eBay has made changes to its Giving Works program to make it more attractive for sellers to list charity auctions and also increases significantly the amount its third-party non-profit partner receives for each successful auction.

eBay members who listed Giving Works auctions for charity formerly had to donate a minimum of $10 to the nonprofit organization if the item sold. eBay is lowering the minimum donation to $5. (The minimum donation requirement does not apply to nonprofits selling items on their own behalf.)

In addition, eBay will credit listing and Final Value fees back to sellers, equal to the percentage of the final sale price that they opted to donate, instead of forwarding those fees on to the nonprofit organization.

A licensed nonprofit organization called MissionFish manages the eBay Giving Works program. Currently, MissionFish deducts $3 per auction for operating costs plus 2.9 percent of the auction selling-price for credit card processing. Beginning September 14, MissionFish will keep as much as 20 percent, depending on the selling price of the item.

Under the old structure, for example, MissionFish kept $4.31 to cover staff expenses and other operating costs for an auction that sold for $45. Under the new structure, they will keep $9. For a charity auction with a selling price of $300, MissionFish currently keeps $11.70; as of September 14, it will keep $42.50.

Update (9/1/06): For items with a selling price of less than $17.50, MissionFish takes less under the new structure than under the old structure. For example, for an item with a selling price of $10, MissionFish will keep $2 instead of $3.29. Also note that examples used are for listings in which 100 percent of the selling price is donated to charity. Sellers may choose to donate only a portion of the proceeds to the nonprofit of their choosing.

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200608311316432.html