Another soon to be requirement:  

Phasing in Required Specified Shipping
Online buyers today expect to know the exact shipping price for an item before they place an order. And knowing the exact shipping price at the time of bidding or purchase on eBay is an important driver of buyer satisfaction.

When sellers specify the shipping price and service in the Shipping Details section of their listing (not just in the description) this information shows up for buyers in key places during the purchasing process -- on the Search Results page, at the top of the Item page, and in the Shipping Details section at the bottom of the listing. Listings with shipping specified in this way are more likely to sell and attract better DSR scores. For these reasons, starting this week, we'll begin requiring that all new sellers who are listing for the first time specify their shipping costs using the Shipping Details section.

A few months later, specified shipping costs will become a requirement for most listings on eBay, including listings from 3rd party listing tools. (Exemptions will apply to certain categories like Vehicles, or services such as Freight.) The good news is that the vast majority of listings on eBay already include specified shipping. For sellers who are not yet taking advantage of specified shipping, we encourage you to adopt this important best practice right away.

I don't think it's a bad idea; my only problem, so many buyers NOW pay for an item before I send them an invoice. Sometimes I discount items based on various factors.  Sometimes, particularly for international buyers, it can cost more.....it's impossible to predict what some customers may bundle together and the item may have to be shipped in a flat rate box. Specifying shipping on all items prevents me from adding or subtracting from a final amount....which I guess is the point.

Also, you have to change your specific settings everytime the USPS jacks up rates as they are doing once again in May.  A lot of work if you have, say, 1500 or so listings in an Ebay store (like I do).  The alternative is to try to imagine how high rates might go in a couple of years and price your shipping at the high end of the spectrum...or you can just cancel all your listings and relist....or you can hand change your listings once a year. If I was a cynical guy I'd say this policy is a backhand swipe at the ebay store, which ebay is very down on.....they have been pushing the auction is everything model for a few years, and seem almost annoyed that some users choose to sell with a store instead of listing auctions every week (I haven't had an item for auction in over a month and I'm still making exactly the same amount of money). Once again, pushing the assimilation of the ebay "one size fits all" experience I guess.

Mike B.

Sorry for the multiple posts but the hits just keep coming, plus I wanted every issue to have it's own post:

Like a blind squirrel finding an acorn ocassionally, Ebay has actually done something right. No longer will the Cougars of the world be able to bump their feedback using 1 cent feedback boosting sales..well, that is, until the sellers figure a way around the rules:

Hello...This is Brian Burke, Director Global Feedback Policy. Digital goods are often reproduced at little to no cost to the seller. On eBay, this creates the potential for Feedback Manipulation (both real and perceived). To preserve the integrity of the Feedback system, effective March 31 all goods that can be digitally downloaded or transferred electronically must be listed using the Classified Ads format.
Using the Classified Ads format, sellers receive a 30-day ad at a fixed price. This solution enables sellers to continue to market their digital goods on eBay; however, because Classified Ad listings are a lead generation tool and do not result in transactions that go through eBay, Feedback cannot be exchanged between buyer and seller.

Sellers who wish to continue to offer digital goods can do so by selecting the Everything Else>Information Products category in the Sell Your Item form and choosing the Classified Ads format (not auction-style or fixed price). For more information about the Classified Ads format, please read Advertising with Classified Ads.

The year of 2008 must be going down as the Year of Living Hell in the Cougie household....

Mike B.

g026r wrote:
About damn time.  Though who wants to bet that the fees for the classifieds listing are more than they currently gain via the 1 to 99 cent virtual goods listings?

And I can already see a way around this: offer something tangible but of low value.  Say "buy a letter from me" or something.  There's a physical good involved, but it's not anything with any real cost (a stamp and envelope and the paper to write on, and that's about it).

Or, just buy something with the inference (wink, wink) it's not really going to be mailed.  

Of course the alternative would have been to close this loophole long ago any number of ways...nice for them to figure it out after 10 years or so.

Mike B.

Xaxaxe wrote:Somewhere in the archives at The Acaeum, I've got a couple of posts wondering why eBay had never required sellers to specify shipping details and pointing out that it would really hurt idiots like Cougie ... so, it's nice to see that I wasn't just dreaming.

It's pretty rare that I agree with an eBay policy 100-percent, but this is one of those cases. The infamous "eBay shipping loophole" should have been closed years ago.

And, man, Cougie just keeps taking hits right and left. First, the new DSR rules; soon, he won't be able to use his disgusting feedback-as-a-weapon tactics; eBay is taking strides to eliminate his pathetic "I buy my feedback one shilling at a time" scams; and, now, he's going to be forced to give up the all-time Diamond Dave ploy: the world-famous "I will just charge you whatever I feel like for shipping" plan.

Man, it took a while, but karma is just batting DM Dave around like a cat with a new toy. Hey, Dave, since we all know you read every word here, why don't you just sign on and tell us how your last few weeks have gone? We'd all love to hear about it ...  

Yes, of course you are right...to me it's a inconvenience (I started redoing all my listings this morning as a matter of fact, with new shipping prices and detailed shipping); to Cougie it's a "Business and Financial Life Altering Experience" that was probably greeted by screaming tantrums that shook the walls of all three houses.  

What do you imagine Coug staggers to the computer every morning looking like a gut-punched over the hill prize boxer, staggering and weaving and clutching his head, wondering what the next body blow will be courtesy of Ebay....?

Mike B.

xraygord wrote:OK guys, who is this cougar dude everyone keeps referring to. Anybody want to fill me in? I get the impression he is not well liked.

Check out the following thread. It will fill you in on all you need to know...and more...

viewtopic.php?t=5067

EDIT: When you get to the part about the Retarded Cougar eBay auction, send me a PM with your email address and I will forward you a PDF file with the auction and list of questions that followed.

Ok, his feedback speaks for itself. Check out the following and please note the number of negative withdrawals.

http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=C ... y&ref=home

However looking at toohaus it seem that there is no new neg/neutral feedback for a whole month  is this the new improved cougar? Does the new Ebay policy work in this case?

Brette:)

Badmike wrote:BTW, for a view of how the "Free Shipping" model Ebay is pushing works, check out Titan Games/Tonya's store:

http://stores.ebay.com/Titan-Games_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZQ2d1QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Tonya is starting to offer free shipping on all orders....and has compensated by jacking up the price $4-$5 or more on all new listings.  So, the customer isn't saving money, and Titan isn't making anymore money.  The only one who is making money for "Free Shipping" is Ebay.

Mike,




Not that I would ever buy again from Titan ... but ... the free shipping is only for the good old US of A does this mean us international buyers are doubly screwed.




Lets say the orginal items price is $10.  With free shipping it has been bumped up to $14.  What do you say my chances are of the shipping being reduced by the $4 already included in the sale.  Not a chance!  So in this case the seller will make more $ and I am out even more.

argyrebasin wrote:Is the HAVE YOU LEFT FEEDBACK message annoying or is it just me? If I wanted spam, I'd read the eBay forums on their glorious new policy change...

My feedback reminders went away the next time I logged in to eBay.  While they were there I wanted to scream, "I haven't received the fscking item yet!"

To release my frustration I negged a seller who shipped me a water-damaged module in a paper clasp envelope.