Have no fear. eBay has joined forces with the original bad guys – Dracula, the Wicked Witch, Joe Mafiosi, Ned Kelly and Inspector Pratt – to help teach scammers a lesson.

These days, online scammers are dreaming up more and more ways to catch unsuspecting victims in their ever broadening nets. So don't fall victim to a scammer's evil tricks – learn how to spot a fake and take action against this evil force once and for all.

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eBay takes recalled items very seriously, and we work closely with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on these issues. We encourage buyers and sellers to visit http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscp ub/prerel/prhtml07/07307.html for more details about the products and model numbers included in this recall.

For Sellers: Please check your product model numbers and refrain from listing any items that are part of this recall. Any currently listed items that are included in the recall should be ended.

For Buyers: If you believe an item you are interested in bidding on or purchasing may be part of this recall, we encourage you to use the Ask Seller a Question feature to verify the model number.

For additional information visit the firm's website at www.simplicityforchildren.com

We appreciate your understanding and support.

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Title: NSW Small Business
Host: NSW Department of State and Regional Development
Date: Wednesday 26 September 2007
Duration: 7pm to 8pm (AEST)
Where: Workshops Board

Steve Rank from the NSW Department of State and Regional Development will be our special guest host. So whether you're interested in finding out how to register a business name, obtain an ABN or want to learn how to write a marketing plan, come along and ask Steve your questions.

If you're not a resident of NSW you are still welcome to participate. While some information will obviously be NSW specific, much of it will be beneficial for anyone looking to start or manage a small business.

Please note no personal account queries will be addressed during this workshop.

What is an online workshop?
Workshops are online discussions presented by staff, special guests and expert eBay members on a range of eBay related subjects. They combine informative material with interactive discussion and are a great way to learn, interact with eBay staff, and chat with the experts on a wide variety of topics.

See you there!

The eBay team

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Once you've signed into your account anywhere on eBay.com.au you'll be able to use the eBay Community forums (ie the Discussion Boards and Answer Center) without the need to go through a second sign in process (unless of course you close your browser).

It’s a small change, but it should save you time and improve your account security, as you'll no longer have to remember to sign out of both your main account and the Community area when you leave your computer.

We realise some of you may prefer to sign in to the Community forums separately (for instance, if your business has multiple User IDs, and you use a specific one in the forums). So once this change launches, you’ll have the option to sign in separately to the Community forums by changing your preferences in My eBay.

Not familiar with the eBay Community forums? You can visit them simply by clicking on the Community tab at the top of almost any eBay page. The Community forums are a great place to get answers from other experienced members, attend an online workshop or simply chat with other members who share your interests.

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Custom Item Specifics allow sellers to nominate their own product features such as Brand, Type, Style, in free form boxes rather than choose from an existing, limited list as is currently the case with regular Item Specifics. We encourage all sellers to utilise Custom Item Specifics in any category they are available as a means of classifying your items more specifically than category structure. The more sellers who use Custom Item Specifics, the more “intelligent” the tool becomes - to make relevant suggestions, spell-check and automate some of the listing process.

While sellers can always add additional Custom Item Specifics, if you would like to make suggestions for new or additional Custom Item Specific Headings (eg Brand, Product Type, Material, Colour) in your category, please send your suggestion to the Finding Team.

For an example of how Custom Item Specifics look within the Sell Your Item (SYI) form, have a play in SYI by selecting category number 37924 (Antiques > Asian Antiques > Chinese > Chairs).

Another example of our continued efforts to create a more relevant, consistent and easier finding experience for sellers and buyers!

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eBay takes recalled items very seriously, and work closely with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on these issues. We encourage buyers and sellers to visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission site for more details about the products and serial numbers included in this recall.

Sellers: Please check your product serial numbers and refrain from listing any items that are part of this recall. Any currently listed items that are included in the recall should be ended.

