Dinesh Lathi

Hello everyone…We hope you enjoyed the holidays.  My team and I are looking forward to kicking things off in 2009. I’d like to provide you with a few important selling-related updates and reminders you should be aware of as you prepare your listings for the new year.

Update to Feedback Removal Policy – Customs Fees
Many of our cross-border sellers have asked for help when they receive a negative/neutral Feedback rating because they wouldn’t mark an item as “gift” in order to sidestep customs fees. eBay will now remove Feedback if a) the listing meets the Customs Requirements below and b) the seller receives a negative or neutral Feedback comment which references customs delays or customs fees.

The following text, or very similar wording, must be included in the listing and be:

• In the format below
• In a font size no smaller than the majority of the other text in the item description
• Prominently displayed (in the upper half of the description, free-standing, etc.)

“International Buyers – Please Note:

• Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer’s responsibility.
• Please check with your country’s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.”

In addition, sellers may wish to include additional helpful statements for their buyers, such as:

• “These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up – do not confuse them for additional shipping charges.”
• “We do not mark merchandise values below value or mark items as ‘gifts’ - US and International government regulations prohibit such behavior.”

To learn more, please read eBay’s Feedback Removal Policy.

New Approved Payment Methods -- Moneybookers and Paymate  
In February, we’ll be adding two new electronic payment methods to the permitted payments list in the Accepted Payments Policy: Moneybookers and Paymate. These are established payment methods that increase the safe choices available to our buyers and sellers, which currently include PayPal, credit and debit card payment to a seller’s merchant account, Propay or Pay on Pick-up. To learn more about these new payment methods, visit www.moneybookers.com/partners/us/ebay and www.paymate.com/eBay.  Please note, Propay also plans to open up its payment service to all levels of Powersellers starting January 22.  For more information about Propay, go to www.Propay.com/eBay

Better integration for Internet Merchant Accounts
For sellers who currently accept payments to an Internet merchant account, we‘re improving the checkout experience to make payments more convenient and secure for you and your buyers.  Buyers will be able to pay sellers directly to their Internet merchant account by entering their credit card information in eBay’s secure checkout instead of sending information via phone or email. You will need to sign up for a Payflow Gateway account in March to connect your Internet merchant account to eBay.  This service will be available to sellers with an Internet merchant account at no additional cost. For more details on these changes and how to take advantage of this new service, please read our Frequently Asked Questions.
 

Seller Checklist – Listing update reminders
Finally, be sure to review our Seller Checklist  at www.ebay.com/checklists for details on these important updates you’ll want to make to your listings:

1) Book, Music, DVDs & Movies and Video Game listings with shipping charges over the maximums in the item descriptions should now be removed.
2) References to checks and/or money orders, or any other payment method not permitted on eBay.com, should be removed from item descriptions by January 15. 
3) If you are shipping globally, add customs “disclaimer” text to your description to protect your Feedback.
4) A return policy and handling time must be specified in your listings by mid-March.

The above topics will form the agenda for our first Town Hall of 2009 on Wednesday, Jan 14th from 3-5pm Pacific. Stay tuned for details, we hope you’ll join us.

Thank you for your support – and we look forward to working with you again this year. Here’s to a successful 2009!

Sincerely,
Dinesh Lathi
Vice President,
Seller Experience