eBay

nxtleveljewelry · ‎05-22-2018

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This new eBay policy "Starting June 25, 2018, you must list your item for 14 calendar days at the same price before you can create a markdown sale event with Promotions Manager." is terrible.

Sales/Markdown events on eBay get a buyers attention and create urgency that results in more sales. Creating a 7 day listing and then on the last 2 days of the listing putting the item on sale has generated many purchases because of the countdown that is visible on the listing. Also sellers that get a bunch of an item at a great wholesale price and want to show the buyers what a deal they are getting by listing it at the MSRP and creating an instant sale price will no longer be able to do so. Ebay always stresses getting a buyer's attention and they now are making it harder to do so by making one of the best tools less effective and useful. Also entire shop sales will not be possible because some of the newly (less than 2 weeks) listed items cannot be included,

Limiting the flexibility of the markdown option is just a dumb move. If you want us to generate sales and move inventory don't limit one of eBay's best tools.

richard1rst · ‎05-22-2018

Putting something “On Sale” when it never (or even almost never) sold at the higher supposed pre-sale price is actually illegal.

The Federal Trade Commission does have rules about false, misleading and deceptive advertising. In its guidelines against deceptive pricing, the commission tells retailers that a product can be advertised as being sold at a reduced price if the former price was “a bona fide price at which the article was offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time."

You said: Also sellers that get a bunch of an item at a great wholesale price and want to show the buyers what a deal they are getting by listing it at the MSRP and creating an instant sale price will no longer be able to do so.

Actually, accord to the aforementioned FTC info you should have never done that in the first place.

"Laissez-faire capitalism (AKA The Great Material Continuum) is the only social system based on the recognition of individual rights and, therefore, the only system that bans force from social relationships." ~ Ayn Rand

treasure.hunter.d · ‎05-22-2018

oh blah blah blah...Brick and mortar stores do it all the time. They put new products on the floor with a huge banner denoting x% off MSRP or off Regular Price. Whether it's true or not it is widely done and I don't recall seeing the courts inundated with criminal actions over it.

This is just another case of ebay micromanaging things they should have just left alone!

rixstuff · ‎05-22-2018

I just prefer to skip all the nonsense and list in my happy zone with some wiggle room to negotiate offers. Whatever gets it sold.

jklfindings · ‎05-22-2018

@richard1rst wrote:
Putting something “On Sale” when it never (or even almost never) sold at the higher supposed pre-sale price is actually illegal.

The Federal Trade Commission does have rules about false, misleading and deceptive advertising. In its guidelines against deceptive pricing, the commission tells retailers that a product can be advertised as being sold at a reduced price if the former price was “a bona fide price at which the article was offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time."

You said: Also sellers that get a bunch of an item at a great wholesale price and want to show the buyers what a deal they are getting by listing it at the MSRP and creating an instant sale price will no longer be able to do so.

Actually, accord to the aforementioned FTC info you should have never done that in the first place.

I agree 100% with you. I run sales for all sorts of reasons. Maybe I need to generate some quick cash flow, maybe it's a holiday, maybe I'm feeling especially generous that day. EBay shouldn't be able to dictate the details of my business... I also run all my listings for 10 days, and relist as sell similar to keep everything fresh. Essentially they're saying you can't run a sale unless you're using 30 day listings...

rixstuff · ‎05-22-2018

I change listing formats, pictures, details, prices, shipping all the time but then I also do about 2/3 of my sales with best offer and usually do 30 day listings. However, when I put the item out at a particular price (say $10) it stays that price until the listing ends. Most of the action happens in the last couple of days anyway but items usually rack up lots of watchers in teh mean time and come payday or end of listing the offers come flooding in.

richard1rst · ‎05-22-2018

@treasure.hunter.d wrote:
oh blah blah blah...Brick and mortar stores do it all the time. They put new products on the floor with a huge banner denoting x% off MSRP or off Regular Price. Whether it's true or not it is widely done and I don't recall seeing the courts inundated with criminal actions over it.

This is just another case of ebay micromanaging things they should have just left alone!

So your argument is that since so many others do it then eBay should also ignore state and federal laws and run the risk of whatever punishment follows. All because the OP chooses to be unethical.

As for your argument that “everybody does it” with impunity - according to NBC news (Dec 2016):

JCPenney, Sears, Macy's, and Kohl's were all hit with lawsuits this week by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office over an alleged "false reference pricing scheme" that misled customers into thinking they were scoring big discounts.

"Laissez-faire capitalism (AKA The Great Material Continuum) is the only social system based on the recognition of individual rights and, therefore, the only system that bans force from social relationships." ~ Ayn Rand

slippinjimmy · ‎05-22-2018

eBay isn't dictating the details of your business, you can reduce your selling price any time you want.

eBay IS dicating how you can use THEIR tool (Promotion Manager) to show a percent discount in red.

Want to lower your prices just go ahead, no waiting. Want to use the Markdown tool, list for 14 days at regular price first.

You know buyers are not stupid and they tire easily of "sales" that are actually just the regular everyday price. Sometimes when I'm browsing eBay looking for something it appears as if virtually every listing is "reduced".

