eBay Winter Seller Update 2024: Key Points!

eBay Winter Seller Update 2024: Key Points!

It’s just out! The eBay Winter Seller Update 2024 was announced on February 21, 2024.

Unlike some previous seller updates, the eBay Winter Seller Update of 2024 has nothing in it that will set your hair on fire. The bottom line is that it’s basically all about the bottom line — that is, driving conversion, i.e., sales.

That said, there’s one thing you need to bear in mind while reviewing the initiatives and changes contained in this update: namely, how they’re going to affect YOUR bottom line. eBay only cares about our sales, not about our profits. It’s up to you to keep a sharp eye on your profit margins.

eBay Winter Seller Update 2024: Reach More Buyers!

eBay is rolling out new and improved tools to help you grow your business. For starters, sellers with a Basic or higher eBay Store subscription will now be able to create markdown sale events directly from the Active Listings page in Seller Hub. Previously, this could only be done from the Seller Hub Marketing tab. This functionality is also coming soon to the eBay Mobile app. Want more tips for your eBay store? Grab our valuable eBay Master Store Tips. They’re free!

Also rolling out are new “Sell it faster” recommendations. These data-backed suggestions will appear on your Active Listings page. For example, eBay already shows recommendations to Send Offer to Buyers for eligible listings. Now you’ll be able to automate offers based on considerations such as category, price, and condition. This is where it pays to know your cost of goods sold (COGS), so you don’t undercut yourself and lose money.

Don’t like eBay’s recommendations? Click “Remind me later” to snooze them.

Sell More Efficiently!

Sellers asked, and eBay listened: Drafts will now stay available longer. In the past, a draft would be saved for 75 days after its creation, even if you revised it. Now making revisions will restart the clock; you’ll have 75 days from when changes are made.

You can save up to 250 drafts through the quick listing tool on eBay.com and the eBay Mobile app, and you can save up to 5,000 drafts via the single and bulk business listing tools in Seller Hub.

Protect Your Business!

The Winter Seller Update announced that over the past few months, eBay has taken steps toward reducing unpaid item cases for Buy It Now and Best Offer items by requiring would-be buyers to first provide a payment method before they can send their offer.

Based on favorable feedback, the company is now taking the same tactic with seller-initiated offers. Before potential buyers can accept your offer, they will first be taken directly to checkout to make payment. Only then can they complete their purchase. If they abandon the checkout page, the item will remain available to other buyers.

Delegate More Tasks with MUAA!

eBay has enhanced Multi-User Account Access (MUAA). Now you can authorize someone else to handle My Messages as well as to create, modify, and manage advertising campaigns and promotions. The company also has introduced two-step verification with authenticator apps to maximize account security.

Improvements to Shipping and Listing Management!

eBay Standard Envelope has been expanded into more categories; tracking has been upgraded; and the Free Shipping prompt now appears on your main listing draft, making it easier to offer this option.

Another change: As of this update, when you switch categories while listing, the most relevant item specifics will follow you over to the new category.

Running Your Business on the Go!

Now you can sort orders by Custom SKU or by buyer when using eBay Mobile.

Updates to Fees and Financials!

This is the only bad news in the Winter Seller Update, and it’s not terrible: Starting March 15, 2024, the per-order fee on orders over $10 will increase to $0.40 across all categories. For orders $10 and under, you’ll still be charged the current rate of $0.30.

Despite fee increases, the eBay Winter Seller Update 2024 is mostly good news for sellers!

Despite fee increases, the eBay Winter Seller Update 2024 is mostly good news for sellers!

eBay Winter Seller Update 2024: What’s the Bottom Line?

All in all, there’s not much to worry about in this year’s eBay Winter Seller Update. It’s mostly about eBay helping you to sell more quickly and efficiently — so you can sell more, quickly and efficiently. Be sure you know your numbers, and don’t shortchange yourself when it comes to staying profitable!

