Online Success Institute » New eBay Policy Changes

New eBay Policy Changes

Posted on May 20th, 2008 by Janelle

In this Success Newsletter:

HOT – 30 day FREE eBay Store trial – GO NOW
Speaking of eBay Stores – the ‘Best in eBay Stores’ winners announced
This week’s classes – Spiritual Entrepreneurs with Robin Cowie, Sourcing at Trade Shows – Part 2, and Meet the Rock Star – Web Wendy
Recent eBay Announcements – These are some VERY important & dramatic ones, make sure you are familiar with the upcoming changes (especially the links one – eeks!)

Share the Success with friends – forward this onto them or tell them to get their own copy at www.TheBusinessSuccessKit.com

Remember, you can read previous Success newsletters in the OSI Rock Star newsletter archives at http://osirockstars.com/?cat=5

Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can.
- Willis Whitney

Wowie Zowie – that about sums up today. Pretty sure there has to be a full moon – lol.

Okie…here goes:

I highly advise you check out the policy changes below – remain calm and in your seat at all times. I promise you that, like with all dramatic changes at eBay (and even a few of the not dramatic ones) that I will have Success & Profit answers for you when the time comes (July). No need to exert energy in fussing about it now – deal? I already have some great ideas for the Rock Star class I am putting together to help you Successfully deal with these new changes.

Two – I got my Flip Video Camera and SO love it. Promise to put up some videos soon (taking one of my super cool new Flightline Fabrications stickers on my car!). BUT, Marlene of The Savvy Seller has beat me to the punch – here is her first video with the new Flip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJgu1LASAv0

Three – great tip for eBay Live in Chicago from our Rock Star Jennifer:

According to CNN this morning, May 14, 2008, regular gas in Chicago is now OVER $4.00 a gallon. There is an alternative though!!! Transit pass info can be found here. They have a 1 day pass for $5, 2 day pass for $9, 3 day pass for $12, 5 day pass for $18, or a 7 day pass for $20. The pass allows for unlimited rides on the subway and any city bus. You can order online with a credit card and it will be mailed to you.

Thanks! Have a spectacular day!!!!!

Jennifer Smith
eBay Education Specialist Extraordinaire
www.PrecisionBluingPlus.com
Precision Bluing

Four – I am SO excited for tomorrow’s class with Robin Cowie. As many of you already know, Rob is President of WorldWide Brands, a movie producer, and an amazingly Successful entrepreneur – tomorrow you get to learn the faith behind his Success. He has specially asked for a webinar style class to show you some specific things – hhhmmm, wonder what he has up his sleeves? Get registered for this one asap.

Five – Ok, I am getting a little bit tired (ok, quite a bit tired) of people whining about their lack of Success. I know, you are used to me being all positive and glowing and supportive. But people – you are being ridiculous…I will go more into detail about this in future newsletters when I have time to be a bit more rational. But YOU have the exact same opportunity as the other people reading this newsletter. You can either choose to be one of our amazing and numerous Success Stories or you can make excuses. YOUR choice.

I have now come up with my answer (it’s actually a question) to people who are fussing – this allows me to determine if they are really choosing Success and may just be a bit stuck or if they are just whining to whine.

What is the one thing you did today to get to your BIG goal?

Yep, that simple – but quite powerful. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day inertia of our to-do lists that we sometimes forget (or make excuses) for why the BIG picture isn’t happening. I ask this question to myself daily – What is one thing I can do today to get to my BIG goal. The only thing I could manage on Saturday was to get more information about a business checking account for a new business I am starting. Sunday I updated the bios for the new site. Monday I replied to a very important email having to do with our financials for the new business. Now I am 3 steps closer to my BIG goal than I was 72 hours ago AND it took me a total of 34 minutes.

What was the one step YOU took today to make your BIG goal happen? And, if all you are doing right now in your head is coming up with reasons why you couldn’t find 5 fricken minutes to do just one thing to achieve Success then the unsubscribe button is at the bottom of this newsletter. YOU are making a choice – what is it going to be – Success? Or not?

