eBay.com Announcements

[*wheels*]

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200905041045102.html

***Changes to the eBay User Agreement***

May 04, 2009 | 02:00PM PST/PT
Scott Shipman

As part of the spring 2009 Update, announced on April 14, we introduced  new programs that involve some changes to eBay's User Agreement.

eBay Purchase Protection
The biggest change to the agreement is the addition of eBay Resolutions and the new eBay Purchase Protection policy. eBay is now going to run the purchase protection program instead of requiring buyers to go to PayPal. The new User Agreement incorporates the new policy and describes the legal parameters.

As with earlier updates to the User Agreement, we've made other minor changes  to reflect eBay's current product and service offerings and industry legal standards. You'll see references to, eBay site, services and tools where the old agreement simply reads, eBay site. These changes reflect the many new ways you can access eBay's offerings  through other websites, wireless devices, and tools. We've also highlighted a few sections of the agreement, based on our interpretation of state regulations.

The new User Agreement is effective immediately for new members registering on or after today, and on June 8, 2009, for current members. You don't need to do anything to accept the new User Agreement. If you don't wish to accept it, you can follow these instructions to close your account.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/user-agreement.html

[col52]

I tried a couple of times asking if/when this would start on ebay AU. No positive answer.

[*wheels*]

   ***Updated: Changes to the eBay User Agreement***     
May 14, 2009 | 04:46PM PST/PT

On May 15, eBay will be releasing a revised user agreement. This revision will address the obligations of buyers and sellers in transactions where a buyer has alleged receipt of a counterfeit item.

Under the revised agreement:

 # Buyers and sellers shall work in good faith during the resolution process to determine that the item is not counterfeit.
 # If buyer and seller cannot determine that the item is not counterfeit, buyers are required to send the item back to the seller. Cost of return shipping will be paid by the buyer or eBay, unless both buyer and seller have agreed otherwise.
 # Covered claims that meet the conditions and are not excluded will count as a violation by the seller of our prohibited and infringing items policy.
 # If eBay determines the buyer is not acting in good faith, eBay may restrict or eliminate their ability to return items or make future claims.
 # Sellers shall not list, advertise, or cause that item to appear for sale, barter or trade, on any eBay Inc. web site or service.

These revisions to the user agreement are being made to:
 # Provide sellers protections against inaccurate counterfeit claims.
 # Provide buyers assurances about the authenticity of the item received.
 # Maintain integrity of the eBay marketplace.

The new User Agreement is effective immediately for new members registering on or after today, and on June 14, 2009, for current members. You don't need to do anything to accept the new User Agreement. If you don't wish to accept it, you can follow these instructions to close your account.

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200905141645482.html

Seems eBay has actually backed down on their original plans with dealing with 'fakes'. Still no word on the AU site as to whether this Agreement will be worldwide.

[*r3830*]

I see.... So when big organisations tangle with Ebay in court regarding their trademarks being fraudulently traded on Ebay.... Ebay can then whip out this new policy stating how they forbid this activity - and claim that they have taken steps to prevent - even outlaw, this activity on their site. They could even take that to the extent of demonstrating how they are actually protecting these organisations! The cost is small - simply a member or two kicked off. Passing the buck seems to be a popular passtime for some!

Don't know about the US..... but here, it's called "covering one's ar$e".

[tellomon]

Interesting reading:

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Seller-Central/Updated-Changes-To/510098528

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Seller-Central/Ebays-New-Policy/520120911

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Seller-Central/Ebays-Ua-About/510098702

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Seller-Central/For-Those-Who/520121098

[the guv]

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/TopStories/2009/05/17/Prosecuting_stalkers_made_easier_333085.html

Prosecuting stalkers made easier
Sunday, May 17, 2009 » 10:50pm




Stalking offences are being more successfully prosecuted with less involvement from victims since the introduction of new NSW laws, the state government says.

