As of this week, when sellers list an item in the women's clothing category, they will be asked to add an item specific for "Size Type". All sellers of Women's Clothing are encouraged to use Item Specifics for Size Type to ensure buyers can find their items. The size types to choose from are:-

• Petites (generally for sizes 6 and under)
  
• Standard Sizes (generally for sizes 8 to 16)
  
• Plus Sizes (generally for all sizes over 16)
  
• Maternity (for any clothing specifically designed for maternity use, regardless of size)
  
• One Size (one size fits all)
  

From next week, buyers will then be shown within the Women's Clothing Product Finder the option of searching for all Clothing items for their size type. This new development was a direct result of community feedback and allows buyers to browse all items in their size group without having to choose a particular type of clothing first.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Feedback on eBay is an essential ingredient to building trust and having a positive trading experience. The current system has been in place since eBay began 12 years ago and was intended to provide a simple, honest and accurate record of members' experiences.

We’ve made adjustments to the system over the years to try to improve its accuracy, including the addition last year of anonymous Detailed Seller Ratings, but as eBay has grown, we feel the Feedback system is no longer working as well as it could - it’s time for it to evolve.

So what are the changes?

• Repeat feedback credit – coming in February
  Members will receive credit for multiple feedback from the same buyer or seller for purchases made in different calendar weeks (Monday though Sunday).

• Feedback percentage – coming in May
  The feedback percentage which calculates a member’s percentage of positive feedback will be based on the last 12 months only (not a member’s lifetime transactions as it is today).

• No negative or neutral feedback for buyers - coming in May
  Sellers will not be able to leave negative or neutral feedback for buyers. Of course sellers will have the option to not leave any feedback if they feel the buyer has not warranted positive feedback.

• All negative and neutral feedback comments will be removed (not just de-scored) when a buyer doesn’t respond to the Unpaid Item Dispute (UPI) process.

• All negative and neutral feedback comments left by suspended members will be removed. This will be done retroactively, so all negative and neutral feedback left by suspended members in the past will also be removed.

• Buyers will not be able to leave negative or neutral feedback within 3 days of the end of a listing. We expect this will help promote communication between the buyer and seller so they try to resolve their issues before leaving feedback.

• The number of days a member can leave feedback by will be reduced from 90 to 60.

• Sellers will have an increased block bidder list capacity (up to 5000 User IDs).

It is important to note that other changes in the eBay.com announcement are NOT currently scheduled to launch on eBay.com.au.

Regards,
The eBay team

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Communication, postage, and other buying and selling activities may be temporarily interrupted by these floods, so we ask that you be patient if you have any trading partners in the affected areas.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

eBay takes the sale of items containing hazardous materials very seriously and is currently working closely with Customs to identify and remove listings involving affected models. eBay is monitoring the site in an effort to stop further such items from being listed.

Currently, the following models have been identified:

• 1:10 Scale 4WD Speed Sonic 2005 RC Car Model 94102
• 1:10 Scale HSP Atomic Warhead Nitro Buggy Models 94105 and 94106
• 1:10 Scale 2007 Hi-Speed Nitro/Gas Tyrannosaurus Monster Truck Model 94108
• 1:10 Scale Gas Powered RC Car Model Frc-10
• 1:10 Scale Gas Powered 4WD RC Truck Model Frc-08

If you have purchased any of these specific models of remote control cars or are concerned about a similar item you have bought, you can visit www.workershealth.com.au/facts001.html for information on asbestos and contact the Environmental Protection Agency in your state for advice on next steps.

Queensland - www.epa.qld.gov.au
SA - www.epa.sa.gov.au
Victoria - www.epa.vic.gov.au
NSW & ACT - www.epa.nsw.gov.au
WA - www.epa.wa.gov.au
Tasmania - www.environment.tas.gov.au
NT - www.nt.gov.au

Link to this announcement | Back to top

eBay.com.au is offering unlimited half price listings* for 4 days from this Friday 11th January 2008 on auction and fixed price formats when PayPal is offered as a payment method.

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

Happy new year
The eBay team

The PayPal service is provided by PayPal Australia Pty Limited (ABN 93 111 195 389) which holds an Australian Financial Services Licence, number 304962. You should consider the Product Disclosure Statement before deciding to sign-up for or use the PayPal online payment service at https://www.PayPal.com.au

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Cars
As advised in December, car makes and models can continue to be classified in item specifics /product finder but to reduce duplication within the listing and finding process, the new Cars structure will be:

Cars

Collector Cars
Passenger Vehicles
Restoration, Salvage

Car Parts, Accessories
The various Car Parts, Tuning, Performance Parts, Audio and Accessories categories have all been combined to make it easier for buyers to find their items. The Car Parts category will no longer be divided into individual car makes. Keyword searches can be easily conducted for any particular make / model within the new Car Parts, Accessories category, allowing buyers to search across all car parts at once, rather than having to search in a number of individual categories. The new structure also makes it easier to find universal parts. The new structure will be:

Car Parts, Accessories

Air Conditioning, Heating
Air Intake, Fuel Delivery
Audio, Video
Brakes
Cleaning, Car Care
Cooling Systems
Decals, Badges, Detailing
Engines, Components
Exhausts
Exterior
Filters
Gaskets
Gauges
Glass
Ignition, Charging
Interior
Lights, Indicators
Navigation, GPS
Number Plates
Performance Parts
Safety, Security
Suspension, Steering
Tools
Transmission
Wheels, Tyres
Wholesale, Bulk Lots
Other Car Parts, Accessories

Clothing, Merchandise, Media
The various clothing, automobilia, merchandise, manuals and media categories will all be moved under this new category.

