Shock and Surprise
On the PowerSeller Discussion Board today, one doll seller was clearly shocked by the increase when she went to list some doll items today. If you are just finding out about this and are still reeling, here are some useful links:
Chart For Fee Changes
For charts explaining all of the higher fees visit eBay Stores Change In Fees Overview. These charts give various examples of the fee changes for individual items, as well as answer some Frequently Asked Questions from eBay's point of view.
Initial Announcement from Bill Cobb
If you'd like to read the initial July 19th announcement from Bill Cobb regarding this fee increase, visit A Message from Bill Cobb: Resetting the Balance of the eBay Marketplace. This is required reading for anyone who owns an eBay Store, and it is the tone of this message as well as the abrupt changes that it heralds for their businesses that has upset many eBay Store owners.
One Month Later: Many eBay Store Sellers Are Still Upset
I have found it very interesting that the increase was announced a full month ago by Mr. Cobb, yet there are many eBay Store owners who are still as upset as the day the announcement was made. There are many factors that have created the deeply felt bad feelings towards eBay this time around, including the size of the increases (500% in some cases), the refusal of eBay to add store inventory items fully to general search, the timing of the increase (right before the busy Fall selling season, when many sellers have already purchased their inventory and cannot quickly change plans), and, the fact that eBay basically threw a grenade into the eBay selling community and then popped into a defensive hole which they have refused to come out of to discuss all of this with the eBay Store sellers in any meaningful manner.
Manipulation of the Marketplace?
Many eBay Store owners were further troubled by what they viewed as manipulation of the marketplace away from eBay Stores to eBay auctions, and the characterization by eBay management of their eBay Store listings as "troubling." The doll collectors that I have spoken to regarding this increase have not found any problem with the eBay Store listing for dolls--the auctioned dolls always appear first, before the eBay Store dolls in searches, and the collectors seem to like having two ways to purchase--in auction, with the excitement of a possible bargain, or via stores where they can get a wider selection and immediately get their item.
For more information on the fee increases, read The eBay Stores Fee Hike: Explaining the New eBay Fee Increases and How They Will Affect You.
I do own an eBay Store (with my husband) and have been selling on eBay since 1996.
