Sellers: Returns options to be retired, deadlines for Top-rated sellers approaching—take action now

Here’s a quick reminder of fast approaching dates for the 2012 Spring Seller Update, originally announced in February:

• May 1 deadline for uploading tracking to achieve or keep Top-rated seller status
• To be a Top-rated seller, tracking information needs to be uploaded to eBay within your stated handling time on 90% of transactions with US buyers. Start uploading tracking by May 1 to make sure you qualify by June 20.
• Last chance for extra savings! Until May 31, current Top-rated sellers get a bonus 5% discount off final value fees—along with their current 20% discount—for all listings with 1-day handling and a minimum 14-day returns window with a money-back refund option. Add those services to your listings now for the greatest savings, and to make sure you’re ready when they are required for Top-rated seller discounts starting June 1.
• Check Selling Reminders on the My eBay All Selling page or the new Listing Improvement section of the Selling Manager summary page to see which listings need to be updated to meet these new standards, and then easily edit those listings in bulk.
• On June 1 the sales volume requirement to be a Top-rated seller goes down to $1,000 annual sales. Track your progress toward these new requirements in your Seller Dashboard.

• The 3-day and 7-day returns windows and “Merchandise credit” and “Exchange” options will be retired for new listings and relistings as of May 2. Update your listings with a 14-day or longer returns window now. Note: if you are a Top-rated seller, this will be required for your listings to qualify for the 20% final value fee discount starting June 1.

• USPS® First-Class service will be reclassified from Expedited to Standard as of the first week in May. Be sure to add another service to your listings if you want to offer expedited shipping.

• Updates in the following categories will occur on May 1: Clothing, Shoes & Accessories, Coins, Computers & Networking, Consumer Electronics, eBay Motors, Home & Garden, Toys, and Jewelry & Watches (Category adjustments in Watches only). We encourage you to include all required and suggested item specifics in your listings. Find out how your listings are affected.

• Starting May 1, the maximum standard final value fee for Auction-style listings will increase from $100 to $250. At 9% of the final sale price, the change will increase final value fees only on sales over $1,111 per listing. This change applies only to sellers who do not have an eBay Stores subscription.

• Motors Parts & Accessories and Vehicles: As of May 2, some listing features will be retired: Border, Highlight, Featured Plus!, and Listing Icon in Parts & Accessories and Motors Home Page Featured in Motors Vehicles. On June 4, 2012, these features will no longer be visible in search results.

• Motors Vehicles: As of May 2, you can find your vehicle in the eBay vehicles catalog, simply by entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) when listing.

• Start now to update your pictures to meet the new picture quality standards coming this fall. Your listings will benefit immediately and you’ll be all set when the new requirements go into effect—so be ready to load up when all pictures will be FREE on all listings submitted starting on July 2 (excluding eBay Motors vehicles). Check out the NEW eBay Photo Center for tips on how take and edit pictures to help sell your items.

• Best Match, eBay’s default sort order, will begin looking at more information from your listing—including your item description—to rank search results. Item specifics, product codes like UPCs and ISBNs, brand, part numbers, and other descriptors will be increasingly important to get your listing found by more interested buyers.

Get details on all the 2012 Spring Seller Updates and use the Seller Checklist to stay on top of important dates. Update your listings quickly and efficiently with bulk editing tools.