Incoming unannounced policy changes?

[njrtsr]

Here's a key line in the new update...

" Starting October 1, 2019, we’re simplifying our policies so that they will be easy for you to understand, as well as help you manage your business consistent with our rules."

So it looks like ebay just announced they will be randomly "simplifying" policies in the future starting in October. In the past selling policies would only be "simplified" during the seller updates. Anyone who's been here long enough will know that the term "simplified" has been used to justify fee increases and harsher punishments for sellers.

So it's good to know that sellers aren't out of the woods just yet... and now ebay has given themselves licence to rewrite seller policies whenever they see fit, not just during the seasonal updates!

[njrtsr]

Seriously this peeves me off. At least in the past we would know when to expect potential changes to our business models. Now they're warning us that future policy changes may not be announced in the seller updates?! And to justify the lack of notice, they will automatically hide listings that don't comply with the unannounced changes 😠

[mam98031]

I don't know that I would agree that they will make things harsher.  

What concerns me is that they will change policies that we have no idea have been changed until we stumble across them for one reason or another.

Many of the policies are way overdue for an overhaul.  Better word choices and better descriptions.  But if Ebay is going to do this, we need to know specifically which policies have or are changing and to what.

I've often suggested an exceptions report over the years.  An announcement that is regularly released to sellers that has a couple of sections.  List the policies that have had changes to them.  List policies that have been added.  And list policies that have been deleted.

It would be a cost effective way to keep the members of Ebay informed and up to date on the policies of the site.

[njrtsr]

I've been reading these seller updates for years, and if there's one thing I know it's that when ebay says things are getting "simplified" it's a code word used to soften a blow.

[mam98031]

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@njrtsr wrote:
I've been reading these seller updates for years, and if there's one thing I know it's that when ebay says things are getting "simplified" it's a code word used to soften a blow.

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I can't agree with that.  Sometimes the policies stay the same but they describe them better.  Sometimes they add more details so they are easier to follow.  Other times they remove stuff or slightly change the policy which may or may not benefit us.

My problem is that all of this is left to us just coming across a policy that has changed.  The is is OMG I didn't know that, when did that happen???

And exception report would not be a hard thing for them to program and it would be enormously helpful to keeping the community informed.

[njrtsr]

If you don't know how ebay has used the word "simplify" to justify higher fees and more loopholes to jump through over the years, you need to go back and read the old policy updates. It's become a running gag by now.

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@njrtsr wrote:
If you don't know how ebay has used the word "simplify" to justify higher fees and more loopholes to jump through over the years, you need to go back and read the old policy updates. It's become a running gag by now.

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"Good news"! "You asked and we listened"! Coming "soon" … "simplified" blahblah! 

[mam98031]

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@njrtsr wrote:
If you don't know how ebay has used the word "simplify" to justify higher fees and more loopholes to jump through over the years, you need to go back and read the old policy updates. It's become a running gag by now.

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When Ebay claimed to simplify the fee structure, that is what they did.  The fee structure use to be far more complicated than it is now.  So the use of the word "simplify".  

Over time fees have gone up, just like the cost of most things I've experienced in life.  I don't like fee increases any more than anyone else.  But just because Ebay says they are going to update policies doesn't mean they are going to increase fees.  Dang there or so many policies, if they were simply going to increase fees, they would just tell us.  Ebay has never increased fees without announcing that to members.

[mtnbkr96]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@njrtsr wrote:
I've been reading these seller updates for years, and if there's one thing I know it's that when ebay says things are getting "simplified" it's a code word used to soften a blow.

---

I can't agree with that.  Sometimes the policies stay the same but they describe them better.  Sometimes they add more details so they are easier to follow.  Other times they remove stuff or slightly change the policy which may or may not benefit us.

My problem is that all of this is left to us just coming across a policy that has changed.  The is is OMG I didn't know that, when did that happen???

And exception report would not be a hard thing for them to program and it would be enormously helpful to keeping the community informed.

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@mam98031 @njrtsr @penguins_dont_fly 

None of our policies are changing as a result of this announcement.  We are looking to partner with you by making the policies simpler and easier to understand.  There are no increased consequences.  In fact, we understand you have a business to run and it takes a lot of time to understand and navigate our policies.  We will always notify you if you run into an issue with one of our policies.  The notification will give you a chance to comply with the policy without a penalty.  

[mtnbkr96]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@njrtsr wrote:
If you don't know how ebay has used the word "simplify" to justify higher fees and more loopholes to jump through over the years, you need to go back and read the old policy updates. It's become a running gag by now.

---

When Ebay claimed to simplify the fee structure, that is what they did.  The fee structure use to be far more complicated than it is now.  So the use of the word "simplify".  

Over time fees have gone up, just like the cost of most things I've experienced in life.  I don't like fee increases any more than anyone else.  But just because Ebay says they are going to update policies doesn't mean they are going to increase fees.  Dang there or so many policies, if they were simply going to increase fees, they would just tell us.  Ebay has never increased fees without announcing that to members.

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@mam98031 

You're right!  This is not a way to increase fees.  You are also right in saying that there are a lot of policies.  It is not reasonable for you to keep track of all of the policies.  We will let you know if there is an issue and we will do it without penalizing you so you can make the adjustments necessary to comply with the policy.  We hope this is a friendlier approach. 

