We're pleased to announce that Parts Compatibility is now live on eBay.com.au.

As previously communicated, Parts Compatibility (available within most Car, Truck Parts categories) provides sellers with an easier way to show all the vehicles compatible with a part or accessory in a single listing. This helps to save time and money and gives buyers an easy way to find the right part for their vehicle.

When you assign compatible vehicles to your listing, buyers will be able to find the parts they're looking for more quickly. The increased confidence that the part they're buying will fit their model vehicle should minimise the number of queries and returns sellers receive.

You can choose compatible cars from a Master Vehicle List (MVL) of more than 37,000 Australian models. Download a copy of the Master Vehicle List and find out how to create and modify your listings.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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We said it's a new eBay and starting today, some of you will get your first look at the exciting new eBay.com.au. Will you be one of them?

A small percentage of members will notice a number of exciting changes to the site from today. If you're not one of the lucky ones don't despair, the new page should be available to everyone within the coming weeks.

The new look homepage: A more dynamic page with larger images, optimised page widths (suits wide-screen monitors), sleek new header and search bar, and more personalised content like recently viewed items, recent searches and recommendations.

The new header and search bar will also be visible at the top of every page across the site. It's a cleaner and crisper look and feel.

As we announced previously, this is only the beginning of the journey on eBay.com.au. Stay tuned for further updates and enhancements coming soon. You can also check out a new search experience currently being tested on ebay.com by opting in and searching for your favourite things!

Regards,

The eBay team

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eBay International A.G. is introducing a revised eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy.

The eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy is an important contract between eBay and its members and helps promote safe trading on eBay. It is essential this agreement be kept up to date and accurate. For this reason, revisions to the agreement will take place from time to time.

What are the changes being made?

There are a number of changes to the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy, all aimed at making it easier for members to know and understand their rights and obligations when using eBay.

Changes include:

• More concise and clear language
• Simplified terms
• Working towards global consistency with other eBay country sites
• Updated Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy

You should take the time to review both the current User Agreement and Privacy Policy (including Cookies Policy) and the revised versions of each carefully to familiarise or remind yourself of eBay's rights and obligations as well as your own.

When do the revised User Agreement and Privacy Policy come into effect?

The revised User Agreement and Privacy Policy (including Cookies Policy) will come into effect on Tuesday 12 December 2012.

What do I need to do?

If you agree to be bound by the revised User Agreement and Privacy Policy once it is effective, you do not need to do anything. If however, you do not wish to accept the revised User Agreement and Privacy Policy you may cancel your eBay registration by contacting Customer Support.

Members registering on or after 12 December 2012 will be bound by the revised User Agreement and Privacy Policy from their date of registration.

Regards,

eBay International A.G

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Due to the situation created by Hurricane Sandy, we will be extending some additional support if you are engaged in transactions with buyers or sellers in the mid-Atlantic and northeast regions of the United States:

• Any low Detailed Seller Ratings for Communication and Shipping Time that we determine are the result of this situation will be removed from Seller Performance ratings.
• We're noting eBay accounts that may be affected by these events. Affected eBay Top Rated Sellers will be protected from any changes in status based on a temporary inability to upload tracking information (US eTRS program).
• We will be sending an email to affected buyers who've purchased items during this situation to let them know their items may be delayed and why, and ask for their patience and understanding.

If you are involved in an eBay transaction with a buyer or seller in one of these regions, please note that their ability to communicate or complete your transaction may be delayed due to these severe conditions. We encourage you to be patient in this matter, both throughout the transaction and when providing feedback once your item arrives.

We will continue to monitor these conditions - especially in the mid-Atlantic and northeast regions - and will reach out as necessary to members who may become affected. Please don't hesitate to contact our Customer Support team if you need assistance.

Regards,

The eBay team

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The launch of the latest highly-anticipated Apple and Nintendo products is just around the corner. Please familiarise yourself with the following guidelines before listing Lightning adapters/cables (OEM & Non OEM), iPad Minis, and Wii U items to help meet buyer demand and deliver excellent customer service.

Listing the latest Nintendo and Apple products as pre-sales

Most sellers will be allowed to list the latest Nintendo and Apple products on eBay during the pre-sale period prior to the launch of the products, as long as they are in full compliance with eBay's Presale policy. Also:

• Nintendo and Apple authorised resellers will be allowed to list up to 25 items per week
• eBay Top-rated sellers will be allowed to list up to 4 items per week
• All sellers meeting minimum performance standards will be allowed to list 1 item per week
• All sellers must upload tracking upon postage

Listing the latest Nintendo and Apple products after launch

Once the latest Nintendo and Apple products are made available to the public, most sellers will be allowed to list them with some limitations:

• Nintendo and Apple authorised resellers will be allowed to list an unlimited number of items per week
• eBay Top-rated sellers will be allowed to list up to 8 items per week
• All sellers meeting minimum performance standards will be allowed to list 4 items per week
• All sellers that have not completed a successful selling transaction on eBay will be able to list 1 item per week
• All sellers must upload tracking upon postage

Note: Sellers not meeting our minimum performance standards - or that haven't completed a successful selling transaction on eBay - are not to list the latest Nintendo and Apple products during the pre-sale or post-launch sale period.

Nintendo and Apple related domain name and email address sales
 
Sellers offering Nintendo and Apple related domain names or email addresses for sale on eBay, both pre- and post-launch, will be allowed up to 4 listings.

eBay prohibits unauthorised replica or counterfeit items, if a seller cannot verify the authenticity of an item, it can't be listed on eBay. Any selling activity that appears to mislead buyers may result in limitations to selling activity, including account suspension.

Regards,

The eBay team

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Due to Hurricane Sandy, communication, power, and transportation lines may be disrupted across the mid-Atlantic and northeast regions of the United States. Regions likely to be impacted include:

Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

If you are involved in an eBay transaction with a buyer or seller in one of these regions, please be aware that their ability to communicate or complete your transaction may be delayed due to the extreme weather conditions being experienced. We encourage you to be patient throughout the transaction and considerate of the situation when providing feedback once your item arrives.

We will be in regular contact with our global eBay colleagues during this time and will provide you with information as it comes to hand.

Regards,

The eBay team

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Over the coming weeks you may notice a few small changes relating to search on eBay.com.au.

Larger images

From early November, the images on search pages will be larger, making it easier for buyers to see and find the items they are looking for. If you're selling, ensure you use high quality photographs with clear backgrounds that really showcase your item and attract more buyers.

Retirement of eBay Pulse, Wildcard searches and Product cards

eBay is always assessing the performance and relevance of features on site. With recent improvements to search, buyer feedback and the increased availability of selling tools, the following features have, or will be, retired in the coming weeks.

If you have saved Wildcard searches (where you use an * within a search term) you will soon notice few to no results returned. You may want to review your saved searches and update as necessary.

If you regularly visited or used eBay Pulse to find the 'hottest' search terms eBay recommend you instead use the detailed data available through tools such as Omniture or Terapeak.

For sellers using catalogues, you may be familiar with the 'Product Based Experience' shown to buyers who search in the following categories.

· Mobile Phones (Category ID 9355)

· Digital Cameras (Category ID 31388)

· Apple Laptops (Category ID 111422)

· iPads and Tablets (Category ID 171485)

· Video Game Consoles (Category ID 13997)

· Video Games (Category ID 1249)

· Camera Lenses (Category ID 3323)

We continually monitor the performance of changes made to the search experience and have learned that, generally, the 'everyday' experience generates more sales for our sellers than the consolidated view that Product Cards in search results provide. For this reason, we are removing the Product Cards experience at this time. The Product details pages available in catalogued categories will remain and we strongly encourage all sellers to use catalogue data and images wherever relevant and possible.

Regards,

The eBay team

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Today you'll notice the appearance of the new eBay logo - a fitting symbol for other exciting developments coming soon to eBay.com.au.