Clothing, Merchandise, Media

Aircraft
Boats
Cars, Trucks

Advertising Collectables
Badges, Posters, Patches
Clothing, Accessories
Media
Novelties, Keyrings
Oil Company Collectables
Replicas, Scale Models

Motorcycles

Clothing, Accessories
Keyrings, Novelties
Scale Models, Replicas
Stickers

Motorcycle Parts, Accessories
Motorcycle Parts and Motorcycle Accessories will be moved under this new category.

Motorcycle Parts, Accessories

Bags
Bike Parts
Classic, Vintage Parts
Covers, Protectors
Decals, Stickers
Key Chains
Locks
Scooter Parts

Feedback, comments and suggestions regarding this new structure are welcome. Please email the Finding Team at aucategory@ebay.com or post to the Motors Discussion Board: http://forums.ebay.com.au/forum.jspa?forumID=20

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Our thoughts and best wishes go out to everyone impacted. Communication, postage, and other buying and selling activities may be temporarily interrupted by these storms, so, we ask that you be patient if you have any trading partners in the affected areas.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

The following structure (with category numbers) will be in place in mid January:

Cars, Bikes, Boats [9800]

Aircraft [158320]
Automobilia [29707]
Boats, Watercraft [72535]
Caravans, RVs [158346]
Cars [29690]
Car Accessories, Tuning [29692]
Car Audio, Video, Electronic [3270]
Car Manuals [29698]
Car Parts [72364]
Turbo, Performance Parts [43806]
Motorcycle Accessories [33341]
Motorcycle Apparel [32076]
Motorcycle Parts [35228]
Motorcycles [32073]
Pocket Bikes, Go Karts [158321]
Trailers [9882]
Trucks, Commercial Vehicles [158348]
Other Cars, Bikes, Boats [32636]

Cars category – new structure

Cars [29690]
Collector Cars [101893]
Passenger Vehicles [35227]
Restoration, Salvage [130628]

No categories will remain for the various Car Manufacturers and Makes. You should use the Item Specifics / Product Finder to narrow your options to specific makes and models.

Boats category – new structure

Charter Boat Hire [158323]
Inflatable, Semi-Inflatable [102699]
Personal Watercraft [72536]
Power Boats [158324]
Sail Boats [158335]
Other Boats [33342]

Farm Equipment – this will be combined into Tractors, Heavy Machinery [105816] within the Business, Industrial category.

For comments or further suggestions, email eBay at aucategory@ebay.com (please note this is a read-only email address).

Link to this announcement | Back to top

• Guest buyers will be able to use Buy It Now to purchase eligible Fixed Price and Store Inventory items.
• Guest buyers need to complete their payment through PayPal, or through a Visa or MasterCard.

• The seller must have a premier or business PayPal account in order to accept credit card payments through PayPal.
• Postage costs must be specified on the listing. (ie sellers must state how much postage is)
• The seller must qualify for PayPal Buyer Protection.
• The item price must be less than $3,000. (excluding shipping and handling)
• Guest buyers must use eBay's checkout system. Third-party checkout will not be supported at this time.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Each year we set up a discussion board for you to share some Christmas cheer with your fellow eBay members and this year is no exception.

Share your favourite recipes, seek advice on decorating your home or perhaps you'd like some tips on buying the perfect Christmas gift? Maybe you have a funny Christmas tale to tell? As long as it's related to Christmas, the holidays, the silly season or New Year, this is the board to visit!

So come and spread some joy on the Christmas Discussion Board.

Happy holidays
The eBay team.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

We would now like to tell you about two enhancements we've made to this popular feature in time for the holiday season.

Email Marketing with Markdown Manager
We've recently integrated Seller Email Marketing into Markdown Manager. Email is one of the most effective ways to let your buyers know about items that have been marked down, and now you can choose to automatically send an email to your subscribers whenever you start your sale.

Adding a filter for "Sale" items in search
Since the launch of Markdown Manager, buyers have asked us for easier ways to find sale items. This week we've added a "Sale items" filter to the Search Options section on the left-hand side of search results (in the drop-down menu under More Buying Options). Buyers using this filter will see items from eBay Stores sellers that are on sale through Markdown Manager.

We hope these enhancements will help increase your sales this holiday season – and afterwards!

Happy shopping
The eBay team

Link to this announcement | Back to top

If you are unfamiliar with these areas, we invite you to visit them by clicking "Community" from the eBay navigation bar at the top of any eBay page.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Calculated Postage will allow you to:

• Automatically calculate and display accurate Australia Post domestic and international postage costs in the item listing and eBay search results, based on the buyer's location;
• Research domestic and international Australia Post postal services and costs, based on your item’s weight, dimensions, and location.

• Increase sales. Listings that include calculated postage costs are more likely to end in a sale.
• Improve efficiency. The need to manually research and calculate postage costs is eliminated.
• Save time. Emails from buyers about postage costs will be reduced.
• Speed up checkout. Pre-filled postage details make it easy and quick for buyers to checkout.
• Build customer loyalty. Up-front, accurate postage costs enhance the buyer’s experience, building trust and chances of repeat purchases.

Link to this announcement | Back to top