfront cost to list your item on eBay by making it free to list Auction-style with a start price under $1. We’re lowering Insertion Fees for Auction-style listings if you start at $1 or more. We’re also simplifying the fee you pay when your item sells to 9% of the final sale price capped at maximum of $50—regardless of your start price or final selling price. For Fixed Price listings, the new standard Insertion Fee is 50¢ with Final Value Fees based on your category and final selling price. Standard Final Value Fees for Fixed Price listings will be the same as the new Stores subscription packages.

How do I subscribe or upgrade my eBay Store?
You can subscribe to a new Store here or you can upgrade your current Store subscription under Manager My Store in the Account tab in My eBay.

What else do I get with a Stores subscription package besides the new discounted fees?
The new Stores subscription packages also include other great benefits such as free pictures (up to 12 per listing) and, for Premium and Anchor subscribers, free Selling Manager Pro ($15.99/mo value) to help manage your listings and sales more efficiently. Plus you get all the great marketing tools included with an eBay Store.

When will the new fee options (standard and new eBay Stores subscriptions) become effective?
All new fees become effective from 00:00 (midnight PT) on March 30, 2010. Listings that begin on and after midnight on March 30, 2010, (e.g. at 00:00:01 a.m. PST), will be charged the new fees, regardless of when they were created (e.g., through a listing tool or through the Sell Your Item form using the listing scheduler feature). Store Inventory Format listings will renew with the new fees only if the time of renewal is on or after March 30, 2010.

What other fee changes are being made?

• The International Site Visibility Fee on Fixed Price items will be a flat $0.50 for all durations. There will be no changes to the International Site Visibility Fee for Auction-style listings
• Antique Tractors will be charged same insertion fees, final value fees and reserve fees as the Capital Equipment -> Tractors and Farm Machinery categories. For more information on Capital Equipment fees.

Are there any other changes to the Fixed Price format?
Fixed Price listings must now have a price of at least $0.99.

Are there any other changes taking place with Auction-format?
The Feedback requirement to add the Buy It Now option in Auction-style listings will be removed as of March 30, 2010.

Why are you only offering zero Insertion Fees for auctions starting under $1 with the new standard fees?
This "no fee to list" option provides an incentive to list the way auctions work best—with a low start price to stimulate bidding. If the item doesn’t sell, you pay nothing. You can also start your Auction-style listing at other start prices for a new lower Insertion Fee. A 9% Final Value Fee (capped at $50) applies when your item sells.

I usually start my Auction-style listing under $1 but add a reserve to some of my listings. Will I be charged an Insertion Fee for those listings under the new standard fee structure?
The free Insertion Fee applies to listings that start at $0.99 or below and have no reserve. For listing that start under $1.00 and have a reserve, the insertion fee will be $0.10. Reserve fees will still apply to your listings.

Does this new fee structure have any impact on my Top-rated seller discounts?
The discount you receive for achieving eBay Top-rated seller status will not change as result of the new fee structure. If you are an eBay Top-rated seller and get a 20% discount, you will continue to get a 20% discount on the Final Value Fees you pay with the new rates of your choice.

Where will the new fee structure take effect?
The new fee structure will apply to eBay.com, eBay.ca, and eBay Motors Parts & Accessories.

If I list with a selling tool such as Selling Manager or Turbo Lister before March 30, 2010, but don’t confirm the listings until after March 30, 2010, which price will I be charged?
All items that begin at midnight (PT) or later on March 30, 2010, will be charged according to the new fee structure. In this example, listings confirmed after March 30, 2010, will be charged the new fees, regardless of when they were submitted.

What categories are included in these changes?
All regular categories on eBay.com, eBay.ca and eBay Motors Parts & Accessories are included, except those mentioned under the exclusions. (See fee changes for eBay Motors Vehicles).

What categories are excluded from these changes?
Excluded from the Insertion Fee and Final Value Fee changes are Classified Ads, Real Estate, Vehicle categories on eBay Motors, and the following Business and Industrial Capital Equipment categories: Tractors & farm machinery (91952), heavy equipment (25249), concession trailers, carts (67145), imaging and aesthetics equipment (92036), forklifts and other lifts (97185), manufacturing equipment (92080), metalworking equipment (92082) and commercial printing presses (26247).

