Practical eBay Photography: Part II - Special Subjects
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, August 2nd, from 13:00 PDT to 14:00 PDT. Please join eBay member camerajim as he covers how to take quality pictures of challenging items such as artwork and jewelry, and shiny objects such as clothing and glassware. The emphasis will be on suitable lighting and backgrounds for these items, with illustrations to show typical setups.

Identity Protection
This workshop will be held on Thursday, August 4th, from 11:00 PDT to 12:00 PDT. Identity Theft impacts millions of people both on and offline each year. From spoof (phishing) emails and web sites to unauthorized use of credit card numbers, today’s consumer must be vigilant in order to protect their identity. Join PayPal and eBay Trust & Safety staff for this workshop to discuss the steps you can take to protect your identity. We’ll also review the tools we have in place to help protect the eBay Community and answer your questions.

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

• Click on Community at the top of almost any eBay page
• Click on "Discussion Boards" in the "Connect" Section
• Click on "Workshops" underneath the category-specific boards on the right-hand side of the page
• This will bring you to the threaded Workshops Board.

To view archived workshops or to learn more about future workshop events, please check our Workshop 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!

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For sellers, Item Specifics make it easier to present a clean, well-organized description that clearly articulates important details. For example, a seller using Item Specifics can easily call out the type of commercial truck he or she is listing, the gross vehicle weight (GVW), truck make, model year, transmission type, and much more. Using Item Specifics is free and optional.

If you list items using the standard Sell Your Item form or Selling Manager Pro, Item Specifics will simply show up in the normal listing flow when they are available. If you list your items using Turbo Lister, Seller Assistant, or Seller Assistant Pro, you will need to download an update once the Item Specifics are available. Finally, if you utilize a 3rd party listing service (e.g., CARad), please contact them to verify that they will offer the Item Specifics functionality in the Commercial Truck categories.

For more details regarding Item Specifics for Commercial Trucks, please refer to our Discussion Board post here. If you have any comments or feedback about Item Specifics in these categories, please email them to motorcycles@ebay.com with Item Specifics in the header and they will be considered for future enhancements.

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The changes to the ActiveX installation process include:

• More control over the installation process -- Currently, the installation process starts automatically on the Pictures & Details page in the Sell Your Item (SYI) form. The resulting pop-up windows can sometimes be confusing. Now, when an ActiveX installation is needed, you can manually start the process by clicking a button and completing the steps that follow, without encountering any of the current issues.
• Option to install and test in My eBay -- You will see a new page under your preferences in My eBay where you can download and test ActiveX without actually listing an item. This new page will open when you view your SYI Picture Preference and select and save Enhanced Picture Services as your choice.

As part of the changes, users of Internet Explorer on Windows will now see three tabs instead of two in the Add Pictures section on the Pictures & Details page in the SYI form. Basic and Enhanced Picture Services will each have a separate tab. You’ll continue to see a separate tab for adding pictures from a non-eBay source.

Note: We are not updating the ActiveX control itself this week, so members who use Enhanced Picture Services will not need to re-install it if they already have the current version on their computers.

For more detailed information on installation and set-up, including screenshots of every stage of the process, please visit our Changes to eBay Picture Services ActiveX Control Installation thread on the Photos & HTML discussion board, or our eBay Picture Services Overview.

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Tune in to eBay Radio today, July 26, 2005 with your host Griff (Jim Griffith), Dean of eBay University, live from 11:00 to 13:00 PT. Segments this week include:

• "All about the Sports Collectible Convention in Chicago" with John Broggi, Executive Director of the National Sports Collectors Convention.
• "The Paypal Hour" with Jason Miner. Joining Jason this week will be John Kothanek, Manager of Investigations for eBay. John wil talk about how the Fraud Investigation Team uses sophisticated tools and techniques while working with law enforcement agencies around the world to bring the bad guys to justice.

