eBay has been continuously working towards enhancing the seller experience. To ease the selling process for its sellers, eBay provides a list of updates every six months that it implements shortly. eBay came forward and announced the new spring seller updates for the year 2021 recently that will affect the next few months starting April 2021.
This year the Spring seller updates 2021 focus on four central pillars of eBay comprising of updates related to,
- Listing & Promoting
- Fees & Financials
- Running your business
- User Agreement update
The managed payments introduced by eBay in 2020 have gained momentum as eBay has worked billions of dollars in settlements for over a million sellers globally.
In eBay’s Fall 2020 Seller Update, eBay introduced:
- New features for Terapeak Research in Seller Hub.
- Time Away tool for sellers who want to go on a break/holiday.
- Protections to sellers when selling a luxury watch.
According to a data survey of December 2020, the store subscribers upgraded to the new Stores design on the eBay app saw a 20% increase in their Store visits. (source: eBay)
Upcoming and newly introduced updates for eBay sellers
Listing & Promoting
Under the listing & promoting section, eBay provides updates related to
#1. Category changes
Starting May 2021, eBay will begin using improved category changes that will help you list in the proper categories automatically. Suppose you list your products in the class that is affected by these changes. eBay will switch your products under the most relevant categories. However, the listing fee will be levied on your listings as per the updated categories.
#2. New item specifics
eBay is known for using the item specifics that you set when listing your products. The item specifics are helpful as they make your product rank better and increase the likelihood of them selling. In the month of May 2021, eBay plans to launch new item specifics that sellers can utilize when creating listings. The newly introduced item specifics include
#3. Unified listing
The unified listing experience will be made available for all the sellers by mid-May 2021. It has been developed using a new technology that allows you to list your products quicker, helping you create the listing more efficiently
It combines features from eBay’s listing flows and will give you a design and interface that remains consistent across all your devices, i.e., mobile, tablet, and desktop. The unified listing will also eliminate the use of multiple listing tools on changing devices.
#4. Automating Promoted Listings
The spring seller updates bring a new addition to the promoted listing feature. The automated promoted listing gives you the power to automatically add or remove listings from campaigns while adjusting ad rates according to the pre-set rules you apply.
Sellers can experience the feature getting added to your promoted listing campaigns from April 2021.
#5. Coded coupons
eBay is introducing new coded coupons that your buyers at the checkout can avail. However, the added feature will be available for the sellers selling on eBay through store subscriptions. One can benefit from these coupons from the Seller Hub tab. The coded coupons that will be introduced in the spring of 2021 will replace the previously codeless coupons.
The coupons come with a choice to make it available for users all across the marketplace or creating one privately. When creating a private coupon, it can be made available for all, or you can decide on the list of buyers who can access your coded coupon.
#6. Terapeak Product Research updates
The tweaks and tuning of Terapeak product research will refine your search by identifying the relevant categories based on the keywords used for the search. It makes the utilization of item specifics more critical in your listings.
#7. Performance in Seller Hub
The performance tab gets an uplift with the addition of two new features that’ll help and guide you throughout your selling process. Furthermore, the additions are,
- Listing Quality report: The report lets you download and analyze the information of your entry-level and category-level listings. It is a great addition that’ll help you scale your growth through the sales report and a comparative report against your competitors for the product rankings.
- Traffic report: It lets you track and analyze impressions based on various factors based on search and non-search. Also, it gives you a description of impressions from the top 20 search results slots.
Managing a store on frameworks like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Opencart, Prestashop, or Magento, while selling on eBay can boost your sales while increasing the efficiency of your operations.
Fees & Financials
One of the most significant announcements for the spring seller update 2021 is the increase in zero insertion fee listing for sellers enrolled under managed payments by eBay. Starting April 2021, sellers will get an increased limit for their free listings. The limit will be set based on their store subscription.
eBay also retired the promoted listing credits offered to the Anchor and Enterprise store owners ($25 per month) and Top Sellers ($30 each quarter). Also since 1st April, sellers got the New Terapeak Sourcing Insights, which gives you a complete analysis of the best categories and the products to sell.
Running Your Business
#1. Option to cancel the unpaid items
eBay eliminated the need to file claims for outstanding items or reminders for the same. Under the new arrangements, eBay itself reminds the buyer proactively about the dues. A seller can now automatically/manually cancel the order if the buyer does not make the payment within five calendar days of placing the order. Moreover, the best part, eBay removes the buyer’s ability to leave feedback once the order gets canceled. It will also remove feedback if the buyer dropped it before he canceled the order.
#2. Manage post-sale requests
The month of April also introduces a new update that saves time for the sellers. Now you can view as well as manage all your returns, payment disputes, eBay Money Back Guarantee claims, “item not received” requests, and order cancellations directly from Seller Hub or My eBay itself. The update eliminates the requirement of connecting with the resolution center to get things done.
#3. Partial refunds on auto-accepted returns
The partial refund option gives you an opportunity to make savings with the returns that a buyer creates. eBay automatically accepts when a return is initiated (depending on your shipping policy). However, coming spring of 2021, you can offer partial refunds on returns, which can benefit your savings with the cost of shipping for your returns.
User Agreement Update
The spring seller update 2021 brings a new update to the User Agreement that’ll be effective from 2nd April 2021. The last update came on 20th August 2020.
The user agreement contains terms and conditions that one agrees to while registering and initiating their sales.
Key Takeaways
With the newest features and updates rolling out for the sellers this spring of 2021, you can clearly expect a better and refined selling experience. The key components to keep in mind when selling on eBay include:
- Automated promoted listings,
- New categories,
- Improved item specifics,
- Introduction to new coded coupons and more.
The features not only make it easy for you to list and sell but also simplify the process. The spring seller updates also increase zero listing fees for sellers managing their payments through eBay. Moreover, it is a much-appreciated move that takes listings limits for the sellers with store subscriptions to a much better space.
If you’re still in a fix on whether to start selling on eBay, these updates should help you in getting the much-needed clarity of what to expect in the upcoming months that’ll benefit you as a seller. Contact us through Skype: live:support_35785, or drop a mail. We’ll get back to you at the earliest to help you sell on eBay without any obstacles.