This promotion starts Tuesday, March 1, 2005, at 00:00:01 PT (12 AM plus 1 second) and ends that same day, Tuesday, March 1, 2005, at 23:59:59 PT (11:59 PM plus 59 seconds).

During the eBay Motors Parts and Accessories 50¢ Insertion Fee sale:

For regular auction-style and Fixed Price Parts and Accessories listings with a starting price above $9.99 on the U.S. Motors site (www.ebaymotors.com), the insertion fee will be capped at $0.50. All insertion fees less than $0.50 will still be charged at the normal rate. For more information about insertion fees during this promotion, please click here. Listings created prior to March 1, 2005 that are scheduled to start during the promotional period (March 1, 2005) will also be eligible to receive the promotional rate. The promotional rate does not apply for eBay Motors vehicle listings.

All other fees (such as transaction services fees and all other optional listing upgrade fees) will still be charged. More information about upgrade fees can be found by clicking here. The promotional offer does not apply for listings with a start date prior to March 1, 2005, including those listings revised during the promotional period (March 1, 2005), or for listings created during the promotional period but scheduled to start after March 1, 2005.

We hope you enjoy the eBay Motors Parts & Accessories 50¢ Insertion Fee sale!

Regards,
eBay Motors

Link to this announcement | Back to top

During this temporary test, for those categories which may overlap significantly, a seller’s listing may appear in the second category at no additional cost. Any second category will only be added after the listing has been fully submitted, regardless of listing method. If the seller chose to List in 2 Categories for an item where we would have added the second category for free, their L2C fee will be refunded.

We believe that this test will provide the following benefits for buyers and sellers:

• Sellers receive a listing in a second category at no additional charge, giving their item more exposure to buyers.
• Buyers can see more items that are relevant to the category they’re browsing.

Sellers will see a small notation at the top of their item page if a second category was added. As this is just a limited test, the added categories may change often, and having a second category added for one listing does not guarantee it will be added for the next listing.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

• The "3-in-1 with Score eBay Special" is a 3-in-1 credit report, which is being offered to eBay members at a discount from the normal price for each individual report.

• The "Equifax Credit Watch™" is a product which monitors your credit and identity, is also priced at a discount only available to eBay members.

For more information about these reports and other eBay offers, please visit http://creditzone.ebay.com.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Search Strategies for Selling More on eBay
This workshop will be held on Wednesday, March 2nd, from 13:00 PST to 14:00 PST. In this workshop, Allison Hartsoe, CEO of Certified Service Provider Internet Business Skills, will discuss powerful, easy-to-understand search strategies for selling more on eBay. You'll learn how to optimize your listing titles to increase traffic, and how to configure your eBay Store for maximum sales exposure.

Trading Assistants: Qualifying & Closing Leads
This workshop will be held on Thursday, March 3rd, from 15:00 to 16:00 PST. As a Trading Assistant, it is important that you first qualify the new client leads that you receive and understand whether they are a good match for your services. If the opportunity is good, then you need to quickly follow-up and close the deal! In this workshop, we will provide tips on how to effectively qualify and close your Trading Assistant client leads.

Workshops are hosted in discussion threads on the Workshops Board. To get to the Workshops Board:

• Go to www.ebay.com
• Click on Community at the top of the page
• Click on "Workshops" in the "Events" section
• This will bring you to the threaded Workshops Board.

To view archived workshops or to learn more about future workshop events, please check our Workshops Calendar.

Want timely reminders about workshops? Sign up for the Workshops Information Group! By joining this group, you will receive an email notification reminding you about upcoming eBay Workshops. Each notification will include the time and date, a brief description of the event, and a link to the discussion thread where the actual workshop will be held.

To sign up for the Workshops Information Group, please click here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

First, you’ll find we have updated the display and educational text surrounding the Pay Now button. We hope that by simplifying the entrance point and better explaining Checkout, we can help buyers who may be confused about how to begin the payment process.

Second, buyers can now request the total payment amount for any of their items, regardless of the seller’s Checkout preferences. Before, neither a Pay Now or Request Total button would appear on the listing if the seller didn’t accept PayPal and also had their Checkout preferences off, and we’ve found that this could be confusing for buyers. Now buyers will see a Request Total button at the top of the listing in this situation. If the seller decides to send an invoice to the buyer, the Pay Now button will then appear on the listing.

Finally, we have addressed another potential situation that is confusing for buyers. Before, sellers that listed with PayPal automatically got Pay Now buttons on their listings, but if the seller’s global Checkout preference was set to Off, the Checkout flow would only support payment through PayPal. This caused quite a bit of confusion for buyers of these items who clicked on Pay Now and found they could not pay with all of the seller’s listed methods. We have updated Checkout to support all the seller’s payment methods whenever Pay Now buttons are displayed.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

For Buyers
As before, when you add a seller to your Favorite Sellers list, you can choose to have their items included in the Favorite Sellers Top Picks email. You can also add sellers to this email by going to the Edit Preferences page from your My eBay Favorite Seller section.

In addition, you will soon be able to access the new Favorite Sellers Top Picks page from your Favorite Seller section in My eBay. Both the email and the new Top Picks page will feature up to four items from each of your Favorite Sellers.

For Sellers
You can choose which items will be shown to buyers in both the email and on the Top Picks page. Select specific items, or have items automatically chosen for you based on your preferences. You will be able to access and update your Top Picks Preferences from the Seller Preferences section in My eBay once the feature has been fully introduced.

To learn more about this new feature, click here.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

The buyer version of the home page will include the following:

• My eBay at a Glance section (including Buying reminders)
• Access to My Messages
• Reminders when items on your Watch list are about to end
• The ability to Search within a specific category via a new Search box.

Buyers will start seeing the new version of the home page starting today.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
This workshop will be held on Thursday, February 24th, from 10:00 PST to 11:00 PST. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes - it affects millions of people at home, in the office, at the mall, and online. Join eBay and the Federal Trade Commission for a workshop on what you can do to safeguard your identity. We'll take your questions on spoof/phishing emails and web sites, and give you practical tips for staying safe online.

Workshops are hosted in discussion threads on the Workshops Board. To get to the Workshops Board:

• Go to www.ebay.com
• Click on Community at the top of the page
• Click on "Workshops" in the "Events" section
• This will bring you to the threaded Workshops Board.

To view archived workshops or to learn more about future workshop events, please check our Workshops Calendar.

Want timely reminders about workshops? Sign up for the Workshops Information Group! By joining this group, you will receive an email notification reminding you about upcoming eBay Workshops. Each notification will include the time and date, a brief description of the event, and a link to the discussion thread where the actual workshop will be held.

