Understanding eBay Changes 2011

This page covers eBay changes and has links to all articles on IWantCollectibles about working within the changes.

Sign up for my free Antiques and eBay Newsletter for articles covering new eBay changes as they are announced.

In 2011 eBay implemented 5 changes that effect sellers. . .

1. eBay changed the way Detailed Selling Ratings were compiled. Since the change the single worst rating for each category is not used to determine seller discounts. See article on DSR below.
2. Ebay lowered the number of free listings a seller gets a month from 100 to 50. This change doesn't effect store owners who get no free listings, but get cheaper insertion fees and lower final value fees. Store changes are covered below.
3. eBay changed title length from 55 characters to 80 characters. This change allows eBay sellers to get more keywords in the title space. Since "search by titles only" is the default this helps sellers get more viewers. Most eBay results pages still only show 55 characters so you should use the most important words early in the title. See article below for more on this change.
4. The big eBay change in 2011 was fees. In the past, eBay charged final value fees of 9% not including shipping charges with a cap of $50 per auction. After the change final value fees are 9% of the buyer's price including shipping with a limit of $100 per listing.
   I recommend raising your shipping and handling charges to cover these extra fees or doing nothing. Test this in your market. No matter how much you charge for shipping, my tests have shown charging odd amounts leads to better buyer satisfaction. For example, rather than charging $10.00, charge $9.77 or $10.14. Using these odd extra pennies causes buyers to think you've calculated the shipping charges.
5. Along with the fee modifications, eBay also changed store fees to entice sellers to become store operators. For a $16.00 monthly fee eBay store owners get lower final value fees. There's an article below that will help you decide if a store will help you save money on eBay fees.

Dealing With 2011 eBay Changes.

Below are links to articles covering working within the newest changes.

Many of the articles and free reports here on IWantCollectibles were originally sent to readers of my Antiques and eBay Newsletter. Not all articles make it onto the website, and readers also get notices of free reports and special offers.

• Finding Products To Sell On eBay
  How to find products to sell on eBay is the most common question I get from my readers. This page has links to all the articles and reports I've written about finding eBay products.
• How To Be An Antique Dealer
  The best way to start an antiques or collectibles business. Part 1 of a five part series on being an antiques dealer.
• Understanding eBay Changes 2011
  This page covers eBay changes and has links to all articles on IWantCollectibles about working within the changes. Sign up for my free newsletter for articles covering new changes as they are announced.
• Tips for Starting an eBay Consignment Business
  Selling on consignment is the perfect way to start on eBay. This article is an introduction to consignment selling, and explains what you'll need to be successful. First in a series on eBay Consignment.
• Shopping For eBay Products At Garage Sales
  Thirteen tips for garage sale shopping. Part one of a two part series on garage and yard sales.
• Finding New Products for eBay
  If you want to sell new products you need to concentrate on items others are not selling. You need to find sources other sellers are unaware of. That is not hard to do. Here's a list of articles to get you started on the right path.
• eBay Auction Category, Title And Keyword Advice
  A series of articles about getting your items found on eBay. Covers category selection, eBay keyword rules, and researching keywords. Finally you'll learn how to write an informative, keyword rich title.