Buyers: If you believe an item you are interested in bidding on or purchasing may be part of this recall, we encourage you to use the 'Ask Seller a Question' feature to verify the serial number.

For additional information Mattel can be contacted on 1800 674 753 (toll free) or visit their website at www.service.mattel.com.

Your support and co-operation is appreciated.

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How do I take advantage of this great opportunity?

• List an item for sale by auction on ebay.com.au this Sunday 9 September 2007 and
• Offer PayPal as a payment method and
• Start your auction at 99c

I’m new to selling on eBay?
We’ve made it easier for you to start selling with Nadine’s 7 easy steps to selling. This promotion is open to all ebay.com.au members, so if you’ve ever thought of selling don’t delay any longer and take advantage of this free* listing day!

I don’t have a PayPal account?
PayPal is one of the most secure online payment methods. It allows buyers and sellers to transact online without sharing their bank account or credit card details. It’s fast and easy to use and with PayPal’s Buyer Protection Program, it can offer your buyers the confidence they desire when shopping on eBay. Plus with the current PayPal Vault promotion more buyers are looking for items they can purchase using PayPal. Sign up for a PayPal account today.

*Final value fees will still apply as do certain terms and conditions. Full details of eBay’s fees can be found at http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/sell/fees.html.

Happy selling
The eBay and PayPal teams

The PayPal service is provided by PayPal Australia Pty Limited (ABN 93 111 195 389) which holds an Australian Financial Services Licence, number 304962. Before deciding to sign-up for or use the PayPal service you should consider the Product Disclosure Statement. The PayPal Buyer Protection Program is also subject to the terms and conditions in PayPal's User Agreement, incorporating the Buyer Protection Program Policy which includes detail on eligibility criteria and the discretionary nature of the Program. This communication is not intended as, and should not be taken as, financial product advice. All documents are available at https://www.PayPal.com.au

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If you do have this message in your My Messages, please check your invoice in the My Account section of My eBay before paying. If you have already made a payment or have any questions, please contact us.

Thank you for your patience.

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These changes are due to go live to site on or around the 12th September.

In order to simplify the finding experience for buyers, and help make listing easier and faster for sellers, eBay.com.au is making changes in September to the following categories:

• Baby
• Beauty, Health
• Business
• Cameras
• Computers
• Electronics
• Fashion
• Home
• Jewellery
• Musical Instruments
• Phones
• Services
• Sport
• Tickets, Travel

How will this impact sellers?
Recurring listings
Any seller who automatically relists items in any of the above categories using a third party or eBay tool (such as Turbo Lister or Selling Manager Pro) will need to make a bulk edit of listings in mid September to ensure all items are listed within the correct category number.

New listings in these categories from mid September
The Category structure on eBay will automatically be updated in mid September. For Turbo Lister and third party listing tools you will need to download updates after mid September to ensure the category structure reflects this change.

Important note for all sellers
Ensure you use Item Specifics and include appropriate keywords in your titles to help facilitate the relevancy of searches for buyers. Any existing listing will automatically be migrated to the new category structure. Item Specifics will remain a part of the listing process.

How will this impact buyers?
Buyers will be presented with a more logical, simpler and broader category structure to assist with their search and browse processes.

Why are these changes being made?
These changes will assist buyers and sellers by simplifying the processes to list and buy items in these categories. Additionally, for those wishing to purchase and/or sell internationally, the new category structure is linked more closely to the US site. This increases the relevance of product searches internationally.

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A random selection of members will soon receive an invitation to try out the new My eBay pages and you could be one of them! We want to gather your thoughts and feedback on the new look and feel, the functionality and how you feel the changes we’ve made affect your experience.

We hope you’ll find the new features and design make managing your buying and selling activities even easier.

Over the coming months we’ll be adding further enhancements and we'll fine tune some of the features so make sure you keep coming back to My eBay to check them out.

In case you don’t make it into the test group here’s a taste of what the new My eBay pages will look like:

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