From November you'll notice a cleaner, fresher look and feel on eBay.com.au with features including:

·         New look home page: A complete redesign including more dynamic content with a slick new interface

·         Notifications: Available at the top of every page indicating important buying and selling actions

·         Larger images and faster loading time when searching for items

·         New logo: With the introduction of the new logo, we will also be dropping the URL suffix “.com.au” from the header  

Take a look at the other exciting changes launching soon on eBay.com - changes we're looking to bring to eBay.com.au in 2013.

This is only the beginning of the journey on eBay.com.au. We will continue to innovate in ways that make shopping a more personalised and enjoyable experience, and selling easier and more profitable.

The eBay team

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You may have noticed earlier this week that Australia Post's Click and Send service was temporarily suspended due to a system error that had the potential to expose customer data including name and address. Australia Post issued the following statement:

"Yesterday the Click and Send service was temporarily suspended due to a system error.We apologised to customers for any inconvenience caused during this time.Customers who use the service were notified via the online site.

As a result, the site was temporarily deactivated, as our team worked to ensure the security of the system for all customers.

The Click and Send service is now available again (as at 2.45pm Tuesday 2 October).

Australia Post would like to reassure Click and Send customers that at no stage were their financial details compromised."

If you have any questions or are seeking more information about the temporary issue we would encourage you to visit https://contactus.auspost.com.au/

Regards,

The eBay Team

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The eBay system will be undergoing general maintenance from approximately 4pm to 6pm on Friday, September 21st. During this maintenance period, certain eBay site features may be intermittently unavailable or slow.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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With the launch of the Apple iPhone 5 just around the corner, guidelines are now in place to help meet buyer demand while also promoting eBay sellers who deliver excellent customer service. Learn how you can list these highly-anticipated devices.

Apple iPhone 5 presales
Most sellers will be allowed to list an Apple iPhone 5 during the pre-sale period prior to the launch date of September 21, as long as they are in full compliance with eBay's Presale policy. Also:

• Apple authorised resellers will be allowed to list up to 25 items per week.
• eBay Top-rated sellers will be allowed to list up to 4 items per week.
• All sellers meeting minimum performance standards will be allowed to list 1 item per week.
• All sellers must upload tracking upon postage

Note: Sellers not meeting minimum performance standards or have yet to have completed a successful selling transaction on eBay will not be allowed to list the Apple iPhone 5 during the pre-sale period.

Apple iPhone 5 Product Post-Launch Sales

Once the Apple iPhone 5 is made available to the public in Australia on September 21, most sellers will be allowed to list an Apple iPhone 5 with limitations:

• Apple authorised resellers will be allowed to list an unlimited number of items per week.
• eBay Top-rated sellers will be allowed to list up to 8 items per week.
• All sellers meeting minimum performance standards will be allowed to list 4 items per week.
• All sellers that have not completed a successful selling transaction on eBay will be able to list 1 item per week
• All sellers must upload tracking upon postage

Note: Sellers not meeting minimum performance standards or have yet to have completed a successful selling transaction on eBay will not be allowed to list the Apple iPhone 5 during the post launch sale period.

Apple iPhone 5 Domain Name and Email Address Sales
Sellers offering Apple iPhone 5 related domain names or email addresses for sale on eBay will be allowed up to 4 listings per week.

eBay prohibits unauthorised replica or counterfeit items, if a seller cannot verify the authenticity of an item, it can't be listed on eBay. Any selling activity that appears to mislead buyers may result in limitations to selling activity, including account suspension.

Regards,

The eBay team

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As previously announced, the monthly subscription fee for Featured (and until it's retired, Basic) Stores will increase from $24.95 to $49.95 from 15 September 2012.

This new subscription fee is aimed at allowing the more serious businesses on eBay to continue operating a Store, while individual sellers should consider taking advantage of the 30 free listings* available every month.

We encourage you to consider operating a Store if you are running a business on eBay.com.au.

Find out more.

Regards,

The eBay team

*Category exclusions and eligibility criteria apply.

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The world of commerce is changing, and eBay is evolving with it.

Over the past few years, we’ve made significant improvements to our global marketplace, offering a cleaner, more contemporary and consistent experience, with innovation that makes buying and selling easier and more enjoyable. We've delivered more buyers to you. Your inventory is now available to more than 100 million active users around the world.

Our business has grown and evolved, and we felt it was time for a change. We have refreshed our logo to reflect who we are today and symbolise our dynamic future. This wasn't a decision we made lightly. We are proud of our rich history. That's why our new logo retains core elements, including the typeface and iconic color palette, representing our diverse global community.

We are sharing this news with you, because we value how much you contribute to our global community. In October, we will make the logo available, subject to our usage guidelines.

We thank you for the incredible, world-class experiences you bring to eBay buyers. After 17 years, there's still nothing like eBay.

You can learn more about our new logo and hear from eBay President Devin Wenig here.

Regards,

The eBay team

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The eBay system will be undergoing general maintenance from approximately 4pm to 6pm on Friday, September 7th. During this maintenance period, certain eBay site features may be intermittently unavailable or slow.

Regards,

The eBay team

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For sellers listing in most categories within the Car, Truck Parts category (#6030) there will soon be a better way to list. From 15 November 2012, eBay.com.au will be providing parts compatibility for listings in this category.

What is parts compatibility?

Parts compatibility allows sellers to show vehicles that are compatible with a part or accessory in a single listing, helping to save time and money and giving buyers an easy way to find the right parts for their vehicles.

When you assign compatible vehicles to your listing, buyers will find the parts they're looking for more quickly, and will feel confident they're buying a part that will fit their model. You can choose compatible vehicles from a Master Vehicle List (MVL) of more than 37,000 models.

Why take the time to list with parts compatibility?

• Greater search visibility. Those listings with parts compatibility information will be seen by more potential buyers than those without. Make sure you capture all of your potential buyers!
• More buyer interaction. Buyers tend to interact 27% more with a listing that has parts compatibility information than a listing without*
• More information for buyers leads to less time answering buyers' questions around compatibility, and potentially less returns because the part doesn't fit.

Want to know more?

eBay'sParts compatibility help page details the seller benefits, enabled categories and listing tool availability. The help page includes a download link for the Master Vehicle List (MVL) and information about how to create and modify listings using the MVL.

Regards,

The eBay team

* on eBay.co.uk, as defined by total number of Bids, Buy-It-Nows, Best Offers, Watches, and Ask Seller Questions for both parts compatibility listings and non-parts compatibility listings, over a 3 month period Feb-April 2012.

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The eBay system will be undergoing general maintenance from approximately 4pm to 6pm on Friday, August 24th. During this maintenance period, certain eBay site features may be intermittently unavailable or slow.

Regards,

The eBay team

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Regards,

The eBay team

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Helping you compete and succeed

Online retail is growing - and growing fast. And with so many options available to buyers, they expect more from their shopping experiences than ever before. High quality product imagery, descriptions and specifics, free and fast delivery and money-back returns are no longer exceptions, they are the rule.

We're committed to helping sellers on eBay compete and succeed in this rapidly-evolving online world, and believe the upcoming changes and enhancements detailed below will help sellers better manage both their time and performance while meeting or exceeding buyers' expectations.

So what are the changes?

• Item location details - sellers will be required to provide a valid postcode for 'Item Location' on all listings to help set buyer expectations about item arrival times.
• Better communications management - greater consistency between My eBay Messages and your personal email plus the ability to attach photos to email.
• New Item Condition comments fields for used items - in addition to selecting an Item Condition Value (e.g. Like New, Used, Refurbished) sellers listing anything that's not Brand New will be able to provide further condition-related information in the Item Condition Comments field.
• Enhanced functionality for multi-variation listings - including the ability to bulk edit, create custom variations, rename existing variations and build parent/child attributes.
• New and updated product catalogues - add pre-filled product information and stock photos to listings saving sellers time.
• Improvements to the Seller Dashboard - simplified, at-a-glance seller performance display and Fast N Free listing qualification.
• Category changes - Making it easier for buyers and sellers to trade on eBay regardless of where they are located.

