Rumors are running rampant regarding a possible lowering of fees and offering discounts to volume sellers. These are nothing new, and even in eBay Town Hall Meetings, Bill Cobb President of eBay North America has hinted towards these changes. I would reference the last Town Hall meeting, however eBay has not yet posted the last serveral Town Hall meetings on their archives.  Now Scott Wingo President and CEO of ChannelAdvisor in his blog advances the theory.

In my opinion, the cliche often cited by unhappy eBay sellers is one of "level playing field" was not the intention of eBay founders. In almost EVERY business model I have seen, more means less. The more you buy the less it costs per piece. The same should hold true for eBay sellers. The more you list, the lower the fees. This is simply normal and accepted business practice.

For those lower volume sellers, it is expected that eBay will lower fees. eBay has tested lower fees on "special listing days" over the past year, and apparently come to the conclusion that lower fees will result in more listings on the site. There is some concern that this move might bring in a flood of lower quality items. As this may be the case at least intitially, I believe that after the dust settles, most sellers will find that it still is not cost effective to list the lower price items. Overhead costs will simply dictate this.

In speaking with one of eBay's Top Sellers, the feelings are much the same as I have already expressed. This seller will be attending the Top Sellers meeting at the end of this month, and expects confirmation of the above changes based on the contact he has had with Top Seller Account Managers (TSAM's) from eBay.

Q1 should be a very interesting time for all internet marketers. Buckle up cowboys and girls, the ride could be bumpy.