eBay Fee Changes Are Part of 2016 Spring Seller Update

[mistwomandancing]

So far, nothing that stands out that will concern me much or affect how I work here much at all.

Small increases in costs have gone on with regard to everything in my personal and business life throughout my lifetime, so this is nothing new and no big deal for me.  (Just getting prepared to read the ranting about it, however.....)

Will see how it all unfolds.  Shouldn't be anything that affects my sales business here negatively at all, and may well help.

Will also be interesting to see if I notice much of anything different here as a buyer.  I don't shop using a phone at all, so assume it will still be about the same when browsing from my desktop PC.

[kikirocksrockin]

I will be hurt by the increase in anchor store price. Yikes, but with 10,000 freebies I should never have listing fee again, since I have about 3600 items up:) kiki

[legessi]

I am actually going to downgrade from the premium to the basic store...I have been staying consistant in the 340-375 range in listings so between the BIN's and auctions, I can save alittle $$

[mistwomandancing]

I think a lot of people will simply downgrade a bit, dumping the low-priced junk they were carrying month after month, and saving money with the smaller store, even at its slightly increased price.  Instead of dragging along listings that don't sell month after month, they will likely devote their listings to the merchandise they know sells well and the merchandise that will bring in a better margin of profit when it does sell, and let the junk listings fall by the wayside if it comes to that.. or only bring them back up again if eBay continues to offer their promos for free listings.

As with all the many business decisions we continually face, it's back to pencil/paper/calculator to see how to position ourselves most profitably.  Basic store level has been very good for me for quite awhile now with plenty of listings for inventory with a good STR, so I just don't have need for a BIG store these days.  The best thing I ever did was focus more on items that sell well for more money or items that don't bring in huge profits, but that sell fast over and over and over from the same listing..  and let the rest fall by the wayside.  Work less, profit more.

As with every spring and fall.. will see how this works for me.  Not worried by this one.

[downrightspecialkids]

I read this earlier and am in  a panic! That is a HUGE increase for the anchor store. I could justify it if my sales were better, but after steady or slow increases, come last mid-November they nose-dived and have not recoved. I can't pay 300.00/month for low visibility and items that are not selling, often because they are not seen. I still search my items and they are still often at the middle or bottom of results-even dead last. 

That is just too much money. I wonder if we're mid-year if they still penalize for early termination? And how do I ever get back the two month they charged me a double fee saying it was the advance payment they require? Hmmm...

[mistwomandancing]

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downrightspecialkids wrote:..........not selling, often because they are not seen. I still search my items and they are still often at the middle or bottom of results-even dead last. 

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I wonder if where we see our listings varies, where the placement shown to us differs from the placement others find our listings at.

When I did a search for Gemco spice of life, the little set of four pieces you have listed was fourth on the list, with others going down below that.   I'll do some general checks for you if you'd like, but your listings have always been shown in a pretty high placement for me. 

Wish we knew if they were going to be cutting out.. or cutting back.. on their Free Listing PROMOS now.  That would help sellers know whether they needed to keep certain level stores or whether it might be smarter to scale down a notch...

[bokhoma]

Could this be an effort to control the folks who are listing addicts with a very low STR???  Large stores that move a very low percentage of items in a month??  An effort to get listings that have a better chance of producing a FVF?  Just asking....

Joe

[mistwomandancing]

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bokhoma wrote:

Could this be an effort to control the folks who are listing addicts with a very low STR???  Large stores that move a very low percentage of items in a month??  An effort to get listings that have a better chance of producing a FVF?  Just asking....

Joe

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Who knows, Joe.  They are in charge of their business, so I expect their decisions are all made after analyzing their bottom line from all sides.  That's how I do my business here, and always have with the before-Ebay businesses too.  LOL

I do know that if you rent a store space and stock your shop with inventory in the hundreds and thousands of pieces, you've got to stock it with stuff that SELLS, else you won't be making enough to pay the rent. 

Many years ago I'd occasionally venture into a little old army-navy surplus store.. darkly lit inside, most everything in dusty piles, hardly ever anyone else in there when I went in.  In my mind, it always seemed to even smell of age and failure.  Ha!  I always wondered how that owner sold enough to pay the bills. 

I know so little about how much web **space** costs, and IF it even costs, so always wonder if it costs eBay for all those listings that languish on site for months and years without selling, especially when they're just put up and run without charge during the free listing promos.  Does that cost eBay to carry those millions of non-selling listings?  I can only assume it does...  And what effect does the glut have on sales here on this site?  Any?  A lot?  None?

[bokhoma]

Well MSD it looks to me that if you are going to have an "anchor" store you are going to need to sell a decent volume or sell some really big ticket items to make it work.   Many of those stores are stocked with low end priced items and IMO those will now need  a decent STR to survive.

And the price increases on the "feature" things are huge.  That tells me that those are not very popular and likely to be short lived.  The only thing that could save them long term is a big backlash after the price hike.  And that is very unlikely IMO.

Joe

[mistwomandancing]

I think it's interesting (now that I get to thinking about it) that eBay uses the term "Anchor Store" for the big ones...  like at the malls, the Anchor Stores were the physically big ones, the department stores that seemed to sell it all. 

I expect it also applies that stores of that size have to sell a pot-load of merchandise to pay their rent...  The smaller stores that line the mall also make some great money for their owners too, but can be smaller and more specialized.  And then, in the end, when all the costs and sales are balanced out, I wonder who comes away making the most money?

I think Anchor stores here are going to have to be able to count on a lot of sales coming in, just to pay the store rent!

[downrightspecialkids]

Well, I'm not going to be able to pay the store rent here anymore.

Mist, when I called customer service, the rep did tell me to log out and then search my items because searching under your own name will have an effect on results, but when my items don't show up at all, it is concerning. I have looked both logged in and off, and some previous searches which really concern me aer when others have the same item listed and there will be multiples sold, often for more than mine, and mine is still listed. 

I know I only have about a 10%STR, but many of the things I sell are waiting for someone looking for that specific thing. I got an email today of a woman excited she finally found the doll in my store which her daughter had 40 years ago. She said she has been looking for years-obviously not on ebay, but many of my sales are replacement items, both kitchen and kid items. I did better with current toys and things before china and walmart started selling here. 

So now I need to decide if I drop 1500 listings or what, because I dont have an extra 120.00/month. It would have been nice had they made the anchors a 3rd tier and then set the anchor store at the new price with the 10,000 items. I don't want 10,000 items listed. It is a huge jump, both quantity and price-wise from premium to anchor. I have literally been sick over this today. 

I too wonder if they'll stop all the promos. 

[bb_cool_stuff]

I like the Spring Update.  

$59.95 Cdn a Month for Premium Store with a Yearly Subscription.

An Extra 500 Store Listings, Savings of $50., plus an Additional 400 Auction Listings, a Savings of $60.

Still ahead $100 from the Last Update.

Whats Not To Like.

[mistwomandancing]

DRSK, would it work for you to maybe have two Premium stores instead of one Anchor store?  Price would be a whole lot less, and between the given auction listings and the fixed price listings, you'd get 3000 a month for about $120 a month with yearly subscription...

Any way you can shift a little here and there and make that work for you?

Wonder if they're going to still have free listing promos, or whether they are going more to this?  If they still have even occasional promos, that would be the time to list the *lesser* stuff periodically. 

[mistwomandancing]

Sounds like it will work well for you, bb!