eBay

blackvelvetvintage · ‎02-11-2013

I think the wording should be changed on two of the DSR'S. Shipping Time and Shipping & Handling charges. Shipping time to anywhere outside of Canada (or even inside) can be a major problem, such as postal hold, customs etc.

But when the buyer is asked the question the only answer sometimes is Slow shipping which affects the DSR'S!!! Is Shipping Time really our fault???

Shipping & Handling Charges. I only charge exactly what CP charges me however buyers want a $100.00 item sent for $2-$3.00. I send for 7.80 the amount that CP charges me.

The buyer asks why so expensive however if the package was uninsured that very same buyer, Ebay and Paypal would be all over me freezing my money and issuing the buyer a refund.

Now shipping (trackable is 16.00). I offer FREE shipping to the USA only and I pay the cost of shipping. It is the only way I can keep my TRS status. HOW sad.

Ebay you are running us out of business.

pjcdn2005 · ‎02-11-2013

I agree that a sellers status should not be based just on a buyer's perception..especially for shipping time and cost. However, the last time I left feedback I was asked how long it took the seller to ship the item...or something along that line. That question is more accurate than it used to be.

I offer FREE shipping to the USA only and I pay the cost of shipping. It is the only way I can keep my TRS status. HOW sad.

It's not as sad as the fact that you offer free shipping to the U.S. yet charge Canadians $26 shipping for even the smallest item.

rosscd57 · ‎02-11-2013

Two comments.

We all know shipping is not free - the cost is tacked on to the sale price.

DSR's on shipping should be based on: the time from the date and time of sale, to the date and time delivered to the Post Office. What remains is out of the sellers control and no one should be able to comment on it.

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Old enough to know better. Young enough to do it again. Crazy enough to try

bb_cool_stuff · ‎02-11-2013

Agree Ross, I wish it was that simple.

Some buyers just cannot read, don't understand, or just don't care.

A lot of great sellers are punished, TRS Status, because of this.

queenpalmer · ‎02-12-2013

I recently bought something from the USA and the S&H charge was $10. I knew the S&H charge was high as the item was being sent lettermail for less than $4.00. I bought the item dispite the high S&H. My point and question is....when checking off the DSR I gave a one star rating for S&H costs. The S&H cost was no surprise to me as I agreed to the charge. Do you think I was right in leaving a low DSR or should Ebay make that DSR area automatically a 5 star as I agreed to the costs?

rosscd57 · ‎02-12-2013

If you agreed to the shipping costs - I cannot agree that you should have dinged the seller on his shipping costs.

Sounds like a bit of revenge - cause you wanted the item more than you disliked the cost of the shipping.

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Old enough to know better. Young enough to do it again. Crazy enough to try

nss_media · ‎04-11-2014

I have a major problem with low DSR's on SHIPPING TIME. I run a Canadian company and often ship skateboards to different parts of the world such as Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Canada Post only offers two options to ship these items - the first option is Surface Mail which is expensive, but MUCH more affordable than the other option which is AIRMAIL EXPRESS POST. To put it in perspective, one skateboard deck by SURFACE mail is around $50.00, whereas the AIRMAIL option is around $100.00. Customers do not want to have to pay for AIRMAIL because it's so expensive - so they usually choose the SURFACE mail option. The problem with SURFACE mail is that it takes about TWO MONTHS for these items to arrive. I put in the listing that it can take up to two months to arrive, yet still customers complain about how long it takes, and then leave me LOW DSR ratings on shipping time. If I remove the SURFACE MAIL option, and only allow for EXPRESS AIRMAIL - I'll lose out on sales to those countries, which make up about %30 of my total sales. I just think that customers who have agreed on a lengthy shipping method should not have the right to leave a low DSR rating because they have been warned how long it will take, and they've agreed to it. There should be some built in warning that the buyer gets when they choose surface mail about the length of time it can take, and have the right to leave a low DSR rating for shipping time disabled for that 2 month period to allow time for the item to arrive. Give them back the ability to leave a low DSR if the item hasn't arrived after those 2 months.

