Changes on eBay - Don't Panic 'Til You've Done the Math

Did you hear it, the rumbling going through the eBay seller community today? It's been building for a few days, since the news that today would be the Big Announcement with details regarding the restructuring of eBay's fees and feedback policies. If you heard the rumble change to a roar early this morning, that's when the details hit the news - and eBay sellers hit the ceiling.

Fortunately, now that it's afternoon the roar has subsided and even the rumbling has settled down since wise sellers have started doing the math and assessing how the fee changes might actually affect their businesses. Initially lost in the roar was the fact that, after being rumored for some time, the fee for gallery photos indeed will be eliminated. That in itself means a huge savings for sellers who use the gallery photo option and is great news for eBay buyers as hopefully this will make it easier for them to shop (which turns into good news for the seller, who is more likely to make a sale). It seems that most of the sellers who have done the math have figured out that the change in the fee structure will have little effect on their final, bottom line fee. In fact, many who have a low sell-through rate are thrilled that their overall listing fees will be significantly lower.

Of course, there is the feedback issue, the fact that sellers will no longer be allowed to leave neutral or negative feedback for buyers. On the surface that certainly stings but, as I've said before, practice excellent customer service and you should not have to worry about any but the very occasional negative buyer, and there's even a policy to handle and remove those negatives in certain cases. Read all the details about the feedback policy changes on this page.

There's a lot to learn about the policies that were announced today. Rather than getting caught up in the hysteria, savvy sellers should study the changes, do the math and then decide how much worse off - or better off - they might be in the long run. Here's an overview of the announcement with links to the details. Read and study, then decide for yourself what changes if any you will need to make in your eBay business to stay a step ahead of the crowd and take advantage of the void to be filled by those disgruntled sellers who jump the eBay ship. Fee changes take effect February 20, so that gives you plenty of time to make any pricing or policy changes of your own that you deem necessary to best serve your customers - and help your business grow.