This e-mail came across my inbox this morning, and I wanted to pass it along. Basically, eBay is lowering its listing fees and rewarding great sellers by offering them more exposure.

I haven’t sold anything on eBay in a long while, but if you’ve got some things that you’d like to get rid of, it’s nice that the listing fees are lower.

Before you sell anything on eBay, please read this horror story from Boogiemum. Of course, her story is a one-time event, but it’s worth considering, just in case it happens to you. It might make you decide to just donate your stuff and go for a tax write-off.

Seller Update: Fees, Rewards & Standards
eBay buyers want value and selection from sellers they can trust–and good sellers deserve rewards for delivering great customer service. That’s why we’re making a number of important changes that may affect you:

1. Reduced Listing Fees
   You asked, we listened. We’re reducing Insertion Fees and adjusting Final Value Fees to lower your up-front cost to sell on eBay. You wanted free Gallery, now you’ve got it–plus more feature discounts.
   • Lower Insertion Fees
   • Making Gallery free
   • Lower fees for Gallery Plus, Picture Pack, and Feature Plus

    

2. Rewards for great sellers
   There will be discounts and incentives for those who satisfy customers best. Who decides who gets rewarded? Customers do, by giving sellers high Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs).
   • More search exposure through Best Match
   • Fee discounts for PowerSellers
   • Increased protection for PowerSellers

3. Feedback Changes
   Significant changes coming soon will increase buyer confidence and showcase good sellers.
   • Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback.
   • Positive repeat customer Feedback will count and Feedback more than 12 months old won’t.
   • Negative and neutral Feedback left by the buyer will be removed for transactions in which a buyer doesn’t respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) or if the member is suspended.

For more details on how these changes may affect you, attend a special Seller Webinar at 10:00 a.m. this Friday, February 1. You may also see announcements from eBay executives on the Announcement Board.