This Thursday, 29th November when you list an item on eBay.co.uk in an eligible category using the Auction-style, Auction-with-Buy It Now or Buy-It-Now Only (Fixed Price) formats and offer PayPal as a payment option you will pay a 10 pence Insertion Fee on every item you list!

Terms and conditions apply.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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We’re pleased to announce the following changes to the eBay for Charity programme that we hope will make it easier for you to raise money for your favourite causes. Whether you’re an organisation, a charity or an individual who wants to raise some cash for a cause close to your heart, eBay for Charity can help raise funds and generate awareness through trading on eBay.co.uk.

First change:
eBay will now include basic insertion fees and final-value fees in the policy. Previously, only final-value fees were included.

Second change:
eBay’s fee credit, which now applies to both of these fees, will be given to sellers using the eBay for Charity programme. Previously, eBay donated a proportion of the final-value fees to the nominated charity, matching the percentage of the sale price donated by the seller.

How it works for eBay sellers
When you sell an item on eBay.co.uk and donate a percentage to a favourite charity through the eBay for Charity programme, you’re eligible for the eBay fee credit. The basic selling fees will be credited back to you according to the level of your donation. For example, if you donate 50% of the sale price to charity, we’ll give you a 50% credit on your basic insertion and final value fees. You’ll see this credit appear on your first invoice after the item sells.

How it works for charities
When a Charity Direct Seller lists an item on eBay.co.uk through eBay for Charity, the seller is eligible for the eBay fee credit. eBay will credit 100% of the basic insertion and final value fees back to the seller on the first invoice after the item sells. Previously, the fees were donated to the charity once a quarter.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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	***Original: Charity listings on eBay.co.uk now eligible for fee credits***
	23 November, 2007 | 09:00AM GMT We’re please to announce the following changes to the eBay for Charity programme that we hope will make it easier for you to raise money for your favourite causes. Whether you’re an organisation, a charity or an individual who wants to raise some cash for a cause close to your heart, eBay for Charity can help raise funds and generate awareness through trading on eBay.co.uk. First change: eBay will now include basic insertion fees and final-value fees in the policy. Previously, only final-value fees were included. Second change: eBay’s fee credit, which now applies to both of these fees, will be given to sellers using the eBay for Charity programme. Previously, eBay donated a proportion of the final-value fees to the nominated charity, matching the percentage of the sale price donated by the seller. How it works for eBay sellers When you sell an item on eBay.co.uk and donate a percentage to a favourite charity through the eBay for Charity programme, you’re eligible for the eBay fee credit. The basic selling fees will be credited back to you according to the level of your donation. For example, if you donate 50% of the sale price to charity, we’ll give you a 50% credit on your basic insertion and final value fees. You’ll see this credit appear on your first invoice after the item sells. How it works for charities When a Charity Direct Seller lists an item on eBay.co.uk through eBay for Charity, the seller is eligible for the eBay fee credit. eBay will credit 100% of the basic insertion and final value fees back to the seller on the first invoice after the item sells. Previously, the fees were donated to the charity once a quarter. Regards, The eBay Team
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We’ve been working to improve how search works. We wanted to let you know that from this week a new search engine and page layout will be tested in three categories:

The new search system returns additional results so that no relevant items are missed when you search. Also the search pages have been rearranged to make it easier for buyers to refine their search. This changed search was first tested in July.

For more details on this feature and an opportunity to discuss the test we've started a specific discussion thread on the Community Q&A Board here.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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	***Original: Testing an Improved Finding Experience***
	30 July, 2007 | 09:37AM BST We wanted to let you know that we will be testing some changes to Finding pages over the next few weeks. These tests are designed to make it easier for buyers to find items on eBay.co.uk. In the week beginning 30th July, 2% of users will be shown new search and listing pages. We have redesigned the layouts, and improved how search works to return more items for each search and also to return only relevant items. As a simple example, if a buyer in the test searches for "red size 12 shoes", instead of looking just for listings with the words "red", "size", "12", and "shoes" in the item title the search engine will find all the items in the shoe category that are size 12 and in the colour red. The buyer should see more relevant items, and will also see a new way to narrow their search results according to important details such as size, colour, and type. The tests should be completed by the beginning of September. Regards, The eBay.co.uk Team
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Shopping on the internet and on eBay is great fun, but it's important to know how to shop safely and what your rights are if things go wrong. In addition to PayPal Buyer Protection, you may have various statutory rights that can help you.

