EBay announces plans to roll best match out on Motors, the company introduces major changes in Electronics and Jewelry categories and eBay Mobile offers a free promotion. Meanwhile, court appeals and rulings over the issue of policing counterfeits keep coming. Plus, ReplyManager offers e-mail management for sellers.
Easy Listing with New Catalog Search
EBay's Seller Experience team this week made several changes to the Sell Your Item (SYI) form, in another attempt at making the listing process easier for sellers. Starting this week, the category choices under top-level groups are organized in such a way that you can more quickly select the appropriate categories.
In the near future, eBay also plans to change the way you choose matches with eBay's catalog. When entering keywords, you may have encountered a long list of choices that were organized in alphabetical order. EBay's public announcement on this issue states that in a few weeks some categories will display catalog items in order of popularity on eBay, making it easier for the majority of sellers to match items faster. The catalog choices will also be displayed in two columns to reduce page scrolling.
eBay Mobile Offers Freebie Promotion
In an effort to boost eBay Mobile, a service that sends users text messages (SMS) when they have been outbid or when an auction is about to end, eBay waived its 25 cent fee charged to receive the alerts. Those wanting to take advantage of the free offer can simply visit the SMS Page on eBay and opt to receive the text alerts via eBay.com. Even though eBay removed the fee from now through November, your own carrier's standard text messaging rates will apply.
Big Changes in Electronics and Jewelry Categories
While eBay has made changes to several categories this week, those who list in Jewelry or Electronics will find significant updates. The Electronics category is now being called Consumer Electronics, making it a broader category for listing professional and consumer equipment. EBay said that at a later time, a Pro Audio & Stage Effects area for DJ gear, lighting effects, mixers and amplifiers will also be added. Sellers listing in the Musical Instruments section will now need to use Electronics to list Pro Audio items. The Electronics category has also been updated to eliminate the redundancy between categories and Item Specifics.
For sellers who list in the Jewelry & Watches category, there are several changes you should be aware of. A new section has been added for Fine Jewelry, which has been included to spotlight non-vintage, non-bridal jewelry composed entirely of genuine gemstones and solid, unplated precious metals.
In the Vintage & Antique Jewelry category, eBay said it will make changes that will let buyers choose their era of interest before they pick the material of the piece. There will also be a third level to classify the jewelry type. During this transition, eBay advised sellers that many items will be moved into "Other" categories. Sellers should move listings into the new categories as soon as they become available.
Also, a separate section for Engagement, Wedding, and Anniversary Jewelry has been added to highlight these popular items.
Best Match Hits Motors
EBay's somewhat controversial Best Match search option will become the default sort method for eBay Motors, starting next week. Best Match uses relevance for sorting and takes into account many key factors when determining the search results. These include Detailed Seller Ratings, which rate shipping policies and such, and a sellers' overall rate of buyer dissatisfaction. Currently Best Match is the default on eBay.com, and is also the default on several International eBay sites including France and Germany. (see eBay Watch: ProStores 9.0, Listing Tools, New Ad Site for additional details on how Best Match works).
Tiffany & Co. File Appeal, Belgian Court Victory
In eBay company news this week, Tiffany & Co. announced that it has filed an appeal on the recent ruling which held that eBay, Inc. is not responsible for policing its auction site for counterfeit goods.
Patrick Dorsey, general counsel, Tiffany & Co. said, "Unfortunately, the trial court incorrectly held that trademark holders and not eBay are responsible for policing the eBay site. The effect of this is that eBay can continue to profit at the expense of consumers and trademark holders. In our view, this approach makes no sense as a matter of law or policy. Once eBay has reason to know that a specific brand like TIFFANY & CO. is being widely counterfeited and sold, eBay should be compelled to investigate and take action to protect its customers and stop the illegal conduct."
Tiffany first sued eBay in 2004 when the company told eBay that 73 percent of a random sample of 'supposed' Tiffany silver jewelry offered on eBay was counterfeit.
Meanwhile, eBay today scored another victory in its legal battles abroad with trademark owners. According to the wire service AFP, a Belgian court ruled that eBay was not required to police its site to prevent counterfeit goods from being sold. The decision, which was made on a lawsuit filed by cosmetic maker L'Oreal, mirrors the initial Tiffany and Co. ruling. On the flip side, a Paris court held in June that eBay was liable for the sale of counterfeit Louis Vuitton goods and other luxury items. EBay, naturally, is appealing.
eBay Tools: ReplyManager's E-mail Management for Sellers
ReplyManager, an eBay Compatible Application, lets eBay sellers manage their inbound e-mail from any device with Internet access. Using an online control panel, merchants can access their e-mail and use an HTML text editor to compose responses. From the main dashboard, e-mail is clearly marked by color letting vendors quickly see which are priority, unread, or closed.
EBay sellers can also use preformatted templates that route e-mail to seller-focused e-mail folders, such as Questions or Auction End Notices. ReplyManager also lets sellers mark notes on e-mails and also choose from several standard replies that can be customized.
Fees for using ReplyManager depend on the space requirements for the volume of e-mail handled. Pricing starts at $50 per month for 25MB up to $300 per month for 2GB. The service is also available as a 15-day free trial.
Vangie Beal is a seasoned online marketplace seller, frequent contributor to ECommerce-Guide.com and avid online bargain hunter. She is also managing editor of Webopedia.com.
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