Find out more about these changes, when they're coming and what they mean for you.

Changes to the Basic & Featured Store Subscription Fee

From 15 September, the monthly subscription fee for Featured (and until it's retired, Basic) Stores will increase to $49.95.

This increase has become necessary as the fee changes made earlier this year (most of which were reductions), incentivised more sellers than expected to take advantage of Stores pricing. Buyers have different expectations about the service they receive when dealing with businesses compared to individual sellers, and Stores on eBay have become the easiest way for buyers to identify a business.

This new fee is aimed at allowing serious businesses on eBay to continue operating a Store, while individual sellers should consider taking advantage of the 30 free listings* available every month.

We encourage you to consider operating a Store if you are running a business on eBay.com.au.

Find out more.  *Category exclusions apply

Regards,
The eBay team

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As previously announced, we've recently upgraded the Online Customer Support section on eBay.com.au.

This new look and feel along with exciting new features like Self-service tools and 'Call Me'; (the ability to leave a phone number and have Customer Support call you) is now available to everyone.

If you haven't already checked it out, take a look now, it's accessible by clicking the Customer Support link at the top right of every page.

Kind regards,

The eBay team

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The eBay system will be undergoing general maintenance from approximately 4pm to 6pm on Friday, June 22nd. During this maintenance period, certain eBay site features may be intermittently unavailable or slow.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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Over the coming weeks, you may notice an upgrade to the Customer Support section on eBay.com.au.  Online Customer Support is accessible by clicking the Customer Support link at the top right of every page.

Along with a new look and feel (similar to Customer Support on eBay.com) the upgrade supports new functionality and ‘self-service’ tools , all aimed at providing users with greater opportunity to find an answer to their question in the quickest possible way.

Access to phone, email or chat with Customer Support Agents will of course remain and the recently introduced ‘We’ll call you’ functionality will also be upgraded. Emma, the Automated agent will however be retired as part of this upgrade.

The upgrade will commence today with everyone having access to the new portal by the end of July 2012. As members interact with the new portal and we better understand how and why it’s being used we’ll continue to look for opportunities to improve the experience. 

Kind regards,

The eBay team

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The eBay system will be undergoing general maintenance from approximately 5pm to 7pm on Friday, June 15th. During this maintenance period, certain eBay site features may be intermittently unavailable or slow.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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The eBay system will be undergoing general maintenance from approximately 3pm to 10pm EST on Friday, May 25th. During this maintenance period, you may not be able to view certain account activity and billing invoices. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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As previously announced, changes to the fee structure on eBay.com.au come into effect today.

These changes include:

• 12 free pictures on every listing including Gallery
• Free Supersize and Gallery Plus
• Fewer insertion fee tiers
• Flat final value fees (category exclusions apply)
• Removal of many listing upgrade features
• Simpler fee structure for Motors.

These changes are aimed at providing sellers with a simpler, more transparent fee structure making it easier to predict and calculate eBay fees.

Full details of the changes and how they may impact you can be found here.

Regards,

The eBay team

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On 2nd April 2012, Australia Post changed its fee structure for parcels.

To ensure sellers are able to remain competitive, eBay has today updated relevant postage caps to reflect Australia Post's changes.

The postage cap changes are as follows:

Books and Magazines: all postage caps have been removed

CDs: postage cap has been increased from $5.20 to $7.20

DVDs: postage cap has been increased from $10.40 to $11.40

Learn more about postage caps.

Regards,

The eBay team

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Sellers should review eBay's Returns Policy Requirements which have been updated to reflect requirements of the Australian Consumer Law. Sellers should ensure that their current returns policies and listing information complies with these requirements.

Business Sellers are required under Australian law to accept returns and provide Australian consumers with a repair, replacement or refund if the goods purchased:

• Are faulty, or become faulty within a reasonable period of time after purchase
• Are not fit for any purpose the seller stated or that the buyer made known to the seller
• Don't match the item description or sample
• Are of unacceptable quality, or
• Fail to meet other mandatory consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law.

A Returns Policy can be used by sellers to indicate whether they accept returns in additional circumstances, such as for change of mind or incorrect choice. Sellers should however ensure that their Returns Policy does not mislead consumers about their rights.

Updated information about Buyer's rights can also be found at Understanding Returns Policies.

Regards

The eBay Team

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As part of continued efforts to provide the latest technology products and services, eBay will be upgrading its systems on Friday 20 April from 3pm - 4pm EST. During this time, PayPal services (including Checkout) will be unavailable.

Further details are available at:
https://www.thepaypalblog.com/2012/04/planned-site-outage-for-april-19-2/
https://www.x.com/content/planned-downtime-during-apr-19-maintenance-pp-live-2561

Thanks for your patience,

The eBay team

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You may have experienced a service interruption earlier today at checkout. The issue has been resolved and we have returned to normal service levels.

Regards,

The eBay team

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	***Previous update: Original: Site Issue: PayPal checkout unavailable***
	05 April 2012 | 09:42AM EST We are aware that members are currently unable to checkout using PayPal. In addition, there are also some errors and slowness when members are going through checkout with other payment methods. We are working on a resolution for this issue as quickly as possible and will keep you updated. Regards and apologies for the inconvenience, The eBay team
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Serious about your online business? Then join 600+ delegates at the sixth annual PeSA Internet Conference, run by the Professional eBay & eCommerce Sellers Alliance, 30 May-1 June, 2012. The event will be held at the Gold Coast Convention Centre.

What happens at the conference?

• 60 sessions & ecommerce expert speakers
• Three networking events, including the optional PeSA Gala Dinner
• Extensive Industry Exhibition
• Five content streams: Social Media, Online Retailing, Case Studies, Fully Interactive, All eBay/PayPal
• Optional Pre-Conference workshops for added skill building

Book online before April 30 2012 to get the early bird rate of $495 for the 2.5 days.

Regards,

The eBay team

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During the week commencing 30 April 2012, eBay will be making some improvements to the category structure on eBay.com.au. The category changes are being made so that eBay.com.au's category structure aligns with other international eBay sites, thus making it easier for buyers and sellers to trade on eBay regardless of where they are located. Find out more.

Changes coming soon to eBay.com.au; Corrections
The launch dates for the following two upcoming changes on eBay.com.au were incorrectly communicated in our announcement of 14 March 2012. Please note the correct dates below:

Zero day handling time option for same-day dispatch
From June 2012 (not May), sellers will be able to show same-day dispatch on their listings. Sellers will also be able to give reasons for longer handling times in the case of presale or items that need to go through customs.

Changes to the Classifieds listing format: From 14 April 2012 (not May), eBay.com.au will retire the Classifieds with Best Offer listing format across most categories. eBay will also be making changes to the listing formats in the Real Estate category at this time.

Read more about the upcoming changes.

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At 3am on Sunday 1 April, Daylight savings time will officially end in NSW, ACT, VIC, SA and TAS and the clocks will be put back by one hour to 2am.

The eBay.com.au systems will automatically revert on Sunday morning. This will impact buyers and sellers using eBay.com.au in the following way:

Sellers
Your listings will appear to end one hour early however they will run for the exact time period you choose (a three day listing will run for 72 hours). As an example a listing that starts on Friday 30 March at 6am AEDST will end on Monday 2 April at 5am AEST.

Buyers
Please note that both the item 'end date' and the 'time left' take into account this change so your bidding or watching activity will not be impacted.

Regards,

The eBay team

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eBay is committed to continually improving its seller and buyer experience, and remaining competitive in an increasingly global, retail-driven ecommerce environment. To help sellers succeed, eBay is introducing some changes to increase buyer confidence and loyalty while also investing in new functionality and policies to provide sellers with a world-class platform to drive sales.

