Insider’s Secrets to Selling on eBay

eBay may have found a solution that will make both auction and fixed-price buyers and sellers happier: a split-screen results page that shows auction listings on one side and fixed-price listings on the other.

While eBay has been showing a prototype of a split-screen search results page to investors for at least a month, AuctionBytes saw the split-screen live on eBay.com on Thursday, likely as part of a test randomly shown to a small number of visitors to the site

Searches for the terms "McCoy Vase"; "Apple Macbook"; and "Anne Klein shoes" all resulted in the split-screen display of results. On the left side, the auction listings were displayed in order of time ending soonest, while the fixed-price listings on the right side were shown with Best Match as the default sort order.

In the results we saw, listings showed up in both columns if they were auction-format with BIN. A pair of size 12R Mickey Mouse - Bunny boots showed up in a search for Anne Klein boots in both columns. The listing was displayed in the left "auction" column with a current bid price of $19.99, and the same listing was displayed in the right "Buy It Now" column at the BIN price of $29.99. eBay charges sellers an extra fee for using the BIN format.

eBay introduced the fixed-price BIN option to its site in 2000. Eight years later, fixed-price sales comprise 42 percent of total gross sales on the site. As eBay evolves into a more mature marketplace, it often makes policy and feature changes that long-time auction users feel hurt the traditional eBay experience. Many have suggested eBay segregate fixed-price "commodity" listings and auction "collectibles" listings. In fact, eBay's attempt to provide a fixed-price marketplace for new in-season items, eBay Express, has not fared well.

While a split-screen results page is not likely to address all of the concerns sellers have over the changes that have been rolling out since last year (and continue to roll out in 2008), it may be viewed as a positive step - particularly if auctions retain the "time ending soonest" sort default. And right now, eBay could use some positive feedback.

By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes.com February 29, 2008

Posted by eBay Guru at 09:46 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

February 25, 2008 - 11:10AM

eBay Inc's customers do not need to open a web browser to search the site or auction an item anymore.

After a quick download, the online auctioneer's users can click the company's logo on their desktop and launch an application that will allow them to do their business directly - no browser required.

eBay is one of several companies, including Nasdaq Stock Market Inc, Time Warner Inc's AOL, Nickelodeon and Salesforce.com Inc, that have created downloadable, desktop versions of their websites using software developed by Adobe Systems Inc.

Adobe is launching the application, called AIR, on Monday. Adobe says AIR will allow any company with a website to inhabit a permanent spot on people's desktops.

It also reduces the wait time for downloading images and data, because the desktop is constantly updated while the computer is online.

Adobe says AIR runs on any operating system. It is a more powerful version of widgets, the customisable little web pullouts often provided by third parties like Google Inc.

The AIR application removes any kind of go-between, giving companies a direct, constant and versatile link to the consumer, said Adrian Ludwig, a spokesman for Adobe.

"The browser was in the way and the widget, in some instances, was in the way," Ludwig said. "It's the willingness to let the brand of the person providing the application to take front and centre."

© 2008 AP

Posted by eBay Guru at 10:57 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

From eBay Announcement

To make immediate changes where we believe it benefits the health of our marketplace: We heard your comments about the need for media and category-specific pricing. Today, I am pleased to announce we are accelerating our plan to phase-in category-specific pricing for media. This fee cut will coincide with the site-wide pricing changes previously announced to take effect on February 20. In the Books, Music, Movies and Video Game software categories, we will be offering even lower insertion fees for the first three insertion tiers as follows:

$0.01 – 0.99 (auction-style only)
Original Categories Insertion Fee: $ .20
New Media fee: $ .10

$1.00 - 9.99 (auction-style and fixed price)
Original Categories Insertion Fee: $ .40
New Media fee: $ .25

$10.00 – 24.99 (auction-style and fixed price)
Original Categories Insertion Fee: $ .60
New Media fee: $ .35

2. To closely monitor the marketplace to ensure the changes we've made have the intended impact: We heard many of our sellers believe the shipping Detailed Seller Rating (DSR) needs to be re-examined. Also, we heard you when you said you wanted us to be transparent about participation in the PowerSeller discount program. Let me be clear: our goal is to improve the buyer experience so much that at least 50% of our PowerSellers qualify for discounts. We will run these changes as announced in Washington D.C., but we will closely monitor the data. If buyer trust in the marketplace is not improving as intended within the next six months, we will take action.

3. To stick with the changes we believe are right for the marketplace: We will proceed with our plans to evolve our feedback system and with the weighting of Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs) in search, as announced. They are both central to our plans and will aid in providing a great buying experience from sellers buyers can trust.

Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you how excited and honored I am to be serving the eBay Community. You have helped us to build an incredible marketplace over the years. I passionately believe that great service will lead to great customer experiences in 2008. I'm very committed to helping the eBay marketplace to become even more successful for you in today's competitive environment.

We literally cannot do this without you. The changes we announced better align our shared interests. By rewarding and differentiating our best partners, we will together deliver more of the great shopping experiences found nowhere else but on eBay.

Sincerely,

Lorrie Norrington
President, eBay Global Marketplace Operations

Posted by eBay Guru at 01:33 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)