Plus we'll have "The News" with Lee Mirabal, as well as the most important feature on eBay Radio: your calls! 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 www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

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You will soon be able to:

• Add Pre-Filled Item Information to your listing by clicking the "Add Pre-filled Item Information" link on the Title & Description page (if you did not include it originally).
• Update your existing Pre-Filled Item Information if any of the details have been changed.
• Easily change the category your item is listed in, even if you would like to now use a category that does not support Pre-Filled Item Information.

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Open Source & the eBay Community Codebase
This workshop will be held on Monday, July 25th, from 14:00 PDT to 15:00 PDT. The eBay Community Codebase provides developers who are interested in creating open source software applications that use eBay or PayPal Web Services a place to share development resources. This includes a shared code repository with version controls, project mailing lists and shared documents and files. We encourage developers and anyone interested in knowing more about open source to attend this workshop, where Adam Trachtenberg, our Manager of Platform Evangelism, will answer questions about open source and eBay, and how developers can get involved in open source projects with the eBay Community Codebase.

How to Save Time and Money While Maximizing Your Exposure
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 26th, from 15:00 PDT to 16:00 PDT. At eBay Live! 2005, Auctiva, an eBay Certified Solution Provider, launched the latest release of their web-based selling solution. Join us as Kevin Kinell, VP of Engineering at Auctiva, discusses their free new tools that can help you list more efficiently, save money and draw more views to your online auctions. He’ll also provide tips that can help your listings be more successful.

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

• Click on Community at the top of almost any eBay page
• Click on "Discussion Boards" in the "Connect" Section
• Click on "Workshops" underneath the category-specific boards on the right-hand side of the page
• This will bring you to the threaded Workshops Board.

To view archived workshops or to learn more about future workshop events, please check our Workshop 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!

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Want to know more about how our products and features get created? Have thoughts on how we can make improvements or new product ideas? Starting today, you can submit your questions, and Bill, Judy, and I will do our best to answer them during the Town Hall. Please visit www.ebay.com/townhall for more information.

See you next week!

Sincerely,

Lynn Reedy
Sr. VP and Chief Technology Officer, Marketplace Product and Technology

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	***Original: Save The Date: eBay Product Town Hall on Thursday, July 28th***
	July 08, 2005 | 03:47PM PST/PT Have a question or suggestion about the features and products on the site? If so, please join us for our next Town Hall event on Thursday, July 28th from 3:00-4:00pm PDT. Bill Cobb, President of eBay North America, will be joined by Lynn Reedy, eBay's Chief Technology Officer, and Judy Kirkpatrick, Vice President of Product Management. Together, their teams focus on the features and products eBay offers for buyers and sellers. They will answer questions about our products and take suggestions on how to improve the features on the site today. You can submit a question approximately one week in advance of the event. Please visit the Town Hall page to submit your question and again to join the event on July 28th. Also, the transcript from our last Town Hall event (held at eBay Live! on June 25th) is now available. Check out Bill Cobb and his team as they answer questions live from Community members who attended eBay Live! And, if you have missed any of our recent Town Hall events, you can now listen to them via streaming audio through your computer. Please visit the Town Hall page to read these transcripts or to listen to the audio archives from past events.
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Send Invoice Process
To give sellers an easy way to adjust the total amount of an invoice (if needed), we are adding a new “seller discounts or charges” field. Any amount entered in this field by the seller will be displayed to buyers on the Review Your Purchase page during checkout, along with the updated total.

You will also be able to preview how your invoice looks before you send it.

Payment Status Page
A print-friendly version of both the buyer and seller versions of the Payment Status page during checkout will soon be available.

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The success eBay enjoyed this quarter is a direct result of our Community of members. Your ongoing passion and commitment have helped us build a thriving marketplace that continues to grow quarter after quarter.

We look forward to working together for even greater success in the future.

Thank you,
Meg

To learn more about eBay's performance for the quarter, please see our Investor Relations page.

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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!

