eBay

raphael@ebay.com · ‎08-28-2015

Hello Sellers,

As you already know, Shipping is a topic that we're talking a lot about these days at eBay Canada. We've recently hosted a couple of discussions with some Canadian sellers at our eBay offices. I'd like to also draw on anyone who would be willing to share their story with regards to online shipping labels, whether you use the PayPal labels platform, another, or none.

I'd like to know the following:

How would you describe your experience using online labels?
What works well for you?
What are some of your pain or friction points?
Are there any features you would like to see, or any that you would rather not see?
Anything else you would like to share.

Many thanks in advance!

pjcdn2005 · ‎08-30-2015

@maximus7001 wrote:
Our biggest issue with these labels is that Canada post keeps delivering them straight into our mailbox unless we take a red marker and write large TO/FROM with large arrows pointing to the respective addresses.

I had that problem with the old light packet labels but haven't had that happen since they switched to the smaller labels.

jt - I've never added in the 4 digit zip code and according to the USPS it isn't mandatory

jt-libra · ‎08-30-2015

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

jt - I've never added in the 4 digit zip code and according to the USPS it isn't mandatory

That's good to know. I started doing this a couple of years ago when two different buyers added a note with their payments asking that I ensure the 4-digit extension was added because they had had trouble with delivery in the past. So I always included it after that, and never checked to determine whether it was in fact necessary. I probably thought -- it couldn't hurt.

pjcdn2005 · ‎08-30-2015

I'm sure that it doesn't hurt and it might help in some/all cases. I just hate to add anything by hand. I would much rather just copy and paste or print a label as is....less chance of making a mistake.

raphael@ebay.com · ‎08-31-2015

Hello everyone,

Thanks tons for your comments, insights and recommendations. I'm reading through and taking valuable notes. Please continue to share anything you feel can contribute.

To address some of the questions and speculation I have seen expressed, there are currently no plans to discontinue our partnership with PayPal to provide Canada Post labels for you and the rest of the Canadian sellers. The object of tis poll is simply to gather as much real life insight from you as we start to sketch out what a next generation labels platform would look like. This is a brainstorming session, where no ideas will be judged and no decisions will be made.

With that said I'll do my best to reply to posts with questions.

Thanks again and have a great day/week!

.R

triber · ‎08-31-2015

Thank you Raphael, it's good to know that someone is supporting Canadian sellers, I think we often feel that we have no voice on eBay.

73rhc · ‎09-03-2015

Thank you, Raphael. A follow up, on your part, will truly be appreciated.

momcqueen · ‎09-09-2015

If I may add one final thing to my wish list, I would LOVE if there was a way to reflect ACTUAL postage cost for buyers.

Right now, with calculated COMBINED shipping, I 'reduce my counter rate' by 30 per cent on domestic and that brings me within 30 cents of cost on Canada Post Expedited but NOT on Xpresspost. So if a buyer opts to use Xpresspost, I lose money on postage which grows exponentially worse if it is a combined order placed via Xpresspost.

For International shipping, if I want to 'reduce' that counter amount by a certain percentage to reflect the discount we get on US Tracked Packet, it throws Small Packets cost off and I have to 'add' a 'handling cost' to even it out but the amount of that 'handling cost' is not the same for US versus international destinations.

The calculated combined postage discounts should offer sellers a greater ability to manipulate them.

Like for Domestic, to separate the discount on Expedited versus Xpresspost because to get one to reflect properly means the other will not.

And for International, to separate USA from the rest of the World. And tracked from not.

Everyone who has tried to sell on ebay realizes (often the hard way) that shipping is the most difficult aspect of all this to get right BUT for those of us who now know it in out backwards and upside-down, it gets to be a bit frustrating that a person can't do more with it. Like to have more ways than exist to manipulate those rules.

Or..... just let us have Promotions Manager like is offered on ebay.com.......? Pretty please? With sugar on it?

momcqueen · ‎09-11-2015

In light of the changes coming via the Fall Update, ebay Canada must consider itself compelled to correct the following errors as are displayed on all Calculated postage options where the service choice is Canada Post Expedited Parcel.

Example #1:

The Canada Post delivery standard for Y1A 5K4, for example, is SEVEN business days. Yet when I enter that postal code on my own listing, it gives the buyer "Estimated within 1-7 business days". This is establishing unrealistic expectations.

Example #2:

More remote locations within Canada take up to 13 business days yet the message stays the same on my all CALCULATED postage listings. Check also X0E 0T0. Canada Post's delivery standard says 13 days by Expedited. Ebay says "Estimated within 1-7 business days".

Example #3:

International Xpresspost is essentially the fastest service an international buyer can select, yet it says "Varies for items shipped from an international location" so what 'delivery window' will those buyers see?

Example #4:

Why is different information displayed for the buyer dependant on whether he or she is viewing the listing on ebay.ca or ebay.com or ebay.co.uk? The latter two cite actual dates. The former is merely a number of business days.

momcqueen · ‎09-11-2015

To illustrate my point.... ebay.ca says no longer than eight business days (my same-day shipping cut-off time for the day has been met and passed) but Canada Post clearly indicates 13 business days.

momcqueen · ‎09-11-2015

It should be clear that this incorrect delivery estimate is a major problem. If a buyer needs something by a certain date (toys such as those I sell are routinely purchased with a specific date in mind like a child's birthday) then that buyer is going to be livid that the delivery of their order took almost twice as long as ebay promised. The individual seller -- not ebay as a corporation -- will be held accountable for that disappointment and handily assigned a defect by the buyer. Only one third of my buyers leave feedback. As a direct result of that, I don't have room to wiggle here within the new percentage allotment for TRS designation. I already leave feedback for every buyer, there is nothing more that I can do to entice more to do so.

