eBay News: The $25k Sellers Challenge and June Changes

Seeking to revitalize its selling community and generate excitement about the evolutionary steps that eBay has taken over the last year or two, eBay has announced a $25,000 "Sellers Challenge" entrepreneurship contest. The contest will award $25,000 to each of four winners who present a business plan and video detailing how they will use $25,000 and eBay's tools to either start a new business or grow an existing business on eBay.

The contest begins now and runs through August. Adult residents of the United States are eligible. Entries will be judged by a closed panel in July that will select contest finalists. These business plans and matching videos will then appear on eBay.com in late July and early August where eBay members will vote to select the winners. Only one entry is allowed per eBay member. Think you have a winning eBay business idea? More details can be found at:

     • Business Wire via SYS-CON UK
     • Ecommerce Guide
     • Sellers Challenge Contest Home Page

Meanwhile, the set of feature and policy changes announced by eBay in April are scheduled to take effect in the coming week, including more broad rollouts of new item and product pages (including variations pages that allow for one listing to cover multiple item variations), required return policy and handling time details, and the new dispute resolution procedure handled by eBay rather than by PayPal. More details at:

     • April 2009 Seller Update Announcement