For the first time in several years, eBay is revamping its seller fees. The company is striving for simplicity with the new changes, aiming to make the "final value fees" it has collected until now less complex with flat-rate surcharges that range between four and ten percent depending on what type of seller you are. Infrequent users of the site will still be able to list up to 50 items per month without paying insertion fees, and fixed-price items will now become eligible for free listing as of May 1st. Unfortunately you'll be paying slightly more in the end, with the final value fee jumping to ten percent of whatever price you sold the item for — up to a maximum charge of $250.

But eBay is also catering to its most active sellers — those that list hundreds (or thousands) of items every month — with a slew of changes it claims will largely eliminate upfront costs. In doing so, the company is aiming to pull merchants away from Amazon (and hold onto its existing users) with new eBay Store subscriptions that offer up to 2,500 free listings monthly. Note that those paying in yearly installments will save a bit compared to month-to-month rates. For these customers, eBay says final value fees will vary between four and nine percent, again topping out at $250. There are exceptions, however: you should expect eBay to take a larger cut if you're selling a car.

There are also some negative changes afoot. For instance, if your listing combines an auction style with Buy It Now, the latter rate will need to be at least 30 percent higher than your starting bid. eBay says it's making this move to keep auctions "a great attraction for buyers." Speaking of Buy It Now, eBay is also adding some safeguards for sellers in May. Auctions that accept Buy It Now payment will actually remain for sale until a buyer has paid for the item. eBay says this change will roll out gradually through the year and it expects to see the number of unpaid listings dramatically fall as a result.