Jim "Griff" Griffith

• Ian Aronovich, President of Governmentauctions.org, will share examples of lots sold at a recent government auction.
• Brandon Delgrosso, General Manager of Doba, gives you his latest product sourcing tips.
• Ginger Leishman, from eBay's Certified Provider Program, will introduce Jerad Schempp, CEO of Hosted Support (an eBay Certified Provider), to share how Hosted Support can assist with eBay Smart FAQ's.
• Troy Thoreson, President of Auc Pro, Inc., gives tips on how to puchase authentic coins.

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 877-474-3302 (USA) or 001-858-678-8958 (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".

Don't miss Thursday's "Ask Griff" show
Join "Ask Griff" Thursday, April 30, 2009, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.

If you can't catch either of the shows, you can always subscribe to the podcast , or access any past broadcast from the eBay Radio archives. To subscribe to the podcast all you need is an reader (a portable MP3 player is optional). Visit www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information about subscribing to the podcasts and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

Select and listen to any past eBay Radio broadcast, listed by topic and date, in the eBay Radio archives. You can also join the eBay Radio eBay Group for more information on eBay Radio.

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eBay Stores upgrade: final reminder to check your Store!

eBay Stores has always been a great way for sellers to create their own brands on eBay. With new storefront templates and enhanced search results, the new eBay Stores format is even better—both for Stores sellers and their customers.

Most Stores sellers have chosen to upgrade and are currently benefitting from the new format and in early May, we will begin upgrading the rest of eBay Stores automatically. If you haven’t already done so, it’s important that you preview your Store and opt-in beforehand. Just go to My eBay and click “Manage My Store” in the Account menu.

For most Stores, the transition is seamless and requires no modification by the seller. If your Store has been significantly customized, you may need to make some changes. So be sure to check now, before the automatic upgrade begins.

For more details, please see our frequently asked questions.

Older search technology retiring in June

Almost all eBay buyers and sellers are now using eBay’s new search technology. We recently announced the older technology would be retired in April of this year, but the date is now extended to early June.

If you’re still using the older pages, we encourage you to give the new search a try—even if you tried it before. (Just click the “Try it now” link at the top the search page). Since it was first introduced, we received some great comments and suggestions, and we’ve used your feedback to make it even better:

• Results are returned faster than ever
• You see more of the items you want
• You can now customize your preferences for the left side of the page
• Window shopping in the snapshot view makes shopping even more fun
• “Related searches” and “exclude in category” searches are back!

We’ll continue to make the new search better, faster, and easier to use with more innovative ways to find what you’re looking for. We invite you to visit the search discussion board to share your thoughts and suggestions.

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Sohil Gilani

Good news about buying tickets on eBay: Now you can shop for tickets on eBay or StubHub—right from the eBay Tickets page.

Just choose where you want to search, and then use one of three easy ways to find tickets:
1. Search by keywords
2. Use “Find events near me”
3. Browse though our huge selection of events

Once you find your tickets, you can complete your purchase and checkout on either eBay or StubHub.

Visit the new eBay Tickets page today and find the tickets you’ve been looking for!

Sincerely,
Sohil Gilani
eBay Tickets & StubHub

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Ginger Leishman

Please join us for an online workshop hosted by the eBay Certified Provider team. eBay Certified Provider Workshops are hosted by 3rd party companies with extensive expertise on the topic of their workshop. They are independent companies qualified by eBay to have demonstrated experience and expertise in growing eBay seller businesses.

Topic: Product Trends for 2009 & Beyond
Host:Lisa Suttora, Founder WhatDoISell.com
Date: April 28, 2009
Time: 11:00AM PST
Location: eBay Workshop Board

To learn more about eBay Certified Providers go to – www.certifiedprovider.ebay.com

We hope you’ll join us for this online workshop April 28th!

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Dinesh Lathi

Hi everyone...Auction-style listings are still one of the best deals on eBay for those unique or hard-to-value items.  And for one day only, we’re making it an even better deal!

