Camera Deals

eBay uses the carrot to encourage sellers to improve customer-service

eBay has revealed a new round of changes for sellers today, says Web Pro News. The latest changes are designed to reward sellers who get a high-rating from buyers in the Customer Service category.

The theory is that by offering the sellers financial and promotional incentives, more sellers will be "encouraged" to improve the way they treat their buyers.

Discussion follows in the WebProNews article...

First signs of change at eBay? Five free listings per month (for sellers)

After a series of unfortunate, or not well-thought-out decisions, it seems like they hired someone with an advanced brain at eBay, because now they have launched a new promotion to bring sellers back into the fold. If you are a registered eBay member, you may have received this email in your inbox:

"Starting June 16: Every 30 days, your first 5 Auction-style listings will have NO Insertion Fees when you list with eBay's Sell Your Item form or Simple listing form--regardless of your start price.

The first 5 listings with no Insertion Fees will have a Final Value Fee of 8.75% of the sales price or $20, whichever is lower. Additional items sold during the same 30-day period will have the same Insertion Fees and Final Value Fees as they do today.

If you are currently using an eBay tool or third-party listing solution, you can either list your first 5 Auction-style listings with the new pricing structure through eBay's Sell Your Item form or Simple listing form or continue with your current practices at the current pricing-whichever option works best for you."

Selling your gear on eBay? Let us know!

We just launched an experimental feature, spotlighting reader listings on eBay. This is a just-launched experiment, and it will evolve over time!

Winning eBay strategies by Ken Rockwell

Ken Rockwell has posted a long post on winning eBay strategies.

We also have to add that you can use the "Best Offer" feature (if enabled by the seller) on items with Buy-It-Now. On some items, you can have a mini-negotiation, as they allow up to 3 best-offers per listing. So you essentially turn the tables - from you facing an item you want and a price that's too high, to the seller facing an offer to buy the item right away and a price that's lower than ideal. "Best Offer" is actually good for both buyers and sellers as it can help sell stuff that would have otherwise gone unsold.

One note though, if you are a seller, don't be offended or upset if someone makes a silly-low "best offer". Just ignore it - some people think they can win the eBay-lottery :-)

Calumet Clearance Center on eBay

If you like chasing bargains and know how to get good deals on eBay, then we have a temptation for you: The Calumet Clearance Center on eBay offering 230 listings at the moment featuring gear big and small, from books to Hasselblad and Sinar digital backs! Some are traditional auction-style listings, others also have the Buy-It-Now option enabled, and things like that. The store's feedback is 8488 (99.7%) and they have PowerSeller status.