The above factors are completely beyond my control. It is ebay's responsibility to fix this.

momcqueen · ‎09-13-2015

Oh, and one final thing:

It appears that ebay.ca is the only major ebay site left in the world where the buyer's estimated delivery time is given in generic terms like 'two to eight business days' while ebay.com and ebay.co.uk and ebay.it ebay.es and ebay.fr et cetera all say specifically between September 15 and 23 (or whatever) so may I ask what is the reasoning behind this decision?

boutiquestepup · ‎09-18-2015

Making shipping label with ebay/paypal as worked great for me

It would be very useful to see a feature to make return label for Canadian and International clients who want to return their order, and

of course better rate for Canada Post International Tracked Small Packet is needed.

boutiquestepup · ‎09-18-2015

In Canada shipping with Canada Post is expensive however the price does not change much whether you are sending 1 parcel of 250 or 500 grams, and I think that the ebay automated shipping calculator does not allow proper adjustment for domestic orders. I find when my Canadian clients are purchasing more than 1 items often they are overcharged or I need to adjust the invoice. I went over this with ebay customer service and we adjusted the best we could.However it still does work as it should. If we could find a better way to calculated multiple purchases customers would be purchasing more items.

heathers*treasures03 · ‎09-22-2015

I like being able to use PayPal to pay and print labels. However the issue I'm having lately is that the envelopes are being returned to me as if I'm the receiver and not the sender. Canada Post says it's a PayPal issue and PayPal says it's a Canada Post issue.

Someone needs to fix this. I have tried highlighting the "ship to" area but that doesn't help. According to Canada Post the pkgs. are being kicked out to deliver to me rather than the US or International. Apparently the postman delivering the mail isn't catching it either despite the highlighting.

Any hints on what to do other than giving up on PayPal for shipping?

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-22-2015

I used to have that problem every once in a while with light packet labels but it hasn't happened since the format of the labels changed. When I was having the problem, highlighting did seem to work so all I can think of is to add a big TO in front on the name.

You should also try putting in a complaint on the Canada Post website or phoning them as they might be able to send out some sort of directives about it.

Actually...I think that I got the sorting center phone number from the postal outlet manager and I phoned them about it. I never had a problem after that, even when the labels were in the old style.

triber · ‎09-22-2015

I too had this happen several times a couple of years ago. I now outline the buyers address with a black felt tip pen, and have never had a problem since.

momcqueen · ‎09-23-2015

@triber wrote:
I too had this happen several times a couple of years ago. I now outline the buyers address with a black felt tip pen, and have never had a problem since.

I believe I mentioned this elsewhere but I've never had Small Packet or Light Packet returned to me (knock on wood) because I also always highlight the word 'to' with a yellow pen and, I suspect more importantly, I use the enlarge feature on my desktop printer to increase the size of the label to cover virtually the whole surface of my parcel or envelope.

For me, using a box or bubblemailer that measures 22 or 23 cm wide and 17 or 18 cm long, I can increase that label to between 123 per cent to 125 per cent without issue; it does not distort the bar code. My eyesight is not perfect anymore and I find the type size on those labels at real size to be insensitive to anyone with visual deficiencies. I don't know what Canada Post could have been thinking at the time; were they trying to match the size of those small packet triplicate stickers at the postal counters?

mr.elmwood · ‎09-28-2015

Disconnect between PB and CP. Just off the phone with Canada Post as there was a line order cancel on my shipping supplies. I am not "allowed" all the airmail stickers as I do not mail enough packets, according to what they see.

I use PP shipping and not CP. I have a Venture One number. PB is not telling CP I am spending money on postage in Canada.

It would be nice if PB would tell CP that I am, in fact, mailing as much as I say I am. This would allow me to order supplies and not have my orders cut back.

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pocomocomputing · ‎09-28-2015

Why do you need Air Mail stickers? As I understand your shipping usage, you ship mainly to the USA using Small Packets USA and possibly Light Packet USA using PayPal shipping labels.

Since there is no Small Packet USA Surface mail, no need to add an Air Mail sticker to those packages to make sure they go Air Mail. You would only need the Air Mail stickers for Small Packet International Air to make sure they are seen as Air Mail and not surface.

I can understand if they they won't give you Labelopes as they are very useful.

jt-libra · ‎09-28-2015

@pocomocomputing wrote:
Why do you need Air Mail stickers? As I understand your shipping usage, you ship mainly to the USA using Small Packets USA and possibly Light Packet USA using PayPal shipping labels.

Since there is no Small Packet USA Surface mail, no need to add an Air Mail sticker to those packages to make sure they go Air Mail. You would only need the Air Mail stickers for Small Packet International Air to make sure they are seen as Air Mail and not surface.

I can understand if they they won't give you Labelopes as they are very useful.

I don't use Air Mail stickers either. I only ship within Canada or to the U.S. so I always felt they were redundant. With the odd exception, delivery times have been very good.