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Staying Up with eBay Policy Changes
There are hundreds of printed books and ebooks to help prospective buyers and sellers find success on eBay. Every single one of them contains some suggestions or tips that will undoubtedly help you in your auction bidding or your item listing. Here's the thing, though. The web isn't static; it changes by the minute. And things change almost daily at eBay also. It is important to visit the eBay websites to read the newest information regarding eBay rules, regulations, and policies before you spend a great deal of time, effort, and money only to discover that what you planned to do is not permitted. eBay Bans Digitally Delivery Products Recently (March 25, 2008), eBay announced that it will no longer accept listings for items that are delivered digitally in auction or Buy It Now format. Any digitally delivered item must be listed in the category "Everything Else" and the subcategory "Information Products," and then only in the "Classified Ad" format. Classified ads are relatively new on eBay, and, in fact, many sellers of digital products who have been affected by this change were unaware of the "Classified Ad" listing option. A classified ad is really a "lead generation" tool; there are no bidders, and its placement does not result in a transaction on eBay, or the giving or receiving of Feedback. Most classfied ads run for 30 days and cost $9.95 (at this writing). The Classified Ad format is available only for certain categories. Use the Classified Ad Format to Advertise Digital Products Classified Ads appear in the listing of items in the category just as other format listings do, but "classified ad" is indicated. When you click on a "Classified Ad" listing, you see a page similar to other auction and Buy It Now items, and there is a price given, but nowhere to bid or purchase. The only option is "Email the Seller." Classified ads can be used very effectively, if you know how. (See below for a link to a good learning resource.) It is unfortunate that so many eBay sellers and store owners were caught with so little lead time to make decisions and changes regarding how they are going to market their digitally delivered products. Many marketers believe that the policy change is really a good thing, long term. Many feel that the eBay marketplace was glutted with devalued digital products, and that requiring a physical delivery will ultimately help authors and product creators to maintain the value of their products. For those who wish to continue marketing on eBay, through auction listings or their eBay stores, converting formerly digital-only products to a physical form is possible but does require some thought and planning. One long-time eBay marketer has some excellent suggestions and you can read what he has to say on his blog, PlanetSMS. He is offering a free report (Resale Rights Revival) and also sharing audio discussions with other marketers discussing the best ways to proceed in converting digital products to physical products. Offer Physical Products Offering physical products does require more effort on the author/marketer's part, but can reap great benefits long run. If you are one who has previously sold digital products (and this is not just ebooks, but design templates, domain names, fonts, websites, and many others), or one who has purchased a book or ebook on "How to Sell on eBay" and were just about to begin your sales effort, it would be wise to read eBay's new policies, prowl around in the discussion forums, consult some experts, and do some long range planning before attempting to market ebooks or other digital products on eBay.
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Contributor's Note
On the final link below, do not be confused when you see what looks like an eBay listing page. It is am image of what the poster saw when he attempted to post a new digital product listing. Scroll on down for the discussion. There is much to read in the blogs and discussion boards. You just need to sift through the junk to find good information (which is why getting it from links 2, 3, and 4 and particularly the last link might be preferable).
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Official eBay Announcement Regarding Digital Downloads
| PlanetSMS Blog
| Resale Rights Revival
| Skip McGrath - Acknowledged eBay Expert
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