To sign up for the Workshops Information Group, please click here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

• Jim Miotke, author of "The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Taking Great Photos", who will share special digital photography tips for eBay sellers.
• Brian Lawe, eBay Certified Solutions provider and co-founder of MyStoreCredit.com, who will describe his service and product and how they can benefit eBay sellers.
• Jason Miner, eBay Radio contributing editor, with the PayPay Hour. Jason will be sharing PayPal news and taking your calls.
• eBetsy, who will present our new feature: “Around the world on eBay in 80 seconds." eBetsy will be visiting and "reporting" from each of our international sites from now until eBay Live. Learn more about the worldwide eBay with eBetsy!

Plus we'll have "The News" with Lee Mirabal, as well as the most important feature on eBay Radio: Wide Open Phones! Got a question, comment, or concern? Call in during the show at 888-327-0061 (USA) or 001-858-623-0102 (Internationally) to talk with Griff and his guests or to ask a question and share your voice with the rest of the eBay Community. Remember, one lucky caller per week, selected at random, will receive an autographed copy of Griff's book, "The Official eBay Bible".

If you can't catch the live show you can always select and listen to any past eBay Radio broadcast, listed by topic and date, in the eBay Radio archives. Visit http://www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Beyond the Basics can help you learn:

eBay does not permit the sale of items that have the sole purpose of facilitating access to cable or satellite television programming without authorization or payment. Stating that the item is for educational or test purposes will not legitimize a product that is otherwise inappropriate. This ban on P4 cards will go into effect on February 21, 2005. Listing these items will result in listing cancellation, and repeat listings may result in account suspension.

To learn more about prohibited items on eBay, please visit our Prohibited and Restricted Items page.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

You will receive a Sirius Satellite Radio, a Sirius SP-TK1 car adapter kit and 6 month subscription (a $250 value) at no cost when you:

• Win a listing for an eligible car, truck or motorcycle.
• Complete the sale on eBay Motors between February 21, 2005 and March 31, 2005.
• Finance your vehicle through the eBay Financing Center by completing a loan with HSBC Auto Finance or with Capital One Auto Finance. There are no fees to apply for financing.

This promotion starts Monday, February 21, 2005 at 00:00:01 PT (12:00 AM plus one second) and ends on Thursday, March 31, 2005 at 23:59:59 PT (11:59 PM plus 59 seconds). Listings which end prior to February 21, 2005 or after March 31, 2005 are not eligible.

Buyers, get more information about this promotion by clicking here.

Sellers, get more information by clicking here.

Learn more about Sirius Satellite Radio by clicking here.

View additional restrictions and full Official Terms and Conditions by clicking here.

Regards,
eBay Motors

* The Free Sirius Satellite Financing promotion is available only for qualifying credit applicants who are U.S. residents, 18 years or older and who apply for a loan through the eBay Financing Center and obtain financing from HSBC Auto Finance or Capital One Auto Finance for the purchase of an eligible car, truck or motorcycle resulting from a completed sale on www.ebaymotors.com that closes during the period February 21 - March 31, 2005. If your application is approved, ask your Account Representative for details. All application, vehicle, and loan restrictions apply. If you choose HSBC Auto Finance as your lender, the eBay item ID must be written on the back of the HSBC Auto Finance check. Minimum $7,500 loan amount. U.S. passenger vehicles and motorcycles only excluding Alaska and Hawaii. After you provide the loan check to the seller, Sirius will ship you a Sportster Sirius satellite radio, Sirius SP-TK1 car kit and information about your 6 month subscription (activation required) within 2-4 weeks. The free 6 month subscription may be activated by calling 1-800-422-7142, and a credit card is required. After completion of the initial 6-month subscription, service will renew automatically for an additional 6-months on Sirius’ standard Terms and Conditions. Subscriptions must be activated on or before the latter of two weeks after the receipt of the Prize Package or Sirius will activate by May 31, 2005. Free subscription periods activated by Sirius are not automatically renewed and carry no obligation. Taxes may apply. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer cannot be sold or transferred. Sirius and eBay Motors make no warranties with respect to tuners, antennas or other hardware. Service may not be available in all areas. All fees and programming are subject to change. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. © 2005 Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. “Sirius”, the Sirius dog logo and channel names and logos are trademarks of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. “NFL” and the NFL Shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League. “NHL” and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. “NBA” and the NBA silhouette logo are registered trademarks of NBA Properties, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks and logos are the property of respective owners. All rights reserved. Sirius is not affiliated with or controlled by eBay Motors, HSBC Auto Finance, Capital One Auto Finance, or any of their affiliates or subsidiaries. They make no representations or warranties regarding products and services provided by Sirius. Apply Now!

Link to this announcement | Back to top

In addition, as mentioned in Bill Cobb’s message on February 6, the minimum insertion fees for auction-style listings, Fixed Price, Motors Non-Vehicle and B&I non-Capital Equipment Categories have been lowered from 30 cents to 25 cents ($0.35 Canadian to $0.30 Canadian). This reduced fee went into effect on February 7. For more details on the reduced Insertion Fee announcement, please click go here: (www.ebay.com/pricing2005).

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

To participate:

1. Sign up for the promotion at www.ebay.com/scratchandwin.
2. Take the Challenge by answering three Seller Tools questions correctly, and then play the Instant Scratch & Win Game for a chance to win a TiVo® recorder instantly.
3. Sign up for Selling Manager, Selling Manager Pro or Sales Reports Plus and be entered into the Grand Prize Sweepstakes.

Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro
Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro are eBay's web-based sales management tools designed to help medium-to-high volume sellers track, manage and organize their sales more efficiently. Both Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro are global tools, easily accessible right from My eBay.

Sales Reports Plus
The new and easy-to-use Sales Reports Plus enable you to track your existing eBay business, understand the main drivers of your sales, and help guide key business decisions.

You can also register for the promotion by clicking here.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

This will be a new audio Town Hall format! Previous Town Halls have been text-based discussions in a live chat room, but we’ll be trying something special during this event. Members will still use the text-based chat to ask questions, and now you’ll be able to hear Bill answer questions from the Community using Windows Media Player. If you don’t already have this program installed on your computer, you can download it here for free.

To attend this Town Hall, or to send your questions to Bill in advance of the event, please visit the Town Hall page by clicking here.

We look forward to your participation!

