Great news! Probably the best news for any eBay seller within the last few years!

Buy It Now listings extended up to 30 days, insertion listing fees reduced to measly 35 cents for any amount of identical merchandise – how does it sound for you? Is it too good to be true? Not this time!

These changes will take effect on 16 September 2008 and it has been already announced back on 20 August by Lorrie Norrington – the President of eBay Marketplaces.

These new changes is really a big step towards a better selling experience on eBay. The auction style listing fees remain unchanged and those who prefer using the auction listings will certainly be able to continue to do so. After all, originally eBay was established as an online auction marketplace. And if your listing’s starting price is low enough – so are your auction listing fees.

But taking into account the latest tendencies of increasing number of BIN (Buy It Now) listings, eBay had to do something. Especially – considering their dwindling stock price and success of their biggest rival – Amazon.com

It’s been long observed that many sellers are transferring their online selling activities to Amazon due to their more flexible fixed price structure. Well – now finally eBay have made their counter-move and we just can’t deny – it will definitely boost their sales, help keeping the existing sellers and attract new ones.

But now – let’s have a look at how exactly it’s going to improve your selling figures!

A $200 digital camera that sells after being listed three times for up to 21 days would currently cost a seller $17.31 in total fees ($9.00 in insertion fees plus $8.31 in final value fees), with 52 percent paid upfront for the listing. Under the new pricing, the total cost would be only $11.10 (35 cents in insertion fees plus $10.75 in final value fees), a savings of 36 percent, with only 3 percent paid upfront for the listing.

A $25 collectible item that sells after being listed three times for up to 21 days would currently cost a seller $5.19 in total fees ($3.00 in insertion fees plus $2.19 in final value fees), with 58 percent paid upfront for the listing. Under the new pricing, the total cost would be only $3.35 (35 cents in insertion fees plus $3.00 in final value fees), a savings of 35 percent, with only 10 percent paid upfront for the listing.

A $50 clothing item that sells after being listed three times for up to 21 days would currently cost a seller $9.06 in total fees ($6.00 in insertion fees plus $3.06 in final value fees), with 66 percent paid upfront for the listing. Under the new pricing, the total cost would be only $6.35 (35 cents in insertion fees plus $6.00 in final value fees), a savings of 30 percent, with only 6 percent paid upfront for the listing.

How does this sound for you, eBay seller? We at SAT think it’s definitely help you save serious money and make more sales – mainly due to the following factors:

* You can list your items for up to 30 days – and pay a measly fee of only 35 cent. Just think about the number of eBay shoppers who are going to see your listing during the one month’s time – let alone the fact that you can list a dozen of items under one listing!

* In Media categories – Books, Video Games, Music and DVDs/Movies – the insertion listing fee is going to be even smaller – only 5 cent through the end of the year. Christmas is coming, people are going to shop like crazy and you can make good profit in these niches, too.

* Starting on 1 October 2008 and running through the end of year you qualify for free listing subtitle when free shipping is offered. This is another incentive announced by eBay recently to increase the marketplace’s competitiveness. If you can absorb the shipping fees and achieve bigger click-through-rate having eye-catching subtitles – you can subsequently increase the number of sales and increase the overall profit margin.

* SAT marketing and listing design strategies help you with optimizing the listings and achieve the best sales numbers from a single listing. This is invaluable because you have to balance the number of listings you submit to eBay with your sales figures.

You can’t expect having a good business just listing hundreds of listings and making occasional sales. You may think – ‘Once the listing fees are so low, I can literally flood eBay with them and make serious profit!’

The truth is – eBay have well thought over this and have repeatedly announced that their ultimate goal is to make the best performing merchants to appear on the top of the search results. This means – you have to list reasonable number or listings and make good amount of sales to earn performance bonuses in eBay’s eyes.

And this is what Spicy Auction Templates membership is all about – increasing listing quality and sales through rate!

But now – some other news from eBay. Recently they’ve opened a new online marketplace called WorldOfGood.com The main idea behind this new eBay shopping site is to make more environmentally friendly and eco positive products available for an average western online buyer.

Jewelry and pottery from natural materials, health and beauty animal-free merchandize, home and garden items like banana fiber baskets and handmade bone napkin rings – all this can be bought at WorldOfGood.com. As you can imagine, most of these goods are produced in third world countries and it helps local crafts people to top up their income and support their families. Very generous from eBay, isn’t it?

But this good deed has in turn sparked some other counter-action. And this time – from International Fund for Animal Welfare. Back in the 2007 this organization issued a report stating that the majority of illegal ivory originating from killing African and Asian elephants had been available on eBay.

eBay Germany and eBay Australia have already banned ivory goods from their websites, but eBay.com are reluctant to do the same. As eBay spokeswoman Nichola Sharpe has said, everything is being done to make sure that nothing illegal is being sold on the eBay website and all the proper policies are in place.

We have to agree with IFAW – the only way they could stop this is by banning such items from the website completely.

Well, let’s hope Sharpe is right and illegal ivory isn’t sold on eBay in big amounts. After all – what business activities could justify killing of endangered animal species?