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep

jklfindings · ‎05-22-2018

@slippinjimmy wrote:
eBay isn't dictating the details of your business, you can reduce your selling price any time you want.

eBay IS dicating how you can use THEIR tool (Promotion Manager) to show a percent discount in red.

Want to lower your prices just go ahead, no waiting. Want to use the Markdown tool, list for 14 days at regular price first.

You know buyers are not stupid and they tire easily of "sales" that are actually just the regular everyday price. Sometimes when I'm browsing eBay looking for something it appears as if virtually every listing is "reduced".

Yep, I am aware that I can lower my pricing when I choose. I see eBay dictating the way I do business since to use MM I will have to run 30 day listings which I don't like. I've found for what I sell, I get better turn over rate from 10 day listings. I am also aware that buyers are not stupid, but they do like to see prices change. One week I'll run a 10% off sale, and the next a 15% off sale, and the next no sale. And you're right, that can all still be done by just changing the price... but without that little red strike through that grabs attention. Support the change or don't support it, that's of course your decision. For me, and many others, this little change is going to affect how we do business. No one likes when change is forced upon them, especially when you're messing with the method they use to feed their family.

rixstuff · ‎05-22-2018

@richard1rst wrote:
@treasure.hunter.d wrote:
oh blah blah blah...Brick and mortar stores do it all the time. They put new products on the floor with a huge banner denoting x% off MSRP or off Regular Price. Whether it's true or not it is widely done and I don't recall seeing the courts inundated with criminal actions over it.

This is just another case of ebay micromanaging things they should have just left alone!
So your argument is that since so many others do it then eBay should also ignore state and federal laws and run the risk of whatever punishment follows. All because the OP chooses to be unethical.

As for your argument that “everybody does it” with impunity - according to NBC news (Dec 2016):

JCPenney, Sears, Macy's, and Kohl's were all hit with lawsuits this week by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office over an alleged "false reference pricing scheme" that misled customers into thinking they were scoring big discounts.

Retail markup is 300% SPECIFICALLY so they can run "sales" and still make money. They would probably get more buyers in and make more sales if they would just take the cost and add a smaller percentage and let it ride. Yes even on the CLEARANCE RACK they STILL make money. When I worked retail, we usually had SOME control over discounts at the register because the coupons didnt always work, the "sale" stickers didnt always scan, items were damaged, the item was SUPPOSED to be on sale according to the displays but the discount wasnt in the computer etc. I would give buyers the discount even if they didnt have the coupon with them. Then there's Kohls...you can NEVER use Kohl Cash AND get a sale price and some items (like Nike) NEVER go on sale or allow a coupon, sale , or KC. Sure it may use $10 of your Kohl Cash but then you miss out on the 30% off - so do you want the item for $90 or $70? Or maybe you thought you could get it for $60? Well ya cant (unless you have a good cashier who knows how to make them work). And of course who can forget good old Kmart...who usually didnt even HAVE any of the items listed in teh sales flyers and even if they did the items wouldnt ring up at the sale price.

coolections · ‎05-22-2018

@nxtleveljewelry wrote:
Creating a 7 day listing and then on the last 2 days of the listing putting the item on sale has generated many purchases because of the countdown that is visible on the listing. Also sellers that get a bunch of an item at a great wholesale price and want to show the buyers what a deal they are getting by listing it at the MSRP and creating an instant sale price will no longer be able to do so.

Best thing Ebay could have done. It is scam by sellers to mark at MSRP knowing it is priced too high then pretend to lower the price making it a deal. Buyers are smarter than that and would just wait for the sale anyway.

coolections · ‎05-22-2018

@treasure.hunter.d wrote:
oh blah blah blah...Brick and mortar stores do it all the time. I don't recall seeing the courts inundated with criminal actions over it.

No link provided but I believe Kohls got slapped for that.

vintage-goods-4-you · ‎05-23-2018

@richard1rst wrote:
Putting something “On Sale” when it never (or even almost never) sold at the higher supposed pre-sale price is actually illegal.

The Federal Trade Commission does have rules about false, misleading and deceptive advertising. In its guidelines against deceptive pricing, the commission tells retailers that a product can be advertised as being sold at a reduced price if the former price was “a bona fide price at which the article was offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time."

You said: Also sellers that get a bunch of an item at a great wholesale price and want to show the buyers what a deal they are getting by listing it at the MSRP and creating an instant sale price will no longer be able to do so.

Actually, accord to the aforementioned FTC info you should have never done that in the first place.

You're not entirely wrong, but you're generalizing too much. There are actually several reasons why a seller could legitimately/"legally" put an item on sale before eBay says they can....

1. There is no law that says you can't put something on sale before fourteen days.

2. A seller could be relisting an item and decide they would like to put it on sale as soon as they relist it to help it move faster. (Which would show the buyer the before and after price and would be much more effective than just manually lowering the price)

3. An item has a suggested MSRP, and you provide a sale on that MSRP.

4. A seller could have a brick and mortar store of the same name and decide they would like to put some items in their online eBay store at a sale price at the time they list it (Since eBay is a place for deals after all)

I'm sure there are more scenarios where this would be appropriate, but those are just a few off the top of my head in about a minute....