May 31 2017 Weekly Session

qottie
Community Member

Hello everyone,

 

Opening up the thread for our Weekly Chat Session for May 31, 2017.  This thread will be open until tomorrow, so please post any questions or subjects for which you would like eBay support.

 

Speak to you tomorrow!

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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

Not sure if this subject belongs here, so here goes.  In the "best match" drop down menu in the categories there are all combinations for the buyer when searching, except "free shipping".  My items are largely invisible, as they don't fit the search criteria.  Most of my listings offer "free shipping".  Overall, my items cost less than similar sold items.  If those buyers had seen my listings, theoretically, they would have bought from me.  Since shipping costs are a deciding factor, sellers like me remain ignored.  

Message 2 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

'Free Shipping' is a filter option along the side. If Best Match search results were to change, I'd like to see a default to Canada Only with everyone else after the break like More Items From International Sellers. I expect that suggestion to go over like a lead balloon.

 

Screen Shot 2017-05-30 at 4.37.53 PM.png

 

As to my own Weekly Chat questions, I hardly know where to begin.

 

Seriously.

 

1. Ten Best Offers now? When does this take actual effect on ebay Canada? And has ebay fixed the glitch where setting a new handling time resets all Auto-Decline and Auto-Accept amounts? I reported that glitch last summer. Because Best Offer was a colossal time-waster with only three offers, with ten it will be atrocious. I intend to use auto-amounts to their fullest potential but I cannot revise 1,000 listings every month if I have to shift a handling time to address vacation time. Or other unforeseen problems like postal delays that affect delivery times. Et cetera. 

 

2. And using precisely what criteria will ebay decide to arbitrarily end listings now? Please bear in mind I am looking for a precise answer to this question. Words cannot express how annoyed I am with this sudden change.

 

3. Regarding ebay's decision to steal photographs from its sellers for the Product Catalogue, to whom can I lodge a complaint about this. Again, name and address. Send me a message to me privately if you must. 

 

4. With a Summer Seller Update released only a few weeks ago, who at ebay thought these three significant changes did not warrant mentioning in the Summer Seller Update? It seems very sneaky and underhanded to me and when even I start to sing along with the 'this place sucks' chorus, I think you need to know we have a problem. 

 

Thank you.

Message 3 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

An easy question for you today.

 

As of July 1st, 2017 eBay Canada will start collecting GST/HST on fees charged to sellers.

 

What about the so-called "import charges" paid to Pitney Bowes by Canadian buyers purchasing goods from American and British sellers under your Global Shipping Program. Your terms of use clearly identify these charges as fees.  Are they not taxable?

 

Will you also start collecting GST/HST on those PB fees?  If not, why not?

Message 4 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

Is it possible to set up different individual combined shipping rules for .ca and .com listings or are they strictly tied to your ID so if you set up one, it will also affect the other?

 

Thanks

Message 5 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

bargainhunteram
Community Member

For Canadian residents, when using the eBay mobile app to create and/or complete draft listings, is it sufficient to change the country code and shipping address, each time you choose to list on .com, rather than .ca?

Message 6 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

Hello to everyone.

 

Just a couple of observations/questions.................

 

WHY is there a pre-printed message in the
"Enter payment instructions and personal message Box"
with the eBay invoice that a seller sends to a buyer??
Can't it be left BLANK?
Never used to be anything there.
This seems to have appeared within the past two or three months.
We (as a seller) want to put our own message in there not a message that someone at
eBay thinks should be there.
What a nuisance to have to delete it every time before putting in our own message.
 
Also............
Why is eBay encouraging "returns" with the next part of the message on the invoice?
It states:
"Give clear instructions to assist buyers with payment, shipping, and returns."!!!!!!!!!
We are not going through all the hard work of selling and packing and shipping
just to get the item back. 
Please change this.  Eliminate the word “returns”.
 
Thanks.
Message 7 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

Hi, 

Based on what I've read on the CP site, registered mail does have online delivery confirmation within Canada but some  posters believe that eBay will not accept proof of delivery for registered mail when delivery confirmation is needed.  If I sent a registered mail within Canada would eBay recognize the number entered and if proof of delivery was needed and was shown online (as stated below) would it be acceptable delivery proof to eBay? If not, why is that? 