If you want to understand your legal rights as a consumer, visit our Know Your Rights page in the Safety Centre. There's lots of advice both on your rights and on what to do if things go wrong, as well as lots of handy links to guidance on other websites such as Consumer Direct and Which?.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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We're launching Guest Buying, a new feature that we believe will help encourage more first purchases by new buyers. Guest Buying will also help sellers to increase the number of new eBayers who buy Fixed Price and Shop Inventory items.

Here's how it works:
Guest buyers use Buy It Now to purchase eligible Fixed Price and Store Inventory items.
Guest buyers must complete their payment through PayPal before the item is theirs, similar to Immediate Payment.

Your current PayPal settings will apply – if you require buyers to pay with a confirmed address, your Guest Buyers will need to do so as well. Are my listings eligible for Guest Buying?

Your listings will be eligible to be purchased by Guest Buyers if you meet the following criteria:
1. You must have a premier/business PayPal account in order to accept credit card payments.
2. Postage and packaging costs must be specified on your listing.
3. You must qualify for the top tier of buyer protection of £500.
4. The item price must be less than £500.
5. You must use eBay's checkout system. Third-party checkout will not be supported at this time.

Can Guest Buyers leave feedback?
No – at least not until they register. eBay will encourage Guest Buyers to register once they make a purchase. Once they do, they'll be able to use all the same features registered buyers do, such as Feedback, Buyer Protection and access to Customer Support.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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We’ve been working to improve how search works. We wanted to let you know that from this week we will be testing two new ways to sort search results.

From this week all users in three categories will see new sort orders instead of the previous 'Time: Ending Soonest'. The three categories and sort orders and are:

Sort by 'Best Match'

Sort by 'Category'

For many occasions ‘Time: Ending Soonest’ is a useful way to sort results, however we’ve learned that it does not always present the most relevant items at the top of search results. ‘Best Match’ and ‘Category’ attempt to optimise the way items are sorted so that the most relevant items for buyers appear nearer the top of the results.

For more details on this feature and an opportunity to discuss the test we've started a specific discussion thread on the Community Q&A Board here.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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The eBay system will be undergoing general maintenance from about 07:00 GMT to 09:00 GMT on Friday, 16th November.

Please note that eBay Checkout will be completely unavailable for part of this time, and other eBay site features may be intermittently unavailable or slow.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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It’s our job to make eBay a place where people feel comfortable buying and selling. We’re here to protect users’ identities and protect their money through PayPal, so we’re supporting the Get Safe Online awareness week

The Get Safe Online campaign aims to help individuals and micro-businesses across the UK to protect themselves against internet security risks, and to provide information, advice and updates through its website. As a founding member of Get Safe Online, safety online is an integral part of eBay.

We take our eBay security responsibilities extremely seriously, but everyone can do their bit! We’d encourage you to find the time this week to visit Get Safe Online for some extra advice on staying safe online.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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Win yourself a place in advertising history! Buy or sell any item on the eBay site from 9-18 November 2007 and you'll be automatically entered into a prize draw to win the chance to have one of the animated eBay 'logo people' modelled on you - and then feature in a TV campaign next year!

The draw is limited to one entry per eBay account holder, and you can read more here.

Get buying and selling for your chance to become one of the faces of eBay.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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Due to the high demand and limited supply of the Apple iPhone, eBay is taking strong measures to protect both buyers and sellers within our community.

The Apple iPhone will be released in the U.K. on 9th November, 2007. In order to sell an iPhone on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie, you must comply with the following requirements:

• One-day listings and Three-day listings are not allowed.
• You must offer PayPal as a payment method.
• New sellers cannot list using the Buy It Now (Fixed Price) option.

We’d like buyers to be aware that the telephone functionality on UK iPhones at launch will only work with a mobile contract from O2.

We thank you for your understanding and we appreciate your continuing support in helping to keep eBay a great place to buy and sell.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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	***Original: Apple iPhone UK & Ireland Listing Policy***
	10 July, 2007 | 12:26PM BST Due to the high demand and limited supply of the Apple iPhone, eBay is taking strong measures to protect both buyers and sellers within our community. The Apple iPhone was released in the U.S. on 29th June, 2007. In order to sell an iPhone on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie, you must comply with the following requirements: One-day listings and Three-day listings are not allowed. You must offer PayPal as a payment method. New sellers cannot list using the Buy It Now (Fixed Price) option. We’d like buyers to be aware that the telephone functionality on US iPhones at launch will only work with a mobile contract from AT&T. We thank you for your understanding and we appreciate your continuing support in helping to keep eBay a great place to buy and sell. Regards, The eBay.co.uk & eBay.ie teams
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It’s not often you only pay half price for something, but this weekend you can list any car (or other type of vehicle) on eBayMotors.co.uk for half the usual price when using the Auction-style, Auction-with-Buy It Now or Buy It Now Only (Fixed Price) formats.

