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FenBeary FolkNancy & Marion 
Just joined, now have to finish a bear to list.
I am going to look at linking next week, not too hot on the website thing yet and it does takes me ages 
Plus I have just signed for my first bear fair, at Easter 
I make about 1/2 bear a week so double
tEDDIE bearsWhat is upsetting me is there preferential treatment of the mega-sellers.
If you go to the Digital Camera category, 90% of these sellers use the
"Featured Items" listing. They negotiate the listing fees and some pay as
little as $3.95 for a FEATURED PLUS listing. You and I pay $19.95.
The next problem is their "Final Values" - for the little guys like us -
this may go up to 75% of the selling price. So if you sell a bear for say
$300, you would pay about $7.75 for the final value, you'll now be paying as
much as $15.00 for that same privilege.
Also, their new feedback sux, a buyer can blast a seller, but nothing for them if they want to negotiate the terms of the sale after the auction closes.
I have put a an "opinion" page on my website - www.t-eddie-bears.com
Bears-a-Bruin!So..... basically these changes mean that only sellers will now be rated according to the feedback system?
Buyers on the other hand can only receive positive feedback, so their rating will always be 100%.
Hmm. Doesn't make sense to me. I guess sellers who have a problem with a particular buyer will have to leave +ve feedback but a relevant comment - eg slow to pay. Thankfully I've never had a problem as a seller that wasn't resolved, and 99% of buyers I've found to be honest and prompt. But I can see trouble ahead following these changes, and have a feeling eBay will meet a lot of resistance to them.
Posts: 1,836I was just reading over the newer comments on this one and had a thought. Feedback is optional, it always has been right? What if sellers just didn't leave it. If sellers don't leave any feedback at all ....and buyers don't leave feedback because they didn't receive any at all...well then the whole feedback system is out the window and ebay has to come up with something balanced again. Instead of boycotting selling for a few days...Boycott feedback indefinitely. That might be a heck of a lot easier and get ebay's attention a lot faster. I know we all value feedback, but it doesn't really mean anything with the new changes anyway.
Again, we're lucky in that we're in a much more balanced and good natured industry. Most of us really get to know our collectors and this feedback thing might not be as bad for us (??), but other sellers out there don't have that. If I had a non bear seller wondering what to do I'd suggest starting a feedback boycott.
:hug:
~Chrissi
Posts: 3,177Hi Girls,
I have'nt made anything for ages so have'nt sold on eBay for ages either but i was interested to read about all the changes going on there. I had a good browse through the eBay announcements pages - howled with laughter at the thought of Paypal withholding monies for up to 21 days even though the seller had to dispatch the goods, i don't think i would send out stuff without having the moolah first. Or have i read that wrong?
Also, i'm not too sure about the new requirements for selling as a business seller. Anyone selling items that they have made (such as bears) is considered a business seller and must display their address both on the auction listing itself and on either their store page, if they have one, or on their eBay About Me page. As most bear artists work from home that will mean that their home address must be displayed for all the potentail nutters to see. A PO box address is not acceptable. When a bidder wins an auction they then receive an eBay/Paypal invoice with the sellers name and address included and i don't have a problem with that as i think the buyer should have the right to see where he/she is buying from - but should home addresses be visable to all eBayers? I don't think so. Maybe bear artists will be forced to rent premises to continue listing on eBay if they don't want their home addresses on view.
BTW - not including your address on listings etc will mean that someone can report you and your auction will be pulled so ignoring the new regs won't work. Damn! and i'm so good at sticking my head in the sand ha ha!
(I don't care that i am regarded as a business seller if i make a bear and sell it on eBay, that is'nt an issue for me.)
What do think of having to include your home address on your listings girls? I would be interested in hearing your views on this. A bit worried? - Don't care? - Appalled?
Penny
Yup, Appalled of Norfolk here!!
I can just imagine the scenario if you were unlucky enough to be burgled - sooner or later, insurance companies will start asking "Did you give out your home address to an online auction site?" - and thereby invalidate your claim!
It's a terrible idea - along with seval others they have come up with lately. Ebay seems to be in self destruct mode at the moment!
Chris
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)When a bidder wins an auction they then receive an eBay/Paypal invoice with the sellers name and address included and i don't have a problem with that as i think the buyer should have the right to see where he/she is buying from - but should home addresses be visable to all eBayers? I don't think so. Maybe bear artists will be forced to rent premises to continue listing on eBay if they don't want their home addresses on view.
There's an ad currently running on TV, though I can't think who it's from. Perhaps Brown/UPS? Kinko's/Fed Ex?
It goes on to detail that now you can give a postal (street) address not a PO or other service box number, as Box numbers are sometimes not allowed in mail orders.
If it comes to that (I'm going by what you say as, with all of the grouply.com stuff lately, I haven't picked apart the full new eBay processes) I too will list a street address: 183 Addison Rd #1381, which is the street addy of our PO and my box number.
Where there's a will, there's a way...