 

https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGregister-e.asp#1386476

 

Delivery Confirmation (Tracking). - Domestic
Registered Mail provides confirmation that the item has arrived at its destination. Upon delivery, or attempted delivery, the item ID number is scanned and the date captured. The date of delivery is available the next business day after delivery on the internet at canadapost.ca or using the automated phone response system at 1-888-5506333.

Message 8 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

Do these qualify as 'stale' listings that will arbitrarily be ended? Note that contrary to instructions, 'revising' the listing does not make this 'note' disappear. I tried that already. 

 

Screen Shot 2017-05-31 at 8.03.14 AM.png

 

 

Message 9 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

And without access to the much-touted Seller Hub which still does not exist for ebay Canada, exactly how am I supposed to analyze traffic and evaluate my so-called stale listings? It's been how many years since ebay yanked Terrawhatever without replacing it? 

Message 10 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

This was put on the US boards. Is this actually true because if true, free shipping is not really any good for multiple sales. Maybe that is why people, me included, get payment for each item.

 

To use the cart feature and request a total it will only work if IPR is not checked on the listings and if they are not "free shipping" listings.

Message 11 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

Request Total is eliminated by the presence of Free Shipping on listings. I identified this about 18 months ago and it was confirmed them by Raphael.
Message 12 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

Good afternoon quottie -- 

 

We really, badly, need a full and detailed clarification of what is going on with "Request Total" as at this date, including how exactly the checkout flow is seen from a buyer's perspective, and how certain options chosen by the seller interact with Request Total -- such as automated discounts, listing site, free shipping, mixed free/quoted shipping, currency, IPR, and anything else you know of.  Would you be willing to do that here? 

 

I think there have been a number of myths and assumptions circulating on this subject, and it would be more than helpful to clear those up.  

 

As I've mentioned on many occasions over the past few months, the screen shown below is what buyers will see when "Request Total" is not accessible.  I've run into this on several occasions as a buyer.  Fortunately I knew what to do, but not every buyer will, particularly if they're not familiar with the old "BIN" alternative.

 

This is plainly not a good result for sellers.  It makes us look like liars if we are telling our customers to use "Request Total" if we do in fact provide combined shipping discounts via adjusted invoices.  Unfortunately, sellers won't know that their buyers are seeing this unless buyers specifically tell them.  Many buyers will just give up (and perhaps go elsewhere), and who would blame them? 

 

Lastly, is there any explanation for why eBay would allow this to go on for so many months?  Surely eBay must occasionally spot-check its own features, such as the checkout flow?  Or perhaps not?

 

 

Buying-Screenshot 3.jpg

 

 

Message 13 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session


@mjwl2006 wrote:
Request Total is eliminated by the presence of Free Shipping on listings. I identified this about 18 months ago and it was confirmed them by Raphael.

I'd like to ask 'qottie' if he would specifically address situations where a buyer puts a number of items in their cart, some of which have free shipping, some flat rate shipping quoted.  

 

If "Request Total" is knocked out by this kind of scenario, it's not a good thing at all. 

Message 14 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

When our Buyers cannot request a total for combined shipping and get the following wonderful message, they simply empty the shopping cart, like I have done myself and shop off site or on Social Media  or not at all.

 

The shopping cart has never worked and still does not correctly, so please stop trying to say it does, it does not.

 

This is why OUR Buyers are paying for one item at a time, and we are being charged excess fees, another long term ebay screw up.

 

As for your endless "Workarounds" !

 

No Thanks!

 

I do not pay a Service provider for

"WORKAROUNDS"

 


@qottie wrote:

Hello everyone,

 

Opening up the thread for our Weekly Chat Session for May 31, 2017.  This thread will be open until tomorrow, so please post any questions or subjects for which you would like eBay support.

 

Speak to you tomorrow!



eBay is suppose to be an INTERNATIONAL shopping site and the most BASIC "tool" the Shopping Cart still is not working correctly and the result is that Buyers are paying for items one at a time and WE the SELLERS are getting feeBayed AGAIN!

 

SHOPPING CART FEE CREATOR for feeBay.jpg

Message 15 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

A Very Good question.

 

I look forward to theRobot Indifferent response you get ?

 

I only shop from Sellers with GSP when its a bulky high value item. 

 

Anything small value I simply avoid GSP listings, period.

