eBay Fall Seller Update 2019 Open Your Wallet!

eBay’s Fall Seller Update 2019 is out.

So, let’s take a look at the eBay Fall Seller Update in detail.

To begin. eBay has made major strides this year in securing it’s platform and producing great listing tools for sellers. eBay Open 2019 was full of good news for sellers. eBay went all out with a huge turnout of executives and senior staff to be available to sellers. Clearly eBay intends good. It wants to help sellers list and convert their listings to cash as quickly as possible. eBay benefits, sellers benefit and shoppers benefit.

But with the eBay Fall Seller Update delivering enormous good, eBay has wrapped one really awful choice in the many good upgrades.

I wonder if eBay thinks we won’t notice the big stinker in the eBay Fall Seller Update.

Well I did. And I’m screaming! You will too, when you hear what eBay has in store for its sellers!

Let’s address the good in the eBay Fall Seller Update 2019. And there is a lot.

The 2019 Fall Update is in 4 parts. They are Marketplace Update, Growth Tools, Inventory Optimization & Seller Protection & Policy Updates. I have a freebie tip sheet on the eBay Fall Seller Update for you. Click HERE for yours.

To Start, Let’s Look At Marketplaces Updates.

There are no big surprises in Marketplace Updates.  There are two parts to the Marketplace Updates. The two segments are : Payments and Multi User Accounts. Most of the Marketplace Updates were previewed at eBay Open 2019.

Payments

eBay continues to roll out its payment system Managed Payments. Google Pay, Paypal and Paypal credit have now been added. Receiving payments from non- US buyers has yet to be added.

MultiUser Account Access

It is now available to all sellers. This is good news to sellers, as they can now grant limited access to their seller account to their assistants.

Next up is Growth Tools!

This is a bright spot in the eBay Fall Seller Update. eBay continues to expand and enhance its array of growth tools for its sellers. Well done eBay!

Terapeak is in Seller Hub!

eBay store subscribers with a Basic store or higher get a free subscription to Terapeak. You can now access Terapeak in Seller Hub under the Research Tab. Only basic Terapeak features are currently available directly in Seller Hub.

For more advanced Terapeak features like trends, searching by seller or buyer country etc you will for now need to log into Terrapeak.com. In time all of Terapeak robust research will be under the Research tab in Seller Hub. Terapeak is a home run for sellers.

Offers To Buyers Expanding!

eBay reports great success with its Send Offers To Buyers feature. It is rolling out more capabilities for this popular tool.

Right now – if an item has a watcher(s) and shows in Seller Hub as eligible for Send Offer to buyers, sellers can in a few clicks send an offer, they can offer a discount % or dollars off the item price. eBay reports that customizing the message sent to the buyer, increases conversion rates.

Because of the success of this tool, eBay is adding more functions to it. You will now be able to send offers to buyers THAT HAVE PUT YOUR ITEM IN THEIR SHOPPING CART BUT NOT MADE THE PURCHASE! Sellers have asked for this functionality. Now they are getting it.  For more details on this, listen to my YouTube eBay Fall Seller Update 2019

Negotiations- Counter Offer Arrives!

In the Send Offer to buyers flow, buyers will not be able to counter or “negotiate” with sellers. Previously the only choices available to the buyer were accept or decline. If a buyer wants to counter a seller, the buy then has to go to the “Make Offer” feature on the listing and initiate an offer. Wow, that’s a lot of hoops to make a buyer jump through!

So, eBay is making it simpler for buyers to negotiate prices with sellers driving sales for sellers. Starting in October of 2019, buyers will be able to with 1 click of the mouse counter a sellers offer.

This back and forth can have up to 5 exchanges. Again, a win for sellers.

Promoted Listings  So Called Enhancements

Flat out the changes eBay is implementing in Promoted Listings will likely increase your eBay Promoted Listings fees. eBay says to make things easier for shoppers, when an item is shown to a buyer in search as a promoted or sponsored item, IT IS REMOVED FROM THAT SHOPPERS SEARCH in any organic (or free) placement.

Previously if your item was in a Promoted Listing, and a buyer was searching for let’s say a pink dress, your pink dress would show to the buyer in a Sponsored or Promoted Listing placement AND organic placement in the same search. NO MORE.

eBay states there will be times when buyers search and the item, while in a Promotion, will be shown in organic search. There is no information on how often this will happen in relationship to the number of times it will show in Sponsored search. eBay spoke to more placements for Promoted Listings.

In all likelihood if you’re using Promoted Listings your costs of doing so will rise. I have some ideas to reduce your Promoted Listing fees. I detail them in my freebie guide to the eBay Fall Seller Update. Get yours HERE.

 

Inventory Optimization

With each Update, eBay typically tweaks its listing categories. Recently these category changes have included updates to item specifics. This trend continues with Fall Update 2019.
Link to page.

eBay states starting Oct 8,2019 Toys, Fashion & Home & Garden will have expanded required item specifics. You will see them as you list. You will not be able to complete your listing without including these mandated item specifics.

Seller Protections & Policy Updates

Much of the information here was released at eBay Open.

eBay is ramping up its protection of Top Rated Sellers. Starting in October 2019 Top Rated sellers will have enhanced protections from unwarranted negative feedback, and sellers abusing Item Not As Described. Protections include removing some feedback, and return shipping label costs up to $6. There is a great PDF with many of these changes HERE.

What is new with this update is eBay helping sellers when there are issues with listings with a “hide” listings feature.

With this new update, if a seller violates a listing policy, rather than have their account suspended and or listings being removed, eBay will have the ability to “hide” sellers listings. This “hiding” is to give good sellers time to correct the issue, with having listings removed and or a suspension imposed.

eBay still can remove listings and suspend sellers. This new holding feature is an additional course of action open to eBay to help sellers correct account and listings issues.

Good And Bad, Some Very Bad eBay Fall Seller Update 2019

Fall Seller Update is packed with great news for sellers. Additional protections, Terapeak, more item specifics, more choices with Send Offer To Buyers are all fantastic for sellers. What is not great news are the “enhancements” to Promoted Listings.

While simplifying search for buyers is a good thing, removing listings from organic search looks like a fee grab by eBay.

What’s very unclear is how often an optimized listing will show in the top Search Results without paying Promoted Listings fees. I don’t see how a seller’s fees don’t increase from this Promoted Listings search change, Sellers will need to closely watch the rates and fees they are paying, to avoid a rude shock when they get their monthly invoice from eBay.

In closing sellers, use the robust tools eBay is offering us to increase your conversion rate.

But you better watch your fees and profit margins, or you’ll feel like there is nothing but coal in your Christmas stocking this year and no cash!