Value Added Resource Week In Review 3-6-22

Liz Morton ~ Founder
Liz Morton ~ Founder


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Welcome to the Value Added Resource week in review. Before we get started, you might notice a few changes around here.

Value Added Resource is expanding to cover more ecommerce topics from an experienced seller perspective and we're looking for valuable resources like you!

Check out our new contributor application page:

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Value Added Resource is growing and looking for valuable resources like you!

And now...on to the week in review!


Events & Announcements

eBay announced this week that eBay Open will be held online again this year, taking place the week of September 19, 2022.

eBay Open Online Scheduled For September 2022
eBay Open Online annual conference to be held the week of September 19, 2022.

Also, don't forget eBay's Virtual Investor Day will be on March 10th at 8 AM Pacific/ 11 AM Eastern, followed by the Spring Seller Check In at 1 PM Pacific/ 4 PM Eastern.

eBay Announces Q4 2021 Earnings Call & 2022 Investor Day
eBay announces Q4 ’21 earnings call will be held February 23rd & a virtual investor day is planned for March 10th.
eBay Spring Seller Check In Slated For March 10th
eBay’s Spring Seller Check in will be in March, moving away from monthly to quarterly seller engagement events.

If you miss either event, don't worry - Value Added Resource will have full coverage of both.

Etsy was the first major marketplace to step up to the plate and waive selling fees for sellers in the Ukraine in response to the ongoing conflict in the country.

Etsy Cancels Fees For Sellers In Ukraine
Etsy is cancelling all current balances owed by sellers in Ukraine in response to the ongoing conflict in the region.

Three days later, eBay updated their response as well, waiving seller fees, matching employee donations at a 2:1 ratio to organizations supporting Ukraine and providing Give At Checkout options, of which eBay will also match "a portion."

eBay Shipping Restrictions, Protections For Ukraine & Russia
eBay has announced shipping restrictions and protections due to current events involving Ukraine and Russia.

Shipping

Sellers are concerned about reports of new USPS rules that may limit how many packages carriers are allowed to scan for pick ups.

Does USPS Have New Rules For Scanning Packages?
eBay community members say they are facing pushback from USPS on carriers scanning packages at pickup.

eBay appears to be working quickly to try to address concerns about custom packaging for authenticated trading cards after reports of shipping damage caught attention on YouTube and across social media.

eBay Improves Authenticated Trading Card Packaging
Swift packaging improvements for authenticated trading cards demonstrate eBay’s unparalleled response to feedback

Technical Issues

The latest update to eBay's iOS app has broken the "sell similar" function with many frustrated users reporting getting a server non-responsive error when trying to list.

eBay iOS App “No Response From Server”
eBay iOS app update v 6.50.0 server response bug breaks “sell similar” function.

Ads, Fees & Payments

eBay has started rolling out visibility to Promoted Listings ad fees on buyer initiated offers, a critical piece of information sellers need to calculate margins and negotiate pricing.

eBay Adds Promoted Listings Visibility To Offers
Sellers have asked for years to be told if Promoted Listings fees will apply on offers - eBay may finally be listening.

The Final Value Fee increases announced in eBay's Winter update went into effect this week - check your Payments reports carefully and adjust prices if needed!

In a refreshing change, eBay has provided a side by side comparison chart for sellers with no store or Starter Store subscriptions and sellers with store subscriptions of Basic and above.

During the Spring update of 2021, sellers asked for such a comparison but eBay said it was too complex for them to present in a "digestible way" - so I had to help them out. 😉Glad to see they've finally figure it out.

eBay Winter Update - Fee Increases & Refund Changes
eBay’s Winter 2022 seller update has good news and bad news about fees.

eBay CEO Jamie Iannone has promised ways to use Managed Payments funds for purchases on the platform since 2020. Will an eBay "virtual wallet" ever be a reality?

Can eBay Managed Payments Funds Be Used For Purchases?
CEO Jamie Iannone has promised ways to use eBay Payments balance for purchases since 2020 - coming soon?

Financial news headlines were dominated this week with speculation that eBay may be exploring adding support for cryptocurrency payments - is crypto really coming soon or is this just a post-earnings Hail Mary?

Is eBay Exploring Cryptocurrency?
eBay CEO Jamie Iannone hints at exploring cryptocurrency, but is it just a post-earnings Hail Mary?

Other News

This week we explored the practice of dropship retail arbitrage and how it negatively impacts buyer experience and hurts legitimate sellers.

Why Did My eBay Order Ship From Amazon?
Dropshipping from retail sites breaks policy, ruins buyer experience & hurts legitimate sellers-why does eBay allow it?

Thanks to best selling author and Top Rated eBay Seller Marsha Collier for providing an expert take on this!

And finally - a group of Etsy sellers are organizing a protest to bring attention to recent fee increases and other issues affecting the platform.

Etsy Sellers Propose Strike To Protest Fee Increase
A group of Etsy sellers are organizing a protest to bring attention to fee increases & other issues on the platform.
Week In Review