Message 16 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

At the very least, if eBay can't get "Request Total" to work as a universal alternative for buyers, regardless of other options put in place by buyers, then I think they need to:

 

1)  Remove that red error message.  I especially find this part offensive (as a seller): "The seller has disallowed combined payments".  What?? I've done no such thing.  At a minimum, if eBay has to keep that message screen, it should say: "Please contact your seller directly regarding shipping discounts".

 

2)  If eBay can't make "Request Total" work in all circumstances as an alternative checkout for buyers, they should at least mask out the button on the cart whenever "Request Total" is not available.  That would be a less offensive result than the red screen shown above (although not any more helpful).  

 

Perhaps 'qottie' could tell us whether either of the above, and preferably the second suggestion, could be done as an interim band-aid measure.  

 

My view is that eBay should not be introducing features that have the effect of "knocking out" other longstanding features that are familiar to buyers, certainly not without telling anybody.  

 

Actually, eBay should stop mucking about with everything else for a few weeks and concentrate on making their checkout flow work flawlessly, for all buyers and sellers, whatever and wherever they choose to buy on eBay.  Is that really asking too much of an online selling venue? 

Message 17 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

About the "Request Total" problem. I have buyers who tell me it won’t let them ask for a total while others can. I have contacted ebay and was told that will happen if they are using a cell phone which most people are using today,  . Most of my items sell for $1 - $3 and  I offer .25 cents to ship each extra pin. Paypal charges me .50 cents for each individual transaction but buyers are not aware we pay a much lower paypal fee if they pay for all items at the same time. I think ebay should make it easier for buyers to ask for a total so they can pay all at once

Message 18 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

Anonymous
Not applicable

@pinetreecottage wrote:

Not sure if this subject belongs here, so here goes.  In the "best match" drop down menu in the categories there are all combinations for the buyer when searching, except "free shipping".  My items are largely invisible, as they don't fit the search criteria.  Most of my listings offer "free shipping".  Overall, my items cost less than similar sold items.  If those buyers had seen my listings, theoretically, they would have bought from me.  Since shipping costs are a deciding factor, sellers like me remain ignored.  


Hi pinetreecottage.

 

Thanks for opening the thread for us! 

 

Offering free shipping can help attract buyers, because even though logically there's no difference between an item that sells for $50 with free shipping and one which sellers for $35 with $15 shipping, there are numerous studies both on and off eBay that show that buyers gravitate more toward items where they feel like they are getting a deal on shipping, even if when considering total cost they actually aren't. 

 

For Best Match search, the most important factors are (1) relevance to the search term (2) price plus shipping. There are other factors that influence search a little bit too, but it's easy to understand why our first priority is generally to show the buyer that we have inventory that we think exactly matches what they are looking for, and then to show the best deal on inventory that seems to match well. Free shipping is also a factor in best match search, albeit a lesser one, so you do get a little lift for that. There are other factors as well, but for the majority of searches, the item that gets the buyer what we believe is probably the closest matching item, at the best overall cost including shipping.

 

The overwhelming majority of search on eBay are sorted using Best Match, because relatively few buyers change the sort order. But if they do, the alternative search types include two versions of price plus shipping sort, and a version of price only sort. An item listed with free shipping will fit logically within price plus shipping sorts. You'd be disadvantaged at price only sorts, but with price plus shipping available, buyer adoption of those sort orders are very small. 

 

Finally, there is actually a filter available for buyers to search for items with free shipping only. This has no influence on sort order, but it impacts search recall, in that only items like yours offering free shipping will be available in a filtered search at all. Unfortunately for you, this feature is also very lightly adopted by buyers.

 

To sum up, if your price plus shipping is competitive, pretty much all search experiences will tend to reward you with traffic and potential buyers. Offering free shipping will help make your items even more competitive, and won't put you at a disadvantage vs sellers who are charging actual shipping. 

Message 19 of 35
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May 31 2017 Weekly Session

Hi @rose-dee,

 

I believe that you and my colleague, @a.depour already have a dialog going through direct messaging about the "Request Total" issues you are facing.  I can assure you that he is actively pursuing this issue at the moment.  Rather than create a bunch of extra contact points I will let him work out the details with you directly and/or on this thread.

 

He will be in touch shortly.

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