Changes to fees and Stores on eBay.com.au
From 2 May 2012, eBay will be introducing a number of changes to fees and Stores on eBay.com.au aimed at providing sellers with a simpler, more transparent structure and making it easier for you to predict and calculate eBay fees.

What's changing?

FREE pictures and listing upgrade changes

• Get 12 FREE pictures on every listing including Gallery

• FREE Supersize and Gallery Plus ­

• Removal of many listing upgrade features.

• Fewer insertion fee tiers for sellers without a Store who exceed the 30 free listings per month*

• Fewer insertion fee tiers for auction-style listings within Stores.

Flat final value fees**

• 7.9% flat final value fee with $100 cap per item for the first 30 listings per month for sellers without a Store*

• 7.0% flat final value fee for Featured Store subscribers with $100 cap per item

• 6.0% flat final value fee for Anchor Store subscribers with $100 cap per item.

*Seller eligibility criteria applies

**Category exclusions apply

Changes to Stores

• Aligning the Basic and Featured Stores subscription fee at $24.95 a month from 2 May

• Retiring Basic Store later this year and moving from three Store levels to two; Featured and Anchor

Simpler fee structure for Motors

• $8.00 flat insertion fee for all fixed price and auction-style Motors listings

• $45.00 success fee for all fixed price, auction-style and Classifieds with Best Offer Motors listings.

The Motors fee changes will apply to all sellers listing in fixed price, auction-style or Classifieds with Best Offer in the following categories:

• Cars, Bikes, Boats > Aircraft

• Cars, Bikes, Boats > Boats

• Cars, Bikes, Boats > Caravans, Motorhomes

• Cars, Bikes, Boats > Cars

• Cars, Bikes, Boats > Trucks, Commercial Vehicles

• Cars, Bikes, Boats > Motorcycles

Insertion fees for Classifieds format in these categories will not change.

Find out more about the consolidated Stores structure, simplified fees and understand what these changes will mean for you.

Other changes coming to eBay.com.au

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• Apple authorised resellers will be allowed to list up to 25 items per week.
• eBay Top-rated sellers will be allowed to list up to 4 items per week.
• All sellers meeting minimum performance standards will be allowed to list 1 item per week.
• All sellers must upload tracking upon postage

Note: Sellers not meeting minimum performance standards or have yet to have completed a successful selling transaction on eBay will not be allowed to list the Apple iPad 3 during the pre-sale period.

Apple iPad 3 Product Post-Launch Sales

Once the Apple iPad 3 is made available to the public in Australia on March 16, most sellers will be allowed to list an Apple iPad 3 with limitations: 

• Apple authorised resellers will be allowed to list an unlimited number of items per week.
• eBay Top-rated sellers will be allowed to list up to 8 items per week.
• All sellers meeting minimum performance standards will be allowed to list 4 items per week.
• All sellers that have not completed a successful selling transaction on eBay will be able to list 1 item per week
• All sellers must upload tracking upon postage

Note: Sellers not meeting minimum performance standards or have yet to have completed a successful selling transaction on eBay will not be allowed to list the Apple iPad 3during the post launch sale period.

Apple iPad 3 Domain Name and Email Address Sales

Sellers offering Apple iPad 3 related domain names or email addresses for sale on eBay will be allowed up to 4 listings per week.

eBay prohibits unauthorised replica or counterfeit items, if a seller cannot verify the authenticity of an item, it can‘t be listed on eBay. Any selling activity that appears to mislead buyers may result in limitations to selling activity, including account suspension.

Regards,

The eBay team

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From late February, you will start to see a new eBay Fast N Free icon next to some listings.

eBay Fast N Free is a new functionality which lets buyers know at-a-glance that the item posts for free and, based on the buyer's postage address and the item location, should arrive on their doorstep within four business days.

The eBay Fast N Free logo will appear on the View Item page of a listing when all the following requirements are met:

• Both the buyer and the item are located within an Australian postcode (excluding Lord Howe Island NSW 2898, Norfolk Island NSW 2899, Christmas Island WA 6798, Cocos Keeling Islands WA 6799, Australian Antarctic Territories TAS 7151).

• The seller is an eBay Top-rated seller.

• The listing offers free postage.

• Based on the seller to buyer postcode, eBay can estimate with a high level of confidence that the item will deliver within four business days.

Learn more about eBay Fast N Free and exactly how it works.

Many thanks,

The eBay team

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The ability to sell internationally is an important benefit of selling on eBay. Not only can sellers offer an item for sale to Australian buyers, but they can also offer it to millions of buyers worldwide. This can be achieved either by selecting an international postage option when listing on eBay.com.au, or by listing directly on another eBay site.

Since eBay site policies differ by country, in future eBay may require sellers to agree to an international selling agreement before allowing them to sell internationally. This agreement will be surfaced to applicable sellers when they first attempt to list on an eBay site other than eBay.com.au or when they choose to offer international postage options on an eBay.com.au listing. Once the agreement has been accepted, those sellers will not need to do so again.

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eBay and PayPal are proud to be the platinum sponsors of the sixth annual PeSA Summit. Join us at PeSA's 2012 internet conference on the Gold Coast to ignite your online sales and get the chance to meet eBay and PayPal staff face to face.

Registration for the full, 2.5 day event is only $395. You can also attend the networking gala dinner, which is only $110 with your conference registration. These discounted super early bird prices apply to registrations before 28 February 2012 only.

Find out more about the 2012 PeSA Internet Conference.

Register now

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Example Listing

Other changes to the View Item Page

From 23 January 2012, you will see a number of changes to the View Item page on eBay.com.au which will be effective across all listings.

These changes include:

• Relocating the 'item number', 'item location', 'posts to' and 'bid history' information to more prominent parts of the View Item Page. For Buy It Now listings, the number of items sold will also be relocated to a more prominent position.
• The 'Ask a question' link will also be relocated and included within the item description

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• A fully integrated site incorporating the Discussion Forum and Answer Centre in a central location.
• A revised Answer Centre where you can award points for the best responses.
• Revised discussion boards featuring the most popular topics.
• New Groups functionality giving you the opportunity to create or join groups and connect with others who share common interests.
• New video feature where you can broadcast your ideas and knowledge about buying and selling on eBay.

• Threads and discussions older than 6 months or with low activity will not feature on the new hub. If you wish to keep your personal content, you can archive the text by cutting and pasting into a personal document prior to 28 November 2011.
• A unified Ask a Member and Answer Centre section with Answer Centre questions and answers from the last 12 months.
• Deleted posts will no longer be marked with a placeholder.
• Some areas which were previously closed to members with less than 5 feedback will become available to all members.  

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During the week commencing 10th of October 2011, eBay.com.au will launch a new buyer experience in Search that is focussed on showing grouped products before individual listings.

In order to make a faster purchasing decision, technology buyers expect to be able to find the product they want easily, including the best deals available from sellers who offer excellent service.

As a result, rather than a list of individual items, all search results containing items listed in the Digital Cameras, Mobile Phones and Apple Laptops categories will be grouped by product and highlighted in search results above individual listings. Sellers of items in these three categories will need to add a matching product from eBay’s catalogue to their existing and future listings in order for them to be included in the new product-based search results and Product Detail Pages.

Sellers are encouraged to check all existing listings (including Good 'Til Cancelled) in the affected categories and link them to matching products in the catalogue by the week commencing 10^th October 2011. You can revise listings in bulk in My eBay or in Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro.

Read more about how to take advantage of the new search experience.

Regards,

The eBay team

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Pricing changes – live on 22 September 2011

As announced in July, on 22 September the new pricing changes will take effect on eBay.com.au.

