Among the measures proposed by the self-styled global marketplace last week were reduced listing fees for fixed price sellers and the imminent end to transactions by cheque and postal order.
Already 43 per cent of eBay’s sales are for Buy It Now goods (those offered at a fixed price rather than inviting bids). From September 24, Buy It Now listings will last up to 30 days (trebling the current maximum exposure time of ten days) and be subject to a fixed listing fee, regardless of price.
More fees will be payable only after an item has sold.
The axing of charges to upload photos, and the greater prominence that will be given to fixed price listings on the site, are measures that will appeal further to the bigger retailers eBay want to attract.
Already this year, eBay have controversially tinkered with their fee structure and their feedback system and taken measures to improve customer safety.
“I’d say this is the most fundamental change we’ve made, ever, to the marketplace,” Lorrie Norrington, president of eBay marketplace operations in the US, told reporters. “It’s a huge shift from where we’ve been.”
EBay denied they were moving away from auctions and said fears that auction listings would now be buried underneath Fixed-Price listings are unfounded.
Changes to their search facility will expose auction or fixed-price listings more heavily in search results, depending on the category. For example, it would probably show more auction than fixed-price listings in the ceramics categories.
The move to an electronic checkout system further signals the end of an era and the desire to make the site more attractive to online shoppers looking for everyday goods from retailers rather than just person-to-person bargain hunters.
Moving steadily away from their roots, the online auction site, founded in 1995 in San Jose, California, will – perhaps as early as November – ban cheques, money orders and postal orders. Users will have to pay by credit card, PayPal or the credit card processing service ProPay.
Despite selling £30bn worth of goods a year and attracting two out of every three internet shoppers in the UK, eBay’s active user numbers are barely rising.
By Roland Arkell
