VIDEO Interview with Dinesh Lathi about eBay Seller Release

Add a comment 6 VIDEO Interview with Dinesh Lathi about eBay Seller Release

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

VIDEO Interview with Dinesh Lathi about eBay Seller Release

All,
I was able to spend some time with Dinesh Lathi, VP of Buyer and Seller Experience at eBay, to discuss the news coming out of today’s Seller Release (eBaySR) in more detail. I did my best to anticipate some of the more challenging questions that may be on Ink reader’s minds and posed them to Dinesh (I realize you’ll have a ton more… and I’m happy to ask those too). What follows is a 7-part, comprehensive sit-down discussion with Dinesh in the lobby of the Community building at San Jose HQ. I’ve embedded the questions right into the videos.

Part 1: Dinesh Lathi, VP of Buyer & Seller Experience for eBay, sits down with eBay Ink blogger RBH to answer some questions. Here he explains what he believes to be the top three messages coming out of today’s Seller Release…

Part 2: Dinesh addresses smaller sellers in the eBay marketplace and the new zero Insertion Fee pricing for auctions starting under $1…

Part 3: Dinesh talks about eBay’s “level playing field” and how it still applies with the Seller Release news of January 2010…

Part 4: Here, I ask Dinesh why the focus on Auctions again (e.g. zero up-front Insertion Fees), even though we’ve been emphasizing Fixed Price in the last year and a half. Dinesh also talks about why some up-front insertion fees remain…

Part 5: Dinesh addresses the concern some smaller sellers may have with regard to their ranking in search coming out of the changes made in the Seller Release announcement…

Part 6: I ask Dinesh about Best Match…

Part 7: Dinesh talks about what this news will mean for buyers and sellers and for the eBay Marketplace as a whole…

In addition to feedback regarding the news itself, I’m interested to hear if you find this new format of interviewing helpful. I’m trying to evolve the video integration here on Ink to accompany trends and news that I cover. Let me know.

Cheers,
RBH
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Amber / January 26th, 2010 at 2:47 pm

Just a usability comment, Richard. I can’t watch these on my slow poke DSL.

James / January 26th, 2010 at 5:19 pm

WOW…going from 3 to 5 cents per store listing (for a basic store seller) to 20 cents per item is going to KILL the little guys…which is what most of us little think has been the plan for a LONG time. Way to kick people when they’re already down eBay.

I started selling in eBay in 2000. I was a power seller when all it meant was a lapel pin and the words “Power Seller” next to your ID. No discounts, no pats on the back for having 100% positive feedback. None of that. But I’m no longer a power seller due to changing my products (long story).

Gosh, I’ve invested so much time in drawing people to eBay that I kind of feel like I’ve been kicked in the teeth so many times (by eBay) that I’m now toothless, and near penniless, and yet here comes that big boot again. First eBay took away the Google feeds, then the eBay blogs, and now this. Ebay don’t you realize your drop in revenue is directly related to how you treat the little guys? James

Stefani / January 26th, 2010 at 8:05 pm

eBay, you’ve gotten so far away from the original eBay that you’re driving away the small seller. THEY were the base of your business, not the superstores! Even closing the blogs worked against you. The people who share info at another blogging site are now free to talk about and advertise their wares at other auction sites. YOU’VE created this situation. If need be create another site for the big guys. It’s not rocket science, just back to basics sense!

DonC / January 26th, 2010 at 9:56 pm

Hi Richard and / or Dinesh,

Thanks for the update. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this change.

At present I keep about 60 items in my basic store and run around 12-20 auctions a month. The auctions attract people to my store. My sales are about 1/2 from the auctions and 1/2 from my store. I also have a URL that directs traffic to my store.

Do I understand these changes correctly?

* My store listings will automatically become fixed price listings.
* Most of my auctions start at over $100 with a listing fee of $2. That will now be $1.
* Stores will still exist after the change.
* In general my fixed price listings on items around $125 will go up a few cents.

Question:

Will my URL still bring potential buyers to a listing of all my items?

Stores will still exist after the change or will they?

Will all of my listings will show up in best match?

Thanks for helping use understand the changes.

Cindy / January 27th, 2010 at 2:25 am

Well ebay if you’re trying to push us out you’re doing it. I’ve been a loyal ebay seller for over 6 years, it is partly use of my fee money and others like me that built this company from the ground up and now that you’ve chewed us up you don’t want us anymore. Your fees are OUTRAGEOUS. It’s a slap in the face ebay what you’ve done! You offer us nothing really in return but the privilege to sell on your site. Do you know that I actually have customers emailing me telling ME how un-friendly ebay has become? Don’t you realize that ebay sellers are also buyers too? Well I won’t be buying anything from ebay again, what you’ve done is virtually put a lot of people out of business with your insane fees. I have 2 stores here on ebay and because of this, I will be closing one, and the one I keep open will be closed within a year. Ebay you have proven that you don’t care about the sellers once again, you spin this information to make it sound good, but we’re smarter than that, everyone can see that you’re hiking your prices to get rid of smaller sellers.

Richard Brewer-Hay / January 27th, 2010 at 11:51 am

@Stefani,
Thanks for your comment. You are entirely correct stating that eBay in 2010 is not the eBay of 10 years ago. Neither is the Internet. Businesses have to evolve to compete and survive. Our individual sellers realize that more than anyone.

Personally, I think people being able to talk and advertise their wares across the Internet – regardless of platform – is a positive. A seller – an individual business owner – should not put their eggs in one basket. They must be willing to expand or adapt their business in order to be successful. The advent of social media, blogging and transparency across the Internet has made that even more possible. I am connected to those people every day and I am constantly amazed at their ability to achieve success through their independent, entrepreneurial spirit.

Cheers,
RBH

mindelec / January 27th, 2010 at 5:27 pm

first a comment on the format, the vids don’t stream well for me and i’d rather read text.

someone needs to explain to dinesh that the concept of “level playing field” is really quite simple… everyone pays the same fees, everyone gets the same exposure. no amount of “yes but” explantions supercede that basic fact.

i also found the explaination of why ebay has to charge a listing fee quite self serving. it really falls apart when you consider that the same “real estate” is being sold for different prices.