Ebay Basics of Selling class in Southeast Michigan

New forever priority boxes

2011-04-12T12:25:00.001-07:00

USPS to Offer Forever Postage for Priority Mail Flat-Rate Packaging
By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes.com
April 11, 2011

The U.S. Postal Service will offer Forever postage on Priority Mail flat rate packaging beginning April 17, 2011. Forever postage is good for mailing anytime in the future, regardless of price changes; the first Forever stamp was introduced in 2007 for First Class mail. With the new Priority Mail Forever postage, the Postal Service will offer bundles of Priority Mail packaging that have prepaid mailing labels affixed for the following types of packaging:

Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes - Regular, Legal, Padded;
Priority Flat Rate Boxes - Small, Medium (2 styles), Large.

The Forever Prepaid Flat Rate Packaging will be available for purchase in 3, 5, 10, and 25 count packs.

According to the USPS, the change provides convenience to customers, who will no longer have to go online to purchase postage, affix it to a package, and wait in line at a post office to mail the package. They will now be able to give the package to their carrier, drop it in an automated postal center, or drop it off at a Postal Service retail counter.

The PRC issued an order on April 7, 2011 approving the use of Forever postage on Priority Mail flat rate packaging.

changes starting April19th ebay handout

2011-04-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

List Auction-style FREE, any start price, all the time. Add Buy It Now FREE to grab buyers in a hurry.

Dear flysinointment:

Just a reminder that starting April 19, Standard Auction-style fees will be changing and you'll be able to list FREE at any start price--up to 50 items a month. Plus, you can add the Buy It Now option FREE to grab those buyers who don't want to wait for your listing to end. In short, you can list even your higher priced items free and pay only if they sell.

Also, to encourage low-cost shipping, Final Value Fees for all sellers will be applied to the total amount of the sale, including shipping.

To get the lowest overall fees, just keep your shipping costs low and consider offering free shipping.

2011-03-29T09:42:00.001-07:00

Insertion fee for fixed price format listings

Buy It Now price	Fixed price insertion fee
$0.99 or higher	$0.50

Note: The insertion fee applies to each listing, regardless of the quantity of items in the listing.

2010-09-28T08:37:00.001-07:00

What is it?
Starting September 28, 2010, list your items for free—no Insertion Fees, regardless of the start price of your item. Just list them Auction-style with no reserve price. This promotion has a cap of 100 listing per month and applies to sellers who do not have an eBay Stores subscription.

If you have already sold more than ten (10) items on eBay, your detailed seller ratings (DSRs) must be 4.5 or higher on all four criteria (Communication, Shipping Cost, Shipping Time, and Item as Described) to be eligible for this Promotional Rate. DSR rating criteria for this promotion will be based on the previous 12 months. If buyers have left you DSRs on 10 or more transactions, you'll have access to a Seller Dashboard within My eBay where you can see your current rating. For more information on DSRs, visit the Seller Information Center.

New sellers who don't yet have DSR ratings are also eligible.

How is this special promotion different from eBay standard fees for Auction-style listings?
Instead of receiving free Insertion Fees for your first 100 Auction-style listings which have a start price of 99¢ or less with no reserve price plus 100 Auction-style listings regardless of start price (for a total of 200 free Insertion Fees), qualified sellers will pay no Insertion Fees for the first 100 Auction-style listings which have no reserve price, regardless of start price. There is a limit of 100 listings eligible per calendar month, for this promotional rate during the Promotion Period.

When is it?
This promotion starts on Tuesday, September 28, 2010, at 00:00:01 PT (12:00 AM plus one second on September 28, 2010) and will end on Friday January 7, 2011, at 23:59:59 PT (11:59 PM plus 59 seconds) (the "Promotion Period"). For listings on www.ebay.ca, the promotion will begin at 12:00 AM plus one second on Tuesday, September 28, 2010, ET and will end on Friday, January 7, 2011, at 11:59 PM plus 59 seconds ET.

