eBay is raising fees by raising the maximum commission on high-value goods and through changes to its automatic relist feature. The reason given: “At eBay, we monitor our rates, and periodically make adjustments to them.”
The changes take effect on November 6, 2014, giving sellers only 2 weeks to adjust. eBay also urged sellers to consider signing up for a subscription to an eBay Store.
Raising Commission Fee Cap
eBay is raising the cap on Final Value Fees for sellers who don’t have an eBay Store subscription – the cap will go from $250 to $750. That affects items that sell for more than $2,500.
Changes to Automatic Relists
eBay’s automatic relist feature has always been a bit of a mystery, and Thursday’s convoluted announcement left sellers confused about what was changing exactly.
One problem – eBay never says who exactly is entitled to receive the free automatic listings. It has appeared and disappeared several times, as EcommerceBytes has documented.
Here’s what we can determine about what’s happening to the automatic relist feature: eBay has eliminated the three free relists, will change it to two free relists – but is making it count toward a sellers’ free listings – in other words, it’s not so “free” after all. And starting later this year, the automatic relist feature will no longer be available for 1- and 3-day duration listings.
eBay advised, “When listing an item, be sure that the automatic relist option is either checked or unchecked, depending on your preference. Note that before choosing this option, you may want to check the Selling section of My eBay for any personalized recommendations to improve your listings.”
A Plug for Stores
eBay wrote that, “considering the changes above,” along with the new marketing campaign it’s running, “it’s a good time to review the benefits that come with an eBay Stores subscription.”
You can read the full announcement on the eBay announcement board.
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