Regards,
eBay Community Development team

Link to this announcement | Back to top
	***Original: This week: Audio Town Hall Meeting with Bill Cobb***
	February 14, 2005 | 04:29PM PST/PT The Community Development team invites you to join us for an online, audio Town Hall meeting with Bill Cobb, President of eBay North America. This event will be held on Thursday, February 17th, from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. PST. Bill will be addressing some of the questions that were submitted to him in emails he received last week, as well as taking some live questions from Town Hall attendees. This will be a new audio Town Hall format! Previous Town Halls have been text-based discussions in a live chat room, but we’ll be trying something special during this event. Members will still use the text-based chat to ask questions, and now you’ll be able to hear Bill answer questions from the Community using Windows Media Player. If you don’t already have this program installed on your computer, you can download it here for free. To attend this Town Hall, or to send your questions to Bill in advance of the event, please visit the Town Hall page by clicking here. We look forward to your participation! Regards, eBay Community Development team
	Link to this announcement | Back to top

Why we are making this change:

Our goal when we perform maintenance is to ensure we minimize the impact to our buyers and sellers across our global marketplace. Traffic patterns for the global eBay marketplace have changed over time. In addition, now eBay and PayPal are more integrated. To improve the member experience, we want to synchronize our maintenance periods for both sites.

Our new maintenance period (23:00 to 01:00 starting Thursday night) reflects the period during the week of lowest site traffic globally and will be consistent with the regular PayPal maintenance period. Please note that during most maintenance periods, eBay is available, with only certain site features experiencing intermittent unavailability or slowness. PayPal is unavailable during the maintenance period.

We will continue to provide weekly reminders on the System Announcement Board for each week’s maintenance period.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Recently announced enhancements to eBay Stores include:

• Store Referral Credit increasing from 50% to 75%
• Toll-free phone support for all Store sellers
• Increased Exposure for Store Inventory listings
• Selling Manager to be included in the Basic Store subscription
• A $15.95 credit to all Store sellers with an open Store throughout April.

To learn more about upcoming enhancements to eBay Stores, please visit our Latest News Page.

To participate in the Brown Bag Lunch on February 16 at 11am PST, join us on the Stores Discussion Board by clicking here. We’ll be answering your questions and offering tips to help you use the full power of Stores to your advantage.

We look forward to chatting with you tomorrow!

Regards,
eBay Stores Team

Link to this announcement | Back to top

• Photo Frame & Display - within Home Decor
• Mirrors - primarily within Home Decor as well as within Bath and Bedroom Furniture sub-categories
• Candle Holders - within Home Decor > Candles, Candle Holders
• Candle Accessories - within Home Decor > Candles, Candle Holders

Item Specifics is an eBay feature that makes it easier for sellers to provide additional item details and a clear, well-organized description during the selling process. Buyers can then search using these item details, in addition to regular Title search and Description Search, thus finding these items more quickly and easily.

Sellers can choose to include Item Specifics in their listing or not, and buyers can choose whether or not to search for these details. However, we believe the feature provides significant value to both buyers and sellers.

If you list items manually through an eBay seller tool (e.g. Sell Your Item form, Turbo Lister) or the eBay API, Item Specifics will be available in the next few weeks. If you utilize a 3rd party listing service (e.g., Andale, Auctionworks, etc.), please contact them to verify that they will offer the Item Specifics functionality in the Home & Garden category.

For more information about Item Specifics in general, please refer to our FAQs:

Item Specifics FAQ
Item Specifics Overview
Item Specifics Product Finder
Item Specifics Item Page Example
Item Specifics As a Promotional Tool

For more information about detailed Item Specifics in the Photo Frames, Mirrors, and Candle Holders & Accessories categories, please refer to our Discussion Board post here.

Sellers will be able to list using Item Specifics in late February/early March. The ability to search by Item Specifics will be available a few weeks afterwards. If you have any comments or feedback about Item Specifics, please email them to homecategories@ebay.com with Item Specifics in the header and they will be considered for future enhancements.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

The UK and Germany Communities found these hunts so much fun, that my teammates and I have decided to run another Treasure Hunt on eBay.com!

Starting at midnight on Wednesday, February 16th, we're going to hide $1,000 cash prizes in special listings on eBay.com and eBay Motors. For eight days, we'll list 25 listings a day at various times, going through the end of Wednesday, February 23, 2005.

To help you find the prizes, we'll post a clue on our “Get Clues” page for each listing we put up. In celebration of President's Day, the clues will be words or phrases relating to U.S. Presidents, U.S. history or other Americana. Each clue will be a puzzle, and solving it will help you find the hidden prizes! Since we'll be listing items and posting clues at different times throughout each day, you'll want to check the page frequently.

Here's an example of how a clue might work: Let's say you figure that the answer to the clue we've given you is “motherhood.” With that answer in mind, you might try searching on “maternity dress” to try to find the hidden listing. If you find it, you'll know – just follow the instructions on the item page to claim your prize. We've made it so that none of the text in the description is searchable, so you'll have to use your wits (and maybe some teamwork) to figure out where the prizes are!

In addition, you can also enter our Grand Prize Sweepstakes for a chance to win $25,000, plus an eBay Featured Store subscription for life! Every day, you can earn one entry into the sweepstakes simply by buying, bidding on or listing an item (up to a total of 8 entries) on eBay.com or eBay Motors.

For more information about the eBay Treasure Hunt and to go to the Get Clues page, please click here.

Here's to a great Treasure Hunt. Happy Hunting!

Regards,
Joon-Soo Kim
eBay Marketing Team

Link to this announcement | Back to top

• Joon-soo Kim, Manager of eBay's Gift Certificate program, who will be here to talk about the upcoming eBay Treasure Hunt that begins February 16. In the days leading up to and following President’s Day, eBay will host its inaugural Treasure Hunt promotion, celebrating America’s Founding Fathers. This promotion will award 25 $1,000 prizes a day, and one lucky person will win a $25,000 Grand Prize and a featured eBay Store for life.
• Chris Malta, Product Sourcing Contributing Editor, with Howard Friedman, Show Director for the ASD/AMD trade show, who will talk about the upcoming show and why attending could be a great move for eBay sellers.
• Rogelio Choy, Manager of eBay's Live Auctions business. Rogelio is responsible for marketing, business development, product vision, and the day-to-day operations of the Live Auction site, which he'll be discussing.
• Plus, we'll have “Around the world on eBay in 80 seconds" with eBetsy. eBetsy will be visiting and "reporting" from each of our international sites from now until eBay Live. Learn more about the world-wide eBay with eBetsy!

And of course we'll have "The News" with Lee Mirabal, as well as the most important feature on eBay Radio: Your calls! Got a question, comment, or concern? Call in during the show at 888-327-0061 (USA) or 001-858-623-0102 (Internationally) to talk with Griff and his guests or to ask a question and share your voice with the rest of the eBay Community. Remember, one lucky caller per week, selected at random, will receive an autographed copy of Griff's book, "The Official eBay Bible".

And if you can't catch the live show you can always select and listen to any past eBay Radio broadcast, listed by topic and date, in the eBay Radio archives. Visit www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

eBay Keywords Tool Enhancements
This workshop will be held on Monday, February 14th, from 17:00 PST to 18:00 PST. Please join the eBay Keywords team as they discuss several new feature enhancements to the eBay Keywords Tool, as well as other valuable information.

