WebProNews

"Significant," "sweeping," "fundamental" - these are the words eBay used to describe some coming changes.  And although we often ridicule press releases for blowing things out of proportion, eBay has been more accurate than usual.

On February 20th, sellers can look for listing fees to get slashed by 25 to 50 percent.  Final value fees will be raised as a result, but this arrangement should make losses on unsold items much less significant.

Also, a statement promises, "eBay will begin increasing search exposure for the listings of sellers with the best buyer satisfaction ratings."  Sellers with the worst ratings will be correspondingly punished, which should encourage good behavior and improve the site's reputation.

A trickle of other updates is expected, as well, and all in all, this looks like a good way for the new CEO, John Donahoe, to begin his reign.  The improvements may not create an immediate turnaround - sellers and buyers aren't likely to come running back from Amazon and other competitors - but if everything works as planned, eBay may see some old faces return, and should see a lot more of its current users.