What do these changes mean for low volume sellers who sell fewer items in many categories or the unique items you can only find on eBay? Will these sellers benefit from the changes?
The new standard fees are specifically tailored to meet the needs of sellers who list primarily in Auction-style format and/or sell just a few items per month or throughout the year. We’re lowering the upfront cost to list on eBay and simplifying the fee you pay when your item sells.

I’m a high volume seller and I sell almost exclusively in Auction-style, often with a start price over $1.00. Which fee option will be best for me?
High volume auction sellers can also benefit from these changes. The new eBay Stores subscription packages include low Auction-style and Fixed Price fees, free pictures and free sales management tools such as Selling Manager Pro (with Premium and Anchor Stores). High volume auction sellers should consider a Basic store when they list over 50 Auction-style items per month. 

Is there a free trial for Stores subscriptions?
There is no free trial period. However, if you wish to try an eBay Store subscription, review and select a Store subscription that you believe will work best for you. Store subscriptions are for a minimum 30-day period. You will be billed even if you cancel or downgrade your subscription within this period. Subscriptions cancelled or downgraded after the first 30 days will be pro-rated.

Can I still list 5 free every 30 days regardless of my auction start price?
No. The current "5 Free Insertion Fees every 30 days" fee structure for Auction-style listings available when you list using the Sell Your Item Form will be replaced with the new standard fees on March 30, 2010. Auction-style format items with a start price under $1 will be free to list, up to a maximum 100 listings per calendar month. An Insertion Fee of 10¢ per listing will apply to Auction-style listings with a start price under $1 after the 100 maximum. You can also start your Auction-style listing at other start prices for a low Insertion Fee. A 9% Final Value Fee (capped at $50) applies when your item sells.

Are there changes to Final Value Fees for non-Store subscribers who list in Fixed Price?
For non-Store subscribers, the Final Value Fee for Fixed Price listings will be the same Final Value Fees as Stores packages and based upon the selling price and category you sell in. For the most part, the Final Value Fees for Fixed Price listings are staying the same. See the fee chart for details.

Can I have a Stores subscription and still choose to list with standard fees?
No, the new fees associated with your Stores subscription level will automatically apply to all your listings after you subscribe to an eBay Store. Note you can choose to end your Stores subscriptions after 30 days if you want to list with standard fees. See more details below about ending, upgrading, or downgrading your Store subscription.

Will I still receive relist credit when my item does not sell?
Fixed Price listings are not eligible for relist credits when an item does not sell. However, relist credits are available (for both Fixed Price and Auction-style listings) when the original item was sold but was not paid for by your buyer. For example, you filed an Unpaid Item claim, received a credit for the Final Value Fee for that listing, then relisted the item and sold it again.

What’s changing with the current Store Inventory Format?
Starting March 30, 2010, there will be only one Fixed Price format on eBay. At that time, listings in the current Store Inventory Format will become regular Fixed Price listings with the same duration. All Fixed Price, Good ‘Til Cancelled listings including previous Store Inventory Format listings will be set to renew as Fixed Price listings at the new fees.

Why is eBay discontinuing the Store Inventory Format?
Having one Fixed Price format will optimize exposure for all your listings and simplify search results for buyers. It will also provide buyers with a wider selection of the most relevant inventory from trusted sellers.

When my Store Inventory Format listings become Fixed Price listings, will they appear differently than Fixed Price listings?
The only difference will be how the items are merchandised within the listing—for example, if you mention your Store or use elements of your Store branding, these elements will continue to surface in your listings. These listings will appear in search results the same way as any other Fixed Price listing.

You will be introducing a lot of additional listings in search results with this change. Could this overwhelm buyers and clutter search results?
The intention of this change is to provide the best selection of items with great quality and great price. Best Match will help surface the most relevant items for buyers. We’ve made significant strides in our search technology over the past few years. Not only can our search technology handle the influx of new inventory, but with this additional inventory being exposed in search results, buyers are more often finding the things they are looking for and buying them—increasing overall purchases. That’s a win for buyers, sellers, and eBay.

