eBay has really been pushing sellers to add product identifiers (think brand names and UPC codes) on their new condition items.  As of February 29th (hey its leap year!) it will be a requirement in order to list or relist new items.  If you are not already adding these product identifiers to your listings it would be a good idea to start adding them.  If you go to your Selling Manager page there is a box titled “Improve your listings and sell more” that contains a link to your items that need identifiers added to them.

As stated, this only affects your items that are in new condition.  If you are someone who has ignored product identifiers in the past you very well may notice a boost in sales after adding them to your listings.  Product identifiers are a great way to get your items in front of more customers.  Adding brand names to your listings is pretty common because most sellers understand that shoppers search by brand name.  However, I have noticed sellers tend to leave out UPC codes on their items.  They likely don’t realize how much this is hurting their sales.

A listing without UPC information will perform worse in search results on popular search engines like Google and Bing.  Also, the UPC information is searchable on eBay’s search engine.  The eBay mobile app further proves UPC’s to be an important part of your listings.  Buyers are able to scan the bar code of any item they see whether it be at a retail store, thrift shop, flea market or even garage sale.  It allows a buyer to instantly do some comparison shopping and if you don’t include UPC’s in your listings then you will never have a chance at making that sale.

eBay is forcing the change whether you are for it or against it.  Luckily for us sellers, this is a rare circumstance where an eBay policy change actually helps sellers.