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	***Original: Coming Soon - Category Changes***
	July 06, 2005 | 04:39PM PST/PT The category structure will be updated in mid-July 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 Look for changes under Agriculture & Forestry, Construction, Food Service & Retail, Healthcare, Lab & Life Science, Industrial Electrical & Test, Manufacturing & Metalworking, and Office, Printing & Shipping. CONSUMER ELECTRONICS Check out changes under MP3 Players & Accessories. EBAY MOTORS Look for changes under Parts & Accessories. HEALTH & BEAUTY Check out changes under Makeup, Nail, Skin Care, and Wholesale Lots. JEWELRY & WATCHES Look for changes under Body Jewelry, Bracelets, Designer Brands, Earrings, Hair Jewelry, Handcrafted, Artisan Jewelry, Loose Diamonds & Gemstones, Necklaces & Pendants, Pins, Brooches, Rings, and Watches. SPORTING GOODS Check out changes under Archery, Baseball & Softball, Bowling, Camping, Hiking, Backpacking, Cycling, Equestrian, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Hunting, Ice, Roller Hockey, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Wakeboarding, Waterskiing, and Other Sports. SPORTS MEM, CARDS & FAN SHOP Check out changes under Cards and Other Sports Memorabilia. TOYS & HOBBIES Look for a new category (Teen Titans) under Action Figures. 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!
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Tune in to eBay Radio today, July 19, 2005 with your host Griff (Jim Griffith), Dean of eBay University, live from 11:00 to 13:00 PT. Topics this week include:

• How to become a Powerseller with Chris Murch, President of WSRadio.com. Chris employed Griff's tips and went from new seller to PowerSeller in months. Now he'll be sharing the secrets of his success.
• Helpful computer tips with Jeff Levy. All eBay buyers and sellers have one thing in common: they use a computer. Jeff has the #1 computer radio talk show in Los Angeles and will be sharing some crucial tips and facts about using a computer efficiently and safely.
• Jacquelyn Lynn, co-author of "Make Big Profits on eBay" and columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine, will address the top challenges that all eBay sellers face when growing their businesses.

Plus we'll have "The News" with Lee Mirabal, as well as the most important feature on eBay Radio: your calls! 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 www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

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Shill Bidding is bidding that artificially increases an item's price or apparent desirability. It includes bidding by individuals with a level of access to information about the seller's item not available to the general Community. Shill Bidding unfairly manipulates item prices and undermines trust in the marketplace, and is prohibited on eBay.

Today, we are announcing some clarifications to the Shill Bidding policy to reduce confusion about what constitutes Shill Bidding, specifically as it pertains to bidding by a seller's family members, roommates, or employees on that seller's items.

Because a seller's family members, roommates, and employees have a level of access to information about the seller's items which is not available to the general Community, they are not permitted to bid on items offered by the seller—-even if their sole intent is to purchase the item.

Family members, roommates, and employees may purchase items from a seller without violating this policy simply by using fixed price purchase options that do not involve bidding. These fixed price purchase options include Buy It Now or purchasing from the seller's eBay Stores.

We strongly encourage sellers to ensure that their family members, employees, and roommates are aware of this policy and of the possible consequences of violation.

Members who violate the Shill Bidding policy face a range of actions including listing cancellation, loss of eBay fees on cancelled listings, loss of PowerSeller status, and account suspension.

For more information and examples, please review our Shill Bidding policy and other marketplace policies.

Please join Matt Halprin, Vice President, Global Marketplace Policy, Steve Oglethorpe, Senior Marketplace Policy Manager, and Scott Whipps, Manager of Business Development for an online workshop on eBay's Shill Bidding policy on Tuesday, August 16th at 14:00 PDT. We look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,
Steve Oglethorpe,
Senior Marketplace Policy Manager

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Home Speakers -

• Adding Advent, AudioSource, Jensen, Pyle, Pyramid, RCA, SpeakerCraft, Theater Research, Velodyne and Yamaha to brands options.

DVD Players & Recorders -

• DVD Recorder/VCR Combo has been added as a device in the Product Type section of DVD Players & Recorders.
• Adding Audiovox, Coby, Emerson, Initial, Memorex and Mintek to brands options.
• Adding DVD+RW, DVD+R, SVCD, VCD, VHS and HDD to playable formats.

