EBay Auction Site Behaving like a Teenager

This article was previously published at Pheebay.com

First of all, rather than bore readers with all the new fee details being reported in numerous places around the Internet, I offer these links to get the specific information yourselves direct from eBay.

• For eBay.com Changes click here
• For eBay UK Changes: click here

Having done that I can now look at the deeper impact of the changes being made and offer my opinions.

I've learned over recent years to ignore the terminology used in eBay speak and focus on the substance. For example, we should all know by now that fees that are going down will be called just that, decreases, and we also know that rising fees are not increases but 'adjustments'. Clever eh? So my advice is to disregard everything but the actual facts contained in all that was said and announced in the past day or so.

Once you've cut through all the babble, and examined the substance of all the changes what do you find? Do you see the attention you thought was necessary to tackle the worrying business trends eBay seemed to be admitting to at last? They think you should I'm sure, but do you? What I see happening is a huge gamble but I'm not sure they would agree with me.

It seems eBay decided it had so many changes to introduce it was going to get it all done in one big hit for sellers and clear the way I guess for some carrot throwing to buyers as the 'Best Match' search and feedback changes come to the fore in coming weeks.

But the effect of this worldwide set of changes all at once was to virtually silence opinions in favour of just statements being posted on many blogs, confused sellers were left unsure what to think for hours on end and some mixed messages from real time commentators led to several misunderstandings, swaying opinions, repeated questions and general uncertainty continuing in blogs and forums for much of the day. But in the end I was left thinking that, what we were all led to believe would be announced, was announced and it was only the actual detail that will worry people.