[njrtsr]

Sorry but I've got to call bull here. The policy change in this announcement is that the policy changes can be at random times in the future, not just during seasonal updates. This is undoing a precedent that dates back to the Meg Whitman era and that is a BIG change!

[mam98031]

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@mtnbkr96 wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@njrtsr wrote:
If you don't know how ebay has used the word "simplify" to justify higher fees and more loopholes to jump through over the years, you need to go back and read the old policy updates. It's become a running gag by now.

---

When Ebay claimed to simplify the fee structure, that is what they did.  The fee structure use to be far more complicated than it is now.  So the use of the word "simplify".  

Over time fees have gone up, just like the cost of most things I've experienced in life.  I don't like fee increases any more than anyone else.  But just because Ebay says they are going to update policies doesn't mean they are going to increase fees.  Dang there or so many policies, if they were simply going to increase fees, they would just tell us.  Ebay has never increased fees without announcing that to members.

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@mam98031 

You're right!  This is not a way to increase fees.  You are also right in saying that there are a lot of policies.  It is not reasonable for you to keep track of all of the policies.  We will let you know if there is an issue and we will do it without penalizing you so you can make the adjustments necessary to comply with the policy.  We hope this is a friendlier approach. 

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Thank you.  I would still like an exception report as I previously described.  While some policy changes may not seem significant to one member, they may be to another.  Ebay does update us on policies that have significant change or the deem that it is an important enough change to let everyone know about it.  

But over the years there have been lots and lots and lots of small changes that do impact us in one way shape or form.  With an exception report we can stay informed.  I can't tell you how many times I've been surprised at a change I wasn't aware of was a change.  

For example the cancellation system has changed a few times in recent years without announcement.  From the type of reasons we can select to other things.  Small in detail I suppose, but important to many of us.  The FB removal reasons is another.  If I spent more time thinking about it, I'm sure I could come up with more.  

I just think Ebay should respect how important ALL of the policies are to its members and inform us on ALL changes.  It is after all in the best interest of the health and well being of every member to know and understand the policies.  It only makes us all stronger.  I can't tell you how many times I've been on the threads trying to help one person or another, give a little advice only to find out from another member that the policy changed.

[mam98031]

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@njrtsr wrote:

Sorry but I've got to call bull here. The policy change in this announcement is that the policy changes can be at random times in the future, not just during seasonal updates. This is undoing a precedent that dates back to the Meg Whitman era and that is a BIG change!

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I'm not sure I understand.  Ebay has changed policies for years and years and years without announcing every single one of them.  They just announce ones that they deem are more impactfull to members and/or their listings.

[mtnbkr96]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@mtnbkr96 wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@njrtsr wrote:
If you don't know how ebay has used the word "simplify" to justify higher fees and more loopholes to jump through over the years, you need to go back and read the old policy updates. It's become a running gag by now.

---

When Ebay claimed to simplify the fee structure, that is what they did.  The fee structure use to be far more complicated than it is now.  So the use of the word "simplify".  

Over time fees have gone up, just like the cost of most things I've experienced in life.  I don't like fee increases any more than anyone else.  But just because Ebay says they are going to update policies doesn't mean they are going to increase fees.  Dang there or so many policies, if they were simply going to increase fees, they would just tell us.  Ebay has never increased fees without announcing that to members.

---

@mam98031 

You're right!  This is not a way to increase fees.  You are also right in saying that there are a lot of policies.  It is not reasonable for you to keep track of all of the policies.  We will let you know if there is an issue and we will do it without penalizing you so you can make the adjustments necessary to comply with the policy.  We hope this is a friendlier approach. 

---

Thank you.  I would still like an exception report as I previously described.  While some policy changes may not seem significant to one member, they may be to another.  Ebay does update us on policies that have significant change or the deem that it is an important enough change to let everyone know about it.  

But over the years there have been lots and lots and lots of small changes that do impact us in one way shape or form.  With an exception report we can stay informed.  I can't tell you how many times I've been surprised at a change I wasn't aware of was a change.  

For example the cancellation system has changed a few times in recent years without announcement.  From the type of reasons we can select to other things.  Small in detail I suppose, but important to many of us.  The FB removal reasons is another.  If I spent more time thinking about it, I'm sure I could come up with more.  

I just think Ebay should respect how important ALL of the policies are to its members and inform us on ALL changes.  It is after all in the best interest of the health and well being of every member to know and understand the policies.  It only makes us all stronger.  I can't tell you how many times I've been on the threads trying to help one person or another, give a little advice only to find out from another member that the policy changed.

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@mam98031  

Policy changes can have a detrimental effect on businesses.  They also do not have the same impact on all businesses.  I like the idea of the exception report.  We do not have anything like this in the works right now, but I will take note. 

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@njrtsr wrote:

Sorry but I've got to call bull here. The policy change in this announcement is that the policy changes can be at random times in the future, not just during seasonal updates. This is undoing a precedent that dates back to the Meg Whitman era and that is a BIG change!

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I don't see anything about unannounced policy changes anywhere in the update. Or that "policy changes can be at random times".

Can you screenshot that for me?