Nisha couldn’t make it to Las Vegas for the big Ebay gathering, so she is streaming it. Which means I get to listen.
Sounds like my idea of hell. People on stage saying they want to “empower sellers” to “seize opportunities” and to “maximize results”.
I think you could fill a buzz-work Bingo card in under 5 minutes.
We all seem to think all this is new(ish) but that sounds like just about every corporate meeting I have been to in over 50 years.
About all that changes is the words they use and very few I have ever seen actually gave the straight stuff that was needed.
I would have to add up the number of companies I have worked for over the years but almost none of them told us what we really needed to hear.
“We’re making progress” – NO, we are in deep doo-doo and some heads will roll.
“The outlook is bright” – Never mind that the economic numbers say we are headed to a recession/contraction.
“I have full confidence in our managers” – Several will be let go over the next 6 to 8 months.
Just give people some facts and let them decide if they think the company is worth staying at or if they need a life raft to get out…
Maybe that is why they never liked it when I raised my hand to ask a question… 
I’m familiar with this phenomenon.
To be fair, these are PR speeches. It’s not their job or intention to give you actionable information, they are there to hype. Which is why I never bother listening.
Yesterday at eBay OPEN25 — our biggest seller event of the year — we unveiled a suite of new features and updates to our marketplace designed to help sellers save time, improve profitability, and build trust with every sale.
AI Assistant for Messaging
Offers in Messaging
:
Track Your Costs
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/OPEN25-Day-One-Announcements/ba-p/35216637
There are none of these features which I intend to use. Get off my lawn.
Oh yeah. I’ve been through plenty of those. Never want to go through it again.
But thankfully, most of my jobs were not corporate, so didn’t deal with it too much. But just hearing it grates on my nerves!
And some of the new features might be great (Nisha deals with that side; I don’t know much about it). But a simple announcement at the top of the screen would probably be more effective at promoting them than a “rah-rah” rally.
Day 2 Announcements
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/OPEN25-Day-Two-Announcements/ba-p/35218413
As eBay looks back on 30 years of empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses, we’re also preparing to enter a bold new chapter, grounded in the same spirit of partnership that built our legacy. Day Two of eBay Open delivered updates sellers have been asking for, with many going live as soon as this fall.
New Seller Protections:
Seller Item Not Received (INR) Protections
Starting in October, eBay is implementing a new measure to ensure sellers aren’t penalized for shipping delays outside of their control.
When a seller ships on time with eBay labels and tracked shipping: eBay has your back.
If an item was delivered after a refund was issued, eBay will reimburse the seller for item costs and remove any negative or neutral feedback resulting from delayed delivery.
“No Returns Accepted” enforcement
Beginning in October, buyers of “as-is” listings will see clear, prominent messaging of “For Parts or Not Working” and “No Returns Accepted” at every stage — from the item page through checkout to post-purchase — to help ensure buyers understand they are purchasing an as-is, for parts item.
For these items, returns based on remorse will be completely blocked and not-as-described claims will face stricter requirements.
The claim window will also be shortened from 30 to 3 days on these listings.
Unpaid Items
Buy It Now transactions now require immediate payment. Currently, 99.9% of these transactions are paid.
For Best Offers, buyers must have a payment method on file — and 99% are paid automatically when accepted.
We’ve launched autopay for Auction wins, including for sellers who offer combined shipping.
Buyers can either have their payment processed automatically one hour after winning an auction or choose “Shop more, ship together” to get up to seven days to shop other items, with automatic payment.
Verifying Buyers
Verified bidding now requires a phone number for all bidders. And for high-value items, we're requiring government ID and selfie verification.
For categories like trading cards, we're testing holding funds during bidding or capturing partial payment immediately after close to ensure buyer intent.
For international buyers, we're applying the same strict verification — no exceptions.
More Announcements:
Automated Feedback
Currently, only about one in three buyers chooses to leave feedback, even on successful transactions.
Beginning in September, when a seller in the U.S. uses a tracked service, delivers on time, and no issues are reported, eBay will automatically leave positive feedback for the seller.
Inventory Mapping API
eBay’s new Inventory Mapping API makes it easier than ever to manage large inventories by bringing the time-saving magic of AI-powered listing to sellers who operate at scale.
With just a few inputs — like images, product identifiers, and catalog aspects — the API generates optimized titles, item specifics, descriptions, and more. It’s fast, scalable, and built to let sellers focus on what matters: growing their businesses and connecting with buyers.
This tool will begin rolling out to select U.S. sellers in the coming weeks.
eBay Advertising AI Advancements
eBay launched a new Ads Destination within eBay Mobile, allowing sellers to promote on the go.
eBay Advertising is leveraging AI to deliver suggested campaigns that are custom-built, ready-to-launch, and fully optimized based on historical data and best practices.
We've also been focused on using AI to automatically optimize your listings, including images and titles, for improved performance on external channels.
This list seems that Ebay actually listened to the whimpers of sellers who can’t seem to get the hang of being in business.
I don’t see much harm, nor much good coming from them other than more reasons for sellers to choose to pay for Ebay Promotion.
This sounds good to me.
I’d care more if feedback wasn’t so broken as a system. Maybe this will weight the nonsense complaints better.
I was happy to hear about them using the Mercari method for feedback. It is a huge win for sellers. Amazon went the opposite direction…
I have not found anything on that list of new features that I object to.
But I could have lived without any of them.
Those who know me, know that I am a believer that a seller should control everything they can about their transactions, and seller protection for anything other than a stolen credit card is not important. It would not be for stolen credit cards either, if online marketplaces did AVS checks. But I would prefer it if no one bought items from me as a gift to be shipped to other than the credit card holder - which is probably a minority opinion.
The best thing about Ebay is they have changed relatively little for sellers in the last several years. It used to be just the opposite 15 years ago…there was some big huge anti-seller change every seller update.