eBay 2018 Spring Seller Update and Changes

Spring is here and eBay has unveiled its Spring Seller Update. This is first of the three updates to be implemented in 2018. The update is focused on matching today’s buyers expectations and providing them an enhanced shopping experience while giving sellers plenty of room for improvements. Highlights of the update for eBay.com  sellers includes its plan to move toward product-based shopping platform, streamlined return policies and providing eBay Guaranteed Delivery to more sellers.

1) Product-based Shopping Experience

eBay’s product-based shopping experience will require the listings for specific product lines include the product identifiers such as EANs, ISBNs etc. Through this, buyers will easily be able to find products that meets their search criteria and quickly make their buying decisions.

Product lines that will require catalog adoption before end of April 2018:

2) Shipping Enhancements

Through its popular fulfillment program, eBay Guaranteed Delivery, eBay is trying to compete hard with Amazon Prime. This update will provide more streamlined and simplified eBay label purchase, printing, shipping service selection and shipping cost comparison features. It will also help sellers increase their items’ visibility in search results.

eBay has reduced the seller’s eligibility requirement to use eBay Guaranteed Delivery:

• Minimum 100 transactions within the previous 12 months.
• Maintain a late shipment rate of less than or equal to 3%.
• Eliminate the requirement to use eBay shipping labels.
• Upload valid tracking information for at least 95% of the transactions.

3) Growth Tools

eBay is coming up with new Promoted Listings Placements to its homepage, which will increase the exposure of promoted listings. Now sellers will get enhanced promoted listings reports within the campaign management dashboard. Starting June, buyer’s after-sale requests will now be directly visible in Seller Hub.

As per this Spring Seller Update, later this year, eBay will be providing enhanced pricing guidance for Seller Hub users through its new Marketplace Insights API for third-party providers and high-volume sellers.

Following demand signals will be provided in the API:

• Total quantity sold of a product during the previous 14 days.
• Number of times a product appeared in  customer search queries during the previous 14 days.

Following supply signals will be provided in the API:

• Number of active listings for a product and quantity of the product currently available.

Following product information will be provided:

• The minimum and maximum price of a product in the past 60 days.
• The minimum and maximum price from other online retailers in the past 60 days.
• The current “trending price.”

4) Enhanced eBay Stores and Subscription Fees

eBay will be introducing the new Starter and Enterprise eBay Stores subscription plans on May 1. Also, there will be an increase in yearly fee for a Basic Store subscription from $19.95/month to $21.95/month and for monthly fees from $24.95/month to $27.95/month.

eBay Stores Subscription Plans:

With the Spring Seller Update, eBay Stores will be updated to provide a new and enhanced shopping experience for both web and mobile users. The new experience will be free from active content and HTTPS-ready and will also improve search engine and mobile web optimization.

5) Simplified Returns

Providing simplified return policy to buyers makes them feel safe and comfortable with their purchase and thus help sellers boost their sales. Starting this May, eBay will streamline its return policy by reducing the number of return policy options to five  and Restocking fees will no longer be a return option. The five return policy options will be:

• No returns accepted
• 30-day buyer-paid returns
• 30-day free returns
• 60-day buyer-paid returns
• 60-day free returns

Additional Update: To qualify for Top Rated Plus discount and badge, Top Rated sellers will be required to offer 30-day free returns.

6) Seller Protection

Starting June 1, 2018, sellers offering free returns to their customers, will be able to issue partial refunds. Also, these sellers would have the flexibility to set their own shipping and return policies. eBay will step-in and protect the seller against the buyers who frequently return products and protect seller reputation from negative feedback.

Few aspects of this 2018 Spring Seller Update might not affect a seller’s business directly until early next year. But changing business strategy in -line with the updates, will certainly help sellers to be prepared when they start affecting and can help certainly play a key role in boosting their sales.