Another annoying thing is that EBAY will allow you to specify SURFACE MAIL in the shipping options, but PAYPAL will not let you choose SURFACE MAIL - so I can't generate and print the label through Paypal - I have to login to Canada Post separately, print and pay for the label (and don't get any discount for it, which I would otherwise get on Paypal), and then copy and paste the tracking number into the Order Details page. Something should be done about this.

mr.elmwood · ‎04-11-2014

I do believe that DSR for shipping are going away with the new rating system. Tempest in a teapot anyway as the number of times that has affected me is hovering near zero.

"If you agreed to the shipping costs"

That is not true. Many people buy in spite of the egregious shipping cost as that is their only chance to get what they want.A lot of sellers still do not know they are paying FVF on shipping, so, they inflate that in an attempt to generate extra un-FVF revenue.

I have never agreed to any shipping charge, I have paid it under protest.

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pjcdn2005 · ‎04-11-2014

I do believe that DSR for shipping are going away with the new rating system.

I'm not positive but I think that buyers will still be able to leave a star for shipping costs but the low numbers will not be counted as a defect and will not be used by ebay to rate a seller's performance.

femmefan1946 · ‎04-11-2014

If I remove the SURFACE MAIL option, and only allow for EXPRESS AIRMAIL - I'll lose out on sales to those countries, which make up about %30 of my total sales.

But if that 30% causes 90% of your problems and if the low DSRs are costing you money (and possibly also sales to North Americans)-- well, that's a tough decision.

Should you stop offering your products to overseas?

Should you only offer your products with Air shipping?

Is there another shipping method that is more affordable but still fast (courier for example?)

What shipping methods are your competitors using and can you use them?

That last. I don't think USPS is much cheaper for Air overseas delivery and they only have Air overseas service now. Are you close enough to Vancouver or Toronto to use bookstotheborder or chitchatexpress? Can either of these trans-shippers use Global Shipping Program and would that be cheaper? Does the GSP used by your US competitors make your $100 shipping cost look good or bad?

Lots of questions, no answers.

recped · ‎04-11-2014

There is more to "shipping time" than how long it takes for you to get it to the post office!

There is the "how you ship" factor. I'm slow to get things out the door but VERY fast to get things delivered (I don't use Canada Post).

Put yourself in a buyer's shoes......

Seller A always ships the next day via Canada Post to the USA, delivery time is usually 7 - 10 days from payment.

Seller B ships 3 days after payment but ships directly via USPS from Buffalo, delivery time is usually 5 days from payment.

Who should get the better rating? Should Seller B get a find because they were slow out the door but faster to get delivered? Should Seller A get a better rating because they were first out the door but always slower to be delivered?

Or

Seller A ships within 1 day and uses Small Packet surface.

Seller B ships within 1 day and uses Small Packet Air.

Who should get the better rating?

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.

rose-dee · ‎04-12-2014

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
I do believe that DSR for shipping are going away with the new rating system.

I'm not positive but I think that buyers will still be able to leave a star for shipping costs but the low numbers will not be counted as a defect and will not be used by ebay to rate a seller's performance.

You are right, 'pj' -- Starting August 20th, buyers' DSR ratings for shipping costs (not shipping time) will be only for the seller's own information. The same will apply to the "Communication" DSR.

I find it interesting that eBay seems to have recognized -- at least to some extent -- that when a buyer is shown the shipping cost in a listing, a seller shouldn't be penalized if the buyer chooses to purchase the item with that shipping cost. I actually had to smile when I read this in the Spring Seller Update, since it seems sellers have been making this point all along:

Shipping cost and communication detailed seller ratings will no longer count toward your performance rating. This will protect you from low ratings for shipping cost even though the shipping charges are shown to the buyer right up front when they purchase an item.

Personally I'm delighted to see that monumentally stupid "Communications" DSR finally dropped from formal seller evaluation by eBay. Now I can chat with my buyers without fear.