Ecommerce news: eBay Seller Release and Etsy category changes

eBay Seller Release Autumn 2018

eBay’s latest seller release includes changes to the after sales process, the growth of eBay’s product catalogue and new promotion tools in Seller Hub.

Here’s a summary of the main changes coming in the next few months:

• 26 September 2018: Sellers need to upload tracking information before the estimated delivery date. 
  
• 1 October 2018: high numbers of “Item not as described” claims will result in an additional 4% final value fee for the relevant categories. 
  
• 17 September: eBay is going to start auto-accepting return requests and providing returns labels. 
  
• Late August: You’ll need to match your listings to eBay’s catalogue if you sell in these 12 categories.
  
• October 2018: Shop by Product will expand to 22 more categories, and listings will have to be matched with the catalogue in early 2019. 
  
• Listings that aren’t matched with the catalogue will lose visibility once Shop by Product is the default shopping experience. 
  
• Sellers can create discount coupon codes in Seller Hub. And, the most relevant offers or promotions will now be displayed at the top of the ‘View Item’ page. 
  
• eBay is also testing out listing a phone number for pre-sales enquiries. 
  

Read everything you need to know about the Autumn 2018 Seller Release here.

Etsy listing changes

Etsy has announced a number of changes to listing categories and attributes designed to help shoppers find the right thing. More specific subcategories for the Clothing category have been added, as well as new attributes such as size and style. When listing in the Clothing category you’ll also be able to choose which country’s size chart to list your item in, and the sizing will automatically convert to shoppers’ local size charts.

They’re also removing the ‘Holiday’ and ‘Celebration’ attributes from several categories so that listings are correctly categorised. These attributes are now only available for items that are used for that celebration or occasion, not potential gifts that aren’t seasonally specific. These attributes won’t be removed from existing listings, but they won’t be available for new listings.

Read the full announcement about changes to Etsy categories and attributes here.

Royal Mail trialling parcel postboxes

Royal Mail is currently trialling new parcel postboxes, which would allow small online retailers to send parcels without going in to a Post Office. The trial parcel postboxes are currently located in Northampton and Leicester until 5 November 2018 and accept prepaid parcels, such as the shipments created in Zenstores.

Learn more about the parcel postbox trial here.