 

All About eBay’s 2023 Summer Seller Update!

All About eBay’s 2023 Summer Seller Update!

Are you ready eBay sellers?

Here’s what you need to know about eBay’s 2023 Summer Seller Update.

For eBay sellers, the most highly anticipated days in any given year are those when eBay releases a seller update — especially since specific dates are never announced in advance!

These updates inform the seller community about upcoming changes (and sometimes explain recent changes as well). They impact all aspects of selling on eBay, from categories and fees to listing and shipping to seller protections and more. For this reason, sellers often tend to view updates with great trepidation.

eBay’s 2023 Summer Seller Update!

Fear not! eBay’s 2023 Summer Seller Update is mostly good news:

  • Better tools for fighting chargeback
  • A crackdown on abusive buyers
  • The site-wide rollout of eBay International Shipping (EIS)
  • New solutions to the perennial problem of unpaid items (UPIs)
  • Also announced in this Summer Seller Update is eBay’s dynamic ad rate for Promoted Listings Standard (PLS). This is something you might want to consider trying.

Of course, no seller update is all sunshine and lollipops.

The most challenging (and confusing) part of this particular update is the section that explains the complicated new regulations around selling and shipping to buyers in Europe. I’ve gotten some clarification from various eBay executives and team leaders, which I’ll pass along to you.

eBay’s 2023 Summer Seller Update: Payment Disputes

When a buyer asks their bank or credit card company to reimburse the amount they paid for something, it’s called a chargeback. eBay has listened to seller feedback and made significant changes to their payment dispute process.

Now sellers can provide detailed information documenting a transaction’s validity, enabling them to more effectively challenge a charge-back (and hopefully get to keep the money). The info they provide may also help them qualify for seller protections. Get details and FAQs at https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/seller-updates/2023-summer/business.

Reporting Inappropriate Buyer Messages

eBay was founded on the premise that people are basically good. Which for the most part, they are. But not all of them. Some unscrupulous buyers try to coerce the seller into taking their transaction offline; others attempt to bully their way to a full or partial refund.

New sellers are especially vulnerable to such ploys and may even be specifically targeted. Now eBay is giving sellers the power to report these bad buyers right from My Messages. Sellers can also block unwelcome buyers.

On your smartphone, Just click on “the kebab” button (three vertical dots) in the upper right-hand corner of the conversation to see the drop-down menu options for doing so. On a desktop or laptop computer, click the Action button above the message, then choose “Report message” (you’ll be asked to provide a reason) or “Block this member”.

Unpaid Items: a Never-Ending Story

Unpaid items following a successful auction or accepted Best Offer are a perpetual thorn in the side for sellers. But according to the Summer Seller Update, eBay is testing a new feature that requires buyers to add a payment method before sending a Best Offer. If their offer is accepted, eBay will automatically collect payment from the buyer.

In the coming weeks, this feature will be rolled out to most Best Offer listings. Get details and FAQs at https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/seller-updates/2023-summer/financials.

New Rules for Selling to European Buyers

Thanks to recently implemented and very complex legislation, selling and shipping to buyers in Europe — especially France and Germany — is currently somewhat of a hot mess.

Basically, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws makes manufacturers, importers, and eBay sellers responsible for the entire life cycle of the products they sell. It’s all part of a well-intentioned  initiative aimed at protecting the environment by preventing, reducing, and managing waste.

For more details plus specific information on selling to France go HERE.

As for Germany, EPR laws there are especially convoluted when it comes to the Electronics category. In addition, the German Packaging Act (Verpack G) regulates packing materials. Get the full scoop HERE.

Meanwhile, rest assured that in most cases, EIS can fulfill your order while complying with applicable regulations.

If it’s an item that EIS can’t (yet) handle, the listing will be blocked for buyers in those countries. That makes using EIS a no-brainer for sure!