Penny, I just had a look and can't find this info. It does say you should change to a business account if you sell things you've made ..or bought in to re-sell. I can't see where is says you have to display your address..it says by opening a business account you can display your address, contact details which as an individual you aren't allowed to do...am I being thick here. ..I can't find it. :wacko:
Forget all that... I just found it...I reckon it applies only to businesses in the UK. It has been a requirement since 2002 actually, under e-commerce requirements to make customers aware of the address from which you trade, if that is your home then that address must be available apparently. I am not 100% sure if this only applies if you sell direct off your website..ie you have a facility wherein a direct purchase is possible by a shopping basket etc. I never sell that way...but I need to get it checked .
It doesn't seem to need to be displayed on the eBay.com site it applies only in the UK. (typical)...it's not down to ebay though, you can thank HM government for this one.
Just don't list on ebay .co.uk I'd say!!
Here's where it's all detailed...
FenBeary FolkConfused?? you will be, well I am.
Am I right in thinking that if I am not a Power-seller then I do not need to upgrade to a business account??? 
with ebay
As long as I make it clear that I am running this, as a business, then that is ok with EU regs?????
As for an address?? Does not directing to a website with details on sufficient????.................HELP
Boy does the EU annoy me, I did swear profusely, with **'s but did not want to offend so deleted 
No..according to ebay you have to register as a business when you sell items you made yourself and if you buy items to resell.. you don't have to be a power-seller...you just have to sell as a business. If you make a profit..or even if you don't..if you are buying and selling intending to make a profit then you are a business...and all the legal stuff comes into play. I have attached the eBay guidance below. Business Link has all the blah-blah..visit their website.. I posted details above, trading standards can help I rang them about this a couple of years ago and to be honest they didn't tell me I needed my address on my website..just on my paperwork..but it's pretty clear if you look at the e-commerce stuff.
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/business.html
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file14640.pdf
It all means that we are bound by the 'Sale of Goods act' which I knew anyway. But also by e-commerce regulations which came into effect in 2002.
These things only apply in the UK..but because of legal obligations to customers when selling literally anything you can't say you are a private individual selling on a public auction without displaying your contact details in the form of a geographic address. I understand this because when you hand over money you need to know who is getting it.
The reason ebay don't want you to display your website with these details is because they would see that as circumventing of potential fees for them as you would be directing customers away from eBay.
Different rules apply in other countries, but legally here in the UK, we do have to display our trading address to trade on the internet..on ebay or not.
Posts: 3,177Sorry, i should have posted the link to the info on eBay.co.uk where i read about the inclusion of addresses, here it is:
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200802.shtml … 2-04091251
I don't know if this reg applies to any other countries outside of the UK and the rest of Europe - i am off to trawl through the rest of eBay to find out. Laws vary from country to country obviously.
Jenny: as far as i can make out...you still have to include your address on your website even if you do not use a 'buy-it-now' option for your bears. I think that an address must be displayed if you sell any goods from a website.
Penny.........even more confused than ever - and that's saying something i can tell ya! :P
Just found this posting on the eBay.co.uk discussion board - to view the whole discussion go here:
http://forums.ebay.co.uk/thread.jspa?th … 59&start=0
E-commerce Regulations, 2002...
"Service providers, whether involved in e-commerce or not, should provide the following minimum information, which must be easily, directly and permanently accessible:
* The name of the service provider must be given somewhere easily accessible on the site. This might differ from the trading name and any such difference should be explained – e.g. "XYZ.com is the trading name of XYZ Enterprises Limited."
* The email address of the service provider must be given. It is not sufficient to include a 'contact us' form without also providing an email address.
* The geographic address of the service provider must be given. A PO Box is unlikely to suffice as a geographic address; but a registered office address would. If the business is a company, the registered office address must be included in any event.
* If a company, the company's registration number should also be given.
* If a company, the place of registration should be stated (e.g. "XYZ Enterprises Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 1234567") though this is a requirement of the Companies Act as from 31st December 2006, not the E-commerce Directive.
* If the business is a member of a trade or professional association, membership details, including any registration number, should be provided.
* If the business has a VAT number, it should be stated – even if the website is not being used for e-commerce transactions."
Penny I just went through the whole thing and never knew I had to register on ebay in this way...so I have done just that..registered as a business account. The weird thing is that there are loads of sellers on there that do not display any contact details..they sell on there all the time. Not just bear makers. Which means that ebay don't check..which they should ...because if it's the law for us to have to do certain things in order to sell on there then they should have mechanisms in place to stop people from effectively running businesses which are 'under the radar'..this is perfectly possible on eBay.
I want to be above board and run my business in a transparent way..but unless you set up a shop on ebay how do they know what you are doing?
PS Penny ...that discussion is very funny..I love the picture of the guy with the tin foil on his head...and the person who said something like 'a wise person does at once what a fool does at last...'