Will any of my Store Inventory Format listings be ended automatically with this change?
We will not end any of your Store Inventory Format listings automatically. However, Store Inventory Format listings that have had no activity in the past 16 months will be flagged as a note in My eBay and in other seller tools including Turbo Lister, Selling Manager, Selling Manager Pro and Blackthorne to help you identify listings that are not performing well. Sellers are encouraged to evaluate these listings and edit as necessary to get them ready to become Fixed Price listings surfaced in core search results. We’ll notify sellers if/when non-performing listings will be ended in the future.

What can I do now to prepare for changes to fees and the introduction of a single Fixed Price format?

• Review the new fees/plans carefully to determine which plan works best for your business. Subscribe or upgrade your Store now and pay no additional monthly subscription fees until April 2010!

• Review your Store Inventory Format listings and determine which of those you wish to keep active. At the end of March, Store Inventory Format listings will become Fixed Price listings and set to renew at the new fees with the same duration as the original listing. Consider the following options:
  
  • Allow inventory to renew as regular Fixed Price listings at the new rate determined by the eBay Stores subscription package of your choice. If you opt not to subscribe to an eBay Store, your items will be renewed at the new standard rate.

  • Revise your current listings to make them more competitive so they will perform well as regular Fixed Price listings.
  • Liquidate inventory you don’t want to renew before the new pricing starts: For example, re-price, send to auction, offer items at a special price with Markdown Manager, or use Best Offer.

Are there tools available to help review, edit or end Store Inventory Format listings?
There are several tools you can use:

• My eBay: Underperforming listings will be flagged
• Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro, Turbo Lister and Blackthorne: These tools will identify which of your listings are performing and those that are underperforming.

  How do these changes affect my current Stores subscription?
  If you are a current Stores subscriber and happy with the new rates included with your subscription level, you don’t have to do anything. Sellers are encouraged to review listings and edit those that are not performing prior to March 30 to get them ready to become Fixed Price listings in core search results. If you currently subscribe to a Premium or Anchor Store, you’ll need to be sure you meet the new "Above Standard" performance eligibility requirement. If you currently subscribe to a Premium or Anchor Store and don’t meet the performance eligibility requirements, you will have 60 days to improve performance or your subscription will be downgraded to the Basic Stores tier.

  Will the Store Referral Credit continue after these changes launch?
  Store Referral Credits will be discontinued as of March 30, 2010.

  How do I choose the right listing format for my items?
  Here are some guidelines.

  Use Auction-style format when:

• You’re unsure of the value of your item and want it to sell right away, allowing the eBay Marketplace to determine its value.
• You have unique and hard-to-find items that could attract demand and spur a bidding war, maximizing profits from your listing.
• You are currently using Auction-style format listings, and you have a high sell-through rate (your items typically sell the first time you list them).

Use Fixed Price when:

• You have multiple items that you can place into one listing.
• You know the value of your item or know the exact price you need to get for it.
• You have a lot of inventory and want to minimize your upfront Insertion Fees. Use 30-day durations and try automatic renewals (Good ‘Til Cancelled) to boost efficiency.
• You want your items to be available to buyers for more than seven days.

Consider using a combination of both Auction-style and Fixed Price when:

• You sell a variety of items and want to attract both bidders and buyers—those looking for a deal on Auction-style listings and others who prefer the convenience of Fixed Price purchases.
• You want to maximize demand for your inventory and leverage Auction-style and Fixed Price to help drive bidders and buyers to your other listings.
• Test the different formats and see which one works best for you

Do all sellers have the option to subscribe to a Store?
All sellers with a PayPal account and who are PayPal Verified can subscribe to a Store. Starting March 30, 2010, to subscribe to a Premium or Anchor Store, you will also be required have a seller performance rating "Above Standard." You can see your eligibility in your Seller Dashboard. Learn more about seller performance standards.

Are there any Feedback requirements to open a Store and/or to list in Fixed Price?
The requirements to have a minimum of 5 Feedback to list in Fixed Price and 15 Feedback to list in multi-quantity Fixed Price will be removed effective March 30, 2010.