Tomorrow, April 21, insertion fees for your Auction-style items will be just 15¢ on www.ebay.com , www.ebay.ca and www.ebaymotors.com (Parts & Accessories only), regardless of your start price. As usual, there are a few categories and types of listings that are excluded, so check out our information page for full details.

Thanks, and we hope you enjoy this promotion!

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Jim "Griff" Griffith

• Janelle Elms, Visioinaire of the OSI Rock Stars and creator of the "One Percent Coach" program for eBay Stores, provides suggestions for maximizing your eBay Store.
• Mike Mantik, Owner of a PakMail store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, joins us with packing and shipping tips as well as how to avoid costly shipping mistakes.
• Brandon Delgrosso, President of DOBA, joins us with his latest product sourcing tips.
• Marsha Collier, Author of several eBay business books, shares one of her hot topics right now, “Empowering eBay Entrepreneurs in a Crisis Economy.”
• Peter Kinnally, eBay PowerSeller and the President of RedSkyTrader.com, shares the secrets of his success as an eBay lister.

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 877-474-3302 (USA) or 001-858-678-8958 (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".

Don't miss Thursday's "Ask Griff" show
Join "Ask Griff" Thursday, April 23, 2009, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.

If you can't catch either of the shows, you can always subscribe to the podcast , or access any past broadcast from the eBay Radio archives. To subscribe to the podcast all you need is an reader (a portable MP3 player is optional). Visit www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information about subscribing to the podcasts and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

Select and listen to any past eBay Radio broadcast, listed by topic and date, in the eBay Radio archives. You can also join the eBay Radio eBay Group for more information on eBay Radio.

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Dinesh Lathi

Some blogs have incorrectly reported that eBay is doing away with third party checkout. We want to clarify that this is not the case.

The facts: Beginning June 15, eBay will only allow third-party checkout services from approved providers who have updated their user interface according to a set of eBay guidelines. Our goal is to give buyers a more consistent checkout experience. These guidelines do not involve any changes to functionality that is consistent with eBay listing policies and existing legal agreements.

Some of the current third-party checkout providers may decide to begin using eBay Checkout instead of making user interface changes to their own checkout system. In this case, sellers can continue to use their services.

If you are a seller using a third-party checkout provider, we strongly encourage you to contact your provider about their plans. Most of our approved partners are planning to make the necessary changes to their solution, including: 

• 4Sellers
• Afterbuy
• Auctiva Corporation
• ChannelAdvisor
• Cultuzz Digital Media
• Digital River
• Kyozou
• Sandbourne Systems
• Vendio

To reiterate, we are not eliminating third party checkout on June 15, we are only asking third-party checkout providers to update the user interface.

Please keep in mind that the definitive source of information about eBay is eBay. You can find accurate information about any planned changes through this Announcement Board and through emails, calls and other official communications from eBay.

Sincerely,
Dinesh Lathi
VP Seller Experience

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Dinesh Lathi

Hi everyone... this is Dinesh Lathi, VP of Seller Experience, inviting you to join us for our April Town Hall audio event on Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm Pacific time. We'll be taking your questions on the topics outlined in Stephanie Tilenius’ Spring 2009 Announcement Board post. I hope you'll join me, our Town Hall moderator, Griff, co-host Lee Mirabal and a number of my colleagues from across eBay's Marketplace.

Town Hall panelists include:

• Rich Matsuura (Shipping)
• Scott Loper (Dispute Resolution)
• Keith Wescourt (Multiple-Variation Fixed-Price Item and Photos)
• Mike Maffeo (Selling Features and Tools)
• Kristina Klausen (Seller Efficiencies)
• Monroe Labouisse (PayPal)

Ask your question LIVE on the air!
The best part of these events is the conversation we have with the Community. If you have a question for me or one of the other panelists on the above topics, call us at our toll-free number – 1-888-327-0061 - and ask us your question on the air. Or if you'd prefer, you can drop us an email with your question or comment about one of the topics in the Spring 2009 Announcement at townhall@ebay.com. We'll take several of these written questions on the specific topics during the Town Hall as well.