If you list items manually through an eBay seller tool (e.g. Sell Your Item form, Turbo Lister) or the eBay API, Item Specifics should now be available. If you utilize a 3rd party listing service, please contact them to verify that they will offer the Item Specifics functionality and updates in these categories.

If you have any comments or suggestions about these changes to Item Specifics, please email them to jstark@ebay.com and they will be considered for future enhancements.

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We also invite you to join us for a couple of special Pinks Day events:

• A Pink game on the Night Owls Board
  How well do you know the eBay site? eBay Staff will ask questions relating to the areas of eBay they work in, and the first member to answer each question correctly will receive a prize! Visit the Pinks Game thread to find out more.

  The thread will be open for posting in the morning and the game will continue throughout the day as different staff arrive to ask their questions!

• Welcome new Pinks in The Park
  Some eBay staff will be posting for the first time, or are still pretty new to posting, and we've created a thread where they can introduce themselves to the Community - and you can introduce yourself to the Pinks!

  Please stop by, say hello, and tell us about yourself on the Welcome New Pinks thread on the Park Discussion Board.

To find the discussions that staff are taking part in, look for the little "eBay" icon next to a topic title.

To get to the discussion boards, click "Community" at the top of any eBay page, then click "Discussion Boards."

We look forward to seeing you there!

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Practical eBay Photography
This workshop will be held on Monday, July 18th, from 13:00 PDT to 14:00 PDT. This workshop will concentrate on a practical approach to eBay photography. eBay member camerajim will present step-by-step solutions for photographing everyday items, and will touch on the problems sellers face with challenging subjects such as jewelry, glass, clothing or artwork. The emphasis will be on "easy" and "inexpensive" as they discuss some make-it-yourself background and lighting setups, as well as homemade "light tents" and reflectors.

PayPal Basics
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 19th, from 11:00 PDT to 12:00 PDT. eBay members can use PayPal to quickly and easily pay for items on eBay. Please join member and eBay University instructor danse as she provides information on how to register, send payments, manage your PayPal account, and more.

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

• Click on Community at the top of almost any eBay page
• Click on "Discussion Boards" in the "Connect" Section
• Click on "Workshops" underneath the category-specific boards on the right-hand side of the page
• This will bring you to the threaded Workshops Board.

To view archived workshops or to learn more about future workshop events, please check our Workshop 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!

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Sarah Brubacher

Jeff Spaulding

Beginning August 19, 2005, all sellers who offer PayPal as a payment option for their eBay listings must accept all forms of PayPal payment. This includes payments made via PayPal account balances, bank accounts, or credit cards, regardless of whether sellers display the PayPal logo with credit card icons.

We've had a lot of buyers and sellers tell us that the current policy is confusing, or felt it was unclear how PayPal's and eBay's respective policies applied to the situation where a seller displayed the PayPal logo but stated in their item description that they only accept payment via a balance or bank transfer. Our goal in updating this policy is to not only provide a consistent user experience for buyers, but also to create clearer policy and to better provide a level playing field for all sellers on eBay.

When the new policy takes effect, sellers who list with a PayPal Personal account may still receive payments funded via account balance or bank account transfers but must also be willing to upgrade to a PayPal Premier or Business Account if they receive a credit card payment via PayPal from their buyer.

Additionally, sellers may not communicate to eBay buyers (for example, in their item description) that they only accept, or will not accept, specific forms of PayPal payment. Doing so in a listing can lead to it being cancelled, and refusal to accept a payment after the auction has ended will constitute Seller Non-Performance.

The details of this policy update can be found both in PayPal's Policy section and on eBay on our PayPal Payments Policy page.

Sincerely,

Sarah Brubacher
Senior Policy Manager, eBay

Jeff Spaulding
Senior Manager, eBay North America Business for PayPal

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For sellers, Item Specifics help make it easier to present a clean, well-organized description that clearly articulates important details that buyers want to see. Using Item Specifics is free and optional. For buyers, Item Specifics improves the ability to find the right item for a given application, and buyers will also be able to search for items using Item Specifics a few weeks later.