Community Hub Page Redesign
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, February 15th, from 11:00 to 12:00 PST. As we previously announced, we have redesigned the Community Hub page and updated the Discussion boards. We would like to take the opportunity to discuss any feedback that you may have about these changes. To check out the new Community Hub and discussion boards, click on Community at the top of almost any eBay page.

Workshops are hosted in discussion threads on the Workshops Board. To get to the Workshops Board:

• Go to www.ebay.com
• Click on Community at the top of the page
• Click on "Workshops" in the "Events" section
• This will bring you to the threaded Workshops Board.

To view archived workshops or to learn more about future workshop events, please check our Workshops Calendar.

Want timely reminders about workshops? Sign up for the Workshops Information Group! By joining this group, you will receive an email notification reminding you about upcoming eBay Workshops. Each notification will include the time and date, a brief description of the event, and a link to the discussion thread where the actual workshop will be held.

To sign up for the Workshops Information Group, please click here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

I’d like to announce a special one-day 5¢ Listing Day Sale tomorrow (Monday). Insertion fees for auction-style and Fixed Price format listings on eBay.com, eBay Motors (for non-vehicles listings) and eBay.ca will be a nickel. All other fees will be at the standard rates. You can get all the details here. For information about the promotion on eBay.ca, click here.

eBay’s success is based on the success of our buyers and sellers. We understand this, and we’re working hard to put those words into action more than ever before. I know a one-day sale is a small gesture, but I hope it helps.

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at eBay.

Regards,
Bill

P.S. This one’s for wendel22 and Libby.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

We appreciate your input on how we can make categories better for everyone. You may submit categories suggestions here.

Thanks again to all our members who contribute to these trade-enhancing changes!

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top
	***Original: Coming Soon: Category Changes***
	January 31, 2005 | 01:31PM PST/PT The category structure will be updated in mid-February based on feedback received from the eBay Community and from experts in the affected fields. You may provide category structure feedback at any time by clicking here. A complete list of the new category structure can be found on Seller Central here. Updated categories: BUSINESS & INDUSTRIAL Check out changes under Agriculture & Forestry, Construction, Healthcare, Lab & Life Science, Industrial Electrical & Test, Industrial Supply, MRO, Manufacturing & Metalworking, and Office, Printing & Shipping. CELL PHONES Look for changes under Phones with New Plan Purchase, and Prepaid Phones & Cards. CLOTHING, SHOES & ACCESSORIES Check out changes under Women's Clothing. Additional information can be found in an earlier announcement. COLLECTIBLES Look for changes under Comics, Decorative Collectibles, Science Fiction, and Trading Cards. CONSUMER ELECTRONICS Check out changes under MP3 Players & Accessories and Portable Audio. EBAY MOTORS Look for changes under Passenger Vehicles and Other Vehicles. JEWELRY & WATCHES Check out changes under Bracelets, Designer, Artisan Jewelry, Fashion Jewelry, Jewelry Boxes & Supplies, Loose Beads, Men's Jewelry, Rings, Watches, and Wholesale Lots. SPORTING GOODS Look for changes under Billiards, Cycling, Golf, and Tennis. SPORTS MEM, CARDS & FAN SHOP Check out changes under Cards. TOYS & HOBBIES Look for changes under Action Figures, and Model RR, Trains. As always, you can move your item to another category by revising your listing here as long as it has not received a bid and there are more than 12 hours left in the listing. We appreciate your input on how we can make categories better for everyone. You may submit categories suggestions here. Thanks again to all our members who contributed to these changes! Regards, eBay
	Link to this announcement | Back to top

Some of the important resources and tools that now reside here include: Announcements, the Feedback Forum, Workshops and Events, Online Forums (discussion & chat boards, eBay Groups), and The Security Center. In addition, as part of this launch, our discussion boards have been updated, per our earlier announcement . To access the new Community Hub and discussion boards, please click on the Community button at the top of any eBay page.

The Community hub was developed after extensive research into how buyers and sellers think about and use the eBay site. We hope it becomes one of your first stops on eBay each day by giving you all the resources you need to stay connected and informed – for business and for fun! More information about this project can be found in our previous announcement directly below.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top
	***Previous update: Community Forums Unavailable on Wednesday, February 9th***
	February 03, 2005 | 03:41PM PST/PT Next week, we will introduce the new Community Hub and upgraded eBay discussion boards. More information about this project can be found in our previous announcement directly below. What you need to know: First, early in the week you may start to notice changes to the eBay navigation bar (the header at the top of the page) when you are using some of the Community pages. These changes will be complete on Thursday and will make the Community navigation bar consistent with the rest of the site. Next, the discussion boards and other Community forums (chat boards, Answer Center, and eBay Groups) will be unavailable from approximately noon to midnight (12:00 to 24:00 PT) on Wednesday, February 9th. As the migration to the new platform progresses, some of the non-discussion board forums may be available early. Finally, on Thursday morning after the migration is completed successfully, the new Community Hub and updated discussion boards will be available for members to use. All active discussions will be restored and available to use once again. To see a preview of the new Community Hub and discussion boards, please click here. To discuss these changes and answer questions, we will be hosting an online community workshop on February 15th. We hope to see you there! Regards, eBay
	Link to this announcement | Back to top
	***Original: Coming Soon: New Community Hub and Updated Discussion Boards***
	January 28, 2005 | 09:45AM PST/PT Last year, we began a long-term project to make eBay easier to use by organizing the various tools and content across the site into logical landing pages. The Buy and Sell Hubs which launched in 2004 were the first two phases of this effort. (Read this article in the September issue of The Chatter to learn more about the Information Architecture Initiative.) In February, we will introduce a new Community Hub, which is the third phase of this long-term project. This new hub will be the home to the information, tools and resources that form the foundation of the eBay Community. Some of the important resources and tools that will reside here include: Announcements, the Feedback Forum, Workshops and Events, Online Forums (discussion & chat boards, eBay Groups), and The Security Center. In addition, as part of this launch, our discussion boards will be updated with a few new important features to make them easier to use. The Community hub was developed after extensive research into how buyers and sellers think about and use the eBay site. We hope it becomes one of your first stops on eBay each day by giving you all the resources you need to stay connected and informed – for business and for fun! Community Hub Some of the new features within the Community Hub include: A summary of the latest eBay Announcements to help you stay informed about what’s going on around eBay. A personalized My eBay At-a-Glance section that includes Feedback reminders, and information about your Watched Discussions and Your Groups. Easy access to the Feedback Forum, Security & Resolution Center, the Learning Center, and more! Updated Discussion Boards As part of an update to the discussion boards, you will be able to: Search across all boards for a particular topic. Add your favorite discussions to your Watched Discussions list and receive optional update emails when they receive new posts. Print discussions or workshop threads easily. Save a personal signature that will be automatically added to every post you make. Find new content in the Information Central column. Easily distinguish broadcasted discussions that are locked to the top of the page via new icons, and more! To see a preview of the new Community Hub and discussion boards, please click here. To discuss these changes and answer questions, we will be hosting an online community workshop on February 15th. We hope to see you there! Regards, eBay
	Link to this announcement | Back to top