What are the fees?
During the Promotion Period, Insertion Fees for up to 100 Auction-style listings, per calendar month, will be FREE on the U.S. site www.ebay.com, eBay Motors (Parts & Accessories only) www.eBayMotors.com, and eBay Canada www.ebay.ca, as reflected in the fee table below.* Listings created prior to September 28, 2010, which are scheduled to start during the Promotion Period, will be eligible to receive the Promotional Rate.

Please note: For sellers listing with any tool other than the latest version of the Sell Your Item form (SYI 3.0), the Promotional Rate will not be shown during the listing process. Instead, the discount will be reflected in the "View Account Status" section in My eBay, as well as in your next invoice.

Is there a way I can keep track of how many listings I have left that would be eligible for this special promotion?
Yes. You can view this information directly in My eBay and in Selling Manager, and Selling Manager Pro, under "Listing Offers." A separate counter will be displayed specifically for this Promotion. You will see the counters only if you have listed an eligible item during the Promotion Period.

Fees

Starting Price	Insertion Fees
$0.01-$0.99	FREE!*
$1.00-$9.99	~~$0.25~~ FREE!*
$10.00-$24.99	~~$0.50~~ FREE!*
$25.00-$49.99	~~$0.75~~ FREE!*
$50.00-$199.99	~~$1.00~~ FREE!*
$200.00+	~~$2.00~~ FREE!*
Selling Price	Final Value Fee
Items not sold	No Fee
$0.01 and above	9% of sale price ($50 cap)

2010-08-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

2010-01-26T13:10:00.001-08:00

Dear flysinointment:

Starting March 30, 2010 selling on eBay will be a better deal than ever!

List Auction-style FREE--no Insertion Fees--when you start your Auction-style listing under $1.
Get new, lower Insertion Fees for all other start prices.
Either way, pay one easy Final Value Fee of 9% of the winning bid (but never more than $50)-and pay only if your item sells.
List in Fixed Price for 50¢, with Final Value Fees for the most part staying the same.

This new standard fee structure will replace the current "first 5 listings free"--you'll pay no Insertion Fees whenever you list Auction-style and start pricing under $1!*

Get complete details on the new eBay fees and get ready to SELL!

More changes coming

2009-08-09T16:40:00.001-07:00

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/July2009Update/Overview/index.html

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/July2009Update/Chart/index.html

Changes coming to PayPal seller protection

2009-08-09T15:53:00.001-07:00

We are revising Sections 10.1 and 10.2 of the User Agreement. The revised section will read as follows:

“10.1 Your Liability. You are responsible for all Reversals, Chargebacks, Claims, fees, fines, penalties and other liability incurred by PayPal, a PayPal User, or a third party caused by or arising out of your breach of this Agreement, and/or your use of the Services.
1. Liability for PayPal Buyer Protection Claims, and Buyer Complaint Policy Claims. If PayPal makes a final decision that you lose a Claim filed directly with PayPal, you will be required to reimburse PayPal for your liability. Your liability will include the full purchase price of the item and original shipping cost (and in some cases, you may not receive the item back). PayPal Seller Protection may cover your liability, see section 11 below.
2. Liability for claims filed directly with eBay under eBay’s resolution process.If you are an eBay seller, eBay requires that you comply with their resolution process. As such, you have provided eBay with permission to make a final decision on a claim that a buyer files against you directly with eBay. If eBay makes a final decision that you lose a claim, you agree to allow PayPal to remove funds from your PayPal Account in order to reimburse eBay for your liability. Seller Protection does not cover claims filed with eBay.
3. Opt-Out. If you do not want to allow PayPal to reimburse eBay for your liability, you may opt-out by calling eBay at 1-866-643-3727. Your opt-out will be effective within 3 Business Days. If you opt-out then eBay will not use your PayPal Account to recover amounts that you owe due to an eBay claim that you lost. This opt-out will not affect other amounts that you pay to eBay using your PayPal Account (such as your eBay fees).
10.2 Reimbursement for Your Liability. In the event that you are liable for any amounts owed to PayPal, PayPal may immediately remove such amounts from your Balance. If you do not have a Balance that is sufficient to cover your liability, your Account will have a negative Balance and you will be required to immediately add funds to your Balance to eliminate the negative Balance. If you do not do so, PayPal may engage in collection efforts to recover such amounts from you.”