The changes will:

• Encourage business and professional sellers to meet the growing demand for fixed price formats and remain competitive
• Make it easier for casual sellers to sell with zero up-front cost

For more information and to understand how you can make the most of the changes, please view the relevant links below:

• Occasional sellers
• Businesses without a Store
• Basic and Featured Store sellers
• Anchored Store sellers

 
eBay Top-Rated Seller – live on 21 September 2011

As announced in July, the eBay Top-Rated Seller program will launch today on eBay.com.au.

In conjunction with the launch of the Top-Rated Seller program, eBay is retiring the PowerSeller logo from the ‘View Item’ page.  The PowerSeller program is still valid and will remain unchanged, only the buyer facing logo will be removed.

Read more about the Top-Rated Seller program.

Regards,

The eBay team

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Over the next couple of months, eBay will be making changes to improve the Messages system within My eBay. Once complete, you’ll enjoy enhanced search functionality, a new auto-archive function for easy email organisation and more.

Take action
Because most users don’t look at emails older than six months, and the additional capacity gained by removing older messages will help the Messages system run faster, eBay will be reducing the length of time emails can be stored in your Messages folders from one year to six months.

On September 12, eBay will begin the process of removing emails older than six months from your inbox and folders. This includes messages that you have saved in an Archive folder. You will not be able to retrieve these emails once they are deleted. If you want to save messages older than six months, you can either:

• Forward the message to your personal email inbox

• Save the message (or a folder of messages) to your computer

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1. Specify a handling time
2. Specify a returns policy – including if there is no returns policy
3. Specify their shipping service

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From 22 August, eBay will be making some improvements to the category structure on eBay.com.au. These improvements will make it easier for international buyers to find items listed on eBay.com.au and available to be shipped worldwide.

Most of the improvements will not require you to take any action, but it is recommended that you check your listings to ensure they are still being listed in the appropriate categories. Read more about the category changes

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From September 2011, eBay will make a number of changes on eBay.com.au that will impact sellers, including changes to fees. In recognition of the changing Australian retail landscape, the fee changes are aimed at encouraging professional and business sellers to list more Buy It Now items in Stores. The changes will also enable eBay to better differentiate and incentivise professional, business and consumer sellers.

Why the change to pricing?
Retail in Australia is evolving rapidly with more consumers than ever before looking to purchase items online. With increased exposure to a variety of online shopping options, both locally and overseas, the format in which consumers purchase those items is dominated by fixed price. Future growth in ecommerce will primarily come from Fixed Price formats, such as Buy It Now which is already the most common way to shop on and offline and accounts for the majority of sales on eBay.com.au today.

eBay needs to continue evolving to stay ahead of the trends in ecommerce and remain a valuable marketplace for all of its sellers. To do this, eBay needs to better differentiate between professional, business and consumer sellers. The price changes outlined below are therefore designed to help encourage professional and business sellers to list items primarily in the Fixed Price, Buy It Now format using eBay Stores.

In addition, consumer sellers have asked us to reduce the upfront risk when selling on eBay.com.au by removing insertion fees. Through their higher engagement with the site, consumer sellers are among eBay’s best buyers, therefore encouraging them to sell more keeps them actively engaged and buying on the site which benefits other sellers. For consumer sellers, auctions will remain an engaging way to sell and for buyers, an exciting way to buy second hand items or items of undetermined  value on eBay.com.au.

Changes to fees on eBay.com.au – from September 22

Changes to non-Store fees

• Eligible sellers will be able to list up to 30 single quantity listings per month in any format with zero insertion fees (excludes Powersellers, Stores or sellers registered as a business on eBay)

• Final value fees will increase from 5.25% to 7.9%, capped at $49.95 for each of the first 30 listings per month

• Insertion fees remain as they are today for sellers who have exceeded the monthly 30 free insertion fee limit as well as PowerSellers, Store holders and sellers registered as a business on eBay, with no cap or sliding scale on the new final value fee of 7.9%

Read more about the changes to non-store fees.

 
Changes to Store fees

• Final value fees for Auctions will be the same as Buy It Now, to encourage more fixed price items on eBay.com.au consistent with customer demand

• eBay is trialling free insertion fees for fixed price Anchored Store listings

• For Basic and Featured store holders, media category pricing will remain unchanged. Anchored store holders will receive free insertion fees as part of the above trial

Read more about changes to Basic or Featured store fees.

Read more about changes to Anchored store fees.

Read more information on stores, including whether they’re right for you and how to upgrade your account.

Additional changes coming to eBay.com.au

Introducing eBay Top Rated Seller
From September 2011, we will introduce eBay Top Rated Sellers on eBay.com.au to recognise and reward PowerSellers who consistently provide their customers with excellent service.

How it works

• Sellers who qualify for eBay Top Rated Seller status will get increased visibility with a boost in search results and a prominent badge, which could help to increase sales.

• Even if you don’t sell in large volumes, as long as you meet the requirements of the program, you may qualify as an eBay Top Rated Seller.

Read more about the eBay Top Rated Seller program

Multi-quantity listings
From 22 September, you will need to open an eBay Store, be a PowerSeller or be registered as a business on eBay to be able to list multiple items in one listing.

Featured Plus! to retire
From  22 September 2011, the price of Featured Plus! will be $49.95 for all listings up to a 14 day duration and will be $149.95 for Good Til Cancelled and 30 day listings. Eventually, Featured Plus! will be removed as an option for all sellers as  Best Match is eBay’s preferred mechanism for enabling  more relevant and popular items to appear at the top of search results.

Increasing listing titles on eBay.com

From the first week in September 2011, listing titles on eBay.com will increase from 55 characters to 80. A good title is key to establishing the relevance of your listing to a buyer’s search—and some products require more words than others to get in front of the right buyers.

For more information on this change, as well as other site changes which may affect sellers based in Australia who list directly on eBay.com, please visit the eBay.com announcement board.

Understanding exactly what the changes outlined above may mean for you could take some time. You should consider your current selling practices and potentially make some adjustments.

Regards,

The eBay team

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The labour dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers has come to an end and we have been notified that any residual delays have now cleared.

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	***Previous update: Original: Canada Post suspends operations***
	17 June 2011 | 11:20AM EST Due to an ongoing labour dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Canada Post has announced that mail will not be accepted or delivered across Canada until further notice. The suspended service impacts all shipments to and from Canada handled by Canada Post, as well as shipments into Canada via other postal carriers. As a result there is likely to be a delay in the delivery of items to Canadian buyers or from Canadian sellers. eBay would encourage any affected seller to notify affected customers of the likely delay to their purchases arriving and for buyers to please be patient during this time. Regards, The eBay Team
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eBay and Australia Post have teamed up to bring you the flat-rate box – a postage and packaging solution that gives you a flat postage rate to anywhere in Australia.

The new flat-rate boxes are available for items weighing up to 15kgs and come in three sizes:

• Small (Bx1) – 220mm x 160mm x 77mm (suits A5)
• Medium (Bx2) – 310mm x 225mm x 102mm (suits A4)
• Large (Bx4) – 430mm x 305mm x 140mm (suits A3)

The flat-rate boxes are available at any Australia Post retail outlet and discounts apply for boxes purchased in bulk lots of 20+, 100+, and 200+.

Find out more about the flat rate box and postage pricing

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eBay has recently launched a new customer support portal to make it much easier for you to access help and have your questions answered more quickly. As part of this upgrade eBay has also enhanced the customer experience by making phone support available for all Australian customers.

Through the new portal you will be able to:

• Use the ‘Contact us’ button to telephone, email or chat with the customer support team
• Get an immediate answer to a question by asking your question in the search field or choosing from one of the top 5 most frequently asked questions
• Live chat with eBay’s virtual agent, Emma

To access the new customer support portal, simply click the ‘Customer Support’ link at the top right hand corner of your eBay screen.

Hopefully you’ll find that it provides you with a much faster resolution to your queries.