During the listing process, sellers listing golf clubs in the aforementioned categories will get the choice to list a club using the Pre-Filled Item Information feature, or the standard Sell Your Item form. Sellers who use the Pre-Filled feature will have the following information automatically populated within their listing:

1. 4-color stock photo of the golf club
2. Multi-sentence product description
3. Manufacturer/brand description
4. Club Head material description

By taking advantage of Pre-Filled Item Information, sellers will experience the following benefits:

• Flexibility - use pre-filled material alone or with content of your own.
• Time savings - your listing will be automatically “pre-filled” with pertinent product-specific information, without you having to create it yourself.
• Better listing quality - pertinent product details that your buyers are looking for will be automatically populated for you.
• It's free and optional!

Buyers that use keyword searches to find your items will continue to find them in the same manner as before. Buyers that use the Product Finders to browse for items will also find your items as before, but will only see those listings that use Item Specifics.

Pre-Filled Item Information for this category will be available from the Sell Your Item form, other eBay selling tools (Turbo Lister, Selling Manager, etc.), and many third-party tools. eBay selling tools may require a download in order to get this new functionality. If your third-party tool does not support Item Specifics or Pre-Filled Item Information, please contact them to learn more about whether they plan to support them.

We also encourage you to check out our Pre-Filled Item Information page for more information and Seller Central for details on upcoming changes to Item Specifics.

We have started a thread on the Outdoor Sports discussion board to provide more detail about the upcoming changes, as well as gather feedback. To access the thread please click here.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Toll-Free Phone Support for All Store Sellers - Beginning April 1, all Store sellers will receive access to toll-free phone support during business hours (6:00am to 6:00pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday).

$15.95 Credit on Stores Subscription in the Month of April - We’ll be crediting $15.95 – a month's Basic Stores subscription – in May to all sellers who operated an eBay Store for the month of April as a “thank you” for your business.

Over the last year, the Stores team has worked hard to listen to your needs and improve eBay Stores with new features and flexibility that help you be more successful with your business on eBay. Today, in addition to the benefits mentioned above, we’re introducing more important features and benefits for Store sellers:

Store Referral Credit Increased to 75% of Final Value Fees - Starting next week, we will be increasing the Store Referral Credit on eligible sales from 50% to 75%. Store Referral Credits are discounts on Final Value Fees as a reward for driving buyers to your eBay Store.

More Exposure for Store Inventory Items - Also starting next week, we will be increasing the exposure that Store Inventory format listings get in eBay’s main Search. Currently, when a buyer searches on eBay and finds fewer than 10 Auction-style or Fixed Priced listings available, they see up to 20 additional Store Inventory listings that match that search. Beginning next week, we will start displaying 30 additional Store Inventory listings when there are 20 or less listings found in Auction-style or Fixed Price formats.

Free Selling Manager with all Basic Store Subscriptions - Coming this spring, we will be adding Selling Manager (regularly $4.99 per month) to the Basic Store Subscription at no additional charge. Selling Manager is eBay’s online sales management tool for medium to high volume sellers. It’s a valuable addition to the Basic Store subscription, making it easier and faster for you to manage your eBay listings.

The Stores team and I have been reading your posts on the boards and the emails you’ve sent to Bill Cobb regarding Stores issues. We understand and respect your thoughts and concerns about eBay Stores, and we acknowledge that the recent fee increase requires many of you to re-evaluate how eBay Stores can best fit into your selling strategies. Our goal is to make sure we’re delivering the quality you need and expect for your money. I invite you to email me at chris_stores@ebay.com with your thoughts about how we can deliver on that goal.

We are holding our monthly Brown Bag Discussion on the Stores Discussion Board next Wednesday, February 16 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm Pacific time. I hope you will bring your questions and join me and the Stores team in a lively Q&A session. Let’s keep the conversation going.

Regards,
Chris Tsakalakis
Senior Director, eBay Stores

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Fidelity offers a wide range of investment products and services, including retirement, brokerage and college savings. eBay members receive Fidelity’s traditional low pricing, financial consultations and special offers such as reduced pricing on trades, free trades, a free backpack, and $100 account opening offers when they open and fund eligible accounts. eBay members also have access to specialized phone, web and IM support from Fidelity.

Click here to find out more.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

During the special 2-day promotion, Border will be $0.25 for all listings on the following sites:

• U.S. (www.ebay.com)
• eBay Motors (www.ebaymotors.com), for both vehicles and non-vehicles listings
• eBay Canada (www.ebay.ca)

The promotion will start on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 at 00:00:01 PT (12:00 AM plus one second) and end on Thursday, February 10, 2005 at 23:59:59 PT (11:59 PM plus 59 seconds). Listings created prior to February 9, 2005 and scheduled to start during the promotional period (February 9–10, 2005) will be eligible for the promotional rate. Take advantage of this promotion to try Border with all your listings!

During the Border for a Quarter Promotion:

For auction-style, Fixed Price, Ad Format (for those that will run for less than or equal to 30 days), and Motors listings, the fee for Border will be $0.25. This promotion will not apply to International, Live Auction, Professional Services, and Stores Inventory listings.

All other fees (including Insertion Fees, Final Value Fees and all other optional listing upgrade fees, such as Buy It Now, Highlight, Gallery, Gallery Featured, Featured Plus!, Listing Designer, Gift Services, Bold, Reserve, Subtitle, extended duration insertion fees, etc.) will still be charged at their normal rate. The promotional rate does not apply to listings which start prior to February 9, 2005 or those listings which are revised during the promotional period. The promotional rate also does not apply to listings created during the promotional period that are scheduled to start after the promotion ends on February 10, 2005.

We hope you enjoy the Border for a Quarter promotion!

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Key features for Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro:

• Centralized page to manage upload/download activity. You can now go to the new File Management Center page from the Seller Tools section to manage your entire upload and download activity. This new page replaces the old Download Sales History link in the left hand navigation bar.
• Email confirmation for Sales History download request. You can request a sales history download and will receive an email confirmation when the file is ready to be downloaded.

For Selling Manager Pro only:

• Ability to download active listings. Selling Manager Pro users can now choose to download their active listings as well as all types of sold item listings. Sellers can use the active listings download to help keep track of all current active listings.
• Ability to schedule recurring requests for downloading sold item information. Selling Manager Pro users will be able to set up recurring future downloads of their sold items.