Tune in via wsRadio
We'll be broadcasting via Internet radio with the help of our friends at wsRadio (the same folks that produce Griff's eBay Radio show). Members can listen to our live event via Windows Media Player or Real Player. So please visit www.ebay.com/townhall to join the event or for more information.

I look forward to hearing from you.

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Jim "Griff" Griffith

• Scott Loper, Director of Loyalty Marketing, provides an overview of the upcoming new eBay Dispute Resolution process.
• Nicole Birdsall, Group Product Manager of Communications with End to End Experience, along with Shikha Khanna, Product Manager for Member to Member Communications and My Messages, talks about the New Ask Seller A Question FAQ.
• Keith Wescourt, Principal Product Manager with eBay, talks about multiple-variation fixed price listings.
• Anar Shah, Sr. Product Manager with eBay, talks about “Printing Labels on eBay.”
• Rich Matsuura, who manages the eBay Shipping Team, gives you valuable information about “Tracking Information and Shipping.”

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 877-474-3302 (USA) or 001-858-678-8958 (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".

Don't miss Thursday's "Ask Griff" show
Join "Ask Griff" Thursday, April 16th, 2009, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.

If you can't catch either of the shows, you can always subscribe to the podcast , or access any past broadcast from the eBay Radio archives. To subscribe to the podcast all you need is an reader (a portable MP3 player is optional). Visit www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information about subscribing to the podcasts and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

Select and listen to any past eBay Radio broadcast, listed by topic and date, in the eBay Radio archives. You can also join the eBay Radio eBay Group for more information on eBay Radio.

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Stephanie Tilenius

On behalf of eBay, let me open with two words: Thank you. We appreciate your business and the opportunity to strengthen our partnership with you. Together we can do what’s necessary to bring buyers to eBay and keep them coming back.

We also recognize the impact that major changes to eBay can have on your business. For that reason, we are grouping those changes into two or three major releases per year, with at least 60 days advance notice. 

In 2009, there will be 2 significant releases. This post announces the first release, coming the week of June 15.  The second release will be announced this summer and will go live in the early fall.

Here’s an overview of the changes launching the week of June 15. This release focuses on driving more sales and improving seller efficiency. Note there are no fee changes in this release. 

The spring release is set up to deliver three things for our sellers:

1. Easier, more visual shopping, plus buyer incentives to drive more sales

• New item page rolling out. New photo zoom coming later this year. Get your listings ready now.
• New eBay product pages surfacing to more buyers. To make sure your items show up on these pages, use product details (formerly called pre-filled item information).
• New way to list in Fixed Price lets you offer all variations of one product—e.g. color and size—in a single low-cost listing.
• Buyer incentives and loyalty programs expanded to drive more traffic.

2. Key information to set buyer expectations and help reduce your costs

• New Smart FAQ answers buyers’ top 20 questions before they contact you.
• Package tracking information available in My eBay—print labels on eBay and tracking shows up automatically, or you can upload the information.
• Return policy and handling time required for new listings and re-listings beginning June 15. Deadline for updating your Good ‘Til Cancelled listings extended to mid-September.
• Use Item Specifics. Now in some categories, you can customize when the available choices don’t apply to your item.
• Category and Item Specifics changes now consolidated with the rest of updates—find out if your listings are impacted.

3. Other updates to make selling on eBay more efficient

• New, more efficient process for handling disputes.
• Selling Manager FREE for all sellers—with powerful new Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro applications.
• Easier, faster way to pay shipping, print labels, and update buyers—right from eBay.
• Bulk editing tools available now.

Get more details on all these updates.

You’re also invited to:

• Take part in one of several upcoming webinars on April 16 and April 21.
• Join myself and other leaders from eBay and PayPal in a Town Hall meeting on April 16.
• Talk with members of my staff during the next two days on a special discussion board we’ve set up for this purpose.

