Seller Update: Fees, Rewards & Standards eBay buyers want value and selection from sellers they can trust--and good sellers deserve rewards for delivering great customer service. That's why we're making a number of important changes that may affect you:
Reduced Listing Fees You asked, we listened. We're reducing Insertion Fees and adjusting Final Value Fees to lower your up-front cost to sell on eBay. You wanted free Gallery, now you've got it--plus more feature discounts.
Lower Insertion Fees Making Gallery free Lower fees for Gallery Plus, Picture Pack, and Feature Plus
Rewards for great sellers There will be discounts and incentives for those who satisfy customers best. Who decides who gets rewarded? Customers do, by giving sellers high Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs). More search exposure through Best Match Fee discounts for PowerSellers Increased protection for PowerSellers
Feedback Changes
Significant changes coming soon will increase buyer confidence and showcase good sellers. Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback. Positive repeat customer Feedback will count and Feedback more than 12 months old won't. Negative and neutral Feedback left by the buyer will be removed for transactions in which a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) or if the member is suspended.
eBay BUYING TIPS
DO:
Look at Completed Listings to see recent prices on similar items. If you are logged in with your eBay membership, Completed Listings will appear as a link on the left side of a search results page.
Search for all forms of the word or phrase and think about spacing: My First Leappad, My 1st Leappad, My First Leap pad, My 1st Leap Pad
Look in eBay stores too. They are an often-overlooked place to find the best bargains!
Narrow your search by specific category, but look in all relevant categories
Check out the seller’s feedback. If they have treated other buyers unfairly, chances are, you may be untreated fairly by them too
ADD SHIPPING to cost of item when comparing with other items
Look for other items you need from same seller, if they combine shipping, you can save money
Make sure the seller takes your type of payment--Paypal, Money Order, Personal Check?
Make sure the seller ships to your location, especially if you are an international buyer
Add items to your watch list, even if they are buy-it-now, if you want to think about or do more research on that purchase. But, if someone else buys it first, you will have to find another
If you are looking for books, CD’s, DVD’s, games, or game systems, also look at half.com. Half.com is owned by eBay so your eBay ID and password will be the same, but half.com usually has a much larger selection of the same book, CD, DVD or game (use the handy banner link at bottom of this page)
Understand that many sellers charge more than exact shipping and handling because they are trying to include at least part of the eBay and Paypal fees. Even sellers offering the shipping calculator may be adding a handling charge. As a buyer, you still need to decide where to get the best deal.
Pay extra for insurance, but only if the item is fragile. If you don't receive it, Paypal will give you your money back, but if it's broken and you didn't pay for insurance, you wasted your money (NOTE: UPS shipping includes FREE insurance for items up to $100)
DON'T:
Don’t worry about plural nouns in searches--try it. I think the results will be the same for Postal Scale and Postal Scales.
Don’t hesitate to contact the seller with questions. If they do not answer, that tells you something too. However, give them time, if possible. eBay sellers are people too.Don't wait until the last minute to bid on the item. You might forget to bid at all OR, someone else might bid the price you wanted to pay and win the item instead of you. AND, the seller can raise (or lower) the price, shipping cost, or other details if no one has bid on it and there are more than 12 hours before the auction end!Don’t leave Negative or Neutral Feedback for a seller unless you want to get Negative Feedback from them. No, it isn’t fair, but they WILL give you Reciprocal Negative Feedback.Don't enter your eBay or Paypal ID and password in ANY link from an email. They are NOT really from eBay or Paypal; they are from THIEVES! If they say you need to confirm or deny a $500 purchase for a new watch, they might as well be asking you if you want to buy the Brooklyn bridge.
Don't let sellers send you anything by USPS Media Mail if it is not a book, music, movie or software. This is illegal, and you, the recipient, could receive it Postage Due.