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The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and Centrelink have each advised eBay that they will be issuing formal requests for information relating to sales by Australian eBay members who sold over $20,000 worth of goods on eBay.com.au during the tax year ending June 2011.

• Contact name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Email and IP address
• User ID
• Date of birth
• Date of registration on eBay
• Monthly and annual sales volumes and value
• Power seller status
• eBay store status

eBay is legally required to comply with these requests for information. In addition, such disclosure is also permitted pursuant to our Privacy Policy. We confirm that disclosure will be made to the ATO by August 1 2011 and in accordance with Centrelink’s required timeframes. eBay may also be required to provide available bank account information.

For further information regarding the ATO or Centrelink, please visit www.ato.gov.au or www.centrelink.gov.au. Those affected sellers may also wish to consult with their professional legal or tax adviser.

Regards,

The eBay team

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Over the past few days Chile’s volcanic ash cloud has caused significant disruption across Australia with a number of domestic flights cancelled or rerouted to avoid the ash.

The impact of the ash cloud may result in a delay to the delivery of some items sent via Australia Post as some of these services travel by air. The best advice for affected eBay sellers is to notify customers that there may be a delay to their purchases arriving and eBay would ask buyers to please be patient during this time.

eBay have been informed that Australia Post is currently trying to determine what alternative transportation is available for the mail that is currently on hand.

Information regarding delays can be found here.

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PayPal have recently made a few changes to the look of their Australian website to make it easier for customers to use.

One thing that hasn't changed is PayPal's focus on safety and security. So if in doubt whether it's the genuine PayPal Australia site, simply type paypal.com.au into your web browser.

Kind regards,

The eBay team

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PayPal will be performing system maintenance on Friday May 27 from 16:00pm – 16:30pm. During this time you may receive error messages that prevent you from completing eBay checkout or paying for eBay items. Thank you for your patience while we do this work to improve the reliability and performance of our services.

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Increasing choice to attract and retain Australian buyers

From 24 May 2011, a number of categories on eBay.com.au will be opened to a greater proportion of relevant listings from eBay.com and eBay.co.uk

These changes will initially be implemented across a variety of categories where:

• There are inventory gaps
• Australian buyers already have a high rate of purchasing from overseas-based sellers

Why is eBay opening up categories to listings from overseas sellers?

What does this mean for Australian based sellers?
Australian-based sellers have a number of competitive advantages. These include:

• According to Forrester research commissioned by PayPal, Australians prefer buying from Australian sellers*
• Local Sellers have a geographic advantage in offering faster and in many cases cheaper shipping.
• Local Sellers have the ability to allow pick-up, and to process returns more quickly and cost effectively
• As more sites include by default in search results listings from other eBay sites, such as eBay.com or eBay.co.uk, – Australian sellers offering international purchase and shipping can benefit from more buyers viewing your listings!

Source:

* https://www.paypal-education.com.au/media/ecommerce-secure-insight-report.pdf

Changes to reserve fees in the motors category

From June 8, eBay will be increasing the price of reserve fees in the motors category from $10 to $14.95. The fee will remain fully refundable if the item sells successfully.

Categories affected include:

• Cars
• Boats
• Motorcycles
• Aircraft
• Caravans, Motorhomes
• Trucks, Commercial Vehicles
Please read here for further information on fees.

Category changes to improve visibility for Australian listings

From 13 June, eBay will be making some improvements to the category structure on eBay.com.au. These improvements will make it easier for international buyers to find items listed on eBay.com.au and available to be shipped worldwide.

Most of the improvements will not require you to take any action, but it is recommended that you check your listings to ensure they are still being listed in the appropriate categories.

Read more about the category changes

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Next Tuesday afternoon, the eBay team will be on hand to talk about the recent optimisation of Best Match. In addition, they will also be able to answer questions on how to use the new listing analytics tool to help understand your position in search results.

Unfortunately we will be unable to address personal account queries during this workshop

Topic: Best Match workshop
When: Tuesday 24^th, 3 – 4pm
Where: Workshop Discussion Board

What is an online workshop?
Workshops are online discussions between eBay members and eBay staff held in real time. They are fast, fun, informative and a great way to learn.

We look forward to speaking to you all soon!

Regards,
The eBay Team

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In order to help you to understand and optimise the performance of individual listings we have recently launched the new eBay Listing Analytics tool. The tool provides insight into your listings and their performance so that you will be able to revise as needed to increase clicks and sales.

The tool is available now for all registered sellers and can be found in the Applications tab in My eBay. The tool will also be accessible from various other places on the site such as the item page, Seller Dashboard, Selling Manager/Selling Manager Pro.

Read more about how to access and use the new listing analytics tool here.

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Duplicate listing policy - now live
As announced in March, from today (April 5) duplicate listings for fixed price items will be removed from the eBay.com.au site. The introduction of this policy will prevent search results from being dominated by duplicate listings of the same item from the same seller. Further information on this change can be found here.

List your 99c auctions for free – now live
As announced in February, from today (April 5) eligible sellers listing auctions starting at 99c will get insertion fees free for up to 15 items per month. Further information can be found here.

New store fees for media categories – now live
As announced in February, from today (April 5) all Basic, Featured and Anchored Store owners who list in fixed price in any media category (Books, Music, Movies, TV Shows or Games) will get lower up-front costs with:

• Lower insertion fee – 5 cents (save up to 35 cents per listing)
• Free gallery - (All Stores receive free gallery and save up to 35c. Your item image will then be displayed in search results)
• 9.9% flat final value fee –while slightly higher than the existing final value fees you only pay if your item sells

Further information can be found here.

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We are pleased to report that the issue concerning missing or incorrect PayPal Buyer Protection information at the top of listings on eBay.com.au was fixed on Friday evening.

Many thanks for your patience.

Regards,

The eBay team

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	***Previous update: Original: Issue with PayPal information in listings***
	25 March 2011 | 03:30PM EST We are currently experiencing an issue which means that PayPal Buyer Protection information is either missing or incorrect at the top of listings on the www.ebay.com.au site. Please be assured that the PayPal Buyer Protection Policy may still apply. Please refer to the PayPal Buyer Protection Policy for more information. We are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Regards, The eBay team
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21-22 July 2011, Gold Coast

eBay and PayPal are proud to be the platinum sponsors of the fifth annual PeSA Summit. Join us at PeSA's 2011 internet conference on the Gold Coast to ignite your online sales and leave feeling energised and inspired.

Register for PeSA before 30 April 2011 and early bird tickets for the two day event are only $349, plus $89 for the Gala Dinner. We're sure you'll benefit from the exciting line-up and wide range of information on offer.

Find out more about the 2011 PeSA eCommerce Summit.

Register now

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New duplicate listing policy

From 5 April 2011, a new Duplicate Listing policy will be introduced on eBay.com.au. The purpose of the policy is to prevent search results from being dominated by duplicate listings of the same item from the same seller.

The introduction of this policy means:

• Sellers will no longer be allowed to list duplicate fixed price listings of the same item
• Buyers will gain a quicker, more inspiring view of a greater range of items, as well as items from a wider range of sellers
• More listings will receive increased exposure on search results pages
  
• Starting 5 April, eBay will automatically end duplicate fixed price listings and credit insertion fees and listing upgrade fees for ended listings. Your best performing listing will remain on search results pages.

Read more about the new policy

New manage communications with buyers’ hub

From early May, sellers will be able to manage all their communications with buyers from one central location within My eBay.

The new "Manage communications with buyers’ hub” will give you greater control over and access to your communications with buyers. From this one convenient location you can:

Seller protection: Provides 'evidence' in the event an Item Not Received case is opened.

You can improve your buyer and seller experience by uploading tracking information to all sold items from early April.

Read more about manual tracking information

April category changes

From 4 April, eBay will be making some improvements to the category structure on eBay.com.au. These improvements will make it easier for international buyers to find items listed on eBay.com.au and available to be shipped worldwide.

