Ebay Lowering Listing Fees, Changing Feedback Policy

I received this message from Ebay today. Looks like they are finally realizing that the increased listing fees and ending value fees were too high. I know so many people who stopped listing on Ebay. When individuals with the truly interesting stuff stop listing, it does make Ebay a boring place, full of China import resellers. So I think this is good news, it should help revitalize Ebay. They just had to feel the pinch financially to realize they were on the wrong track before.

I know a lot of artists who discovered Etsy.com (I was among them) and I started listing some art there. Probably other auction sites have opened up and given Ebay some competition, given the morale of a lot of the Ebay sellers, it gave competitors an opening to squeeze in a little on the auction giant Ebay. Ebay is still my number one place to go when I am looking for something that's off the beaten track.

I'm not so sure about not allowing any negative feedback for Buyers though. Ebay is only going to allow postitive feedback from Seller to Buyer. I guess that will keep customers happy, but as someone who has sold on ebay and purchased, it seems only fair for both Seller and Buyer to be able to leave feedback for each other. Sellers paid fairly hefty fees to list items, and then when someone bails on a Seller and doesn't pay, it can be very annoying for a Seller. But, when I think of the feedback changes as a trade-off for lower fees for Sellers, it does make sense why they are doing this.

Here is the email I received - let me know what you think about it!

"Seller Update: Fees, Rewards & Standards
eBay buyers want value and selection from sellers they can trust--and good sellers deserve rewards for delivering great customer service. That's why we're making a number of important changes that may affect you:

1. Reduced Listing Fees
   You asked, we listened. We're reducing Insertion Fees and adjusting Final Value Fees to lower your up-front cost to sell on eBay. You wanted free Gallery, now you've got it--plus more feature discounts.
   • Lower Insertion Fees
   • Making Gallery free
   • Lower fees for Gallery Plus, Picture Pack, and Feature Plus
   
   
2. Rewards for great sellers
   There will be discounts and incentives for those who satisfy customers best. Who decides who gets rewarded? Customers do, by giving sellers high Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs).
   • More search exposure through Best Match
   • Fee discounts for PowerSellers
   • Increased protection for PowerSellers
   
   
3. Feedback Changes
   Significant changes coming soon will increase buyer confidence and showcase good sellers.
   • Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
   • Positive repeat customer Feedback will count and Feedback more than 12 months old won't.
   • Negative and neutral Feedback left by the buyer will be removed for transactions in which a buyer doesn't respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) or if the member is suspended.
   
   

For more details on how these changes may affect you, attend a special Seller Webinar at 10:00 a.m. this Friday, February 1. You may also see announcements from eBay executives on the Announcement Board."