What is changing with Fixed Price durations?
All Fixed Price listing durations—3, 5, 7, 10, 30-day and Good ‘Til Cancelled—will be available with standard fees and with eBay Stores subscription packages.

How do I upgrade/downgrade my current Stores subscription?
You can upgrade or downgrade your current Stores subscription under Manage My Store in the Account tab in My eBay. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• Store subscriptions are for a minimum 30-day period, and you will be billed even if you cancel or downgrade your subscription within this period. Subscriptions cancelled or downgraded after the first 30 days will be pro-rated.

• Any special offer discounts you currently have may be affected if you change your subscription level.
• An upgrade to your Stores subscription level is effective immediately. Subscriptions are billed at the time you are invoiced and will show on the "View Account Status" page after your invoice is generated. Subscriptions are billed a month in advance. In case of an upgrade, the lower subscription tier will be prorated and you would be credited for the unused portion.
• If you downgrade your Stores subscription level, the lower subscription level will become effective immediately. However, you will continue to pay the applicable fees at your current level until after the minimum of 30 days at the higher tier has passed.

What will happen with the existing 5¢ Insertion Fee promotion for media listings?
Insertion Fees in Books, Music, Movies & DVDs and Video Games listed with Product Details will continue to be 5¢ through December 31, 2010 regardless of subscription. Anchor Store subscribers listing in these categories will be charged the lower Insertion Fee of 3¢ beginning March 30, 2010 when the new pricing starts.

If I have a Stores subscription, do any of my listings qualify for the standard pricing or would I ever be charged the standard fees?
If you subscribe to eBay Stores, you will pay the Insertion Fees and Final Value Fees (for both Fixed Price and Auction-style listings) associated with your Store subscription package. You can subscribe to eBay Stores or end your eBay Store subscription at any time. However, keep in mind that Store subscriptions are 30 days long. When you subscribe, you’re billed for the entire 30-day period, even if you cancel before the 30 days are up. When the 30-day period ends, standard fees would apply.

How do I cancel my Stores subscription, and what happens to my listings when I do?
When you cancel or unsubscribe from an eBay Store subscription, you will be given the option to cancel all of your listings (they will go to the Unsold file in My eBay) or you can select the option to let your limited-duration Fixed Price listings end naturally. Good ‘Til Cancelled listings will renew at the standard rate unless you end them.

To close your eBay Store:

1. Go to My eBay.
2. Click the Account tab, then click the Subscriptions link in the left navigation.
3. Scroll to the eBay Stores section, and click the Cancel Subscription link.
4. If you have bundled subscriptions with your eBay Store for Selling Manager, Selling Manager Pro, or other selling tool, select the appropriate button to specify whether you want to keep the subscriptions at the new monthly fee or unsubscribe. (Please note that Selling Manager is free for all sellers.)
5. You should choose to end or keep all your Fixed Price listings.
6. If you’re sure you want to close your Store, click the Close store button.

Separated at birth???

 

 

 Randy Jackson

vs..

John Lawson
(Me)

Come on now, I just tweeted about the new blog design today and this is the response I got back from one of my Twitter followers…

OK, come on guys I can’t really dis Randy Jackson but he got all the money and all I got was the looks, I am just way better looking than him LMAO.  Dude, I am NOT Randy Jackson. Just because I am fat, black, bald and wear glasses does NOT mean I look like the guy from American Idol!!!

I say this because a few years back when I was working for Accenture consulting they would have an office Idol competition and they tapped me to play Randy. So I had to sit there and drink my Coke and say "dawg" alot and move my hands when I talk.

This goes out to my buddy @GiveMeStrength on Twitter…I am not Randy Jackson, I just play him for hire on American Idol knock-off shows and occasionally at Halloween parties.

I am sitting at home minding my own bees wax and hanging out on Twitter. Suddenly a tweet pops up from a friend and says:

Then a few minutes later here comes another reTweet from my buddy Cliff, who by the way, has been a guest blogger her on ColderICE.com chimed in:

So what the hell? Are you serious? So I had to go over there and look!