One of our amazing Rock Stars, Rina of NicheMarketplace recently sent me this email during Passover – it is definitely pertinent to this subject (thank you Rina!):

I also read a book called the Passover Survival Kit by Shimon Apisdorf in order to inject some much needed spirituality into the sometimes mind-numbing drudgery of preparing of Passover. He did have one quote that I thought you would find particularly interesting. “When one begins to see life as an ongoing process of making choices and accepting responsibility, then there is no escaping the reality that life is always tough. That’s just the way it is. Embracing this fact is the first step in overcoming the hurdle of avoiding choices because of the pain involved. The second step is to realize that it’s a pleasure to be tough. We all know that those accomplishments which have most enriched our lives were possible only because of the effort involved, the discomfort endured, and the difficult decisions which had to be made. This quid pro quo known to Judaism as L’Fum Tzara Agra, which means according to the effort is the reward … Our tradition has it that only 20 per cent of the Jewish People left Egypt. The other 80 per cent died and were buried during the Plague of Darkness. Why did they die? Because they weren’t prepared to make the choice of freedom. When push came to shove, they preferred the familiar routine of slavery to the unknown challenges of the desert. Judaism says: Life is about choosing; Choosing is difficult and life is a pleasure. This Passover, make a commitment to the pleasure of tough choices and whatever you do–don’t get left behind.”

If true Success was easy, we would all be millionaires…

If you choose to blame your lack of profitable status on eBay, time, kids, wives, husbands, etc, then you are definitely CHOOSING to not be a millionaire and you will definitely Succeed at NOT being a Success. But if you choose to do one thing today to get to your BIG goal, and one thing tomorrow and one thing the day after that, you will be walking (and eventually running) down the path to Success and on your way to making your dreams a reality NOW!

HOT – 30 day FREE eBay Store trial – GO NOW

I can’t believe eBay is offering this again AND it includes opening a Premium Store! (Remember, this is for first time Store owners – not those of you who already know how powerful an eBay Store is!)

From eBay…

First-time subscribers will enjoy a 30-day free trial to a Basic or Premium eBay Store. If you’ve ever thought about opening an eBay Store, this is the perfect time. With an eBay Store you’ll be able to:

Have all your listings in one place, regardless of format
Attract and retain buyers with powerful, exclusive marketing tools
Establish your brand on eBay & customize your storefront
Benefit from dedicated, toll-free customer support.

Also, if you sign up at www.TheBusinessSuccessKit.com, you will receive 5 free Tips on profitably utilizing an eBay Store!

Open your eBay Store today!

Speaking of eBay Stores – the ‘Best in eBay Stores’ winners announced

Congrats to Carla of A-Fortunate-Dog – two years running – nice job!!

From eBay…

Your vote is in! Meet the best of eBay Stores
After more than 12,000 store entries and weeks of community voting, we’ve got the winners–and some of the best spots on eBay to “shop till you drop.”

Best Shopping Experience
A-Fortunate-Dog helps customers find what they’re looking for and makes buying a snap.

Best Store Marketing
Thumb Monkey Video Games knows how to promote best sellers and featured items to get more sales. (also knows how to, amazingly, get a 4.3 on their DSR’s and a 97% feedback score – but their marketing rocks!)

Best Looking Store
Romance With Silver captures shoppers’ eyes with its great looks.

Best Standard Store
Msss Kels Place storefront is simple, clean and effective.

New Classes for this week…

Hey…get registered ASAP for this week’s classes. All OSI Live classes are fr-ee to attend and instructions are included during the registration process for both the podcasts and the webinars. Remember, you can either ask a question for our special guest or simply put “I Choose Success” in the question box.