DSR changes coming

2009-08-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

Beginning October 2009, eBay is going to calculate a low DSR percentage for sellers based on the total number of low DSR scores a seller receives from buyers. A buyer who purchases 10 items and leaves 10 low DSR ratings will have the same effect as 10 different buyers who each purchase 1 item and leave a low DSR score.

eBay allows sellers to use the Buyer Requirements to specify the criteria whereby a buyer can be blocked. Previously, eBay allowed sellers to limit buyers to purchasing no more than 10 items at a time. However, eBay is now giving sellers much more flexibility in limiting the number of items each buyer can purchase at a time. eBay sellers can now limit buyers from bidding on or purchasing additional items after they have purchased anywhere from 1 to 100 items. So, it is now possibly for eBay sellers to limit buyers so that they can purchase no more than one item every 10 days if the seller so chooses.

More changes coming

2009-05-31T08:48:00.001-07:00

This is to follow up on our earlier emails about the exciting changes coming the week of June 15 that will make it faster and easier for you to sell your items on eBay.

1. Easier, more visual shopping

2. Key information right up front

3. More great ways to make buying and selling easy

Ship from home! Pay for shipping and print the shipping label right on eBay. Plus, order free boxes and schedule a free package pickup.
New, more efficient process for resolving disputes
FREE Selling Manager to help you sell more

Coming back!

2009-05-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

I am in recovery from my emergency heart surgery and will be offering classes this Fall. Look here for dates and times. I did lots of Ebaying while recovering at home!

Break Time!

2009-03-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

All finished with classes at all 3 venues for the next month of April. It has been a very busy Winter and early Spring. eBay classes are more popular than ever, one reason I believe being the bad economy .eBay can be a revenue source for people just from items around the house or items that may come their way from gifts, discards etc. Back to classes in May!

The Taxman Cometh

2009-03-18T10:04:00.001-07:00

With the economy worsening, more and more people are likely trying to make ends meet by selling goods via eBay, Amazon.com, Google Checkout and other online services. The Internal Revenue Service is fixing to wield a big new weapon to get its cut.

Desperate to generate revenues by narrowing the "tax gap" (and at the urging of the Bush administration), Congress last year passed legislation requiring processors of third-party payments and settlements--mainly payment card companies and services like Paypal--to report to the IRS individuals and business entities that receive at least $20,000 a year in credit- or debit-card charges from 200 or more transactions. The mandatory reporting, buried in the Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008, would begin in 2011.

The IRS is already soliciting comments on how to implement the law. The primary mechanism likely would be a once-a-year issuance of a variation of Form 1099 reporting gross receipts paid.

Here's the big implication: If the IRS sees a credit card or Paypal 1099 issued for an individual who has filed a tax return that doesn't include a Schedule C (Net Profit From Business-Sole Proprietorship) or includes one showing too little in sales, or to a business reporting too little in sales, the agency might target the recipient for an audit. If an audit target fails to produce acceptable documentation of his or her business proceeds and expenses, the IRS might well include all the revenue reported on the 1099s, disallow any undocumented business expenses and then assess taxes, interest and possibly penalties on profits a taxpayer didn't even have.

A large number of mom-and-pop Internet sellers won't reach the $20,000, 200-transaction threshold for payment card reporting. But if you're one who might, or you simply want to avoid any IRS hassles, how best to protect yourself?

For starters, we recommend honesty. (After all, even sales that aren't subject to 1099 reporting are legally required to be reported on your tax return.) Close behind honesty is keeping good records, which, in this day of easy-to-use computer programs like Quicken, Microsoft Money and QuickBooks, is no longer an obstacle. On eBay, if worse comes to worse, regularly download and print out the page showing all transactions for the past two months.

Proxy bidding would have saved this person.

2009-03-10T14:21:00.001-07:00

Speeding driver tells State Patrol he was rushing to bid on eBay

By Sara Jean Green

Seattle Times staff reporter

So maybe it's not an exact case of life imitating art, but a Fall City man may have been channeling the character played by Steve Carrell in the 2005 film, "The 40 Year Old Virgin."