If you list items through an eBay seller tool (e.g. Sell Your Item form, Turbo Lister, Selling Manager) or the eBay API, Item Specifics will be available in the next few days. 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 above categories.

We have started a thread on the Business & Industrial discussion board to provide more detail about the upcoming changes. To access the thread please click here. If you have any comments or feedback about Item Specifics, please email them to business@ebay.com and they will be considered for future enhancements.

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Beginning in mid-August PayPal users will be able to issue multiple partial refunds on payments they receive, up to the total amount of the original payment. In addition, payments that have only been refunded in part will display a status of “Partially Refunded” instead of “Refunded” in Account History.

As always, all refunds must be completed within 60 days of the transaction, and users who issue multiple partial refunds will only be charged a transaction fee based on the payment amount received and not the funds that have been refunded.

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Attend the Selling Basics course if you’re just getting started and learn about:

• Basic selling techniques
• How to create listings
• How to accept online payments with PayPal, and more.

Attend Beyond the Basics of Selling to take your sales to the next level and learn:

• Advanced selling techniques
• How to market your eBay listings
• What selling tools will save you time and increase sales, and more.

Attend eBay for Business if you want to turn your eBay operation into a business entity. This curriculum will discuss:

• Tax issues that can affect your business
• Operations and inventory management
• How to maximize your sales with Internet marketing
• How to find new sources of inventory, and much more.

Register online before 11:59pm PDT on July 22nd and bring a friend for free!

Event Details
July 23, 2005
Doubletree Hotel Crystal City @ National Airport
300 Army Navy Drive
Arlington, VA 22202

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	***Original: Online Workshops For the Week of July 11th***
	July 08, 2005 | 04:47PM PST/PT We would like to invite you to attend the following workshops this week: My Messages This workshop will be held on Monday, July 11th, from 14:00 PDT to 15:00 PDT. Please join eBay staff to learn how My Messages will provide you with important account alerts, member-to-member communications, correspondence with Customer Support, and more. During this online workshop, we will provide tips on how to use the new My Messages, as well as answer your questions. Packaging & Shipping Effectively This workshop will be held on Thursday, July 14th, from 14:00 PDT to 15:00 PDT. What’s the best way to mail heavy objects? How do you make sure you're covering your costs when you list? Please join member and Education Specialist northam124 for this informative workshop to learn how to safely and effectively expedite the packaging and shipping process. Workshops are hosted in discussion threads on the Workshops Board. To get to the Workshops Board: Click on Community at the top of almost any eBay page Click on "Discussion Boards" in the "Connect" Section Click on "Workshops" underneath the category-specific boards on the right-hand side of the page This will bring you to the threaded Workshops Board. To view archived workshops or to learn more about future workshop events, please check our Workshop 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!
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This limited-time offer is free of charge to sellers and will be automatically displayed on eBay items over $50.00 as long as sellers accept PayPal and have not opted out of displaying PayPal Buyer Credit messages on their listings.

If you don't have PayPal Buyer Credit you can apply now.

*Offer applies to items purchased on eBay using PayPal Buyer Credit, if your total purchase is over $50.00 and the purchase is made by August 31, 2005. Under the promotion, no monthly payments are required and no finance charges will be assessed on the transaction as long as you pay in full by the end of the 3 month period. If you do not, finance charges will be assessed on the original transaction amount from the date of the transaction and minimum monthly payments will be required on the balance of the amount. Subject to credit approval. US Residents only.