Dynamic Ad Rate for Promoted Listings Standard

Promoted Listings (PL) is a major moneymaker for eBay — especially the pay-per-sale version, Promoted Listings Standard (PLS.) As of the 2023 Summer Seller Update, eBay has added a Dynamic Ad Rate (DAR).

DAR is a system whereby you let eBay automatically adjust your PLS percentage. You can cap this percentage it at any desired amount, which is why you think about testing DAR to see if it works for you. Check out the details and DAR FAQs at https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/seller-updates/2023-summer/listing.

Summing Up eBay’s 2023 Summer Seller Update

eBay’s 2023 Summer Seller Update includes an interesting gamut of changes, most of which should benefit you and your business on eBay. Read the entire update to get the best sense of what’s what.

Furthermore, summer isn’t just known for its annual seller update. It’s also notorious for its seasonal sales slump. Stay out of the ecommerce doldrums with I Love to Be Selling’s free guide Top 10 Tips to Ignite eBay Summer Sales! Download your complimentary copy at https://ilovetobeselling.com/webinars-and-workshops/top-10-tips-to-ignite-ebay-summer-sales/.

Top 10 Tips to Ignite eBay Summer Sales

Top 10 Tips to Ignite eBay Summer Sales

 

 

Beat the eBay Summer Sales Slump!

Beat the eBay Summer Sales Slump!

Summertime on eBay often means a slowdown in sales. 

Buyers spend more time outdoors and they go on vacation. They’re busy taking kids to and from camp. In short, they’re is lots to do besides shop on eBay. So what’s a seller to do to beat the eBay summer sales slump? Plenty!

You don’t have to spend the dog days of summer mired in the eBay doldrums.

Facing an eBay summer sales slump? This could be the perfect time to catch up on projects, be they personal or business related. 

Summertime projects could include prioritizing more time for yourself or with your family and friends. Maybe it’s your chance to finally tackle those home repairs you keep putting off or do some fashion-forward redecorating. If so, more power to you! Recently, I recently joined Jim “Griff” Griffith, host and editor in chief of the eBay for Business podcast, to share strategies for beating the eBay summer sales slump. Listen to our discussion in here.

On the business front, you might consider the following:

  • Reorganizing your home office
  • Fine-tuning your photography station
  • Streamlining your shipping process
  • Revamping your inventory management system
  • Taking a physical inventory of your listed items
  • Sorting unlisted inventory into batches for easier listing

Of course, if you’re a yard/garage/estate sale aficionado, summer is your best season for sourcing.

Making the most of it should keep you plenty busy! Then when you’re snowed in next winter, you’ll have lots of items to list. Start planning for Q4 and the holidays, too — always the year’s most hectic retail moment.

As for sales-boosting strategies, put on your eBay thinking cap.

What types of products are in demand for summer? Look for items that buyers are shopping for right now:

  • Patio and/or yard décor
  • Garden accessories and supplies
  • Pool toys
  • Beach gear
  • Summer clothing (e.g., bathing suits and cover-ups)
  • Home furnishings with summertime appeal

Just remember the #1 rule of buying inventory: The profit is in the purchase.

For even more ideas to help cure eBay Summer Sales Slump, check out my free guide Top 10 Tips to Ignite eBay Summer Sales! Download your complimentary copy HERE.

Top 10 Tips to Ignite eBay Summer Sales

Top 10 Tips to Ignite eBay Summer Sales

 

If you’re facing an eBay summer sales slump, you have lots of options from which to choose. What’s your choice?

 

Women-Owned Businesses Thrive on eBay!

Women-Owned Businesses Thrive on eBay!

By virtually any standard of measurement, women-owned businesses thrive on eBay. In fact the company’s first CEO was a woman, Meg Whitman. She oversaw eBay’s rocket-ride transformation from quirky startup to multi-billion-dollar pioneering ecommerce powerhouse. Along the way, she empowered millions of fledgling businesswomen.

