eBay has formally announced that it will discontinue the Dutch auction format on the site. The company says that this listing format in which sellers offer multiple-quantity items for sale in one Auction-style listing is little-used on the auction site and it often confuses both buyers and sellers. Dutch auction listings that are live when the format is discontinued will be allowed to run to their conclusion, and Good 'Til Canceled Dutch Auctions will reset to a quantity of one when relisted.
eBay is still promoting fixed-price listings to sellers with the recent announcement that they will be keeping Insertion Fees for books, music, movies and video games on eBay.com at five cents. These fixed-price listings will show up on both the new eBay product pages and in search results. Within these categories sellers also get Subtitle free with a Fixed Price or Auction-style listings, if you list the item with product details.
As an added incentive, starting in May, eBay says that Half.com sellers will be able to choose to have their listings show up on eBay product pages at no extra cost. In the public announcement, eBay says that with almost 60 percent of the inventory on Half.com not currently being offered on eBay, this will go a long way to delivering the selection buyers expect.
Also worth a mention is that eBay has said it will extend its double discounts for free shipping offer through to June of this year. During the promotion, PowerSellers who offer free shipping on Fixed Price and Auction-style listings will get double Final Value Fee discounts. All other sellers get a free Subtitle upgrade on Auction-style and Fixed Price items that are listed with free shipping.
In other news, eBay has also unveiled a new eBay invoice that lets sellers choose a more easy-to-read summary format in addition to the current detailed format. The new summary invoice offers an at-a-glance look at your billing activity instead of detailing individual transactions. This format also includes total amounts for each type of discount, credit or fee, and sellers can also have billing-related e-mails sent to a separate e-mail address.
eBay Launches Its Green Team
eBay has officially launched the eBay Green Team, a new initiative that champions smart ways to shop green and encourages more sustainable buying choices that can save consumers money and help save the planet. This team builds on the grassroots efforts started by its own employees in 2007. Today, more than 1,000 eBay employees in 18 countries are Green Team members, supporting environmental causes in their local communities and championing sustainable business practices within eBay.
The Green Team initiative leverages eBay's reach to invite people to participate in a broader conversation and community around sustainable shopping. The eBay.com Green Team Web site offers content, tips and suggestions for everyday buying decisions and seller operations, as well as resources from the environmental community. Most importantly, eBay says the site will serve as a go-to destination for consumers interested in sharing and hearing from others about why and how they are shopping greener.
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Donahoe Gets 22.5M Compensation in 2008
In other eBay company news, a Monday regulatory filing says that eBay Chief Executive John Donahoe received compensation valued at $22.5 million in 2008. Donahoe's 2008 pay package included a salary of $879,808 and a bonus of $500,000, which is the fourth and final installment of Donahoe's special retention bonus awarded in 2005 when he joined the company. The report indicated that Donahoe received other compensation equal to $279,108 which includes $273,447 worth of personal air travel. He also received stock and option awards valued at $20.1 million when they were granted — the stock is currently trading at much less.
eBay Listing Lesson Learned
According to WNEP-TV, a Pennsylvania school district made a rather costly eBay mistake this week. When listing a used classroom trailer on the auction site, The East Stroudsburg School District listed the item but forgot to set a minimum bid. The trailer, which they had expected to sell at a price between five and ten thousand, sold for a single dollar on the auction site. EBay would not allow the school district to back out of the sale. The school district has said the remaining six trailers will not be listed on the auction site. WNEP-TV reports that the trailers were purchased three years ago for about $46,000 each.
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