eBay

lagapalooza · ‎10-02-2021

I'm this close to quitting Ebay to sell anything due to their horrible shipping calculator and interface.

Every time I try to add flat shipping rates for outside of Canada to the USA, the dollar amount I enter and then save comes up as "zero - free shipping" on the listing. Go back in to edit this, and sure enough the dollar amount for USA shipping is zero. **bleep** Ebay?

Try to use the shipping calculator, same thing. Listing comes up with "zero - free shipping" for all US orders.

To hell with it, I'll just sell domestically in Canada. Remove the screwed up USA shipping option. Save. Listing comes up STILL with USA shipping as "zero - free shipping".

For the love of god Ebay, your business is selling and shipping. Fix it!

pjcdn2005 · ‎10-02-2021

I've never had that happen or heard of it happening before. Is this something that you just started having a problem with?

femmefan1946 · ‎10-02-2021

You're listing on eBay Canada?

When you go to International Shipping, the first box lets you choose Flat Rate or Calculated Rate.

Is that set to Flat Rate?

Then Ship to-> Choose Custom Location

Is that set to USA only?

And is the Service set to Standard International Shipping?

Your observation is that the Shipping Cost keeps reverting to Free Shipping-- but this is a not a check mark, you would have to open the box and enter a value of $0.00 to have "Free" shipping to the USA. Or the value you want to charge.

Is the entered value changing itself to $0.00?

Domestic Shipping does give you the Free Shipping checkmark, but not International.

Where are you seeing "zero-free shipping"? Because there is no such thing on the Advanced/Business Sell Your Item form I use.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎10-02-2021

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
I've never had that happen or heard of it happening before. Is this something that you just started having a problem with?

@lagapalooza

Regarding entering an amount and buyer seeing free shipping? New one on me. I've had buyers try to send offers and show me screenshots of their phone stating free shipping. Something that is not attached to any of my listings. In a few cases they purchased and then asked to cancel when the actual shipping displayed, as it should. You only find out about these situations when a buyer is nice enough to report.

The ongoing issue with calculated shipping for me are options included to an a listing but not displaying when buyer checks using calculated shipping. As per past ebay's "explanations" this is caused by ebay's calculator understanding maximums but not minimums or something to that affect. IE. You get an error message if you offer Small Pkt Air/Tracked shipping to the USA but package weight is over 2.0 KG. Error message displays when you send to eBay and won't let you complete until you fix. If it's under the minimums the options do not display for the buyer to view.

eBay CS will admit it's an issue for sellers but they are unable/can't be bothered to resolve. Have the case file numbers to prove it. The system does not display tracked or US Small Packet Air if middle measurement is less than 14 cms inputted by seller. There are other problems with calculated but that is the larges nuisance observation. When you check with CP's calculator or attempt to create a shipment all available options automagically appear. The concern from a sellers with inputting larger measurements is it inflates what the buyer will see for actual shipping which could scare buyers away. I can prove this is happening because I had to upgrade my listings for replica knives etc or anything with narrow middle measurements. Package is long and narrow. All options(with the smaller inputted measurement) i was included would not display properly otherwise. Update(inflate). Whoop Whoop, There they are!! Or to quote the Lovin' Spoonful..."Do you believe in magic?"

There are ongoing variation reports of this also happening on dot com and conflicts with USPS.

-Lotz

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎10-02-2021

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
I've never had that happen or heard of it happening before. Is this something that you just started having a problem with?

A discussion(1 of many on the topic) attached from 2020. So yes, it's still a thing. Just a variation thereof for something probably never even looked into.

Buyer Accepts A Best Offer & Assumes Free Shipping... - The eBay Canada Community

-Lotz

pjcdn2005 · ‎10-02-2021

That thread doesn't appear to the same situation as the op's problem.

I have seen complaints over the years about a buyer seeing free shipping on the app even though there is a shipping cost on the listings but again...the op's situation is different as their listings are showing as free shipping to the US even though they apparently entered a price. I have no idea what the problem would be. When there is only one user encourting a particular problem, it is often user error though the op has had shipping costs in older listings so they obviously know how things work.