Stalking acts are a regular occurrence and serious enough to carry a penalty of up to five years in prison, NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos says.

Between March and September last year, some 326 people were charged with stalking.

The law was changed in March 2008 to incorporate stalking by mobile phone, text messaging and stalking over the internet.

'The new Act expanded powers for police prosecutors to submit evidence around patterns of behaviour and has resulted in a spike in the number of guilty pleas entered, up from 70 to 88 per cent,' a spokesman for Mr Hatzistergos said in a statement.

'This has had the effect of reducing the number of victims who need to face offenders in court.'

Mr Hatzistergos said people had the right to go about their daily lives without fear of intimidation or harassment.

'These new laws have sent a clear message to would-be stalkers: stalking is a crime and offenders face serious penalties, including up to five years in prison,' Mr Hatzistergos said in a statement.

'By expanding the range of evidence that can be used in prosecutions, the government's new stalking offence has proven to be an effective weapon in convicting more offenders.'

Go to News home

[*wheels*]

***Gallery pictures not showing in search***

June 02, 2009 | 11:04PM PST/PT

The Gallery thumbnails for some items weren't appearing correctly in Search or in My eBay.

We have fixed this issue for the affected items. We thank you for your patience.

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200906022302581.html

[*wheels*]

***Updated: Start today! List 5 FREE every 30 days!***    

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200906160821452.html

June 16, 2009 | 08:22AM PST/PT

Effective today, pay no Insertion Fees on your first 5 qualifying Auction-style listings when you use the eBay Sell Your Item or Simple listing form. This is not a short-term promotion—it’s a change to eBay pricing. You can now list 5 items every 30 days and pay nothing unless your items sell.

The Final Value Fee for these first 5 listings with $0.00 Insertion Fees will be 8.75% of the sales price or $20, whichever is lower.

See the original May 12 announcement below for all options available for sellers.


(I haven't seen any Announcements on whether this will be introduced for AU listings)

[llama]

I just re-read the PURCHASE PROTECTION (on US Site)...

Conditions
You have 45 days from the time of payment to initiate a claim under eBay Purchase Protection. Your purchase must meet these conditions:
 
* You are an eligible buyer (see coverage limitations below).
* You paid with an eBay-approved payment method (see the Accepted Payments Policy).

Which links to... http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/accepted-payments-policy.html

And says that you must pay by...

* PayPal
* ProPay
* Moneybookers
* Paymate
* Credit card or debit card processed through the seller's Internet merchant account
* Sellers may also offer to accept payment upon pickup.

Hmmmm, that is a big step forward LOL

[*CountessA*]

Hmm. They're still only permitting cash on pickup for the following categories, though:

  •  Motors » Boats
  •  Motors » Cars & Trucks
  •  Motors » Motorcycles
  •  Motors » Powersports
  •  Motors » Other Vehicles & Trailers
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Automotive Tools » Shop Equipment » Air Compressors
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Automotive Tools » Shop Equipment » Brake Lathes
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Automotive Tools » Shop Equipment » Frame Machines
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Automotive Tools » Shop Equipment » Lifts / Hoists / Jacks
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Automotive Tools » Shop Equipment » Paint Booths
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Automotive Tools » Shop Equipment » Tire Changers / Wheel Balancers
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Aviation Parts » Engines
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Car & Truck Parts » Engines & Components
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Motorcycle Parts » American » Engines & Components
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Racing Parts » Auto Racing Parts » Engine & Components
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Salvage Parts Cars
  •  Motors » Parts & Accessories » Vintage Car & Truck Parts » Engines & Components
  •  Business & Industrial » Agriculture & Forestry » Tractors & Farm Machinery
  •  Business & Industrial » Construction » Heavy Equipment, Trailers
  •  Business & Industrial » Healthcare, Lab & Life Science » Imaging & Aesthetics Equipment
  •  Business & Industrial » Industrial Supply, MRO » Fork Lifts & Other Lifts
  •  Business & Industrial » Manufacturing & Metalworking » Manufacturing Equipment
  •  Business & Industrial » Manufacturing & Metalworking » Metalworking Equipment
  •  Business & Industrial » Printing & Graphic Arts » Commercial Printing Presses
  •  Business & Industrial » Restaurant & Catering » Concession Trailers & Carts » Concession Trailers
  •  Real Estate
  •  Everything Else » Adults Only

Why do they allow cash on pickup for Adult products, but not for antiques? Why for imaging and aesthetics equipment, but not for furniture?

