The summer holidays are a quiet time on eBay but now, with the new school year beginning this week and the dismal summer giving way to Autumn, it’s time to get back to the market place. I have spent some time over the last few weeks sorting out items to sell, taking photographs and uploading them on to the computer ready to start listing again. I am also going to be selling items for friends including several bags full of gorgeous brand new goodies from an upmarket boutique. So do please watch my eBay site this month, nicola1sma, to see if anything appeals.

Some of you may be aware that there are big changes afoot at eBay effective from late September. Whilst the auction style sale is intrinsic to the eBay brand, more than 40% of sales are now fixed price and eBay recognise that there is a growing trend amongst buyers to buy quickly rather than wait for an auction to end.  Also, some products such as batteries or envelopes are much more suited to a buy it now sale than an auction. eBay want to help sellers to exploit this important market and, to an extent, the emphasis is going to shift from the casual seller and focus more on business sellers. This will be good news for the site as it will push up sales and generate more profit for eBay but there will still be demand for the idiosyncratic items that they have become famous for and for the auction sale that is so addictive.

Some of the big high street retailers already have a presence on eBay – Hewlett Packard, Robert Dyas and Vodaphone to name a few. eBay will be looking to increase this presence and encourage these big sellers to provide competitive prices and wide ranging stock. They are also keen to help small businesses to expand and grow. With the UK having the highest eBay spend per capita you can understand the attraction. One commentator has likened the site to becoming more of a shopping mall and less of a car boot sale.

One important change is that you will be able to list a buy it now item for a maximum of 30 days rather than 10 thus increasing your item’s exposure quite considerably. The insertion fee for buy it now will be the same, regardless of the price of the item. If you have an eBay shop the insertion fees could be as low as 1p per item. And, if you are a buyer, it means you can buy the item you desire instantly and at a very competitive price.

Listing fees are going to be reduced for all sellers, regardless of whether their item is being sold for a fixed price or whether it is auction style. So there will be less to pay at insertion but higher final value fees when you successfully sell an item.

eBayoriginally began in 1995 with the sale of one broken laser pointer. There are now 15 million users every month and, inevitably, some are unhappy with the way it is evolving. Next week we’ll take a look at some of the other auction sites out there and see what they can offer.

Listening to Radio Suffolk in the holidays I was interested to hear the presenter ask  “Can you really get a bargain on eBay?”  My answer would have to be a resounding “Yes of course you can.”  For instance, my teenager was kept very happy by the purchase of a Blackberry for £19.99 from baytradersuk.  It’s a used model but with a brand new charger and in perfect working condition.  She earned the money to pay for it by babysitting and, with her enviable ability to master technology, had transferred her sim card and had it fully working within ten minutes. A Blackberry for less than £20 and one delighted teenager? If that isn’t a bargain I don’t know what is.