eBay.com postpone new links policy

July 11, 2008

eBay.com are postponing implementation of their new policy banning links from About Me pages to sellers’ websites. According to the most recent Power Up! email newsletter, which is sent out to PowerSellers registered on .com,

the policy announced in May covering links in sellers’ listings or other eBay pages will not be enforced. Instead, we’ll be announcing a clearer and more comprehensive links policy in mid August.

No corresponding policy was ever announced for eBay UK, so it’s still not clear if there will be a change here, and if so, what it will be.

At eBay Live, Brian Burke stated that the new links policy had probably been announced prematurely: certainly there were many unanswered questions that even eBay staff I talked to seemed to need clarification on. It seems that eBay may have changed their minds, for example, on links to non-transactional pages.

Of course, none of this will be much comfort to sellers who spent hours last month changing their listings to comply with the new policy. eBay have now put out an announcement board post confirming that implementation of the policy is being delayed, and that once the new version goes live, sellers will have a four week grace period to amend their listings. Sellers will also not be required to specify shipping prices until August, when improved bulk editing tools will be available to make changes more easily.

Via Skip.

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under Featured, Site Changes, eBay.com | 4 Comments 

Is this the last eBay Live?

March 12, 2008

This post was written in March 2008; specific information contained within it may be out of date.

Creative Commons License photo credit: pmo

Skip McGrath is obviously hearing the same rumours I am, that this year’s eBay Live in Chicago may be the last. I hope it’s not true, but I wouldn’t be surprised: collecting pins, the clapping tunnel and dancing to Weird Al Yankovic seem somehow to belong to an eBay that’s gone with Meg. eBay’s execs these days seem to prefer a more business-like forum: witness JD making the big announcements about eBay changes at the Ecommerce Forum, and now Lorrie Norrington giving the keynote at PeSA’s conference.

eBay Universities also seem to be on their way out. eBay will not be running any UK universites in 2008, though Ireland still have events planned.

Personally, I think this is a shame. I can understand that eBay want to talk to the big sellers, and putting on expensive events for newbies and hobby sellers and those of us who only sell beads ;-) is a poor return on investment. But the chance to meet other sellers, network, brainstorm, and just remind oneself that eBay can be fun as well as work, this I will miss. Who’s up for organising our own event?

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under Featured | 16 Comments