[llama]

Hmm. They're still only permitting cash on pickup for the following categories, though:

NO - that part's mainly referring to the other payment methods like Bank Transfers.

At the top section of that page it says that "Sellers may also offer to accept payment upon pickup" for all other categories

[*CountessA*]

I've read through it again, and it seems to me that the page is saying that payment on pickup is only permitted for specific categories. Am I misreading it, Llama? It does say:

Payment method exceptions

These payment methods may be used only in the listing categories described below:

  •  Bank-to-bank transfers (also known as bank wire transfers and bank cash transfers)
  •  Checks
  •  Money orders
  •  Online payment services: Allpay.net, cash2india, CertaPay, Checkfree.com, hyperwallet.com, Nochex.com, Ozpay.biz, XOOM
  •  Payment upon pickup

And beneath this are the categories I listed in my post above.

[llama]

Yes it does say that, but ABOVE that clause, it says this...

Our Accepted Payments policy helps ensure that buyers and sellers on eBay are offered safe, convenient payment options.

For most categories, sellers need to offer one or more of the following electronic payment choices:

*PayPal
*ProPay
*Moneybookers
*Paymate
*Credit card or debit card processed through the seller's Internet merchant account

Sellers may also offer to accept payment upon pickup.

(see next post)

[llama]

So, what they are saying is...

For MOST categories...
A) You must list at least ONE of the Paypal-type (or merchant) payment facilities.
B) You may ALSO offer Payment At Pickup (in ADDITION to at least one of section A).
C) You cannot offer cash, bank transfer, or any method not specifically mentioned in A)

For SPECIFICALLY LISTED Categories (eg: Motors)
A) You don't have to offer Paypal-type payment methods.
B) You may offer ONE of the listed NON-Paypal methods
C) You may offer Payment At Pickup (BY ITSELF)

For ALL listings, you cannot subsequently request a payment method that was not mentioned in the listing

[*CountessA*]

I can see that as one interpretation, but I don't think it's so clearly written that all eBay members will understand that this is what's meant.

 

[*wheels*]

***Coming Soon: eBay Discussion Boards Improvements & Special Maintenance Outage***

August 13, 2009 | 09:32AM PST/PT

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200908130912212.html

Earlier this year we upgraded the eBay Discussion Boards platform to include additional features and a fresh, new look.

Since then, many of our members have continued to provide us with helpful suggestions to further improve the platform. We've listened to your input and a new set of enhancements are on the way in the next week, including:

# Changes to the "Reply with Quote" function to better present the quoted text and automatically remove signatures
# A modification to the spell check functionality to highlight misspelled words
# Creation of a new "Helpful Topics" area to highlight some tacked threads, thereby freeing up more space at the top of a board
# Reinstatement of pagination links at the top of each page
# Renaming of the "Popular Topics" box to "Active Topics"
# Repositioning of the action icons (such as updated, new, etc.) on a board page to make them more visible.

eBay Discussion Boards Unavailable 4 p.m. to midnight (Pacific Time) on Tuesday, August 18th
eBay Discussion Boards will be unavailable from approximately 4 PM to midnight (PT) on August 18th, so we can add these upgrades. Once we're back online, we encourage you to jump right in and explore these newly enhanced features.

(No announcement if changes will affect the AU Discussion Boards)

[*CountessA*]

I suspect it won't, but... someone else will have to tell me whether it will or not, since I don't use them...