If you would like to receive an email when new eBay Selling Manager enhancements are introduced, join the eBay Seller Tools Group.

To learn more about eBay Selling Manager Products, click here.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

To help buyers find the Misses Women's Clothing types (e.g., sweaters, pants, jackets, etc) more quickly, we will elevate the Misses clothing types within the Women's Clothing category.

In addition, Items Specifics will be updated in several categories in Men's Clothing, Women's Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories.

We have started threads on the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories discussion board to provide more detail about the upcoming Category Changes and Item Specifics Changes, and for members to leave their feedback:

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

• Digital Cameras
• Camcorders
• PDAs
• Video Game Systems
• Cell Phones

The planned changes will both update current values for Pre-Filled Item Information, as well as add new ones, to reflect recent changes in product information.

Sellers who use Pre-filled Item Information when relisting or revising items in these categories may receive the following message that their original Item Specifics and/or Pre-filled Item Information have changed: The Pre-Filled Item Information for this item has been updated with the latest information. Please review the changes.

We encourage sellers who receive this message to double-check their listing for accuracy before completing the listing.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

For more information on how to protect yourself from spoof emails and Web sites, we encourage you to visit the Security & Resolution Center.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

• Chris Malta, eBay Radio contributing editor and product sourcing expert, who will share tips and advice for sourcing new products.
• Marjie Smith, Founder of DOUA, the Disabled Online Users Assocation, who has an update on recent DOUA events and news.
• Rieva Lesonsky, Editorial Director of Entrepreneur Media and eBay Contributing Editor, who will discuss "Common Mistakes of Some Businesses on eBay and How To Avoid Them."
• Plus, new starting this week, eBay Radio welcomes “Around the world on eBay in 80 seconds" with eBetsy. eBetsy will be visiting each of our international sites from now until eBay Live.

And of course we'll have "The News" with Lee Mirabal, as well as the most important feature on eBay Radio: Your calls! Got a question, comment, or concern? Call in during the show at 888-327-0061 (USA) or 001-858-623-0102 (Internationally) to talk with Griff and his guests or to ask a question and share your voice with the rest of the eBay Community. Remember, one lucky caller per week, selected at random, will receive an autographed copy of Griff's book, "The Official eBay Bible".

And if you can't catch the live show you can always select and listen to any past eBay Radio broadcast, listed by topic and date, in the eBay Radio archives. Visit www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

This promotion starts Tuesday, February 8, 2005, at 00:00:01 PT (12 AM plus 1 second) and ends that same day, Tuesday, February 8, 2005, at 23:59:59 PT (11:59 PM plus 59 seconds).

During the eBay Motors Parts and Accessories 50¢ Insertion Fee sale:

For regular auction-style and Fixed Price Parts and Accessories listings, the insertion fee will be capped at $0.50 for all items with a starting price above $9.99 on the U.S. Motors site (www.ebaymotors.com). All insertion fees less than $0.50 will still be charged at the normal rate. For more information about insertion fees during this promotion, please click here. Listings created prior to February 8, 2005 that are scheduled to start during the promotional period (February 8, 2005) will be eligible to receive the promotional rate. The promotional rate does not apply for eBay Motors vehicle listings.

All other fees (such as transaction services fees and all other optional listing upgrade fees) will still be charged. More information about upgrade fees can be found by clicking here. The promotional offer does not apply for listings with a start date prior to February 8, 2005, including those listings revised during the promotional period (February 8, 2005), or for listings created during the promotional period but scheduled to start after February 8, 2005.

We hope you enjoy the eBay Motors Parts & Accessories 50¢ Insertion Fee sale!

Regards,
eBay Motors

Link to this announcement | Back to top

eBay's site map has long served as a quick reference point for our members to navigate the site. Over the years the amount of information and the number of links on the site map have grown, making it more difficult to use. We are redesigning the site map to make it easier to find the information that you’re looking for.

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

• Updated look and feel to make it consistent with other important eBay pages;
• Better organization of important information, such as grouping links like “Regions” and "Stores";
• Prominent subject headers to help you scan the page easily.

To take a look at the new site map, please click on the "site map" link in the navigation area at the top of most eBay pages. Then click on the "Beta Site Map" link near the top of the page. You can also go to the beta site map directly by clicking here. To compare the current and beta versions of the site map, you can view them in separate browser windows. We have also started a discussion thread about the beta sitemap so you can give us your input, comments, or report any issues. To access this thread, please click here.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes--it affects people at home, at work, in the shopping mall and online. eBay believes that consumer education is a vital component of identity protection. Vigilant consumers who exercise common sense, monitor their accounts and protect their personal information are the best equipped to safeguard their identity.

We encourage you to take the following steps to protect your identity:

1. Protect yourself from phishing (spoof) emails and Web sites.
   Occasionally, eBay members may receive deceptive emails claiming to come from eBay, PayPal, banks, or other popular Web sites. Most of these fake emails claim that your account is in jeopardy and require that you respond or you will not be able to use your account. The people who send these emails – referred to as "spoof" or "phishing" emails – hope that unsuspecting recipients will reply or click on a link contained in the email and then provide sensitive personal information (for example, eBay User IDs, passwords, social security numbers, credit card numbers, etc.).
   • Never enter your eBay password, PayPal password, or financial information into an email form. eBay and PayPal will never ask you to do this.
   • Get eBay Toolbar with Account Guard – this free tool for Internet Explorer users indicates when you are on eBay or PayPal and alerts you when you are on a potentially fraudulent site. To download eBay Toolbar, please click here.

2. Monitor your accounts.
   With a close eye on your account, you can spot suspicious activity and take steps to notify officials. You should regularly monitor the accounts that you hold with your bank, phone company, and e-commerce providers. You should also order a credit report every year to ensure that it is accurate.

3. Use strong and unique passwords.
   Good passwords have two things in common. First, they include a combination of letters and numbers. This helps prevent someone from guessing your password and prevents an intruding computer from randomly going through words in the dictionary until it finds the right match. Second, a strong password will be unique to the account. Just as you wouldn't use the same key for your car, your office and your house, unique passwords are an important preventative step in the event someone gets hold of one of your passwords.

Join eBay and the Federal Trade Commission for an Online Workshop
We will be co-hosting an online community workshop with experts in identity protection from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Thursday, February 24th, at 10.00 a.m. PST to answer your questions about Identity Protection and online safety. We hope you can join us. For more details, please click here.

