Some of the key features of the redesigned site map include:

• Updated look and feel to make it consistent with other important eBay pages;
• Better organisation of important information;
• Prominent subject headers to help you scan the page easily.

The new site map will be available over the next few days. After the new version is introduced, links to the old site map will still be available for a short time to give you more time to learn about the new version before the old site map is completely removed.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

The changes only apply to Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*.

Details of the changes are as follows:

• Picture Pack
  Picture Pack will now be free for listings in Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Currently it is free for up to six photos and AU$2.00 for 7-12 photos

• Gallery
  Gallery will now be free for listings in Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Currently it is AU$0.59 per listing.

• Supersize Picture
  Supersize will now be free for listings in Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Currently it is AU$1.25 per listing.

• Picture Show
  Picture Show will now be free for listings in Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Currently it is AU$0.50 per listing.

• eBay Picture Services/ each additional picture
  eBay Picture Services or each additional picture will now be free for listings in Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Currently it is AU$0.25 per listing

We hope these changes will lead to more pictures being used in the Motors listings giving a better experience for our members.

*The changes will affect the following category numbers: 29690, 32073, 72535 and 33752.

Link to this announcement | Back to top
	***Original: Price Changes for eBay.com.au Motors Categories***
	29 August 2005 | 05:15PM EST Today, we are announcing that eBay Australia will be making changes to the fee structure for a number of features in the motors category effective 29th September 2005. Items that are scheduled to start on eBay.com.au at 00:00:01 AEST on 29th September 2005 or later will be charged based on the new fees. The changes only apply to Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Details of the changes are as follows: Picture Pack Picture Pack will now be free for listings in Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Currently it is free for up to six photos and AU$2.00 for 7-12 photos Gallery Gallery will now be free for listings in Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Currently it is AU$0.59 per listing. Supersize Picture Supersize will now be free for listings in Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Currently it is AU$1.25 per listing. Picture Show Picture Show will now be free for listings in Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Currently it is AU$0.50 per listing. eBay Picture Services/ each additional picture eBay Picture Services or each additional picture will now be free for listings in Cars, Motorcycles, Boats & Watercraft and Other vehicles*. Currently it is AU$0.25 per listing Please note that Pocket Bikes (category #102579) will not be affected by this change. Instead, during the week beginning 10th October 2005 onwards, Pocket Bikes will change to the standard non-vehicle fee structure. We hope these changes will lead to more pictures being used in the Motors listings giving a better experience for our members. The eBay Team *The changes will affect the following category numbers: 29690, 32073, 72535 and 33752.
	Link to this announcement | Back to top

We've added a number of features to eBay Toolbar based on Community input, including:

• Gallery photo included in desktop alerts -– Now you'll see item photos when you receive desktop alerts.

• Item won/not won alert -– You can track the items you've won, or not won, from your desktop. You'll be alerted shortly after items that you're bidding on or watching end.

• Item sold/not sold alert -– You can also keep track of your sold and unsold items from your desktop. You'll see alerts on your desktop when your listings end.

• Ask Seller a Question alert -– Sellers will now be alerted when a buyer has a question pending.

• Second Chance Offer received alert -– Buyers will now be instantly notified when a seller makes them a Second Chance Offer on an item.

• Best Offer received/accepted alert -– Sellers will be alerted when a buyer makes a Best Offer on an item they are selling, and buyers will be alerted if a seller chooses to accept their Best Offer.

Please note: eBay Toolbar requires Internet Explorer for Windows. Users of previous versions of eBay Toolbar will be prompted to upgrade to the new version.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

These feedback changes are effective on all eBay sites.

To learn more about removing all feedback from users who are indefinitely suspended within 90 days of registration, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

The promotion applies to all auction listings that start at 99c or less. This includes Auctions with Buy It Now. Please note that this promotion does not include Dutch (multi item) Auctions, Fixed Price listings, Stores listings and listings of Vehicles and Real Estate.

For more information, see eBay’s Promotion Page.

Happy trading!

Link to this announcement | Back to top

With File Exchange, you can list items, revise your listings, mark items as paid, leave feedback, and more, using a flat file (CSV or tab-delimited formats).

File Exchange also helps you track your eBay activity by letting you download sales information as flat files that you can convert to MS Excel, MS Access or other inventory software packages that you use.

File Exchange is a free product. To sign up, sellers are required to have been registered for at least 90 days and meet certain listing volumes.

To learn more, please visit the File Exchange information page.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

For example, if you are searching or browsing in the Digital Cameras area of the site, you may see a link to a Digital Cameras buying guide. Here you'll find information on the features you probably want to consider when buying a digital camera, like megapixels, resolution, digital zoom, and more.

Buying Guides will initially be available in a limited number of categories, but we'll add more over the next few months.