In the film, Carrell plays a socially-challenged, middle-aged man who falls in love with a woman who makes a mint selling his collection of action figures on eBay.

According to the State patrol, action figures and eBay also figure in the arrest of James Garrett Monday night on suspicion of reckless driving.

Just after 9 p.m., a State Patrol trooper patrolling Interstate 90 saw a speeding 2004 Volkswagen R32 passing other vehicles in the express lane in the Mount Baker Tunnel. As the Volkswagen came out of the tunnel, the trooper clocked it going 110 mph as it continued across the floating bridge. With the trooper behind him, the driver eventually pulled over on Mercer Island.

The driver, who was identified as Garrett, told the trooper he had to get home to Fall City because he was late bidding on a coveted item and eBay was about to close the auction, said Trooper Dan McDonald, a spokesman for the State Patrol in Bellevue.

According to McDonald, Garrett "didn't say what he was bidding on but the trooper said his car was filled with Star Wars stuff."

Garett's car was impounded — with all his Star Wars collectibles inside — and Garrett was booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of reckless driving.

Dutch Auctions being discontinued on eBay

2009-03-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

Dutch Auctions are finally being discontinued on eBay. Thank God! It was a nightmare to try to teach and according to eBay very confusing to potential buyers.

Dutch Auctions are being discontinued; Single-quantity auctions not affected

eBay is discontinuing Dutch Auctions on May 6, 2009, because we've found that most of our sellers are now listing multiple items with Fixed Price or Store Inventory formats. These formats are easier and more cost-effective for sellers and less confusing for buyers.

This change only affects auction-style listings with a quantity of 2 or more products. You can still list multi-quantity products in Fixed Price or Store Inventory formats.

Your single-quantity auction-style listings will be business as usual - this change will not affect them in any way.

Any Dutch Auction listings that are already live on May 6 will not be cancelled, but you will not be able to list any new online auctions with a multiple quantity (2 or more) in any category. After May 6, 2009, if you relist an online auction with a multiple quantity, you'll see the quantity reset to 1.

Sincerely,
eBay Seller Team

Recent classes at Monroe County CC, Ann Arbor and Canton Township

2009-03-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

All classes at Monroe County Community College, Canton Township Leisure Services and Ann Arbor Recreation and Education ran great with full attendance. Even in a "down" economy eBay is a great forum to clean out the garage or basement for Spring or bring in some extra cash. Several classes remain at all locations before Summer! Come learn what Franklin Roosevelts fireside chats has to to with selling your item on eBay!

First class at the Summit on the Hill Canton

2009-02-06T19:13:00.001-08:00

Our first class was completed recently at the Summit on the Hill in Canton, our latest venue. It went very well. It is a great facility for such presentations and this group of students was very involved and asked great questions. Jennifer and Jason are as always very helpful. We look forward to the next scheduled session. It is great to help a new batch of eBayers join the community. The Tootsie Rolls however are starting to run low and we are going to have to get some more before the next session.

Hard Times boost eBay classes

2009-02-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

eBay classes filling up to help people sell stuff
More Related Content

by Dave Young, News2

September 3, 2008

GREENWOOD VILLAGE (KWGN) With money in a tight squeeze, more of us these days are turning to the internet to pick up a few extra dollars.

In fact, a new survey showed the average household has about 52 unused items, that could bring in hundreds of dollars.

But would you even know where to begin selling them online?

Welcome to eBay class.

These folks are among the estimated 30 percent of all adults surveyed who said they're likely to sell personal or household items over the next three months to raise extra cash.

Most of that done on sites like eBay.

"More people are needing extra money and they're liquidating some of the items they have in their homes," said eBay Instructor Terry Gehrke, "Their collectibles or items that are just collecting dust. "

And eBay said its classes are full right now because of the economy and cost of living.

