eBay Tests Unpaid Item Protection for PowerSellers

[mandy]

**Pilot Program: Unpaid Item Protection for PowerSellers*** 

Hi…This is Edurne Jorda with our Seller Development team. It was a fantastic experience to be able to meet so many of our PowerSellers face to face at eBay Live! in Boston. There was a lot of good news for the PowerSeller program (read my announcement) and for the thousands of sellers who are part of it. I'm pleased to be able to update you on one of these announcements – Unpaid Item Protection – which Bill Cobb also mentioned during his keynote speech.

The Unpaid Item Protection Program is intended to give our PowerSellers extra protection in the event they experience a buyer who does not pay. All sellers are refunded their Final Value Fees when they close an Unpaid Item dispute, and they also get an Insertion Fee credit if they re-list and sell the item the second time. Now, for listings starting August 1st through the remainder of 2007, eligible PowerSellers will also receive a refund for their listing Feature Fees when their listing meets these conditions:

  1. The item is listed in an auction-style or auction-style + Buy It Now format. (Fixed price listings are eligible for Immediate Payment and do not necessarily pose the same risk from non-paying bidders that auction-style listings do.)
  2. Reasonable shipping & handling charges are specified. (Please read our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.)
  3. PayPal is accepted.

Specifying shipping and handling charges that are reasonable, and accepting PayPal are best practices that a seller can implement to help reduce the incidence of Unpaid Items. With this program, we aim to protect PowerSellers that are engaging in these best practices.

Feature Fee credits will apply to eligible US and Canadian PowerSellers selling on eBay.com, eBay.ca, eBay Express and eBay Motors Parts & Accessories. PowerSellers will receive their Feature Fee credits monthly -- by the 15th of each month they will receive the credits for the Unpaid Item disputes closed in the prior month.

PowerSellers rank among the most successful eBay sellers in terms of product sales volume and customer satisfaction on eBay. We're proud to recognize and reward their significant contributions to the success of the eBay Community. The PowerSeller program is open to all sellers who qualify.

This pilot program will run through December 31, 2007.
This program has been designed as a Pilot because it's important for us to monitor unintended consequences for the buyers, the sellers and the overall marketplace. Our intent is to analyze the results of this Feature Fee refund carefully through the end of the year. We encourage PowerSellers to continue to do their best to communicate with their buyers and try to resolve any Unpaid Item disputes that may arise. We will update you on the future of this program at a later date.

For more details, please check the PowerSeller portal and Frequently Asked Questions.