Terms and conditions apply.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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In the next few days, we'll be making some changes to the seller account page, which you can find in the My Account section of My eBay. You'll soon see the following:

• Up-to-date information on the amount due on your seller account. The page will display the amount due as of that day, as well as the total balance on the account. We will also display the breakdown of how these two totals are calculated. (Currently, only the balance on the account is displayed.)

• Alerts to notify you when automatic payments are to be deducted.

• Information about any declined payments on your accounts and corrective actions you can take.

• Up-to-date information about your automatic payment methods on file and how you can update them.

We hope you find these changes helpful.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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We thought you’d like to know that we’re updating the Best Offer feature next week.

If you’re a seller listing items in ‘Buy It Now’ format or ‘Shop Inventory Format’, Best Offer is a free feature you can use that lets buyers offer a price they’re willing to pay for your items.

Here’s how we’re making Best Offer even more useful:

• Increased Number of Offers – Buyers in all categories will be able to make up to 3 offers per item (up from 1 offer). This means there’s more chance of agreeing a price. (Buyers of vehicles will continue to be able to make up to 10 offers per item.)

• Counter-Offer – Sellers can make a counter-offer to a Best Offer, instead of simply accepting or declining the original offer.

• Auto Decline – Sellers can set a minimum Best Offer price that they’ll consider for each of their items. All offers below that price will be declined automatically.

• Auto Accept – Sellers can set rules for each of their items to accept offers automatically if they’re above a certain price. You can manage offers much more efficiently by using this with the ’auto-decline‘ option.

We’ve also made a couple of minor changes after getting your feedback. Firstly, the offer counter now resets when an item ends. Secondly, we’ve fixed the problem with the way we show the expiry time of a Best Offer made within 48 hours of the end of a listing, so that the expiry time matches the listing end time.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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We'd like to draw your attention to a product recall announcement made in the US, particularly if you buy or sell on eBay.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently issued a recall of certain children's items due to a lead exposure risk. The products include certain Ribbit board games, Elite Operations toys, Halloween "Ugly Teeth" party favours, "Galaxy Warriors" toy figures and gift sets with a pearl-like pink bead attachment on the outside packaging.

eBay takes recalled items very seriously, and we work closely with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on these issues. We encourage buyers and sellers to visit http://www.cpsc.gov (See the Recent Recalls section) for more details about the products and model numbers included in this recall. You may also wish to visit our Recalled Items policy at http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/recalled.html. [The UK Recalled Items policy can be found here.]

For Sellers: Please check your product model numbers and refrain from listing any items that are part of this recall. Any currently listed items that are included in the recall should be ended.

For Buyers: If you believe an item you are interested in bidding on or purchasing may be part of this recall, we encourage you to use the Ask Seller a Question feature to verify the model number.

As a service to our Community, eBay announces some product recalls, like this one, when we believe the marketplace will be impacted. To stay informed about all CPSC recalls, please bookmark http://www.cpsc.gov and visit regularly.

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We're happy to say that we have launched a new homepage.

We've been testing various designs for a while now (see previous announcement), and we've come up with a final design based on the preferences people have shown. We think the new home page is simpler and easier to use, as well as giving you clearer access to My eBay information that many of you find very important.

We hope you like the new home page. As always, we'd love to hear your feedback. Talk to us on the boards.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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Updated tip 3.

Over the next week, eBay will be introducing a new, friendlier sign-in page that's easier to use. We'll be encouraging guests to register on the site and highlighting the advantages of registration, such as PayPal Buyer Protection.

Your online safety is important, so if you're ever concerned about whether an eBay sign-in page is legitimate, here are a few tips to keep you safe:

1. Close your web browser. Open a new browser and type in www.eBay.co.uk or www.eBay.ie, then sign in to eBay.

2. Download the eBay Toolbar with Account Guard. It's free and it will warn you when you are on a potential spoof website. You can also report spoof websites through the Account Guard feature.

3. Be careful when entering your eBay user ID and password. Remember - never enter your eBay user ID and password on a page that doesn't have "ebay.co.uk" or "ebay.ie" immediately before the first forward slash (/). If the address includes additional characters prior to the forward slash such as "@," dashes, etc., it's not an eBay page. Even if the web address contains the word "eBay", it may not be an eBay website, so do check.

