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November 06, 2009
Will Latest eBay Changes Affect Traffic to Stores?
By: Ina Steiner
Fri Nov 6 2009 16:02:48
We received two letters today about the news that eBay will remove certain graphical elements of the search results pages in an effort to make search results appear faster. Both of the senders expressed their concerned about the effect on traffic to eBay Stores. (See this articlefor details.)
To the Editor: Re: "eBay will also remove the Matching eBay Stores module in the left navigation that displays individual eBay Stores. The "See all matching eBay Stores" will remain as a text link in the same location."
I hate to see this go as it was one more spot for my eBay store name to show up along with the number of like listings. I doubt that buyers will click on a generic text link to "see all matching eBay stores."
eBay keeps chipping away at the reasons to maintain an eBay storefront. Jim
To the Editor: I read, with much interest, your piece yesterday "eBay News for Sellers - Removing Graphics for Faster Search" and I have to say...once again the stores owners/subscribers are getting the shaft...and in what is supposed to be a busy season.
Many of the changes this last 6 months seem to be geared toward the mobile hand-held device users and this is a good thing...upgrading the system is always good. But when each change takes a little more away from the store owners, you see the priorities that stores carry with this group of ebay executives. They still take our money but cheapen the product.
In your article: "In an effort to make its search results appear faster, eBay will remove two graphic elements from the search results page that it says are not widely used by buyers, but take extra time to load. Beginning November 9, it will remove the "Get More Results" module at the bottom of the page. However, the "See additional items from eBay Stores?" will remain a text link in the same location.
eBay will also remove the Matching eBay Stores module in the left navigation that displays individual eBay Stores. The "See all matching eBay Stores" will remain as a text link in the same location." "eBay said it has tested both of the changes"...with whom did they run this test?
Also in the announcement: "eBay also said that it would hold off on making buyer email addresses anonymous in member-to-member emails. We're working now on a new system to beta test in early 2010. If all goes well, we'll launch it shortly thereafter."
We've been fighting this for years...communication is the key to sales...take that away and all you have is a sales sheet! A little more of the human aspect of commerce is taken out of the equation. Carl G.
To the Editor: E-Bay needs to return to the basics in the worst way! Did you know that e-Bay only counts unique buyers for positive feedback but counts all negatives from one person. I know this has been talked to death but I'm so frustrated with e-Bay and all their changes! One way feedback especially.
I just had the most horrible buyer that I've ever had in 5 1/2 years on e-Bay. She's every seller's nightmare. We were on vacation, store on vacation, auto response to email stated we would check email as often as we could and return Oct 24. Buyer sent email that I had done something wrong on her customs form (UK) and she had to pay extra VAT.
I asked for a copy of the customs form. Rec'd it a couple of days later. Informed buyer that I would take care of it upon my return Oct 24. On Oct 23 buyer left 3 negative feedbacks after my telling her I would take care of it Oct 24 & e-Bay counted all 3.
I responded more than once while we were away. What part of out of town do you not understand, buyer? What part of limited access to email do you not understand? And, Ina, did you know that the buyer gets the last word when you add a note to feedback left? She was able to respond to my reply that I was out of town & did not ignore her emails - she said my response was "untrue".
Don't bother to request "revised" feedback. Your request goes straight to the buyer who, of course, declined to revise. No one from e-Bay even looks at it. So don't bother requesting an appeal - you get nowhere. Basically, the buyer can say anything they want, call you "incompetent". And wonder of wonders, she has a very low feedback number... So frustrating. Mimi
To the Editor: I would like to let you know of a serious site-wide problem on eBay that's been happening since Wednesday 10/28. No one at eBay has a clue. I reported it several times to eBay but nothing as been done. This is the problem:
Ever since Wednesday, if the shipping method on a listing is Standard Flat Rate Shipping, Expedited Flat Shipping or Other and free shipping is provided, the listing does not display the words "Free Shipping" underneath the price. Yet, if one clicks on the "Shipping and Payment" tab and then click on "Get Rate", the words "Free Shipping" appears underneath the price. Nevertheless, the words "Free Shipping" are always displayed underneath the price if the shipping method is USPS or UPS.
This is a serious problem for those of us who use FedEx. Since FedEx is not one of the shipping options, we have to use either Standard Flat Rate Shipping, Expedited Flat Rate Shipping or Other. Because buyers don't see "Free Shipping", they go elsewhere. My sales have been down 30% to 40% due to this problem. Here is an actual question that a buyer asked, and there are others:
"I saw your listing last week and thought it was listed with free shipping. Did you take the free shipping off?"
As I said earlier, I have reported this to eBay several times in the last few days and nothing has been done. In one instance, an account manager told me this:
"The more detailed a specification of a shipping service (USPS UPS), the detail of free shipping will appear in the 'Shipping' section just under the starting bid or price in a description. Not specifying a specific carrier will result in general information displayed such as other see description. This is a feature by design and not any type of technical or design error."
