eBay’s Spring 2012 Seller Update, announced today, has a little something for everybody, including changes to returns policies and procedures, auctions with the Buy It Now option, feedback, the Top-rated Seller program and more.
Changes to return policies
One of the more significant changes noted in the seller update is the end of the three- and seven-day return policy options.
Starting the first week of May, sellers who accept returns will have to choose between offering 14-, 30- or 60-day windows for returning items. Additionally, sellers will no longer be able to offer “merchandise credit” or exchanges. If sellers accept returns, they’ll need to offer “money back” or “money back or exchange” options, eBay notes.
Returns process streamlined
Along with these changes, eBay also announced a “new way” of returning items. Buyers will be able to log in to My eBay, click the “Return this Item” link next to the appropriate sale, choose the reason for the return and print a shipping label before sending the item back.
“eBay pays for the return shipping upfront and then either charges the buyer’s PayPal account or adds it to your next invoice, depending on who you specified pays for shipping,” eBay’s announcement states.
“When you receive the item, you simply click a button to issue a refund,” the announcement continues. “Your final value fee for that transaction will show as a credit on your next seller invoice and a portion of your PayPal fees will also be refunded.”
This attempt to streamline the return process might be good for news sellers who don’t have a lot of experience dealing with returns, says Rebecca Miller, an eBay seller of more than 12 years and the product manager of Auctiva.com, the largest third-party developer of eBay tools. But she’s unsure how it will help more experienced merchants.
“It might just be something they have to get used to if they decide to use it,” she adds.
Changes to auctions with Buy It Now option
Another major change affects sellers who list auction-style. Starting May 28, eBay will consider auction-style listings with the Buy It Now option as fixed price listings. This could prove problematic, as sellers may then find themselves in violation of eBay’s Duplicate Listings Policy, Miller notes. Read “eBay Changes Affect Auctions with Buy It Now” on TheOnlineSeller.com for more details about this eBay change.
New eBay seller safeguards
One thing that Miller says may make some sellers happy is the new seller safeguards eBay introduced, which affect the way detailed seller ratings and feedback are handled.
According to eBay’s announcement, an automatic five-star rating for Communications will be given when merchants offer one-day handling times, upload tracking information by the end of the next business day, and there is no communication between the buyer and the seller.
eBay adds that feedback left by buyers with at least one unpaid item in the transaction will be removed, and that feedback from international buyers that only mentions complaints about customs delays may also be removed.
Miller isn’t sure if it’s a good thing to reward no communication between buyers and sellers; however, she’s happy to see the addition of potentially removing negative feedback.
“That is a very good thing,” she says.
Changes to the Top-rated Seller program
eBay has also decided to drop the minimum sales requirement for achieving Top-rated Seller status from its current $3,000 a year to $1,000. However, to qualify for this title, merchants must also upload tracking information for at least 90 percent of their transactions with U.S. buyers by May 1.
By June 1, those who want to have the Top-rated Seller emblem must offer a one-day handling time and at least a 14-day return policy with a money back option, eBay adds. Sellers who don’t offer this will still get a boost in Best Match, but they will not receive the Top-rated Seller discount.
Other changes
Listings photos and descriptions were also affected by today’s announcement. That’s because the auction site adds that soon all listings must include at least one photo, and images must be at least 500 pixels on their longest side. eBay adds that while watermarks will continue to be allowed on the site, no other text or borders around the photos will. And sellers won’t be able to use stock photos as the main photo for used items.
Officials added that Best Match, eBay’s default search engine, will also begin taking item specifics and product codes into account when returning search results. Finally, eBay notes that it will also allow sellers 12 free images per listings in all categories.
Read more about eBay’s 2012 Spring Seller Update.