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What is this eBay catalog they keep mentioning for the Fall Seller Update?
 

I got this voice-mail from eBay today, girl named Shelly called saying "Hello my name is Shelly calling on behalf of eBay" and my heart dropped. Than she went on to say some stuff about the new Fall Seller Updates *whew* thought I was done for!

Anyways, I never really took much notice to the new Fall updates it seemed like all they were doing was enforcing the item condition as mandatory which wasn't a big deal. Now, after hearing the voice-mail and taking a deeper look they're enforcing a new law which is to list "iPod/ MP3 players, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and DVDs with the catalog".

What is this catalog? Are they making it like Amazon where there's only page for the item? What does this mean for DVD sellers?

They want you to use THEIR picture and basic information they already have on file. This helps to eliminate counterfeits. Several counterfeit box sets are produced that look nothing like the real thing. They get listed with pics and eBay then takes heat for this from the copyright holders. So, if everyone is forced to use only the eBay Catalog data, then you won't see any more counterfeits on eBay.

Yes, of course, they will still be there, only they will not be pictured. The buyer will see the "stock photo". Sellers of counterfeits will start putting something like "This is brand new, but it differs somewhat from the stock photo on eBay" in their listings.

If I were selling DVD's, I woulod make sure that they all looked like the one in the stock photo. Otherwise, buyers will complain.

As to whether or not eBay will end up like Amazon in terms of having one page per item, I don't know. But it wouldn't surprise me. eBay wants DESPERATELY to be like Amazon.

From a buyer's perspective, it makes sense. It is frustrating to try and browse a category and have to click through 10 pages all listing the same thing to see the next item. From a seller's perspective, it means there will be more emphasis on having the lowest price.

Of course, it'll do the exact opposite. If everybody is using the same picture, they won't be able to tell what's real and what's not by the photos. AHERP ADERP EBAY

I think that eBay could care less that some people sell counterfeits on their site. What they DO care about is how much it costs them to deal with the copyright holders. I have to imagine they have several people working with them, given the number of auctions they have.

If everyone uses their stock photo, then - as you pointed out - there is no way to tell the real stuff from the ⊗⊗⊗⊗. Thus, there are fewer issues they have to deal with in regards to the copyright holders.

This is just my theory - I have no inside knowledge of eBay.

You're exactly right IMO, ebay knows they can't stop people selling the stuff but so long as they make it look like they're making an effort to stop it, their asses are covered I guess.

And what if you don't do as they ask? As in using your own photos and descriptions?