4. Download the latest versions of Microsoft or Firefox browsers which support anti-phishing technologies.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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	***Original: Changes to eBay Sign-in Page***
	31 October, 2007 | 04:09PM GMT Over the next week, eBay will be introducing a new, friendlier sign-in page that's easier to use. We'll be encouraging guests to register on the site and highlighting the advantages of registration, such as PayPal Buyer Protection. Your online safety is important, so if you're ever concerned about whether an eBay sign-in page is legitimate, here are a few tips to keep you safe: 1. Close your web browser. Open a new browser and type in www.eBay.co.uk or www.eBay.ie, then sign in to eBay. 2. Download the eBay Toolbar with Account Guard. It's free and it will warn you when you are on a potential spoof website. You can also report spoof websites through the Account Guard feature. 3. Be careful when entering your eBay user ID and password. Remember - never enter your eBay user ID and password on a page that doesn't have "ebay.com" immediately before the first forward slash (/). If the address includes additional characters prior to the forward slash such as "@," dashes, etc., it's not an eBay page. Even if the web address contains the word "eBay", it may not be an eBay website, so do check. 4. Download the latest versions of Microsoft or Firefox browsers which support anti-phishing technologies. We also encourage you to visit our Help area to learn more about recognising and reporting spoof eBay websites. Regards, The eBay Team
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We thought we should let you know that listing an item around the time that our one-day promotions take place (such as this Thursday’s Half-Price Listing Day) will affect your item’s visibility on eBay.com.

If you list an item on eBay.co.uk from any time after 10am the day before a one-day promotion until 10am the day after a one-day promotion, that item will not be shown automatically on eBay.com, even if it meets the normal criteria for visibility (see our previous announcement for details).

This restriction on visibility on eBay.com will apply for the full duration of the item listing.

We’re doing this because the one-day promotions we run are specific to eBay.co.uk, and not available to sellers on eBay.com, and we want to make sure that we aren't putting our US sellers at an unfair disadvantage. The same restriction applies to US sellers during their one-day promotions, so that their items don’t appear on eBay.co.uk.

We realise that a lot of sellers will be disappointed about this, and we’re sorry if this restriction causes you any inconvenience.

Regards,

The eBay Team

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At PayPal, we’ve spent many years building sophisticated backend systems to help us detect fraud. Our attention to detail has helped us build a reputation as a safer, and easier way for sellers to receive payments online.

Earlier this year, we successfully introduced a new risk reduction feature in North America that benefits eBay sellers called Payment Review. Payment Review will soon also be available to UK sellers.

What is Payment Review?

Payment Review is an automatic early warning system that alerts sellers to potentially fraudulent payments. It relies on the vast amounts of payment data in our systems, our experience in sophisticated fraud modeling and the collective expertise of our fraud agents.

How it works

If our systems spot a high-risk payment, we’ll send you an email alert within minutes to advise that payment has been interrupted, pending investigation. A Payment Review investigation typically takes up to 24 hours to complete.

If we determine that the payment is most likely legitimate, we'll let you know via email and on the Transaction Details page that you can send the item to the buyer. The payment may still be subject to a reversal or chargeback but it will remain eligible under the Seller Protection Policy, provided the transaction is eligible. (Learn more about standard eligibility requirements.)

If we determine that the payment is most likely fraudulent, the payment will be automatically cancelled.

Payment Review is automatic; there’s no need to opt in.

You probably won't see "Pending" payments often

While we think Payment Review will provide great protection for sellers, payments will only be interrupted in a small percentage of transactions.

You should still exercise good judgment when accepting payments.

Payment Review is an important step forward in helping to deliver an even safer experience for eBay sellers who accept PayPal; however, it's not a substitute for seller caution when accepting payments. We recommend that you also have in place a risk reduction strategy that suits your business. We look forward to helping you grow your business.

Regards,

The PayPal Team

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From 4th October until the 12th December 2007, every time you buy an item on eBay and pay with PayPal, you’ll be entered automatically into a grand prize draw for a chance to win £25,000. We’ll announce the winner on the PayPal Offers site on 14th December 2007. Terms and Conditions apply.

If you’re selling on eBay, you can make your items even more enticing to potential buyers by promoting the PayPal prize draw and accepting PayPal on all your listings. Further details available at www.paypal-offers.co.uk

Regards,

The PayPal Team

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