Although subsequent CEOs have been male, 34% of eBay’s global leadership positions are currently filled by women.

Three of the top nine executives on eBayInc.com’s Leaders page are women They’re all senior vice presidents in key positions. They are: Marie Oh Huber, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel & Secretary; Stefanie Jay, Chief Business and Strategy Officer; and Julie Loeger, Chief Growth Officer.

Who are some of the top female sellers running businesses on eBay?

From 2016-2019, eBay’s seller recognition SHINE Awards celebrated the platform’s small and medium-size businesses. Laurie Ann Wong was the first seller Grand Prize winner. Her Reflections of Trinity was named eBay’s 2016 Small Business of the Year. 

The following year, in 2017, Angie Cardona-Nelson took home the Grand Prize. She was followed by Cori O’Steen in 2018 and Jodie Rosenbaum in 2019 — all woman entrepreneurs.

eBay is attractive to many women starting an online small business because it costs very little or nothing to begin.

Furthermore, sellers can list things they already have on hand. A wide array of items sell well on eBay. Saleable inventory ranges from all kinds of apparel to plush toys to trading cards, TV remotes as well as collectible trading cards. And don’t forget products for pets! In short, by selling on eBay, women can create a business on a shoestring, with minimal start-up costs

By contrast, financial hindrances stymie many women entrepreneurs who want to launch a business of their own. Female billionaire Kendra Scott frequently talks about the gender gap in attracting angel investors for female-owned enterprises.  She says, “Getting funding and getting taken seriously were significant roadblocks.” On eBay, there are no such gender roadblocks.

eBay is a natural fit for women-owned  businesses.

Whether full-time or part-time selling, eBay allows women flexibility, freedom and a low cost way to start a full time or part time hustle.  eBay sellers work at their own pace, control their own schedule, and maintain their preferred work/life balance.

Want to find out how to turn your clutter into cash by selling it on eBay and keeping it out of landfills? You’re on your way with the help of my free guide, ” How to Start Selling on eBay.” Download your complimentary copy HERE.

 

How to Start Selling on eBay!

How to Start Selling on eBay!

 

In eBay Inc.’s 2022 Small Business Report states that women are 13% more likely than men to say that eBay is essential to their business. And they are 7% more likely to say that eBay played a big role in starting their business.

Women in Small Business-eBay Small Business Report! (Photo: Courtesy of eBay)

According to eBay Main Street, “[On eBay,] small businesses owned by women are not just trade equals; as a group, they generally outperform the rate of eBay small businesses overall.” 

Further the study reports, “Women entrepreneurs on eBay are building successful business enterprises for the long haul.

They’re pretty happy about that, too. In fact, a survey by Inc. magazine found that female entrepreneurs in the US rank their happiness three times higher than that of women who are neither entrepreneurs nor business owners.

And with all that happiness, once up and running on eBay, women step right into exporting around the globe.  Here are some of those detailed in eBay Main Street’s 2022 US Women-Owned Small Online Business Export Report:

US Women-Owned Small Online Business Export Report

US Women-Owned Small Online Business Export Report (Photo: Courtesy of eBay)

 

97% of eBay’s female sellers export to an average of 15 countries, compared to 96% of male sellers.

By contrast, less than 1% of small businesses nationwide export, and then only to an average of 4 countries

55% of women-owned small businesses on eBay export to 10 or more countries, vs 51% of small businesses on eBay overall and 8% of businesses in the USA

eBay is reducing everyday barriers that have traditionally locked small businesses, including women-owned small businesses, into their local market,” explains Cathy Foster, VP of eBay Government Relations.

Shoppers across the country and around the world are now available to small women-owned enterprises regardless of where they call home,” she continues. “We are committed to providing women-owned small businesses with the means and opportunities to grow their operations and create wealth in their own communities.”