You can learn more safety tips by visiting the Online Security Resources section on eBay's Security & Resolution Center which includes detailed information about spoof emails, identity theft, and what to do if your eBay account has been compromised. We also encourage you to visit the FTC's National Consumer Protection Week Web Site for additional information.

eBay is committed to enabling you to have a safe and enjoyable experience online. Your vigilance helps us ensure that eBay remains a safe and vibrant online marketplace.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

One of the issues I've heard a lot about is our recent fee increases, particularly the increase in Store Inventory Format final value fees. I've also heard concerns about customer support, the amount of change we make to the site on a regular basis, and trust and safety. We're listening to everything you have to say.

eBay has become a hugely successful marketplace as a result of the innovation, enthusiasm and hard work of our Community. The site has also become more complex as it has grown to meet many of your needs. So our challenge is to keep pace with the Community's changing requirements, while preserving the things that make eBay so special. With that in mind, I'd like to give you a preview of some upcoming changes for the United States and Canada.

eBay has a fantastic Customer Support team, but Meg and I agree we haven't invested enough in giving our CS reps the flexibility and tools they need to really take care of you. So, to start, within the next 90 days, we'll shut down most of our automated email responses. Our users will get a “real” e-mail response to their questions – you'll hear from a human being who will try to help you with your problem or question right off the bat. We will only use auto responses to acknowledge receipt of spam or policy violation reports.

We also think the time has come to expand phone support. Currently phone support is available only to Silver, Gold, Platinum and Titanium PowerSellers. Starting April 1, all eBay Stores owners also will have access to phone support. We'll provide details on the benefits of phone support to Stores owners soon.

We know pricing is a critical issue for our sellers. While we stand behind our decision to increase final value fees on Store Inventory Format listings – because they make sense for items that list with insertion fees of two cents – I know this increase has been difficult for some of our sellers. To reward our eBay Stores sellers, we'll be crediting $15.95 – a month's Basic Stores subscription – in May to all sellers who operated an eBay Store for the month of April. Stores owners will receive more details on this soon.

We also want to do something for the rest of our sellers. I'm happy to announce that effective at midnight tonight, eBay.com and eBay.ca will reduce minimum insertion fees for Auction-Style listings, Fixed Price, Motors Non-Vehicle and B&I non-Capital Equipment Categories from 30 cents to 25 cents (CA$0.35 to CA$0.30). eBay Germany has always used this pricing, and users there have benefited from higher conversion rates on items with lower starting bids.

One of the great things about eBay is the candor and passion of our Community. Your input keeps this company focused on what's right and important. Later this month, I'll be hosting an online meeting to hear more from you. You'll see more details on this Announcement Board soon. And I'll periodically post notes like this one to talk about issues of importance to all of us.

eBay has never stopped listening to our users and we never will. I know many of you already have Meg's e-mail address and frequently send her messages about things you care about. I hope you will do the same with me. My e-mail address is billcobb@ebay.com. I promise I'll read every e-mail. And most of all, I'll listen.

Sincerely,

Bill Cobb
President
eBay North America

Link to this announcement | Back to top

The key changes include:

• increasing the height (up to 33%) of pictures displayed in areas such as My eBay, search and listings pages, and Stores Custom pages;
• increasing the height of vertically-oriented (portrait) pictures to make their height comparable to the width of horizontally-oriented (landscape) pictures;
• supporting square pictures as well as rectangular pictures of any proportions;
• improving clarity for pictures when they are displayed in smaller sizes, such as in search and listings pages and in My eBay;
• eliminating the white padding added to pictures which forced them to fixed heights and widths.

Please note: If you are a seller who uses eBay Enhanced Picture Services (available only when using Internet Explorer on Microsoft Windows), then the next time you upload pictures you will be prompted to first download and install a required update of the free eBay Picture Services ActiveX control.

It will take a few days for the changes to be implemented across the entire eBay site. In the meantime, you may see newly uploaded pictures displaying in either the old or the new format until the rollout is complete.

Link to this announcement | Back to top
	***Original: Coming Soon: Enhancements to Picture Display***
	January 07, 2005 | 11:09AM PST/PT Over the next month we will introduce a few changes to the way pictures in listings are processed and displayed on eBay. These changes are designed to improve the size and appearance of pictures and will not affect the way that sellers submit their pictures to be displayed on their listings. The most significant change will be for eBay hosted vertically-oriented (or portrait) pictures. These will be displayed more efficiently, and will be up to 33% taller than they are today on areas such as My eBay, search and listings pages, and Stores custom pages. Also, square pictures will keep their square proportions, instead of being forced into rectangular dimensions as happens today. In making these changes, we will discontinue the addition of white padding to uploaded pictures to force them to fixed heights and widths. Regards, eBay
	Link to this announcement | Back to top

For more details and a complete list of features in this release, please view the release notes posted on the Turbo Lister discussion board.

To download Turbo Lister for the first time, or for general information about Turbo Lister, please click here.

Link to this announcement | Back to top

More information about the enhanced emails can be found in our previous announcements directly below.

To learn more about how to customize eBay’s End of Auction and Transaction emails, or to see an example of the new changes, please click here.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top
	***Previous update: Changes to eBay and PayPal Emails Coming Soon***
	January 14, 2005 | 04:05PM PST/PT As we announced in December, we will be enhancing the current End of Auction (EOA) and End of Transaction (EOT) emails in the next several weeks. These enhancements will allow sellers to add custom messaging and logos to the new End of Auction emails for all listings in which PayPal is accepted as a payment method. Once this change takes place, PayPal will be discontinuing their Winning Buyer Notification emails. If you've registered your eBay ID and password with PayPal, any custom messaging or logos you have on your Winning Buyer Notification will be transferred to the End of Auction email automatically. We are also making additional enhancements to eBay’s EOA and EOT emails, regardless of whether the item offers PayPal. Both emails will now include cross-promotions for those sellers who have opted to use them. We will also be making the following upgrades to the EOT email: The current EOT email, which is sent to both buyers and sellers following the purchase of Fixed Price or Store Inventory items, will now be available in an HTML version. This email will now be tailored to buyers and sellers individually. Sellers will find all of the information about the sale of their item or items, while buyers will have all of the information they need to successfully pay and receive their item. To learn more about how to customize eBay’s End of Auction and Transaction emails, or to see an example of the new changes, please click here. Regards, eBay
	Link to this announcement | Back to top
	***Original: Coming in January: PayPal’s Winning Bidder Notification Emails to be Retired***
	December 20, 2004 | 02:49PM PST/PT Today, eBay’s End of Auction/End of Transaction emails and PayPal’s Winning Buyer Notification emails duplicate much of the same information. Many buyers receive both of these emails every time they buy an item, which can cause inconvenience and confusion. In mid-January, we will be enhancing the current End of Auction (EOA) and End of Transaction (EOT) emails to provide all the details a buyer needs after a listing closes, including the information currently found in PayPal’s Winning Bidder Notification (WBN) emails. Once this change takes place, PayPal will be discontinuing their WBN emails. Sellers will be able to add custom messaging and logos to the new End of Auction emails for all listings in which PayPal is accepted as a payment method. Any custom messaging and logos you currently use on WBN emails will also be transferred automatically. More details about this project, including a preview of the new email, will be available in early January. Regards, eBay
	Link to this announcement | Back to top

To clarify, no changes are being made to the Final Value Fees on Auction-style, Auction with Buy It Now option, and Fixed Priced listings (with the exception of certain Business & Industrial capital equipment categories). Final Value Fee changes apply only to Store Inventory Format listings, a listing format only available to Store sellers and with durations of 30, 60, 90, and 120 days and Good 'Til Cancelled.