Again, thank you for partnering to make eBay a successful marketplace. We believe these changes will improve your sales and the efficiency of selling on eBay.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Tilenius
Senior Vice President & General Manager, eBay North America

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Rob Chesney

This is just a reminder that the original eBay Motors home and search pages will be retired on April 13th.

This means that on April 13th, all users who are currently using the original eBay Motors will be moved to the new eBay Motors, and will no longer have the option to search for Motors items using the original eBay Motors.

If you haven’t yet checked out the new eBay Motors, use the “Try it now” link at the top of the original Motors pages to take it for a test drive. If you have questions about the new eBay Motors, please visit our FAQ.

On behalf of the entire eBay Motors team, we thank you for your feedback and support.

Sincerely,
Rob Chesney
Vice President
eBay Motors

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	***Original: News from Rob Chesney: An Update on eBay Motors***
	March 16, 2009 | 02:00PM PST/PT Rob Chesney Hi, everyone! With over 90% of Motors members now using the new eBay Motors,  we have decided that it’s time to fully transition to the new site experience. Starting today, you’ll see messages on the original eBay Motors home and search pages announcing that they will be retired on April 13th.  We’re thankful for all the feedback and great ideas we’ve received to make the new eBay Motors even better.  Some of the more notable changes include: A faster site overall Tabs that make it easy to find what you’re looking for, including Local Classified listings Simplified, easier-to-use search pages A better way to search cars and parts by individual years or year ranges We’ve brought back the options to Search by Title & Description and Related Searches The improvements don’t stop there – we will continue to make the new eBay Motors better, faster, and easier to use, with more innovative ways to search for cars and parts. So please keep sending in your thoughts and suggestions on the eBay Motors forum. For those of you who haven’t yet checked out the new eBay Motors, use the “Try it now” link at the top of the original Motors pages to take it for a test drive.  On behalf of the entire eBay Motors team, we thank you for your feedback and support.  Sincerely, Rob Chesney Vice President, eBay Motors
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Ram Rampalli

I am happy to announce that in mid-April, you’ll be able to list in Ellipticals (Sporting Goods) and Digital Picture Frames (Consumer Electronics) using product details.

When you list an item in these categories, eBay can automatically fill in product details and even add a stock photo. Using product details is a best practice because it saves you time, makes it easier for you to list an item, and increases your exposure to buyers who are using standard search engines or online shopping comparison sites to find specific products on eBay. Product details will be available for more than 500 products in the Ellipticals and Digital Picture Frame categories.

You can leverage product details by using eBay’s listing tools and several of the popular third-party tools, as well. For more information, please see our information page.

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Jim "Griff" Griffith

• Delyn Simons, Senior Manager, Platform Marketing with eBay, joins us to tell you all about eBay Developers Conference coming up in June.
• Shaun Shienfield, President of eBay Operations for Knetgolf, joins us to tell how Knetgolf’s business model is making efforts in protecting the environment.
• Colette Marshall, President, WorldwideBrands.com, tells us how to source and use liquidations for your eBay Store.
• Christopher Spencer, eBay University instructor and author of The eBay Entrepreneur, joins us with his latest marketing.
• Michael Levit, VP of Marketing with Vendio, joins us to tell you how Vendio’s research product can help you make your listings competitive.

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 877-474-3302 (USA) or 001-858-678-8958 (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".

Don't miss Thursday's "Ask Griff" show
Join "Ask Griff" Thursday, April 9th, 2009, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.

If you can't catch either of the shows, you can always subscribe to the podcast , or access any past broadcast from the eBay Radio archives. To subscribe to the podcast all you need is an reader (a portable MP3 player is optional). Visit www.wsradio.com/ebayradio for more information about subscribing to the podcasts and to listen to eBay Radio on your computer.

Select and listen to any past eBay Radio broadcast, listed by topic and date, in the eBay Radio archives. You can also join the eBay Radio eBay Group for more information on eBay Radio.

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