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Tune in to eBay Radio today, July 12, 2005 with your host Griff (Jim Griffith), Dean of eBay University, live from 11:00 to 13:00 PT. Griff's guests this week include:

• Chris Malta, eBay Radio Contributing Editor and owner of WorldwideBrands.com, with more tips and advice for effective product sourcing.
• Brian Law, co-founder of MyStoreCredit.com, who will have news about some recently launched new features.
• Ben Hanna, Senior Manager of eBay Business, who will share exciting news about the Business Equipment Purchase Protection Program and an update on the eBay Business portal: www.ebaybusiness.com

Plus we'll have "The News" with Lee Mirabal, as well as the most important feature on eBay Radio: your calls! 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 www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

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• U.S. (www.ebay.com)
• eBay Motors (www.ebaymotors.com), for non-vehicle listings only.

The promotion will start Tuesday, July 12, 2005 at 00:00:01 PT (12:00 AM plus one second) and end on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 at 23:59:59 PT (11:59 PM plus 59 seconds). Listings created prior to July 12, 2005 and scheduled to start during the promotional period (July 12-13, 2005) will be eligible for the promotional rate. Take advantage of this promotion to add Subtitle to all your listings so you can tell buyers more about your items!

During the 1¢ Subtitle Promotion:

For auction-style, Fixed Price, Real Estate, Ad Format (for those that will run for less than or equal to 30 days), and Motors non-vehicle listings, the fee for Subtitle will be 1¢. This promotion will not apply to the following types of listings: eBay Motors vehicles, 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 Bold, Border, Buy It Now, etc.) will still be charged. The promotional rate does not apply to listings which start prior to July 12, 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 July 13, 2005.

We hope you enjoy the 1¢ Subtitle Promotion!

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If you are involved in a transaction with a member in the UK, particularly around the London area, please keep in mind that it might be difficult for some people to mail or communicate about packages and payment at this time. We encourage you to be patient with these members and to keep communicating with them if any concerns arise.

Royal Mail has issued a statement on its website about its service and will be providing updates at www.royalmail.com over the next few days.

The eBay UK team will also post any updates on the UK Announcement Board as they get them.

Sincerely,

Rachel Makool
Director, Community Development

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Last February, we asked the Community to give us feedback on an early version that we called SYI Alpha 1. The number of you who responded was outstanding, and we received a lot of good input and suggestions. Now we’re ready to open up the next phase of this project for you to test-drive. Called SYI Alpha 2, this alpha builds on the ideas and information we gathered during the last round of testing. Again, we’re asking for your input to help us shape how the final product will work.

Please keep in mind that even in this second phase, the project is still in its early stages of development. Some of the features and formats found here may or may not be included in the final version.

You can list items on the site through SYI Alpha 2 for testing purposes, with some restrictions. For example, it currently does not support categories that use Item Specifics (such as Books, Movies, Music, Consumer Electronics and Clothing categories). Please see our information page for more details about these restrictions.

Please note: While the full release of the product is still many months away, we will provide time for sellers to learn the new tool and prepare for the change when it is ready.

So, please come be part of the SYI development process by listing an item or two with SYI Alpha 2 and letting us know what you think! To learn more about SYI Alpha 2, see our information page.

Please email your feedback on the new selling form to syialpha@ebay.com.

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• 6.0 Megapixels and Up is being changed to 6.0 - 6.9 Megapixels
• 7.0 Megapixels and Up will be added as the highest megapixel option

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 Cell Phones category.

If you have any comments or suggestions about these changes to Item Specifics, please email them to vik@ebay.com and they will be considered for future enhancements.

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

The 50% Off Picture Pack Sale starts on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 at 00:00:01 PT (12:00 AM plus one second) and ends at 23:59:59 PT on Thursday, July 7, 2005 (11:59 PM plus 59 seconds). Listings created prior to July 6, 2005 that are scheduled to start during the promotional period (July 6-7, 2005) will be eligible for the promotional rate. It’s a great time to add Picture Pack to showcase your listings and attract even more buyers! To learn more about Picture Pack, please see our Help page.

During the 50% Off Picture Pack Sale:

For auction-style, Fixed Price, Real Estate, Ad Format (those that will run for less than or equal to 30 days), and Motors non-vehicle listings, the fee for Picture Pack will be 50% off. This promotion will not apply to the following types of listings: Motors vehicles, International, Live Auction, Professional Services, and Store Inventory listings.

