We’ve received plenty of feedback from our community about the way bidders IDs are displayed and we know many of you prefer the transparency that the aliases used on other eBay sites offers.

This change means aliases on eBay.com.au will consist of two random characters from the member's User ID – for example, a***b. This method of identifying a bidder (whose feedback score is also visible) gives members a sense of who is bidding, while still protecting the bidders' identities.

This change will not affect bidding activity – you’ll simply notice the IDs change from Bidder 1, Bidder 2 to the randomised formula as explained above.

Sellers will also be unaffected - if you are logged in you will still be able to see all the actual User IDs for the bidders on your listings.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

The three changes listed below are all effective from early March.

1. Changes to eBay pre–sale policy effective from 1 March 2009
   Pre-sale listings are for items that are not in the possession of the seller at the time of the listing, eg pre-release DVDs.

   Pre-sale items will be allowed on eBay.com.au only if the seller guarantees that the item will be posted to the buyer within 20 days from payment. Items covered by the ‘Event Tickets’ policy will not be affected.

   You can view the updated pre-sales policy here.

2. Changes to Postage and Handling policy effective from 1 March 2009
   The policy is to be updated following the recent introduction of limits to the amount that can be charged for the first flat-rate domestic postage in a small number of categories. The policy prohibits sellers from charging postage and handling fees which are excessive, inaccurate, misleading, unreasonable or unnecessary.

   You can view the updated Postage and Handling policy here and find more information about postage limits on the FAQ page.

3. Changes to required information within listings
   From mid March, all new listings will be required to include the following information:
   • the number of days the buyer should allow for you to process, pack and post the item (‘handling time’)

   • whether you accept returns or not

   If you are an Australian business seller, your buyers have a legal right to obtain a refund from you in certain circumstances and within a reasonable time. Find out more about return policies and requirements.

   Why is this change being introduced?
   Often when a buyer has a sub-standard shopping experience, the seller ends up getting a low Detailed Seller Rating (DSR). This can be caused by a gap between buyer expectations and their actual experience. Setting the correct expectations upfront and then delivering against them will significantly reduce the chances of this happening and also improve their perception of the seller. This change aims to bridge the gap between the expectation and experience, for the benefit of both sellers and buyers.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

The changes seek to align the eBay.com.au category structure with other eBay markets including the US and UK, with the intention of improving Australian seller’s sales overseas.

How will these changes 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 to ensure all items are listed within the correct category number.

New listings in these categories
For Turbo Lister and third party listing tools you will need to download updates to ensure the category structure reflects this change. Download the latest version of Turbo Lister and learn how to save time by bulk editing listings.

View the complete list of January category changes.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

As you are most likely aware, protests in Thailand have led to the temporary closure of both of Bangkok's International Airports, while Mumbai, India last week suffered terrorist attacks.

If you have recently purchased item(s) from sellers in Thailand or India, please be patient and understand that there may be delays in communication and items being shipped to Australia.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

How does this affect you?
From 26 January 2009, sellers using Turbo Lister version 6.4 or older will need to download the latest version of Turbo Lister in order to continue uploading listings to eBay.com.au.

The first time you use Turbo Lister version 6.5 and higher, you’ll be prompted to complete the "authentication and authorization" process.

To check your Turbo Lister version:

1. Start Turbo Lister
2. From the top menu, select "Help > About Turbo Lister"
3. The version number is shown in the pop-up

Link to this announcement | Back to top

This change will allow negative or neutral feedback comments which reference customs delays or customs fees, to be removed provided that the listing meets certain requirements.

The following text must be included in the listing for related feedback to be eligible for removal:

International Buyers – Please Note:
• Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer’s responsibility.

• Please check with your country’s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.

Further information regarding Feedback Removal is available here

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Rest assured we will be monitoring this maintenance very closely to ensure all systems return to normal functionality immediately afterward. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

eBay Vice President Simon Smith, who’s headed up the Australian operations for eight years, today announced that he’s leaving the organisation. At the same time, eBay Director, Deborah Sharkey has been named as Managing Director of eBay Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd.

Simon joined us in 2000, just a year after the company’s launch in Australia and helped build us into the country’s leading online marketplace: five-million Australian visitors a month (Nielsen//NetRatings Netview September 2008) and more than 17,500 Australians use eBay as their primary or only source of income (AC Nielsen).

In a public statement today, Simon said: “I’ve enjoyed eight exciting years at eBay and, given that recent changes to the organisation are now complete, it seems an appropriate time for me to move on.”

We’ll miss Simon and we wish him well.

Deborah Sharkey has been with us for five years, has a deep, all-round understanding of eBay having worked in several areas of the business. Deborah’s leadership and experience will help us continue to build a successful marketplace for sellers and buyers in Australia.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Just about everybody gets something for Christmas that you just don’t want, need or know what to do with. Rather than stash those unwanted gifts under the bed or hide them in your cupboard, take advantage of this promotion and turn them into some extra CA$H.

Never sold before?
We’ve made it easy with 7 simple steps to selling on eBay.

As always certain terms and conditions do apply.

Link to this announcement | Back to top