5/20/08, Tuesday at Noon pst/3pm est - The Spiritual Entrepreneurs - Rob Cowie

One of my great friends in this business is the brilliant Troy White. Troy had been interviewing successful entrepreneurs and found a common theme running throughout the process…over 75% of them attributed their Success to their spirituality/faith. He took that information and wrote an amazing book called “Entrepreneurial Spirits”. (You can get your copy if you haven’t already at www.JanelleElms.com/spirit)
I have read that book over and over again…and the information is priceless - BUT, you have to apply it. So I thought it was a perfect time to ‘help’ apply it by bringing in some of my favorite heavy hitters in the world of Success and Faith. You’ll hear from many types of people in this series - who all have one thing in common - they have a Faith Mindset for Success.

This week we have the incredible Rob Cowie on the show. Movie producer, President of WorldWide Brands, amazing entrepreneur and an incredible human being…Rob’s faith mindset is powerful and he has offered to share some insight into his world. Rob specifically asked if we could do a webinar as he had certain things he wanted to share with you - very excited - can’t wait!
Definitely save your spot for this one by following registration instructions below.

5/21/08, Wednesday at Noon pst/3pm est - Sourcing with Trade Shows - Part 2

Join Anne of Brown Dog Treasures in Part 2 of this incredible course on Sourcing from Trade Shows. This time she is talking about:
1. Trade show discounts.
2. How to negotiate with vendors.
3. How to place the actual order.
4. Networking at the show.
5. Taking advantage of classes given at the show.
6. Organizing your information.
7. Following up after the show
8. Basic record keeping for tax purposes.
Save your spot on this call by following registration instructions below.

5/22/08, Thursday at Noon pst/3pm est - Meet the Rock Star - Web Wendy

Web Wendy is a true Rock Star - eBay Education Specialist, Trading Assistant, amazing Stage Manager on the Rock Star Forums. Come learn what makes this Star shine.
Safe your spot by following registration instructions below.

You can find out more about these classes, as well as register at: www.osiRockStars.com (scroll to the bottom of that webpage for upcoming classes, details and registration information).

Recent eBay Announcements – These are some VERY important & dramatic ones, make sure you are familiar with the upcoming changes

Some highlights:

Feedback changes are going into effect - http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200805.shtml#2008-05-07090115
Removal of Choice Listing policy – YEAH!
Removal of the Limit on multiple listings policy – hhhmmm, not sure about this one. Although eBay will still limit (so as to not overwhelm the buyer) the same listing from the same seller to the buyer, if a seller is listing this way it usually indicates a person not using ‘best practices’ when listing. And they are probably paying higher fees. There is usually a much more profitable way to handle multiple listings (especially with a Store). This will go into effect early June.
New simplified Search & Browse Manipulation Policy – ok, this one is just vague enough that it make me (yes even me) a tad suspicious. They are obviously alluding to something that sellers are doing, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what. One part of me hopes that this gets all the grey marketers off eBay so the buyers trust us again, but I also am concerned for the innocent sellers getting caught in the cross-fire.
Mystery Auctions are fini – Early June
Updated Links Policy – OK, even with my thickest pink colored glasses on I am having a hard time with this one. Basically, come this July (eBay store designers, are you paying attention), all links on your About Me page that go ‘outside’ of eBay must be removed. This is true for the rest of eBay too, but the only place legitimate sellers have been using outside links is on their About Me page. Good thing I have until July to come up with answers for my Rock Stars for this one. The thought that immediately comes to my head is the conversation we have started about outside newsletters…so I will continue to work on that idea and have a phenomenal class for you before this new policy hits in July. Interesting side note…I inadvertently knew about this policy about 6 weeks ago. I had been battling with some new chick at Trust and Safety over my About Me page. Others at T&S had seen it and ok’d the links on it, but not this little spitfire. After a month long battle I gave up arguing with her and let them pull my About Me page – she just wasn’t making sense. She kept saying, ‘you can’t link outside of your About Me page…you can only use it to talk about your hobbies.’ Now I know that she WAS making sense, just a few months too early.