Ecommerce news: eBay Spring Seller Updates and Amazon Australia FBA

In the news this week: everything you need to know about eBay's latest Seller Release, Etsy Studio and Etsy Manufacturing closures, and Amazon Australia FBA launch. 

eBay Spring Seller Release 2018

eBay UK’s Seller Release brings changes to Shop subscriptions, eBay Premium Service, and returns policies in a number of categories.

The main changes for eBay UK include:

• From April 2018 there will be changes to subscriptions and final value fees
  
• Below Standard sellers will have 4% added to their final value fees. 
  
• Sellers without a shop subscription will no longer qualify for Final Value Fee caps.
  
• From May 2018, the 14-day returns option won’t be available for new listings in a number of categories
  
• Item recommendations and Sales Reports will be available in 'Promote your listings'
  
• From June 2018, new insights about after-sales requests will be available in Seller Hub
  
• After May 2018, it will no longer be possible set up a custom eBay Shopfront and it will not be possible to convert back 

Additional changes for eBay.com:

• Two new Store tiers - Starter and Enterprise
  
• From 1 May 2018 the yearly and monthly fee for Basic Store subscriptions will increase by $2, and $3. 
  
• If you don’t have an eBay.com Store, the insertion fee will increase from $0.30 to $0.35 once you exceed your 50 zero insertion fee allocation. 
  
• From May 2018 a 14-day returns policy will no longer be an option, except for these categories: Collectibles & Art, Cameras & Photo, and Medical, Mobility & Disability. Sellers will only be able to offer: No returns accepted, 30-day buyer-paid returns, 30-day free returns, 60-day buyer-paid returns, 60-day free returns. 

Read more about eBay UK Seller Release Spring 2018 here

Etsy Studio and Etsy Manufacturing closing

Etsy has announced that it will be closing Etsy Studio and Etsy Manufacturing during 2018:

“After a year of running Etsy Studio, we realized it was better for our sellers to sell craft supplies in the same marketplace as handmade and vintage goods. This way buyers can shop for everything together and we can invest more in Etsy.com across all categories. Craft Supplies will continue to be a key category on Etsy—they’re a big part of what makes Etsy special.

“[We] decided that Etsy Manufacturing was taking focus away from features and services that would have a bigger impact for your business. We’ll continue to support you with tips and best practices for working with production partners if that’s something that makes sense for your business.”

Read the full announcement from Etsy here. 

Amazon Australia FBA

In the last week of February, Amazon Australia FBA launched. Companies can now store products in the 24,000-square-metre warehouse, in Dandenong South, and then their orders will be packed and shipped by Amazon to buyers.

Storage in the Amazon Australia FBA warehouse will cost $19.40 per cubic metre, per month, with prices increases to $26.50 from October to December. Fulfilment fees for third-party sellers will start from $1.76 for a small envelope, $7.76 for upto 3 kg, and $25.48 for orders weighing up to 30kg.

Find out more about Amazon Australia FBA here.