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eBay Great Collections FAQ

When are you launching eBay Great Collections?
We plan to launch eBay Great Collections in early October. Please keep an eye out on the Announcements Board!

What will eBay Great Collections look like? How will it work?
eBay Great Collections will have a completely different look and feel from www.eBay.com. Buyers will need to have a credit card on file in order to bid. In addition, the bid increments will be different. Sellers on the eBay Great Collections site will be auction houses, dealers, and dealer networks.

Some functions of eBay Great Collections, however, will be the same. There will be 3-,5-, 7-, and 10-day auctions; the format of the auctions will be the same, and member feedback will be shared between the two. Reserve auctions will also be available.

How will I access eBay Great Collections?
You'll be able to get to the eBay Great Collections area in several ways:

links on eBay's home page and the category home pages
conducting a search on eBay — Great Collections items will be identified by an icon
links on top of the listings pages
a separate url

Why are you introducing eBay Great Collections, if site stability is such a big issue?
We believe eBay Great Collections should have minimal impact on site stability. We will have servers dedicated to eBay Great Collections.

How much are the items on eBay Great Collections going to sell for?
The majority of items are expected to range in price from $250 to $10,000, but they can sell at any price.

If I have an item that is worth between $250 to $10,000, do I have to sell it on eBay Great Collections?
Not at all, you can choose the area where you think you will get the best return. You can think of eBay Great Collections as another option to choose from.

How do I become a seller on eBay Great Collections? How much will it cost to be a dealer?
If you would like to sell on eBay Great Collections, you can do so in two ways:

You can apply to be a dealer. If you meet the criteria and guidelines, you can sell on eBay Great Collections. The cost of selling will be $7.50 for listing fees and 7.50% for final value fees.
You can consign your items to an auction house or dealer, and they will sell your item for you on eBay Great Collections. You will pay a variable consignment fee to the auction house or dealer, with no fees to eBay.

Please visit our "Sell" area when we launch to learn more.

What are the criteria to become an eBay Great Collections dealer?
In addition to the high integrity and commitment to customer service that is typical of all eBay sellers, you must have significant expertise in your specific area of interest, and you will need to possess all necessary business and professional licenses. In addition, you will be expected to generate $20,000/month in sales on eBay Great Collections and provide a 30-day buyer satisfaction guarantee and a 5-year guarantee of authenticity on your items.

How does consignment work?
To consign your item, please contact an eBay Great Collections auction house or dealer. Each of the auction houses or dealers may have a different process and pricing for consignment. However, in general, in order to consign, one must go through the following process:

Get a formal appraisal of the item. Depending on the item and type of appraisal, the cost of an appraisal can run from around $100 to thousands of dollars.
- To give you an idea whether your item might be worth consigning, there will be a process by which you can have Butterfield & Butterfield do an initial photo review for $25. Butterfield & Butterfield will also offer appraisal and consignment services as an extension of this photo review service. Please visit the "Sell" area when we launch.
Have an auction house or dealer sell your item for you. Note that if you consign your item(s), you will not pay the $7.50 listing and 7.50% final value eBay Great Collections fees. Rather, you will pay a consignment fee to the auction house or dealer. Consignment fees will vary by item and auction house. Please visit the "Sell" area in eBay Great Collections or contact an auction house or dealer via email.

Will there be any special requirements to be a buyer on the eBay Great Collections area?
In order to bid on eBay Great Collections, you will need to be registered on eBay and have your valid credit card on file.

Will buyers need to be prequalified?
In some cases, the sellers may choose to restrict their auctions to prequalified buyers only. In these special cases, the process to become prequalified will be outlined in the item's description.

Will there be a buyer's premium on eBay Great Collections?
No, there will not be a buyer's premium on eBay Great Collections. We think this will be a boon to buyers, who will typically pay a 10-15% buyer's premium at a traditional auction house. We also think sellers will get better prices because buyers will bid higher, knowing they do not have to pay the buyer's premium.

How will the guarantee work?
Items offered by the auction houses will come with the same guarantees these auction houses traditionally provide in the offline world. Dealers will offer a 5-year guarantee of authenticity, in addition to a thirty-day money-back guarantee that the item is as it was described in the item description.

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