"I think people are spending less money and they want to see where they can get a bargain," said Alexis Cunningham, who is taking an eBay class, "Where their money, they'll get the most bang for their buck with their money. "

"It is estimated that the average family has more than $3,100 in items," said Gehrke, "That means some of us have even more than that. "

And everything from clothes, to electronics, home decor, furniture and cars are showing a growth in sales on eBay.

These classes teach the secrets to getting them sold.

"Show them the proper way to register, show them what type of PayPal account, because there's three different ones and then the best way to get a professional looking photo, how to write a description that's going to sell," Gehrke said.

In fact, nearly half of those surveyed by eBay said they are turning to online sites to save money on everyday purchases.

Watch those DSR's

2008-10-22T08:09:00.001-07:00

New seller standards: minimum 4.3 on all DSRs

What are the minimum DSR requirements to list on eBay?
Starting November 3, 2008, sellers will be expected to have a minimum of 4.3 over the past 30 days in all four detailed seller ratings (DSRs): item as described, communication, shipping time, and shipping and handling charges. Sellers with less than 10 DSRs over the past 30 days will be evaluated on their DSRs over the last 12 months.

Is this new Seller Standards policy likely to impact a large number of sellers?
No. The vast majority of sellers on eBay, about 96%, have DSRs at or above 4.3. The main purpose of this new policy is to protect the interests and reputation of that large majority from the impact of the few sellers whose customer satisfaction levels are below a reasonable standard.

What happens to sellers who do not meet the DSR requirements by November 3, 2008?
Sellers with a DSR below 4.1 will be blocked from listing on eBay.com. Sellers with a DSR below 4.3 but higher than 4.1 may have their listings further demoted in search results.

What does it mean to be "blocked" from selling? Is this the same as suspension? How long will a seller be blocked?
Sellers will not be allowed to list, but will not be suspended. Sellers will continue to be blocked from listing as long as their DSRs are not at least 4.1. Blocked sellers may list items again once their DSRs meet or exceed the threshold. Blocked sellers can accomplish this in the following ways:

* Complete current transactions successfully and receive high DSRs
* If 12-month DSRs are above the minimum standard, wait for low DSRs over the last 30 days to roll off until the 30-day DSRs are above the threshold or a full 30-days have passed
* If 12-month DSRs are below the threshold, wait until low DSRs to roll off

Will existing listings of sellers falling below 4.1 DSRs be removed from the site?
No, existing listings will not be removed but sellers will be blocked from new listings and from relisting, and Good 'til Cancelled listings will not renew. Blocked sellers are encouraged to complete existing listings and earn high DSR scores to meet the minimum standards and regain listing privileges.

What happens to sellers who meet the thresholds by November 3, 2008, but fall below the threshold in the future? Will they have an opportunity to improve or appeal?
Sellers may immediately be blocked from listing if they fall below the threshold after November 3rd, 2008. Sellers will not be given warnings and opportunities to improve, but there will be an appeals process.

How are DSRs evaluated? Are DSRs rounded?
DSRs are based on the last 30 days of activity; sellers with less than 10 DSRs in 30 days will be evaluated on the last 12 months. DSRs are rounded, therefore a Shipping Time DSR of 4.05 will round up to 4.1, whereas a DSR of 4.04 will round down to 4.0.

What about new sellers or people who sell only occasionally with no DSRs?
Sellers with less than 10 DSRs in the last 12 months will be allowed to sell and will be evaluated using 12-month DSRs once they have 10 or more.

Will sellers from other countries be held to the Seller Standards?
Sellers from other countries listing directly on eBay.com, eBay Motors Parts & Accessories, and Half.com will be held to the standard.

Do my DSRs from outside the US count toward these requirement limits?
All DSRs are included in the computation of your scores. While international shipping and handling scores are on average lower than domestic, they impact typical US sellers by less than 0.02 points.

Will Seller Non-performance continue to be enforced?
Yes. Sellers are expected to maintain a Buyer Satisfaction rating of "Good" in their Seller Dashboard. Any rating below Good puts the seller at risk of violating the Seller Non-performance Policy, as well as loss of PowerSeller status, demotion in search, selling restrictions and other sanctions.