Spring 2018 Updates Announced
Spring 2018 Updates Announced
As usual, eBay’s Spring Updates brought a mix of expected changes and surprises – a bit like the Budget.
We have compiled a table to show the changes, the time scale, the reasons if known, and the implications for sellers.
They are listed in the order that we judge most important.
| Change | Date to be implemented | Reason for the change | Implications for sellers |
| Premium Service Badge (Delivery) | June 1st 2018 | Rewards best sellers | Delivery times will need to be faster, tracked and details uploaded |
| 4% extra fee if account is below standard | April 1st 2018 | Below standard sellers generally provide a poorer service to buyers | Less profit immediately if Below Standard |
| Category changes | April 10th 2018 | eBay business model | Categories will need checking for suitability |
| Bespoke shop fronts no longer allowed | Starts May 2018 | Makes page more secure: improves SEO | Billboards still allowed – no substantial impact anticipated |
| Returns Policy in popular categories | May 2018 | eBay business model | If you currently have a 14 day returns policy this will no longer be allowed. |
| Shop by product – catalogue entry compulsory for some products | Starts May 2018 | eBay business model | For new listings only to start with. |
| https – listings will not display if containing https | March 2018 | Aligns with Google requirements | Check for https issues here: https://bit.ly/2CRgClO |
| Anchor shop increase | April 1st 2018 | eBay business model | Significant increase |
| Anchor shop Concierge | April 1st 2018 | eBay business model | Welcome move |
| Seller coupons replace Codeless coupons | June 2018 | More efficient way to promote | |
| Promoted listings | March 2018 | Better tool for sellers | Can decide on how to use Promoted listings |
| More insights in Seller Hub | June 2018 | More efficient way to deal with buyer queries after sale | Easier to see potential problems |
What are the implications?
Possibly the most important change is to the delivery requirements for the Premium Service badge. Many sellers have been using 3-5 day couriers with a free delivery, but this will no longer meet requirements. It’s worth noting that these requirements for tracking only apply to items which sell for more than £20, under £20 do not need to be tracked.
The Premium Service Badge not only boosts listings in search results, it also pays out a 10% discount on fees for those listings. It may be worth assessing if it’s worth switching to Royal Mail or a 24 hour/48 hour courier in order to attain or retain the badge.
If it’s any consolation, any seller aiming for Premium Service will have the same problem.
The Below Standard extra fee is straightforward – eBay has been punishing sellers at this level with reduced visibility in search results, but now is going one step further with direct “fines”. It can be very difficult to climb out of this situation, but we can help and if it’s relevant we will mention this in your report.
Category changes occur every year, to align changing popularity and new products with the eBay classification system. It is usually straightforward but does need checking in case eBay moves you to a less than optimal category, or if the Item specifics don’t line up.
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