Personalization is nothing new, but companies are putting a new spin on it thanks to AI (artificial intelligence). A profile of an eBay executive in Fast Company explains the company is now using generative AI to show buyers personalized search results.

Christine Su, who joined eBay last year, told the magazine that eBay is "finessing" its matching algorithms. eBay uses hundreds of algorithms to show buyers the listings that will be most appealing to them, and in the Sneakers category, eBay also uses generative AI to explain to shoppers why it is showing certain listings.

"It's a matching game. There are millions of buyers, ... Read More

eBay is changing the fees for getting quicker payouts, known as Express Payouts, framing the change as a positive for sellers. For low-volume sellers who want fast access to funds, it may be a fee increase, while sellers withdrawing larger sums will pay less than they had been - potentially incentivizing sellers to keep their money in eBay's hands longer.

With a new flat fee of $2, eBay is in effect raising the cost of getting quicker payouts for amounts up to $132.99, while lowering the cost for amounts over $133. In its notice to sellers on Friday, eBay ... Read More

Facebook is repressing EcommerceBytes content, including removing our posts on the AuctionBytes page. Despite the fact it is registered as a "News & media website" (Facebook.com/AuctionBytes), the takedowns say: "It looks like you tried to get likes, follows, shares or video views in a misleading way."

Facebook is also removing links that our readers post on their feeds.

On May 6, a reader wrote to us and told us she frequently links to our stories in an online seller group on Facebook to alert sellers about relevant tissues. "I posted a link last week to the eBay shipping issue with offering the buyer the ... Read More

EcommerceBytes has been covering some significant changes eBay has been making to feedback since last year. On Thursday, a top eBay executive apologized for the fact that those changes made it harder for sellers to get unjustified negative feedback removed, and she said she and her team were working to make things fairer.

eBay Vice President of Global Regulatory, Trust & Monetization Andrea Stairs addressed the issue during the Seller Check-In online event on June 6th. "First of all, I know that recently the changes we've made to feedback, and particularly to negative and neutral feedback removal, have caused frustration in ... Read More

It's a common question - what should a seller do if a buyer asks them to wait a week or more because they're away. In fact, a question posted on the eBay boards in 2022 resurfaced recently, along with the response from an eBay moderator.

In August of 2022, a seller wrote in a thread, "The buyer asked me to ship item in 2 weeks because he'll be away. Should I cancel the order and refund? The guy doesn't seem to be a scammer. But I know eBay gives you strikes on your account if you delay shipping."

After sellers advised them to ... Read More