Most of the improvements will not require you to take any action, but it is recommended that you check your listings to ensure they are still being listed in the appropriate categories.

Read more about the category changes

Global eBay site changes that may affect you

Over the next few months, eBay will be implementing a number of site changes globally which may affect sellers based in Australia who list directly on international eBay sites (for example on eBay.com ). For more information on this change please visit the market specific announcement boards (eg. US).

 

Regards,
The eBay Team

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Over the coming weeks and months eBay will be introducing changes to how you search for, buy and sell on eBay.com.au.

We’re excited to announce that we are changing the costs associated with 99c auctions so that eligible sellers only pay when they sell their item!

From early April 2011, eligible sellers listing auctions starting at 99c will get insertion fees free for up to 15 items per month. With no up-front fees to list, that means if you don’t sell, you don’t pay. We’re also capping the final value fee for this option, making it easy to work out ahead of time what you’ll pay:

9.9% flat final value fee –while slightly higher than the existing final value fees you only pay if your item sells

Read more about these changes and how they can benefit you.

Regards,
The eBay team

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With areas in Queensland now severely affected by torrential rain and flooding, we would like to request that buyers or sellers involved in a transaction with a member of the eBay community based in the affected areas, to please be patient during this time.

Our warmest thoughts go out to those eBay community members who have been impacted.

The eBay team

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	***Previous update: Original: Flooding could impact local sellers/buyers***
	10 December 2010 | 10:37AM EST Many areas across the country have recently been affected by severe weather and flooding and our best wishes go out to those communities. With many people in the affected areas currently left without access to homes and the inevitable disruption to postal services to affected areas, there may be an impact on trading for some of our members. We ask that you show patience and consideration if you are trading with an eBay member within the affected areas during this time. Many thanks in advance for your support, The eBay team
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From 13 December 2010, there will be changes to the law to improve helmet safety. Bicycle helmets supplied in Australia must comply with Australian law and so we would encourage those affected sellers to ensure that their product is fully compliant.

For further detail about the changes, please visit the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Product Safety Australia website here

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Due to unanticipated demand, the Flat Rate Satchel has temporarily sold out. Please stay tuned for news on availability of future supplies.

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	***Previous update: Original: Exclusive Australia Post offer for eBay members***
	06 December 2010 | 09:50AM EST Following feedback from sellers that the complexity involved with shipping and the lack of tracked options at an affordable price were particular pain points, eBay has teamed up with Australia Post to offer an exclusive deal especially for eBay members. From today (6 December 2010), you will be able to order 500g and 3kg satchels and access exclusive flat rate postage pricing online. The satchels can be ordered via http://auspost.ebay.com.au/. Delivery is free and the satchels will arrive within three to five working days following despatch. Each eBay member is entitled to ten 500g satchels and ten 3kg satchels per week. A limit of 100 satchels of each size applies per member until 30 April 2011. Further information on this limited trial offer can be found here. Regards, The eBay Team
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Due to additional security measures, Australia Post have advised that articles over 453g and all Express Courier International and Express Post International services will be subject to an additional $9 security surcharge and may face transit delays of up to 48 hours.

International post regulations for each country can be found on Australia Post’s website here and any enquiries regarding the surcharge should be directed to Australia Post.

eBay is currently waiting for further news regarding the surcharge, however sellers are recommended to avoid using calculated shipping on items that ship to the US as the shipping calculator is not currently configured to include the surcharge.

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All sellers and buyers are encouraged to check if their Christmas or decorative lights products comply with Australian Standards. The Queensland Electrical Safety Office would like to remind all Australian sellers and buyers that unsafe Christmas lights can pose as a very dangerous threat to buyers.

If you have any doubts about the electrical safety of any Christmas lights, decorative lighting, other electrical equipment or your electrical installation, contact a licensed electrical contractor. You can find them in the Yellow Pages, White Pages, your local newspaper or by contacting an electrical industry association.

Visit the Tips for safe Christmas lights eBay guide or the Electrical Safety Office website for more important information about selling, buying, using and storing Christmas lights.

Regards,
The eBay Team

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We have recently introduced new features to our flash-based standard picture uploader. On top of the current ability to crop and rotate, you will soon be able to adjust the brightness and contrast of your pictures before you upload them, once you have selected them in the Sell Your Item Add Pictures form.

The enhanced picture uploader, which is limited to sellers using Internet Explorer on Windows has now been retired from eBay.com.au, as the updated standard version provides the same features for sellers using any browser on Windows or Mac that eBay supports.

If you currently have the enhanced version as your default picture uploader, you will be automatically switched to the standard uploader. You might be prompted to install Adobe flash., if you have not done so already. If you prefer not to install Adobe Flash, just select the basic picture uploader in the Sell Your Item Add Pictures form.

Learn more about how to upload your photos using the standard uploader, as well as other features of eBay picture hosting.

Example of improvements

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eBay store subscribers will now see an updated Store Holiday Settings feature. Previously, Store Holiday Settings simply kept Fixed Price listings from showing up in search results. With the updated Store Holiday Settings, your Fixed Price listings will be both hidden in search results and unavailable for purchase, so buyers that added your item to their watch list prior to it being hidden won’t be able to purchase it while you’re away.

This keeps buyers from having a bad experience, and helps protect you from negative feedback and low Detailed Seller Ratings.

To access the new eBay Store Holiday Settings feature, go to My eBay > Messages > Change Settings. Learn more about putting your listings on holiday. For more on what eBay Stores have to offer, click here.

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In accordance with our free tickets policy, please note that the sale of tickets for the following free event is prohibited on www.eBay.com.au:

‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ recordings (both morning and evening shows) at the Sydney Opera House – 14th December 2010, Sydney Opera House, New South Wales.

eBay requires one months notice prior to tickets being released for the free tickets policy to apply to an event.

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Answering buyer questions is an important way of building confidence and trust with customers. Following feedback from sellers that managing questions can be very time consuming, we have designed a new Find Answers page allowing you to manage and respond to buyers’ questions quickly and efficiently.

Buyers will now be able to click on the ‘Ask a question’ or ‘Contact Member’ link and be taken through to the Find Answers page where they will be able to select a topic to help answer their question, for example on postage or returns policies. If the buyer is not able to find an answer to their question, they will then be requested to fill out the Ask the Seller form.

The content included in the Find Answers page will be taken from eBay policies, the content in your listing, as well as from any existing Q&A you’ve previously created. As a result, it is important for you to provide up to date detailed information on key topics such as postage, item specifics and return policies when listing an item. You will also be able to customise the information shown on the Find Answers page to ensure that it is relevant to your listings.

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Sellers have been able to opt-into an improved version of the Bulk Edit and Relist tool since July 2010 making it even easier to manage and revise listings in bulk.

New functionalities have been added based on sellers’ feedback with key improvements including a table-like interface, inclusion of more fields that can be edited, instant review of errors or fees and a find and replace function to make bulk changes to the item description. The new version also allows sellers to edit as many as 500 listings at the same time.

As previously announced we have now made this the default way to edit items in bulk and the new Bulk Edit and Relist tool will replace the old bulk edit functionality for all sellers. Sellers do not need to take any action, but will automatically experience the new functionality when they attempt to edit multiple items at once.

The response from sellers who opted-in to the new version has been very positive and we are confident that this new experience will be a major help for sellers. Sellers who do not want to use the new version will be able to opt-out through a link at the top-right corner of any page within the Bulk Edit flow.

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Regards,
The eBay Team

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As announced earlier this year, sellers can now combine multiple product variants such as size and colour into one listing. The new multi-variant listing format will be available in the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories, Baby and Sports categories, saving sellers both time and money by only completing one listing, with no additional listing fees.

This feature is already available on other international eBay sites. Here’s an example from eBay.com:

The full list of categories multi-variant will be available in can be found here..