I guess it's the law..we do have to just deal with it. I can't imagine why someone would bother trawling through ebay to break into my house...we have enough idiots living round here as it is that could break in..I am not losing any sleep over it!! We have a ferocious cat anyway....LOL
Posts: 3,177Penny I just went through the whole thing and never knew I had to register on ebay in this way...so I have done just that..registered as a business account. The weird thing is that there are loads of sellers on there that do not display any contact details..they sell on there all the time. Not just bear makers. Which means that ebay don't check..which they should ...because if it's the law for us to have to do certain things in order to sell on there then they should have mechanisms in place to stop people from effectively running businesses which are 'under the radar'..this is perfectly possible on eBay.
I want to be above board and run my business in a transparent way..but unless you set up a shop on ebay how do they know what you are doing?
Hi Jen,
Is'nt it all so confusing??? As far as i am aware, eBay itself is only just beginning to enforce this and it will not come into force until May 2008, which is why you won't see many sellers complying to the new regs at the moment!
I am still trawling through pages and pages of info but here's a few updates:
Here is a quote from an eBay employee posted on the eBay.co.uk discussion board:
kerstin.uk@ebay.com View Listings | Report 29-01-08 16:11 GMT 25 of 929
#14 Legally any seller who makes items for sale is a business, so should declare themselves as such. eBay will for now only enforce this for very high volume sellers, but we are encouraging all sellers to comply with the law.
#16 Under Distance Selling Regulations it has to be a geographical address, not a PO box.
Here's the link to the whole discussion, there's a lot of waffle to read through but this quote is about halfway down the page:
http://forums.ebay.co.uk/thread.jspa...142136&start=0
Do I really have to expose my private address on the eBay site?
Sellers operating as businesses have a legal obligation to clearly display a geographical address to prospective buyers before they bid/BIN (which is the point of entry into a contract). eBay is working to help sellers clearly meet their legal obligations, by providing functionality to display addresses to buyers on the View Item page, and policies to enforce this.However, we have heard and we do understand the genuine security concerns of sellers who trade from their private residence. We are exploring ways to address these concerns without exposing our seller base to legal risk. We still plan to enforce appropriate address display by May, but we feel confident we can find a display solution that will be acceptable to the majority of sellers.
Read the full annoucement here:
http://forums.ebay.co.uk/thread.jspa?th … 37&start=0
I'm am still trying to find a definitive explanation...somewhere......if you get fed up with me posting just yell and i will stop!
:whistle:
'They Can't Get Me!'
Oh GOD..my brain hurts now Penny.....I have registered myself as business on eBay now..and that's that...I will display my address...until they say different.
I am not falling foul of the law...my friend had trading standards knock on her door. She is not a bear maker but sells on-line and they told her they could shut her down for less than not displaying an address..she had no terms and conditions on her website and I think someone may have reported her...but anyway..If we have to do it , it has to be done!!
Pandy Potter BearsEEK!!!!!!! What a kerfuffle!!!!!
Past Time BearsOh my . . . I knew there were good reasons why I don't sell on ebay.
Bears-a-Bruin!I just read that many buyers/sellers are planning to boycott eBay next week, 18-25 Feb, as a protest against the changes. It's been reported on CNN apparently!
Newcastle, OntarioH Penny,
At least now I understand! Yesterday, my niece and I scoured ebay for hours trying to find out out putting addresses on our listings. We finally figured it out when my niece went to list something via Auctiva and an announcement came up. We realized it was for the U.K. only.
hugs,
Brenda
Bears-a-Bruin!Sorry to harp on about this, but I've been reading some more about the changes coming up at eBay and am feeling pretty annoyed about it.... the hike in fees, restricted feedback for sellers, possible paypal money freezes depending on whether EBay thinks you're a good seller or not....
There's a growing movement to boycott eBay for a week, as I mentioned in a previous post. This youtube video explains more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23TomS5--nQ
I notice that some people here are listing on etsy, and wondered what their experience was like? I love the site itself, and it looks nice and simple. Are there any other trading websites that anyone recommends? I don't sell much these days but would like to know for future reference! 
Posts: 3,177I notice that some people here are listing on etsy, and wondered what their experience was like? I love the site itself, and it looks nice and simple. Are there any other trading websites that anyone recommends? I don't sell much these days but would like to know for future reference!
Hi Helena, how you doin?
Here is a link to the Power Sellers website which offers a frequently updated list of the largest auction sites listings so you can gauge how successful they are before having a go at listing with them. The whole website is interesting and very useful if you are looking for alternative auction sites so i suggest anyone who wants to keep up to speed with eBay happenings etc go take a look-see.
Bears-a-Bruin!I'm doing fine, Penny, thanks for asking! How are you? I'm still around, and still sewing albeit it very slowllllyyyy.... :lol:
After I posted, I remembered there's bid4bears (I'm registered there, but it slipped my mind!). I do think it's wise to hunt around for new and better venues to sell our bears - eBay's going through a lot changes right not and not all for the better imo.
Thanks for the link - I'm going to keep my beady eyes on them all! And check the auction sites out too
Bears-a-Bruin!Thanks Bren 
I can only see etsy growing. Actually, all the other auction sites on Penny's link seem to be growing at the moment too! I agree that eBay may just have become too big - pity, because the thrill of the auction can be addictive!