We hope you find these Buying Guides helpful and hope that they improve your shopping experience.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Over the past few months, eBay has recruited a number of Education Specialists who have been trained by eBay to teach others how to sell. Education Specialists receive materials that have been created by eBay to ensure that you, the student, receive not only teaching of a very high standard, but also information that has been provided by eBay.

Education Specialists are independent trainers who can teach from 1 to 1000 people in their local area. The first subject they are qualified to teach in is “The Basics of Selling on eBay”. To find an instructor in your local area, or to find a course that suits you, visit eBay’s Education Specialist page.

More courses will be available in the future and we hope that you enjoy learning about eBay from certified Education Specialists.

Good luck with your listings!

Link to this announcement | Back to top

This month the only major change is the launch of Art as a new major category. Previously located under “Antiques & Art”, the strong growth in Art over the last 12 months means that with your continued support this should be a great success in the coming months!

There are also some minor changes to other categories not mentioned here.

These changes are currently scheduled to go live early in the week beginning 12th September. We strongly encourage members to pay careful attention to which categories have changed and to update Turbo Lister. Existing listings may be moved as categories are split, moved, or renamed.

We always welcome community suggestions and incorporate them wherever possible. To submit a suggestion to eBay click here.

Happy Trading!

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Below are the changes that we expect to launch in the coming months:

1. Removing all feedback from users who are indefinitely suspended within 90 days of registration. Later this month we will begin removing all feedback from members who are indefinitely suspended within 90 days of their registration. Our belief is that members who are indefinitely suspended within 90 days of their registration were never truly members of the Community. Therefore, their feedback should not count.

2. Requiring new members to complete a tutorial before leaving neutral or negative feedback. In late November/early December we will begin requiring members who have 10 feedback or less to complete a brief tutorial before leaving their first neutral or negative feedback. In addition, we will be updating the current page all members see prior to leaving neutral or negative feedback. The updated page will emphasise the importance of communicating with your trading partner prior to leaving feedback. It will also urge members to make sure they have given their trading partner enough time to fulfill their obligations.

3. Removing feedback ratings (not comments) left by buyers who don't participate in the Unpaid Item process for that item. In November we will begin automatically removing feedback ratings left by buyers who do not participate in the Unpaid Item process for that item. This means the rating (whether positive or negative) will not affect the recipient's feedback score. The feedback comment itself will remain and will include an administrative note from eBay indicating that the feedback rating was removed because the member did not participate in the Unpaid Item process.

4. Removing feedback ratings (not comments) left by sellers who don’t participate in the Item Not Received process. In order to remove feedback ratings left by sellers who do not participate in the Item Not Received processes we must first align the eBay and PayPal systems. Unfortunately, aligning the systems will take longer to complete than we had originally estimated. This component of the announced changes will be ready sometime in 2006.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

I’m excited to let you know that eBay plans to acquire Skype, the leader in online voice communications.

Skype has set a new standard in online voice communications with outstanding sound quality and unmatched ease of use. And like eBay, Skype has a fast-growing community -- some 54 million Skype users around the world already use their PCs to talk with one another.

And best of all, conversations between Skype users via PC are free. You can get up and running on Skype in just a few minutes. Just go to www.skype.net to learn more and download the free Skype software application. Try it – it’s fun!

Over time, we intend to make voice communications a part of the eBay marketplace – a huge step forward in making transactions faster and easier, as well as bringing even more interactivity and humanity to the eBay Community.

You can include your Skype ID in your About Me page. For now, however, Skype links may not appear in View Item pages. We’ll be working with you, our Community, over the next few weeks to thoughtfully work out the details of how eBay and Skype will interact, including any policy changes that may be required.

We expect this acquisition to be finalized soon. In the meantime, you can learn more about our Skype plans in the news release we issued just a few minutes ago.

Working together, eBay, PayPal and Skype will redefine online trade and community. I hope you’ll join us in this exciting new chapter in eBay’s history.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Any Australian member who successfully sells their first item on eBay.com.au is eligible to enter the competition to win $5000 cash. The winners will be chosen based on the quality of their listings!

It’s for a limited time only and runs from September 5th to September 18th, 2005 (inclusive). For full terms and conditions, refer to eBay’s promotion page.

Good luck to all first time sellers!

Link to this announcement | Back to top

• Make changes to your Stores Inventory listings in bulk – You’ll be able to make an edit and apply it to as many of your Stores Inventory listings as you’d like.

• More easily change the format of your listings – It will be easier to change a Store Inventory Format listing to an online auction or Fixed Price format. Likewise, it will also be easier to move your online auctions or Fixed Price format listings back to Store Inventory Format.

• Use a New “Format” Column in My eBay – Store sellers will now see a Format column in My eBay to help you keep track of the listing format you chose for each item (you can always customise My eBay to hide this column if you prefer).

Link to this announcement | Back to top