Why should eBay discriminate again free shipping provided by carriers that is not an eBay partner (for example FedEx is not an eBay partner). If what the account manager says is true, then eBay is unfairly exerting power to favor shipping carriers that is has dealings with (and potential kickbacks from those carriers). It is bad business practice, unfair, unethical and possibly illegal.
Can you please publish this so more seller can see what eBay is up to? Thanks, eBay Power Seller
Buyer Angry at Seller over eBay's Unpaid-Item Dunning
By: Ina Steiner
Fri Oct 30 2009 030:29:33
To the Editor: It happened already. It probably should have been expected by the powers that be at eBay but as usual they've done little or nothing to prevent the situation. Yesterday I received a communication from a buyer blasting me for filing an Unpaid Item Dispute "prematurely". He had no idea that his payment was due in 3 days, despite the fact that our Terms of Sale clearly state such in the listing and no idea that eBay was actually going to step up and allow is to enforce that rule.
Why should they? eBay has a long history of letting the buyers procrastinate, delay, and other put off payment in any way possible. From the lack of an expeditious unpaid item process to the lack of actual payment information linked to the disputes themselves, buyers were used to being able to simply state payment was sent or utilize the process as a buy it now, pay for it later (in some cases much later) program.
Now when buyers are hit with an unpaid item dispute they immediately blame the sellers for being overzealous. What, if anything, has eBay done to let buyers know that they are now subject to a 3 day rule on payments? Why, oh why, does the responsibility of "educating the buyer" always fall to the sellers?
With all of the changes over the past few years buyers no longer know what to expect and have no clue what the details of the process are because of the changes. We're still battling the ever-popular "money order" issue because buyers have been led to believe that they can simply "ask" us to accept a money order and that we should take them regardless of our policies and procedures.
eBay needs to step up and take responsibility for education its user base on policy changes. Kim
To the Editor: I was reading, with interest, your article in today's issue of Auctionbytes concerning Joe Adamson's tete-a-tete with Pro Stores "ProStores Seller Store Closed Due to Expired-Domain Glitch"...it was well written and outlines a long-standing series of events that ebay has gotten themselves into while making the site harder to use, not easier both for the sellers and the buyers.
When I was an owner of our brick and mortar stores in Atlanta, there was always the temptation to expand too quickly before nailing down the "brand" we were trying to present. I have seen businesses expand beyond their initial presence into multiples only to carry down all due to the fact that they didn't address all the variables.
With ebay's multitude of changes the past two years, they didn't foresee in their crystal ball of metrics the fact that the economy would take a downturn, people wouldn't have as much expendable income and the fact that they would save more because of it. They also have chased away many of the good sellers who took their brand-based customers along with them.
To recapture these sellers, they will have to win back trust...something that is particularly hard to do once you've violated it the first time.
I think this happening with Adamson illustrates the fact that ebay is getting too far away from it's original mission and trying to spread out too quickly instead of concentrating of making it's core product effective for all to use. Need I mention Skype and Pro Stores as good examples of this? They stray from the fact that ebay established itself originally as a venue for auctions and was based on the premise that the playing field should be level for all.
We opened a Pro Store 4 years ago when they were first introduced them (only to close it later), only to find their customer service "wanting"...they tried to recapture our business 3 years ago but I resisted the attempt as it wasn't proven to me that they had improved. What didn't help the situation was the fact that Paypal's Gateway system didn't protect us from fraud as it did on the ebay platform...no Trust & Safety.
Ebay needs to go back to it's grass-roots...the one who "brung them to the dance"...I'm very surprised that another auction site has really not risen out of the ashes to give them more of a run for their money that they have had. Perhaps this feeling of invincibility has spurred on their changes.
Clearly their deletion of the community aspect proves the point that actions speak louder than words in that they think they know what's better for us...don't we get enough of that from our politicians?
They seem to be attempting to recapture the grass roots marketplace through their upcoming "On Location" program as well as other future programs...we'll see.
One thing is clear to me...every time I open up my "My Ebay" page and view the line at the top that reads "we're working to make ebay easier to use"...I see red.
Roll back the clock 3 years then...they turned the system into Frankenstein; now they're going to make it easier to use???...thanks alot! Carl G.
To the Editor: I've been a powerseller on e-bay for several years now. My one complaint with ebay are the dsr. I mainly sell paper items books and magazines. I have no problem with the books as they can go media mail. My problem is magazines and catalogs with ads can not go media rate its either priority or parcel. That IS where my dsrs suffer with shipping as customers want the lowest rates I would say 75% of sellers in the magazine and catalogs or comics for that matter misuse media mail.
How can I COMPETE against the sellers using media mail for those items. 1ST My items will sell for less and my dsrs suffer for shipping as my customers think I'm charging to much. I charge in many cases if not actual postal charges within .50 of it. The only dsrs that keep me off top seller is the shipping.
I guess I CAN DO LIKE they did in baseball one person uses steriod more follow suit. I believe if I HAD that mentality media mail would eventually be stopped as it is overly abused now. What are your feelings on this? Have A Blessed Day, John & Mary
