eBay began billing Storeowners a pro-rated portion of the new Store subscription fees that go into effect on February 18. Storeowners who received bills on February 1 were charged $12.31, reflecting the 17 days of the current pricing ($9.95) and 11 days of the new pricing ($15.95). In January, eBay had told Storeowners they would be billed the old subscription fee amount in February, and eBay would pro-rate the fee increase for February 18 - 28 and add it to their March invoices.

eBay sent an email on Thursday to owners of eBay Basic Stores and posted a notice in the Stores forum to alert sellers about the change in billing timing. "You'll notice on your February invoice that the fee increase amount is being pre-billed in February, not in March. This was a mistake on our part. The amount you have been billed is accurate, but we billed you early. We apologize for this mistake."

eBay spokesperson Hani Durzy explained that the amount Storeowners were being billed on February invoices was correct and would remain in effect. And he confirmed the announcement that Storeowners who are billed on the 16th would receive an invoice that reflects 2 days of current pricing ($9.95) and 26 days of new pricing ($15.95) for a total of $15.52.

Storeowners who cancel their subscription before the end of February will receive a pro-rated credit.

eBay is raising the subscription fee for a Basic Store from $9.95 per month to $15.95 per month, effective February 18 and is changing other fees as well. eBay posted an announcement on its main Announcement Board on Thursday clarifying the changes first announced in January (http://www2.ebay.com/aw/marketing.shtml#2005-01-12075944).

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