I just finished reading “The Ultimate Guide to eBay’s Spring 2009 Changes” published by ChannelAdvisor CEO Scot Wingo.  This is a must read guide for every eBay seller.  You can download your copy for free here.

In his guide, Scot takes each announced change and explains the impact on both buyers and sellers.  He also highlights action steps and areas that you need to pay attention to in a yellow shaded box below each change.

Here are some additional things to think about when thinking through the eBay Spring 2009 changes:

1. The graphic with the breakout of the new View Item page.  The re-design of the Item page will include larger product images.  In surveying customers, eBay found that a high quality image was one of the top factors in their decision to stay on the Item page and continue reading.  (Something that is true across the web.) The larger product images mean that if your photo quality is not top notch, it will hurt your sales.

eBay is now recommending product photos of 1,000 x 1,000 pixels and up.  And at this size, it’s critical that your lighting is good, backgrounds are clean and photos are crisp.

2. Test the new listing page with your existing template.  At the top of the each View Item page is an option that says “Switch to the new version of this page.”  We’re here in April 2009 and the sooner you test out your existing listing template in the new View Item template the better.

3.  Multi-variation listings.  This will be a huge change for sellers and will require reevaluating your listing strategies in cases where you sell multiple variations of the same item.  If you’ve been on eBay for anything length of time, you remember when eBay allowed you to create choice listings.  With a choice listing you were able to specify in your listing that you had multiple colors/sizes of an item available.  The buyer purchased your product and then sent you an email to let you know which size/color he wanted. 

With the new multi-variation listings, eBay’s software will be set up so that you can create a listing that shows your buyer on the page what variations of the product you carry. In his report, Scot explains the pros and cons of this new format. 

You’ll want to pay close attention to the yellow box in that section that explains how this may or may not benefit your business. The thing to keep in mind about the introduction of multi-variation listings is that this type of product display is what customers are used to on other sites such as Amazon, Buy.com, Gymboree, Nordstrom.com etc.

As a consumer, if I like a particular shirt that you sell, I don’t want to have to click in and out of 14 different listings to see all the colors it comes in.  I want one listing that shows me all the colors and sizes that the shirt comes in.  So even though this new listing format will take some getting used to, please understand that from a sales conversion standpoint, the multi-variation listing format is practically guaranteed to increase your sales.

4. eBay is making it easier for buyers to return products. This is a win in the trust category, but will likely lead to increased product returns.  I believe this will be one of the hardest areas for people to adjust to, especially if you are running your business on a thin profit margin. 

This will force people to make some changes in their product line and also to look at their bottom line and figure out how to increase the overall profit margin of their business. 

The reality of it is that returns are a part of doing business.  Not a pleasant part, but a part that needs to be planned for.  With the new eBay return policy, you need to budget for a certain percentage of returns and factor that in as the cost of doing business.

5. Take a look at what Scot talks about in regards to the SmartFAQ - the FAQ that is designed by content in your listings to answer buyers questions.  I have mixed feelings on this one. 

Yes it will streamline time and decrease customer questions - but it will also decrease customer contact which will limit your ability to turn a customer contact into a sale.  In the WDIS Business Center  one of the things we teach our sellers is exactly how to turn a customer question into your next sale.  And it’s a very powerful sales method.   So I’m not 100% behind the automation of your customer’s questions.

6. The big picture - Scot’s report has a great graphic representing eBay’s new focus and the areas of opportunity.  Scot mentions the need to prepare for an influx of larger retailers in the secondary market by creating a safe protected niche to sell in. 

I agree with Scot wholeheartedly and I take it one step further.  Unless you are a big company, in 2009 buyers are buying people , value and information not just products.  I go into this in-depth in my 2009 SMART Spring & Summer Action Plan, available to members of the WDIS Business Center. 

No matter what direction eBay eventually sails in, if you are a solopreneur with a desire to build an online business around a commodity product and you don’t want to add value to your offering - you’re going to experience a lot of hard days & nights watching your products go unsold and your profit margins erode. 

However, if you have an interest in adding your spin to your offerings, making the connection with the customers and providing value through niche product information and support - NOW you have a viable business model on eBay or any other marketplace.