Simplx Blog

The McCormic Place West was hopping with this year’s eBay Live! event, spanning three days and serving thousand of eBay buyers and sellers in one of the nation’s largest convention centers. Over one hundred seminars, eighteen formal group discussions, and three dozen computer labs later, it appears that eBay Live! 2008 was just about everything it promised to be.

Seller Focused
2008 is shaping up to be a big year filled to the brim with change, and eBay Live! 2008 reminded all of us that eBay isn’t getting away without a few of its own adjustments. New policies, even good ones, always take some getting used to.

But, even with the changes, eBay is promising not to neglect Sellers in the coming months. The vast majority of seminars, lessons, and computer labs at eBay Live! this year were still focused on the perspective of Sellers, offering instruction on eBay’s new seller-related resources (like eBay Stores) and tips for using PayPal and other services.

Other Vendors
Of course, in addition to services provided directly by eBay at the convention, eBay Live! 2008 gave over 160 vendors the opportunity to offer their eBay-related goods and services to buyers and sellers. Everything from auction research and management software to shipping services were represented, giving visitors the chance to learn about the latest and greatest tools for getting the most out of eBay.

Incidentally, there was also no shortage of “Swag” (free, company-labeled promotional items) at eBay Live! 2008. The subject of which vendors offered the best giveaway materials is still a matter of discussion in our own company….

New Announcements
A few new policies were announced and clarified at eBay Live! 2008 that you should be aware of. Naturally, we advise you to visit eBay’s policy pages to make sure you have the most up-to-date information.

1. As of July first, listings on eBay will need a little extra information from users before they can be posted:

• Item condition (new or used)

• Specifics about return policy

• Handling Time (how long it will take for you to get the product in the mail, rather than simply how long it will take to arrive at the buyer’s door)

2. Beginning in September, eBay will begin routing all e-mail communication between buyers and sellers to preserve anonymity. Users will use temporarily assigned anonymous identifications that will be redirected through eBay to the correct address. As part of this new policy, sellers are not allowed to give their e-mail address anywhere in their correspondence.

Conclusion
And so we bid a fond farewell to eBay Live! 2008, and turn our attention to the news it gave us. Some sellers don’t need to change anything at all in the way they do business, but others are scrambling a little to regroup. Whichever sort of seller you are, we wish you the best and assure you that you can do it!

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