The Final Value Fees for Auction-style listings, Auction with Buy It Now option, and Fixed Price listings have remained unchanged since 2002.

You can view the full details of the pricing announcement below.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top
	***Original: eBay.com / eBay Motors Fee Changes***
	January 12, 2005 | 08:03AM PST/PT Today, we are announcing that eBay.com and eBay Motors will be making changes to the fee structure effective February 18, 2005. Items that are scheduled to begin on eBay.com or eBay Motors after midnight Pacific Time on February 18, 2005 will be charged based on the new fees. The fee changes are broken down by area below: Fee Changes for eBay.com and eBay Motors Parts & Accessories Listings Gallery Gallery fees will be raised from $0.25 to $0.35 per listing. We will also be increasing the size of the Gallery image on search and listings pages by 56%. This will make it easier for buyers to see details of the item before clicking into the listing. Buy It Now Buy It Now fees will no longer be charged at a flat rate, and will instead be determined based on the Buy It Now price. Fees will be charged as follows: Buy It Now Price Fee $0.01-9.99 $0.05 $10-24.99 $0.10 $25-49.99 $0.20 $50+ $0.25 10-Day Duration The fee for 10-day duration listings will be raised from $0.20 to $0.40 per listing. eBay Stores The fee for the Basic eBay Store subscription will be raised from $9.95 to $15.95 per month. The subscription fee for Featured and Anchor Stores will be unchanged. eBay Store Inventory format listing insertion fees will remain unchanged. The Final Value Fee for Store Inventory items will change as follows: Closing Price Old Price New Price $0.01 - $25 5.25% of the closing value 8% of the closing price $25.01 - $1,000 5.25% of the initial $25, plus 2.75% of the remaining closing value balance. 8% of the initial $25, plus 5% of the remaining closing value balance ($25.01 - $1000) Over $1,000 5.25% of the initial $25, plus 2.75% of the next $25.01 - $1000, plus 1.50% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01 - closing value). 8% of the initial $25, plus 5% of the next $25.01 - $1000, plus 3% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01 - closing value). Store sellers will continue to be eligible to receive 50% off of the Store Inventory listing Final Value Fees for the Store Referral credit. Please click here for details. Insertion and Final Value Fees The insertion and Final Value Fees will be changing for items listed in certain Business & Industrial categories. More details about the changes for these categories are provided below. The insertion and Final Value Fees in other categories will not be changing. Business & Industrial Listings in Certain Categories The Reserve, insertion and Final Value Fees will be changing for select high item price capital equipment categories in Business & Industrial. Please click here to view the capital equipment categories affected by the pricing change. The fee changes for these capital equipment categories are as follows: Reserve fee: Lowered to $5, refundable if the item sells Insertion fee: Raised to $20, regardless of starting price Final Value Fee: Lowered to a 1% flat fee, with a $250 maximum charge. Additional listing upgrade fees will remain the same as for eBay.com. Pricing for all other Business & Industrial listings outside the specified capital equipment categories will remain the same as for eBay.com. eBay will also introduce Buyer Protection covering up to $20,000 per item in these capital equipment categories this spring. eBay will offer this Buyer Protection at no cost to the buyer or seller. The following fee changes will apply to vehicle listings on eBay Motors. Fee Changes for eBay Motors Vehicles Listings Reserve Reserve will be charged a $5 flat fee for all eBay Motors vehicles categories except Pocket Bikes. This fee will still be refundable if your item sells. 10-Day Listings The fee for 10-day listings will be changed to $8 for all eBay Motors vehicles categories except Pocket Bikes. Pocket Bikes Category The insertion fee and Transaction Services Fee will be lowered from $30 to $3 each. The following fees will remain the same: Reserve ($2 flat fee, refundable if item sells), Gallery (free), Listing Designer ($5) and Highlight ($5). The Motors Homepage Featured fee will be lowered to $24.95 and the Vehicle Picture Pack fee will be lowered to $1.50. All other fees will be lowered to become the same as those for eBay Motors Parts & Accessories categories. For more information about these fee changes, please see our Frequently Asked Questions. Some international eBay sites have also changed their fee structures. To learn more, please check Announcements for the eBay site of interest. We understand that fees directly impact our members, and take care to ensure that any decisions to change fees are made only after careful consideration of this impact. These changes will help us continue to sustain and develop a thriving global marketplace, while balancing the needs of our buyers and sellers around the world. Regards, eBay
	Link to this announcement | Back to top

eBay Live! is a learning opportunity like no other. The three-day event is set up so you can chat with eBay staff, have discussions on real business issues, and attend in-depth classes intended to help you immediately, whether you’re a buyer or a seller. With new learning resources specifically developed for this year’s event (such as education consultants), more advanced courses, and more opportunities to attend the most popular classes, we’ve made it even easier for you to get exactly you need from this year’s eBay Live!

Beginning March 4th, you can register to attend eBay Live! 2005 for $75 — a $20 savings! This offer is good through April 17th. But even before registration opens, you can go to www.ebay.com/ebaylive and learn all about where to stay, where to park, how to get there — anything you’d want to know.

Mark your calendar and get ready to meet the people who love what you love.

See you in San Jose!

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top

Since then, the top request we have received from sellers is to make the current form shorter and more efficient. We are now working on the next generation Sell Your Item form, and we invite sellers to be part of the development process by providing input as we build it.

The next generation SYI form is currently available in an alpha version, referred to as SYI Alpha 1. It is a streamlined form that is intended to cut down on the time required to submit a new listing. Because it is still in development, the features and formats found here may or may not be included in the final version. We want your input on this alpha version to help us shape how the final product will work. You actually can list items on the site through SYI Alpha 1 to test it, with some restrictions. For example, it currently does not support categories that use Item Specifics (such as media, consumer electronics and clothing categories). Please click here for more information about these restrictions.

Please note that while the actual release of the new SYI form has not been determined yet, it is many months away. When a launch date has been established, we will provide sellers with a comfortable lead time to learn the new tool and prepare for the change.

So, please come be part of the SYI development process by listing and item or two with SYI Alpha 1 and letting us know what you think! To learn more about SYI Alpha 1, click here.

Regards,
eBay

Link to this announcement | Back to top