Is eBay Spring 2023 Seller Update Coming Soon?
UPDATE 6-5-23
eBay's monthly community chats typically occur on the second Wednesday of the month but it has been moved for June - does that mean a Spring/Summer Seller Update could be released on June 14?
Liz Morton ~ Founder
UPDATE 5-6-23
Surprisingly, eBay did not release a seller update before Q1 earnings and have given no further indication when the Spring Seller Update may occur.
The monthly community chat is scheduled for May 10, and as previously mentioned, typically they do not release updates on the same day as chat to allow community staff to be available to answer questions about the update.
eBay's Summer Seller Check In is scheduled for May 25, but the agenda that has been released so far also doesn't indicate any major changes or updates will be included.
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Based on historical timing, it's unusual for the Spring seller update to be this drawn out, which leads to questions about whether eBay just simply has nothing new ready to release or if there may be other reasons for delay.
Interestingly, Lead/Senior Copywriter and Editor Mark Marinovich recently announced his departure after 7 years at the company.
After more than seven years, I’ve decided to leave my role as copy lead for North America Seller Marketing at eBay and take a minute to refresh and reset. I’m leaving with heartfelt gratitude to innumerable colleagues who opened many doors to me, and whose generous guidance and support helped me become a better writer, teammate, and human being.
I especially want to acknowledge Kristi Diemoz, Brian Burke, Jen Deal, Cassie Layton, Wilson Liang, Jeffrey Cross-Bell, Phil O’Donnell, Chelsea Cooley, Angelina Oribello, Kelly Powers, Deepika Karnik, Lizette Lynch, John Lee, Sheryl Dotillos, and Justin Johnson, as well as a brilliant galaxy of uber-talented eBay stars past and present around the globe. I’ve long forgotten that urgent email or community post we pushed out late one rainy afternoon some November past, but I won’t forget the smart, inspiring people with whom I was privileged to collaborate.
I’ll explore new freelance opportunities over time, but for now I look forward to dabbing some paint, spilling some ink, and staring vacantly out at the waves for a bit. See you down the road, or beach.
In this role, Mark was responsible seller communications announcing platform innovations, process changes, and policy updates as well as all branding, messaging, and positioning for seller communications campaigns; content including podcast scripts, executive talking points, email communications, FAQs and Help content, and social media; and writing and editing eBay Seller Help resources.
While I'm sure there are many people involved in creating and communicating seller policy updates, Mark obviously played a pivotal role in the process and may be a tough person to replace.
UPDATE 4-5-23
eBay has apparently decided not to stick to their previous trend for the timing of the Spring Seller Update this year but we'll be keeping a close eye out for when it will be released.
The monthly eBay community chat is scheduled for April 12 and in the past, when chats were weekly, eBay typically canceled the chat when a Seller Update dropped to allow community staff to attend to dedicated forum threads to answer questions about the update.
If that trend holds, I think it's unlikely the update will be next Wednesday, but they could always decided to throw us a curveball.
eBay also announced they will be holding their Q1 2023 earnings call on April 26.
Since they will likely want to have exciting new features and improvements to tell investors about, I won't be surprised if they release an update on or before the earnings call.
Q2 2023 has officially begun, leaving some sellers wondering - will eBay release a Spring Seller Update soon.
eBay's most recent Winter Seller Update was released on February 1, 2023 and was mostly a fee increase with a few other minor announcements added in.
Liz Morton ~ Founder
While the number and timing of seller updates is not set in stone, typically eBay does larger updates in the Spring and Fall, with a supplemental smaller update occasionally thrown in.
For example in 2019 - eBay had an "early" seller update on February 26, a Spring update April 30 and a Fall update on September 4.
In 2020, there was a Spring update on February 26 and a Fall update on September 9.
In 2021, the Spring Update was on March 3 and Fall Update was on September 8.
2022 again had 3 updates - Winter on February 9, Spring on April 13, and Fall on September 28.
In both recent years with 3 updates, there were 9 weeks between the early or Winter update and the Spring update. So far in 2023 we've had a Winter update on February 1st, so if the 9 week trend holds, we could be looking at a Spring update on or around April 5.
We've also been seeing a lot of new features being tested, which is usually a sure sign a major seller update is not far off.
a few tests, new features, and updates we've noticed recently:
Quick View for Stores:
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Social Media beta:
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Search Visually Similar:
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Auctions added to eBay Live livestream experience:
Liz Morton ~ Founder
View Item Page and Listing Redesign:
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Promoted Listings Updates:
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Liz Morton ~ Founder
And updates to the Payments Policy and User Data and Privacy Policies:
Liz Morton ~ Founder
Liz Morton ~ Founder
When do you think the eBay Spring 2023 Seller Update will happen? Let us know in the comments below!