Regards,
The eBay Team

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Millions of Australians come to eBay every month and the eBay.com.au homepage is often among the first place they visit. Establishing a great first impression is important and means that we need to keep the homepage fresh, exciting and relevant to ensure those buyers keep coming back.

As a result, from 6 October 2010 you will begin to see a new eBay.com.au homepage. While many features on the current page will remain the same, you may notice some changes, including an increased focus on products and imagery to help inspire shoppers when they first visit the site. We hope you like it!

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To ensure that buyers are able to search more accurately for tyres on the site, all sellers will be required to include additional detail when listing a tyre in the Tyres category on eBay.com.au.

As of week commencing 11 October, sellers listing a tyre in the Tyres category will be required to insert item specifics for the following:

• Tyre width
• Aspect ratio
• Rim diameter

The three item specifics required can be found on every tyre and further information on how to accurately describe your tyre listing can be found here. Users of third party listing tools will also need to update their listings before 11 October to prevent errors when relisting.

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eBay’s concerns and best wishes go out to communities impacted by the recent flooding in Victoria.

Thanks in advance to the eBay community for their continued support of their fellow members.

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Over the next few months, eBay.com.au will be enhancing eBay checkout, to ensure a fast and consistent experience for buyers.

As eBay checkout functionalities will be improved third-party checkout solutions, such as Channel Advisor, will be discontinued on eBay.com.au from 30 June 2011.

Therefore, eBay Checkout will be the only checkout process available from that date (30 June 2011).

We're now working closely with third-party checkout providers to make the transition easier for you and to give you maximum time to adapt to this change.

eBay checkout is undergoing improvements to include the key features and services you require, such as:

• Inventory Sync: This includes notifications on transaction status, e.g. when a buyer completes checkout; and API polling, providing information which sellers can use to automatically update their inventory. This feature is available now.
• Payment Gateway: eBay’s improved checkout functionality will allow sellers to offer credit card processing through Payflow and Cyber source gateways. Currently scheduled for late 2010, we will alert sellers when this is available.
• Shipping Discount Calculator: An enhanced shipping discount function which allows sellers to set a discounted shipping rate, for combined postage or calculated postage, across many listings. It will be available late 2010.

Further announcements will be made regarding eBay checkout and third party checkout throughout 2010 and 2011.

In the meantime, additional information about the transition to eBay checkout can be found here.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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Over the next few months, eBay will be implementing some changes to help save sellers both time and money in running their business and to increase safety.

Multi-variant listings
From 5 October 2010 sellers will be able to combine multiple product variants such as size and colour into one listing. The new multi-variant listing format will be available in the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories, Baby and Sports categories, saving sellers both time and money by only completing one listing, with no additional listing fees.

This feature is already available on other international eBay sites. Here’s an example from eBay.com:

The full list of categories multi-variant will be available in can be found here.

New unpaid item assistance
Coming September 2010 the new unpaid item assistant feature will save sellers time by automating the process of opening and closing unpaid item cases. The assistant can be set to automatically open a case 4, 8, 16, 24 or 32 days after a listing ends. If a buyer doesn't meet the payment period set up via the system, an unpaid item case will automatically be opened and will only be closed once the buyer pays. If the buyer doesn’t pay, you will receive a final value fee credit and the buyer will receive an unpaid item strike against their record.

The feature is available on an opt-in basis and can only be used with integrated payment methods, such as PayPal and Paymate, or a third party checkout integrated with eBay where eBay can identify when a payment has been made. Unpaid item assistant is not recommended for sellers who use bank deposit, as it may generate an unpaid item strike against a buyer who has paid using this method.

New email processes
From 17 August 2010, eBay will be taking steps to reduce the risk of members receiving fake emails to My Messages and personal email accounts.

All members’ email accounts will be made anonymous, allowing both buyers and sellers increased privacy.

Currently you only see a member’s email after the item has sold. From 17 August, both buyers’ and sellers’ email addresses will be hidden pre and post transaction. This change will only apply to emails sent to My Messages and personal email accounts (i.e. Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail etc).

Ensure that your email addresses are up to date in your eBay account to ensure that you are receiving all of your messages.

DVD category changes
In late September 2010 eBay.com will be mandating the use of catalogues for all listings in the DVD, GPS and MP3 player categories. This new rule will apply to all sellers and it may not allow Australian sellers to list DVD's on eBay.com that are classified as region 4, which is not available in the catalogue.

If you list DVD's on eBay.com.au and offer postage to the U.S.A. your item may have decreased exposure on eBay.com. This change will not impact the exposure of DVD's on eBay.com.au

Regards,

The eBay Team

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The removal of the Stores tab follows the significant boost in exposure for Store listings in main search results, which took effect in September 2009, combined with a historically low-click through rate.

More information on Stores and how to best utilise is available in the Help Centre.

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From today (27 July), the new item condition values introduced in early May are becoming mandatory across the categories affected. The roll out to all categories will be completed shortly.

Any Good 'Til Cancelled listings that have not been updated with the new item condition values will not relist on the specified renewal date and will remain inactive until the new values have been added.

To update large volumes of listings quickly, you can now use a variety of tools, including the new bulk edit and re-listing tool, available to all sellers on an opt-in basis in My eBay.

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	***Previous update: New Item Condition values will be mandatory by the end of July***
	08 July 2010 | 12:25PM EST As previously announced, the new Item Condition values will be mandatory by the end of July 2010. Sellers who create new listings post 27 July will be required to select an Item Condition for their listing. Introduced in early May, the new values have now replaced the basic New and Used options and are intended to help sellers better manage buyers' expectations and increase satisfaction with the transaction by clearly defining the condition of an item in a uniform way. Sellers who have not updated their listings should do so by 27 July. Any Good ‘Til Cancelled and Auto Re-List listings that are not updated with the new Item Condition values and are scheduled to re-list post 27 July, will be suspended until the Item Condition is updated. Regards The eBay Team
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	***Previous update: Original: New Item Condition values coming to eBay.com.au***
	28 April 2010 | 11:04AM EST Over the next few weeks we will be introducing new Item Condition values on eBay.com.au. These new values will replace the basic New and Used options currently available. The new values are intended to help sellers better manage buyers’ expectations and increase satisfaction by clearly defining the condition of an item in a uniform way. While they do differ by category, below is an example of the new values being introduced: Brand New (with tags/box) A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable). New – Never Used (without tags/box) A new, unused item with absolutely no signs of wear. The item may be missing the original packaging, or in the original packaging but not sealed. Manufacturer refurbished An item that has been professionally restored to working order by a manufacturer or manufacturer-approved vendor. Seller refurbished An item that has been restored to working order by the eBay seller or a third party not approved by the manufacturer. Used An item that has previously been used. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. For parts or not working An item that does not function as intended and is not fully operational. This includes items that are defective in ways that render them difficult to use, items that require service or repair, or items missing essential components. The new conditions will be available within the Phones category this week and then all other applicable categories from the week commencing 10 May 2010. View the complete list of Item Condition values and the categories to which they apply. We realise the introduction of these values and the variations that apply within categories may seem a little overwhelming. Once available however, sellers can clearly see within the listing flow (whether using the Sell Your Item form on eBay, Turbo Lister or Selling Manager/Pro) the conditions that are available for their item. Buyers will be able to quickly and easily filter listings based on condition preference using the ‘Refine Search’ options on the left of any search results page. Item Condition specification will become mandatory From late July this year, once sellers have had a chance to adapt to the new Item Conditions, Item Condition specification will become mandatory for almost all listings on eBay.com.au. There will be a small number of categories in which specification will continue to be optional. View the list of excluded categories. Sellers – Update Listings You should start to update listings as soon as the new values are available to ensure you are well prepared by the time item condition specification becomes mandatory in late July. Read our FAQs for further information regarding this change. Regards, The eBay team
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