posted on March 24, 2004 10:13:22 AM new
I trust you've received your email about the Half transition and the (convoluted -- my words) changes to the fees. It seems that Ebay is desperately trying to get Half.comers to come on board and open a store.
Anyone want to comment about it? You can see the memo at Half.com - search for Transition.
http://lwright.biz/index.html
posted on March 24, 2004 10:20:07 AM new
Could you post a link? I'm not finding anything on Half.
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We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing -- Anonymous
posted on March 24, 2004 11:57:00 AM new
Dear Half.com Seller,
As you may already know, Half.com is being integrated into eBay. If you're one of the many Half.com sellers who has asked questions and made suggestions for the transition, we'd like to extend a sincere "thank you" and reassure you that we're working hard to incorporate your ideas and feedback.
To help you successfully transition your Half.com business to eBay, we have prepared this announcement to provide invaluable information about:
• Listing Fees, Durations & Item Discoverability
• Upcoming eBay site enhancements designed to make selling easier
• Upcoming eBay site enhancements designed to make buying easier
• Plans for buyer marketing activities
• More resources for getting started and learning more
Our goal in integrating Half.com with eBay is to combine the best of both platforms. By building into eBay some of the features and tools that have made Half.com so successful, and taking advantage of eBay's vast resources and buyer base, we believe we'll have created the world's most robust marketplace for Books, Movies, Music and Video Games.
Exciting eBay Site Improvements for Half.com Sellers
Through surveys, one-on-one conversations, focus groups, and board discussions, you have identified a number of opportunities to improve selling on eBay. In response, we've developed a variety of new tools and features that will make selling on eBay easier, faster, and more profitable for you.
Listings Fees, Durations and Discoverability - More Profit for You!
A key component of the integration is to make longer listings more discoverable and less costly so you can make more money. Changes to eBay Stores will play an important role in providing a cost-effective way to list a high volume of items for longer periods of time:
1. Reduced eBay Stores Listing Fee - as of February 1, 2004, listing on eBay for longer periods of time is more affordable. Insertion fee for listings with Store Inventory format has been reduced from $0.05 to $0.02 for every 30 days. At $.02 per listing, even 1,000 listings in eBay Store Inventory format would cost only $20 for 30-days.
2. Improved Discoverability for eBay Store Inventory Items - starting in April 2004, items listed in Store Inventory format will be easier to find from eBay's main search. Instead of Store Inventory items being only searchable from the eBay Stores specialty site, customers will be able to find them from eBay's main search. In fact, if a search yields 10 or fewer listings from eBay's core site, Stores item will be displayed prominently. Click here to see an example.
Best Practices Tip!
Core eBay Listings vs. Store Inventory Listings-Faster moving items should be listed on the main eBay site, rather than in Store Inventory format-the greater discoverability and higher sell through on core eBay usually offsets the higher listing fees. Conversely, slower moving items should be listed in Stores to take advantage of lower fees. In fact, you can actually be more profitable on eBay than on Half.com despite the listings fees. eBay has much lower commission fees than Half.com and unlike Half.com, eBay does not hold back any portion of the shipping fees that buyers pay.
The chart below shows how items that sell for the same price on eBay and on Half.com yield higher net revenue for the seller when sold on eBay. This example assumes the most conservative scenario:
• The item is listed and sells for $12.99 on both eBay and Half.com.
• The same standard Half.com Media Mail Paperback shipping fee of $2.79 is charged to the buyer on both eBay and Half.com.
• The seller pays the standard rate for PayPal when selling on eBay.
• The recommended listing format is Core eBay when the item sells within the 7 or 14 day listing period. The recommended listing format is the Store Inventory format when the item sells within the 30, 180 or 360 day listing period.
If the item is listed below $10, merits a higher shipping & handling fee, or if the seller qualifies for PayPal's merchant rate, the seller can expect to see even higher net revenue when the item is sold on eBay.
Chart 1. Seller Net Revenue Comparison for Same Item Sold on eBay vs. on Half.com
Notes:
* If an item on core eBay doesn't sell at the end of its listings duration, it can be re-listed for free, provided that the item sells when it is relisted.
** On eBay, sellers can set their shipping fees and receive the shipping fees directly from buyers. In the example above, buyer pays $2.79 for shipping on both platforms. Seller receives the full $2.79 on eBay but receives a reimbursement of $1.94 from Half.com.
*** Model does not take Stores' monthly subscription fee into consideration, which starts at $9.99 for a Basic Store.
The above chart illustrates that for any item you have sold in the past year on Half.com, you can increase your net revenue when you switch to selling it on eBay. Even if the item sits in your eBay Store for a year before selling, you will still come out ahead on eBay. Of course, with eBay's vastly larger marketplace, you will likely sell many more items on eBay... and make higher net revenue!