 

WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, Wow right? That is so freakin sweeeet!!! eBay’s web voice is put forth by a good English gentleman named Richard Brewer Hay better know as RBH to some "in the know". RBH is the editor of eBay Ink Blog and he is the Web 2.0 voice of eBay.

eBay Ink is the official source for information, opinion and perspective on eBay Inc. It’s also one employee’s exploration and chronicles of the conversations happening inside eBay and outside of it too.

In his review he writes:  "Never one to pull any punches, John provides experienced insight into the world of eCommerce and all things Web 2.0. His unique and passionate delivery makes the show incredibly entertaining as well as informative."    

-RBH eBay Ink Blogger

Last year at the Ecommerce Summit I had the please of meeting and even sitting down and speaking with Richard. He was simply cool, personable and a complete and total nut (kinda like me) LMAO!

Check out this interview he did with me

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Charles is an ecommerce SEO expert who deals with online marketing for enterprise and small business application. Charles has run thousands of online marketing campaigns and launched hundreds of web sites. These experiences give him a pretty good feel about which strategies deliver the best results quickly and efficiently.

Lumpkin is a huge believer in testing and market research. he likes to get into the market and understand it’s unique opportunities and weaknesses with as little time, money and effort as possible.

This is #2 in the series of guest posts by Charles Lumpkin of CharlesLumkin.com

Please Follow Our YouTube Channel

Transcript:
Hey folks. My name is Charles Lumpkin. I want to talk to you today about why you should be a content creation beast. When SEO first started, it was all about making sure you had the content on your site, a handful of links, and putting some keywords in the meta-tags. A lot of that has gone the way of the dodo. Now, we’ll talk about stuff that’s the core tenants of SEO, but the next kind of level of SEO is going out and just making tons of content and disseminating that content across many, many different sites. A lot of web 2.0 sites and many different places.

You need to be a content creation beast. I don’t just mean going out and writing articles on your blog. I’m talking about going out and doing videos or going out and writing white papers and putting them on Scribbed. There’s a ton of different ways. Putting pictures on Flickr.

The advent of universal search has brought in a whole lot of new ideas. It segments up the engine into different kinds of buckets depending on what kind of search it is. So, if you’re in a shopping related search, you’ll have a froogle feed up there. If your in a search that’s maybe entertainment related, you might have some videos in there, right?

You’ll see these types of things sprinkled throughout the search listing. A lot of times, that’s cool and that will show your content and secondarily they’ll come to your site and you’ll get traffic off of it. You’ll also, when you disseminate these pieces of content, be it an article or whatever, out to other sites, those sites are going to rank for your work. You disseminated the content and you control the content and you can alter it and they’ll come to your site. So, be a content creation beast. It’s an important part of SEO 2.0.

Charles Lumpkin

Charles Lumpkin + Partners
http://www.CharlesLumpkin.com

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ChannelAdvisor CEO Scot Wingo sheds some light on the recent partnership announcement between Yahoo! Shopping and PriceGrabber in this short video.

For further details and to learn how this deal will affect your comparison shopping engine strategy, see a replay of ChannelAdvisor’s webinar and others archived at http://www.channeladvisor.com/webinars.

Now that 2009 is behind us, it’s time to make 2010 the year that you SELL MORE!

Top 5 reasons to attend Catalyst 2010:

1. Keynote Presentations from Industry Experts
      • Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor
      • Jay Custard, Global Online Marketing Director for Crocs
      • Dinesh Lathi, VP of Seller Experience at eBay
2. Consumer Revolution Panel
   Find out directly from consumers how they shop, what motivates them to buy and how they plan to spend their online dollars this year.
3. Ask the Expert Roundtables
   Discuss best practices, strategy, and determine what actions you should take to sell more across multiple channels. 
4. Networking Opportunities
   Catalyst provides an intimate setting with unparalleled opportunities to network with other leading online retailers to learn the secrets to how they sell more. 
   “I have only been in the e-commerce world for a little over 12 months now and have attended 3 other conferences.  The Catalyst event was by far the most beneficial to my company in terms of networking!” – 2009 Catalyst Attendee
5. Catalyst Sold Out in 2009
   Catalyst is on track to do the same in 2010. Secure your seat today!