Need some feedback re: policy changes and Selling applications

[bangordiscount]

Hello everyone,

I pretty much left selling actively about two years. At one point I was a platinum TRS. I have accumulated thousands of items I want to dump over the next few months and then I'll reasses if continuing to sell on eBay is for me.

I'm a little bit overwhelmed with all the policy changes/updates. It seems every six months their is a new wave in TRS standards, return policy, listing formats, fees, etc.

What I'm most concerned about now is the notices on my dashboard:

• Remove non-secure HTTP content from listings75
• You must select a return period which is supported53
• Remove contact info and/or links to non-eBay websites from listings24

^ How quickly do I need to resolve the above? What happens if I don't?

Also, I'm ashamed to say this but at no point have I ever used a selling app and I'm regretting it now when I go to list leftovers from nearly a decade ago and have to recreate the listing. Is their a good app that will archive all listings and photos so that they are easily recreated?

Is the mood on here still of high anxiety for fear of being banished from selling over a few MCXXXX violations or too many returns?

Anything else I should know about?

Between eBay murdering it's TRS discount and USPS increasing domestic and international rates significantly I am running out of creative ways to make selling on here worthwhile.

Thanks for the responses

[myboardid]

Yes, you need to do all of those things immediately or your items will not be listed again. 

I use the selling app Six-bit - have used it for quite a few years.  It keeps everything for you.  It is a subscription, not free.  Different prices for different levels. 

[ted_200]

What I'm most concerned about now is the notices on my dashboard:

• Remove non-secure HTTP content from listings75
• You must select a return period which is supported53
• Remove contact info and/or links to non-eBay websites from listings24

The first one is a Google Chrome browser warning issue.  Any HTML links need the https version.  My non-secure HTTP warnings were from the "View Other Items" links (facilitated by eBay!) in my listings.  Simply changing the http to https fixed it.  You should fix it, they may make your listing invisible at some point if it has http items in it.

They scrapped 14 day returns for most categories.  Simply change it to 30 days (you issue refunds for 180 days regardless of return policy).  They'll either prevent you from relisting, or hide your listing from everyone, if you don't. 

If you have contact info. in your listings, they really won't like that, it may produce policy violations.  Remove it.  Same for links to non-eBay websites.

Also, I'm ashamed to say this but at no point have I ever used a selling app and I'm regretting it now when I go to list leftovers from nearly a decade ago and have to recreate the listing. Is their a good app that will archive all listings and photos so that they are easily recreated?

It's not an app, and it's not very sophisticated, but I just keep listing text and photos on my own computer until the item is sold and the sale has stuck.  There are probably better options, that will preserve the entire listing indefinitely.

Anything else I should know about?

The Product Catalog and the "product based selling" initiative may cause you headaches, or severely decrease your visibility, depending on exactly what you're selling, if it's already in the mandatory Product Catalog categories, and just how fouled up the Catalog is for items in that category. 

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

"They scrapped 14 day returns for most categories. Simply change it to 30 days (you issue refunds for 180 days regardless of return policy). They'll either prevent you from relisting, or hide your listing from everyone, if you don't. "

I thought they'd just prevent you from relisting without changing the return duration?

[ted_200]

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@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:
"They scrapped 14 day returns for most categories. Simply change it to 30 days (you issue refunds for 180 days regardless of return policy). They'll either prevent you from relisting, or hide your listing from everyone, if you don't. "

I thought they'd just prevent you from relisting without changing the return duration?

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I have no idea what the current policy/functionality is.  It had been reported before that was to happen, they were "increasing visibility" for listings with longer return periods anyhow (reducing visibility for those without it). 

The broader question for OP, who has a lot to sell and is past TRS, do they want to be TRS and offer Free 30 day returns to get the best visibility, and TRS+ discounts?  Or, do they want to have No Returns instead?  For me, extending 14 to 30 (without the Free part) isn't much of a change. 

[ted_200]

Is the mood on here still of high anxiety for fear of being banished from selling over a few MCXXXX violations or too many returns?

There haven't been excessive "I got suspended" posts, like there were back then.  Most of them seem to involve actual serious "can't do that" stuff, and aren't for totally ridiculous off the wall first offense things.  It seems the current thinking is more geared to driving sellers into "Below Standard" / below "peer benchmarks" and charge them another 4% rather than boot them.  More of the anxiety lately is about site glitches / functionality changes that suddenly crash sales.