All other fees (including Insertion Fees, Final Value Fees and all other optional listing upgrade fees, such as Bold, Highlight, Buy It Now, Gallery, Gallery Featured, Listing Designer, Gift Services, Reserve, and Extended Duration insertion fees, etc.) will still be charged. The promotional rate does not apply to listings with a start date prior to July 6, 2005, including those listings revised during the promotional period. The promotional rate also does not apply to listings created during the promotional period (July 6-7, 2005) but scheduled to start after July 7, 2005.

We hope you enjoy the 50% Off Picture Pack Sale!

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This month's edition features interesting and informative stories on a variety of topics, including how eBay and PayPal's Fraud Investigation Team relentlessly pursues bad guys on our sites. We also celebrate a story of selfless dedication to the Community--how two members posted over 50,000 helpful answers on the Answer Center.

Also, in a special story we honor this year's Community Hall of Fame winners and thank them for living the eBay Community Values. Congratulations to:

• rockboss2000
• afternoon-daydreams
• *zip
• bobmill
• pi_r_square

Also in this issue, our regular columnists write about a range of topics, ranging from the upcoming improvements to the feedback system and other marketplace policy improvements in 2005 to growing your sales with the Seven Steps to Scalability. You can also meet another Community member in this month's Member Spotlight, and learn what Griff, one of eBay's best-known faces, has to say.

To get to The Chatter, follow these steps:

1. Click "Community" in the navigation bar at the top of most eBay pages.
2. Scroll down to the "News" box and click on the link for The Chatter.

If you have a story suggestion for us, we encourage you to send us email at chatterstaff@ebay.com. For other useful and interesting Community-related information, take a look at the Community Calendar.

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Tune in to eBay Radio today, July 5th, 2005 as we resume our live broadcasts with your host Griff (Jim Griffith), Dean of eBay University, from 11:00 to 13:00 PDT. Griff's guests this week include:

• Daniel and Sally Wiener Grotta, authors of "Shooting for Dollars: Simple Photo Techniques for Greater eBay Profits," who will share tips and tricks for creating perfect eBay photos.
• eBay Dispute Resolution Specialist Colin Rule. Colin will be sharing his stories and experiences from eBay Live 2005.

Plus we'll have "The News" with Lee Mirabal, as well as the most important feature on eBay Radio: Your calls! 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 www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

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My eBay
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 5th, from 11:00 PDT to 12:00 PDT. One of the most useful tools on eBay for both buyers and sellers is My eBay. My eBay is a central place to track and manage all your eBay activities, from buying and selling to managing your preferences and personal information. Please join member and eBay University instructor danse as she provides an overview of My eBay and how it can make buying and selling easier.

Recently Announced Feedback Changes
This workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 6th, from 11:00 PDT to 12:00 PDT. At eBay Live! 2005, Bill Cobb, President of eBay North America, announced upcoming changes to the feedback system (please see our announcement board post for details). Please join this workshop to learn more about the changes. Matt Halprin, VP of Global Marketplace Rules and Policy, and Brian Burke, Senior Policy Manager for Feedback, will be joining us to answer your questions.

ProStores
This workshop will be held on Thursday, July 7th, from 14:00 PDT to 15:00 PDT. This is your chance to learn more about ProStores, which were introduced at eBay Live!, 2005. ProStores is an option for any eBay seller who is thinking about adding an additional sales channel to their selling strategy. ProStores offers full integration with both eBay and PayPal, and eBay sellers can use ProStores to create and manage their listings on eBay and in their ProStore online store. To learn more about ProStores prior to this workshop, please see our FAQ and visit www.prostores.com.

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

• Click on Community at the top of almost any eBay page
• Click on "Discussion Boards" in the "Connect" Section
• Click on "Workshops" underneath the category-specific boards on the right-hand side of the page
• This will bring you to the threaded Workshops Board.

To view archived workshops or to learn more about future workshop events, please check our Workshop 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!

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