eBay announced on Tuesday the launch of a "new eBay Stores Experience" that will go into effect for all Stores in April. eBay is changing storefront templates, the slideshow promotion box, and the Stores search (finding) experience. Storeowners who use CSS or Javascript to take over the eBay global header or change the appearance of the in-store search items list may find their Store looks "broken" under the new design, as eBay will begin enforcing its Site Interference Policy that prohibits those practices. eBay will also restrict the use of item specific stores tags in the eBay Stores header.

Janelle Elms, who educates online sellers through her company OSI Rockstars, is an expert on eBay Stores and said these are not "the sky is falling" changes. She personally will have to tweak some minor things in her own Store, but said she loves the new gallery view. She feels eBay has been making changes that add consistency to the site. "Buyers will stay on the site longer and spend more money" with a more consistent and less frustrating experience, she said.

Design changes may cause headaches for some sellers, however, according to AsWas.com, an eBay Stores Certified Designer. The company's press release stated that "thousands of Stores designed by people or companies calling themselves "eBay experts" will break."

According to eBay Stores' Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), "Most customizations done within the bounds of our policy should not break. However, if you use CSS or JavaScript extensively, you may need to optimize your code for the new eBay Stores Experience."

eBay Store owners will be able to preview their Stores and may opt-in so shoppers can experience the new look and functionality right away. The new format will be optional for now, and after March, all Stores will be automatically upgraded.

Elms shared some screenshots of her jill.of.all.trades eBay Store to show what it currently looks like and how it will appear with the new Stores design. One eBay Store that has already opted in to the new format is CloverCity Sells.

Old Design - (Partial Screenshot)

New Design - (Partial Screenshot)

In addition to design and template changes, eBay said searches within a seller's Store would include titles, categories, item specifics, and similar keywords "for more relevant results." eBay sellers are likely to raise questions about these and last week's announcements at Wednesday's Town Hall meeting, scheduled for 3:30 pm Pacific time.

Edited to correct the time of the January 14 Town Hall meeting.

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