Ease of Listing on eBay - Making Your Life Easier!
Starting in November 2003, eBay began using the Muze catalog database (the same catalog used on Half.com) for items in Books, Music, Movies and Video Games. Just this month, we have updated the catalog and expect to continually update it to ensure a wide array of items available via the catalog on eBay.
This means easier and faster listings when sellers list on eBay using Pre-Filled Item Information. You get the same stock photo and standard quality item description as on Half.com. This feature is accessible in eBay's main Sell Your Item flow or Turbo Lister, and can be activated using ISBN/UPC.
Based on the catalog functionality, eBay offers tools that are tailored to meet your needs:
1. Express Sell Your Item (Coming May '04) - We're streamlining the listing process and making it more like Half.com. Express Sell Your Item will be a separate flow for listing catalog items. To use it, simply enter the ISBN/UPC, price and condition, and the rest of your listing will be automatically created for you... and if you like, there are additional options to create more elaborate listings.
2. Turbo Lister & Selling Manager Pro (Available Now!) - Mid-volume eBay sellers who want to bulk-load listings without additional development can use these popular tools. Already compatible with the catalog functionality, find out today how Turbo Lister and Selling Manager Pro can really boost your productivity!
The #1 Destination for Books, Movies, Music and Video Games Buyers
We are committed to building the most vibrant marketplace ever for Books, Movies, Music and Video Games. Here are just a few of the reasons why we believe eBay is a powerful ally for sellers on Half.com:
The Strength of the eBay Marketplace
With more than 95 million registered users, eBay is the world's largest online marketplace. Although eBay has its roots in the auction format, fixed-priced listings are growing fast and account for approximately one third of all Books, Movies, Music and Video Game items sold on eBay today. In fact, more fixed priced items are sold in eBay's Books, Movies, Music and Video Games categories than are sold on Half.com every day!
eBay is Committed to Attract and Retain Half.com Buyers
We are committed to bringing Half.com buyers to eBay and to providing them with a good experience that will keep them coming back to the site again and again. We're working hard to improve eBay with powerful new features, including:
1. Express Product Search (Coming May '04)
Buyers will be able to find your items quickly and easily, with an experience similar to Half.com! Express Product Search is a new capability on eBay that allows buyers to zero in on exactly what they're looking for. Unlike eBay's main search which displays listings that matching the search term from all categories, Express Product Search displays specific titles in the media categories the buyer has selected. By clicking on a title, buyers can then see listings that match exactly what they want. Click here for an illustration of how it works.
2. Improved Search (Coming April '04)
eBay search is about to get even smarter! Not only will buyers be able to search by ISBN/UPC, but they will also have a better chance of finding exactly what they are looking for, even if they misspell the author's name or miss a digit in the ISBN. Search intelligence will help sellers get more buyers than ever before!
More Marketing to Build Your Business
eBay wants to be the world's online marketplace for Books, Movies, Music and Video Games... and that means more business for you! Already, you may have noticed that we are increasing eBay messages on the Half.com site, and are presenting eBay items as part of Half.com's search results and recommendations. As the integration progresses, we expect to be even more aggressive in our efforts to move buyers to eBay. Over the coming months, you can expect to see promotions, coupons, listings showing in shopping bots and affiliate programs, all targeted at switching buyers' transactions from Half.com to eBay. We anticipate that our marketing investments will only grow once the transition of Half.com is complete.
One Selling Platform, Unlimited Opportunities!
We are excited about the coming changes to the eBay platform... we hope you are too! As we work together to build the world's most robust marketplace for Books, Movies, Music and Video Games, we think you'll discover that the integration results in a platform where the best of Half.com and the best of eBay are working together to build your business.
To take advantage of this tremendous growth opportunity for your business, start selling on eBay today!
To learn more about the integration and share your ideas:
Attend the Half.com Transition Town Hall - an interactive online chat where we will answer your questions.
Date: March 24,2003
Time: 4:00PM PST
Venue: eBay Online Townhall Forum
Attend multi-media interactive webinars - an interactive multi-media seminar conducted via the web where we will discuss the content of this announcement in greater detail and provide you with an opportunity to ask questions. Each session is limited to 150 registrants so be sure to register today!
Date: Wednesday, April 7 & Wednesday, April 14
Time: 3:00PM PST
Venue: Online Webinar Forum
Registration: Register for the April 7 Webinar
Registration: Register for the April 14 Webinar
Visit the Half.com Transition Hub - an information resource on Half.com where you can find updates on the transition and useful information on how to succeed on eBay
Read Other Sellers' Success Stories - some Half.com sellers have already successfully transitioned to eBay. Hear from them directly on how they made it work and learn from their experiences.