Kendra Scott shared, “In our world today, there are still so many barriers that women face—whether cultural, financial or self-imposed. My mission as a woman, a founder, and an entrepreneur, is to break down those barriers and clear the path for other female leaders to follow—to empower women to achieve their dreams, whatever that may be, and pass on the wisdom I’ve learned through my own journey.”

eBay welcomes and nurtures its women owned businesses. In short, women owned businesses thrive on eBay!

So, now is the time to get busy listing and selling on eBay!

 

 

Spring Cleaning for eBay Sellers!

Spring Cleaning for eBay Sellers!

Spring is springing from coast to coast, and that means it’s time for spring cleaning for eBay sellers!

So grab your virtual feather duster, and let’s get busy brushing up, and spring cleaning your eBay listings!

For spring cleaning for eBay sellers, we start with your listings.

It’s time for clearing cobwebs away from keywords, dusting off descriptions, and polishing up your pictures.

Go your Active Listings page in Seller Hub, and sort by date, oldest first. If an item has been listed for more than six months, ask yourself one simple question: Is it rare, collectible, and/or unusual?

If so, then click REVISE, and cast a critical eye over the entire listing: Did you overlook any juicy keywords when crafting your title? Do your pictures do justice to this wonderful item, showcasing it from all angles against a clean (preferably white) background? Does your description include all of the necessary details? Did you fill out the appropriate item specifics? Is your item listed in the right category?

If an item is NOT rare/collectible/unusual, end the listing.

Then relist it using SELL SIMILAR, reviewing and revising it as needed to improve the title, item specifics, description, and/or photos. This will make eBay’s search engine see your listing as brand new, not that same tired item that sat for six months with nary a nibble.

My YouTube video eBay Listing Smackdown: Relist vs Sell Similar? explains the difference between the two options. Check it out HERE.

 

While you’re sweeping your shelves clear of stale listings, it’s a good idea to do a little housekeeping around your inventory management as well.

Can you actually put your hands on every single item you’ve got listed? It can’t sell if it isn’t listed. But it can’t ship if you can’t find it! And are your listed items staying pristine while they’re stored and waiting to sell?

While Spring Cleaning for eBay sellers, it’s wise to use the SYI (Sell Your Item) form’s handy Custom Label (SKU) field!

It’s the perfect spot to record the item’s location.

It’s the perfect place for that information. Use it rather than putting it in the title or description. It saves that valuable real estate for keywords and relevant details about the item itself. The Custom Label field is for your eyes only.

You can include other key details in the SKU field, too.

I note the month and year I bought the item, where I bought it (“SA” for Salvation Army, “GW” for Goodwill, etc.), and the price. This way I can tell at a glance how long I’ve had the item and how much it cost. This is essential information if I receive an offer or when I’m marking down items for a sale.

Once you’re got your listings squared away, it’s time to refresh yourself as well.

Selling online can be a lonely endeavor. Furthermore, the daily grind of listing, selling, and shipping can wear us down. You know what they say about all work and no play!

Why not treat yourself to a day at eBay Seller Camp?

It’s 90 minutes of fun and info-packed minutes with me as your Head Counselor. It’s absolutely FREE. In Camp, learn the swim of what’s scoring sales on eBay right now.  Come hike through the latest social selling tactics. And explore the art of crafting listings that get your items sold fast, for top dollar; and leave you wanting s’more.

It’s all happening LIVE in the eBay Seller Camp pop-up Facebook group on Monday, May 1, at 2:30pm ET (1:30pm CT; 12:30pm MT; 11:30am PT).

I’ll be recording the entire hour and a half, so you can watch the replay for several days afterwards and soak up all the Seller Camp goodness and camaraderie.

Catch the camp bus by signing up HERE.

Once you’re on the bus, you’ll get your Welcome to Seller Camp workbook. You’ll also receive a link to join the private Facebook group, and even a nifty eBay Seller Camp badge. I can’t wait to see you around the campfire!

Yes to signing up for the free eBay Seller Summer Camp!

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