Use eBay Labels When You Ship – Get FREE Delivery Confirmation

A great reason to use eBay Labels!  eBay Labels allows you to purchase discounted postage, and now you also get FREE Delivery Confirmation™ on USPS® Priority® Mail, Express Mail®, and First-Class Package service.  You can prepare multiple shipments at one time, print up to 50 shipping labels.  Another bonus is that your tracking info will be emailed to buyers and even automatically uploaded to My eBay.  This will soon be key to maintaining your status as an eBay Top-rated seller.  Haven’t tried eBay Labels yet? Now is the best time to check it out!

Also if you are an eBay Top-rated seller, you can sign up for the USPS Savings Program.  This program offers Commercial Plus Pricing, allowing you to save up to 32% when you pay for your postage and print your labels from eBay Labels.

Don’t forget that you can get your shipping supplies FREE from USPS, too!  I have mentioned this before, but don’t forget to order your FREE USPS® Priority Mail® boxes online.  You can request between 10 and 25 boxes in various sizes, including shoeboxes, and they will deliver them right to your door free of charge.  How easy is that for getting your shipping supplies?

Check out eBay’s Shipping Made Easy Guide or visit the eBay Shipping Center for more tips on shipping your sold eBay items.

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Become an eBay Top-Rated Seller

eBay is changing the requirements to become an eBay Top-rated seller, they have expanded the requirements to include more sellers. Starting in June, eBay’s requirements for maintaining or receiving Top-rated status will change:

  • Right now eBay requires that you meet a $3,000 annual sales requirement.  This will be lowered to just $1,000.
  • They will remove the minimum average Detailed Seller Rating requirement of 4.60.
  • You will no longer be required to have the PowerSeller status.
  • When you sell an item, the tracking must be uploaded to eBay within the handling time you have stated.  This must be done on 90% or more of your US transactions. If you use eBay Labels, the tracking info is uploaded automatically.
  • All eBay Top-rated sellers will receive a 20% final value fee discount when they ship with 1-day handling and offer an allowed 14 day or better return time with a money-back option.

Now that the requirements are a little easier to reach, you can start working towards your Top-rated seller status today!

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eBay’s New Photo Guidelines

This fall, eBay will begin enforcing new photo guidelines on all new, revised, and relisted listings.  These guidelines will include the following:

  •  A new minimum picture size – you will be required to have a minimum length of 500 pixels on the longest side.  However, they suggest you have a length of 1600 pixels on the longest side.  Setting your camera to either medium or high picture quality should ensure that your picture is large enough.
  • No borders on pictures – you can no longer put a border around your pictures on eBay.  Natural borders on square items is however allowed.
  • Pictures can not have text or artwork added – you can no longer add any artwork or extra text to your photos.  This includes sales logos or your own personal store/seller logo.
  • New watermark guidelines – can be used for ownership and attribution only.  Watermarks can be no darker than 50% opacity, and no more than 5% of the full photo size. Links and other item details are not allowed in watermarks.
  • Stock photos are only allowable for new or refurbished items – there are a few exceptions that include the Movie, Music, Book, and Video Game categories.  Video game consoles however do apply for this new guideline.
  • Every listing must have a photo – every listing will be required to have at least one photo.

Check out eBay’s Photo Center under Seller Resources for more information about photos on eBay.

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eBay’s New Photo Center

The NEW eBay Photo Center – learn how to take pictures that will help you sell.

The best way to make a sale on eBay is with great pictures. By having more clear, crisp, quality pictures in your listings you make it easier for buyers to make a purchase decision. The NEW eBay Photo Center has many tips. Including visual do’s and don’ts about taking even better pictures. There is even a checklist for taking the best pictures.

Check out my next post about eBay’s new photo guidelines that are coming soon.  Don’t forget that starting July 2, 2012, eBay will begin allowing up to 12 free pictures with each listing.

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eBay Changes to Return and Exchange Policies

Starting May 2nd eBay will be retiring some of the return options.  You will no longer be able to offer 3 and 7 day returns, instead you must offer 14, 30, or 60 day return options.  This is to allow what eBay feels is a more reasonable timeframe for exchanges.  You can also no longer offer “merchandise credit” or “exchange only” options for refunds.  You must choose “Money back,” “Money back or exchange,” or “No returns accepted.”

eBay is offering a few new ways for you to manage your returns.

Beginning the week of May 28th, eBay will be introducing a new way to manage returns.  It will be optional for all sellers, and is intended to be the long-term return solution for all transactions on eBay. The new process will virtually automate all returns for you and for the buyer—even refunding your final value fees automatically.

How it will work:

  • To initiate a return, the buyer will click “Return this item” next to the transaction in My eBay, choose a reason for the return, and then print a return shipping label and packing slip. The seller will be notified automatically.
  • eBay will pay for the return shipping upfront and then either charge the buyer’s PayPal account or add it to the seller’s next invoice, depending on who is specified to pay for return shipping.
  • Once the seller receives the returned item, the seller then clicks a button to issue a refund. Your final value fee for that transaction will show as a credit on the next seller invoice and a portion of the PayPal fees for that transaction will also be refunded.

You will be able to set up your return policies easily for all listings, groups of listings, or individual listings via the new business policies section of your seller central.  The new functions will be introduced starting the week of May 28. When it becomes available, you simply opt in from your All Selling or Site Preferences page in My eBay.

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Mother’s Day is Coming

Mother’s Day will be here soon. You should already be listing items you could sell to make special memories for moms everywhere.

Currently hot selling items on eBay include:

Don’t forget free listing specials are still running, so list your items today.

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Top-Rated Seller Program Changes Coming in June

eBay announced recently that they will be making some updates to the Top-rated seller program starting in June. Beginning June 1, only those Top-rated sellers listings that include 1-day or same day handling and a 14-day or longer return policy with a money-back option will qualify for the greatest average boost in Best Match and 20% final value fee discount. And beginning with the June 20 evaluation cycle, to be able to maintain your Top-rated seller status, a Delivery Confirmation number or tracking information must be uploaded to eBay on at least 90% of your shipments to US buyers within your stated handling time.

I suggest you begin uploading your tracking by May 1 to make sure you qualify on June 20, and be sure to keep track of your Top-rated seller status in your Seller Dashboard. This includes the new requirement to upload tracking on 90% of your US transactions.

Tools eBay is implementing to help you be successful:

  • Track your Top-rated seller progress using your Seller Dashboard.
  • At the end of April if you are a current Top-rated seller you will be able to easily identify your listings that don’t include 1-day handling and a minimum 14-day return policy with a money-back option, and then edit those listings in bulk. This information will be available by going to My eBay click Selling, Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro.
  • Starting the first week of May, sellers will begin getting access to business policies. This is a new way to manage your own custom settings for shipping, payments and returns all from one place, you will no longer have to specify the information separately on each listing.
  • By the end of May, Top-rated sellers will be invited to opt in to an easy new way to manage returns right from My eBay. Read more about this here.
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Top-Rated Seller Limited Time Offer

From March 1st through May 31st, eBay has a special offer for top-rated sellers.  You could be saving an extra 5% off your final value fees along with the 20% savings you get as a top-rated seller.  So now you are probably wondering how you could be saving the extra money.  Just follow these rules when creating your listings.

In order for a listing to qualify for a Promotional Rate, the listing must include the following:
  • Auction must be Fixed Price or Auction-style
  • You must be a Top-rated seller (current US Top-rated seller criteria)*
  • You must include a 14-day (or greater) return policy with a money-back option and 1-day handling time in your listing

Item listing must end within the promotional period to qualify for the extra 5% savings on final value fee.  Enjoy the extra savings!

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