eBay Offers Details on Paperless Payments
Last week staff from eBay, PayPal and ProPay held an online workshop to help sellers get ready for paperless payments. Beginning late October, all items listed on eBay must be paid for using approved electronic payment options including direct credit or debit card payment via a merchant credit card account, PayPal or ProPay. Payment on pick-up will be allowed, however checks and money orders are not.

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During the workshop, eBay suggested that sellers who do not already meet these requirements will need to do so by removing any references to prohibited payment methods in their item descriptions. If you only offer checks, money orders or other prohibited payments, in October you will need to add PayPal or sign up with ProPay. A representative from eBay did post that a seller can accept check and money order payment from a buyer if (and only if) the buyer requests it. EBay's take on this is that they will not take action against a seller who is trying to accommodate a customer and complete a sale if they are otherwise in compliance with the policy. It's interesting to note that questions from sellers about this policy went largely unanswered during the online workshop.

Here are some details on what sellers can expect from ProPay and PayPal after October:

ProPay:  ProPay provides each seller with an individual merchant account and merchant ID that will enable eBay sellers to accept and process credit and debit card transactions immediately, without requiring their buyers to first sign up for their own ProPay accounts. In September ProPay is expected to release merchant accounts designed specifically for eBay sellers.
 

PayPal: A PayPal representative indicated that PayPal will also make several changes as eBay works toward paperless payments. PayPal currently has a limit today of $10,000 per transaction, but that will be increased when these changes take effect in late October. PayPal is also offering an introductory offer to eBay's sellers who currently only accept checks and money orders. If this describes your eBay business, you can signup for PayPal under the promotion which will eliminate your PayPal fees for the rest of 2008.

During the workshop one seller did ask if eBay would charge a Final Value Fee (FvF) based on the total of the item price plus shipping once eBay migrated to all electronic payments and checkout. Currently, eBay sellers do not pay a FvF to eBay that is derived from the cost of shipping charged to buyers, only the item sale price. Neither eBay or PayPal representatives answered this question, which was repeated by other sellers but seemingly ignored during the remainder of the workshop.  Sellers can read the entire Paperless Payments workshop discussion here.

eBay Requires Sellers to Specify Shipping
As announced back in March and then clarified again in May, eBay now requires sellers to specify domestic shipping services and costs in the shipping details section of their listing. Sellers may need to revise some of their listings to meet this new requirement, and you can do that by editing each listing individually or revise them in bulk using eBay's Bulk Edit tool (or Turbo Lister).

Ebay & Auction Tools Roundup

Terapeak Offers NFL Sales Info
Terapeak has recently assembled a league-wide sales index that compares the eBay sales of all 32 NFL clubs. Using Terapeak, sellers can sort market research data results by conference or division and see how each team ranks in Total Sold Items, Average Price and Total Sales.  Terapeak says that as expected, the Cowboys are selling nearly twice as well as the next-best team (Pittsburgh), but there are plenty of surprising results. Last year's Super Bowl combatants, the Patriots and Giants, both rank fifth in their respective conferences in Total Sales, behind three non-playoff teams: the Bears, Browns and Jets. Jacksonville, meanwhile, has sold fewer items on eBay in the past 30 days than any other team in the league.

Webfetti Offers Free eBay Graphics
Webfetti, an online 'free-for-the-asking' graphics Web site is offering layouts
and thousands of exclusive fun graphics for those eBay sellers looking to add a little pizzazz to their eBay auction listings. The newly added eBay section on the Web site includes several animated 'Bid Now' graphics plus 'new' and 'free shipping' icons. Webfetti has also posted a tutorial page to help sellers use Webfetti graphics in their listings.

Hits & Misses: eBay Alternatives & Storefront News
Each week there is always news and updates from the smaller group of eBay Alternative (define) sites. While we haven't reviewed the following sites and services, smaller and part-time sellers who use alternatives and hosted storefronts can check out the following updates and launches and decide which, if any, will be a worthwhile investment.

• The SOC Exchange lets sellers list an unlimited number of items in an online storefront for $1 per month or $10 per year. Each item can include up to four images, and online sellers can also post a blog on their storefront. The SOC Exchange charges sellers no additional fees or listing and commission charges. (Alexa Traffic Rank for SOC Exchange: Not in top 100,000 - 2,841,447)
   
• Atomic Mall lets you list items and create storefronts, without ever paying a listing fee, regardless of the number of items you list. Using Atomic Mall, sellers will only be charged a commission fee when an item sells. Storefronts, chat, and bulk uploaders are also fee, and your items are automatically submitted to Google Shopping, Oodle and other shopping comparison sites. (Alexa Traffic Rank for Atomic Mall: Not in top 100,000 - 799,348)
   
• Those looking to buy or sell new and used video games and accessories can check out the niche game auction site, Dawdle.com. Dawdle offers free listings fees and charges a flat 11.99 percent commission when an item sells. In addition to Get It Now and Sell It Now, Dawdle also allows users to name their own prices as a buyer or a seller. (Alexa Traffic Rank for Dawdle: Not in top 100,000 - 222,118)
   
• HighEndCrazy.com, a free online auction site and classified directory that launched last year, announced that the site is dedicated to remaining free for all users. The site allows users to sell items via auction or classified ad, and all items for sale can be automatically added to a storefront. (Alexa Traffic Rank for HighEndCrazy: Not in top 100,000 - 825,608)