Hello everyone,
We're back! Welcome to our weekly chat. The thread will remain open for the next 24 hours or so, please go ahead and post at your convenience.
Open issues:
- Login redirect to foreign eBay sites
- Automotive listings losing images when changing duration to GTC
- Best Offer on listings that didn't have it in the first place
- Errors when uploading more than one tracking number at a time (repeated, erroneous numbers saved)
- Request Total unavailable
Updates:
- Anchor Store coupon not working/only working on AU site - Issue has been identified and is being worked on between eBay and PayPal. In the meantime CS has been provided with tools to help affected sellers with a work around.
- Printer friendly Order Details page missing items - Resolved - fix rolled out or to roll out soon.
- Selling limits live items count discrepancy - We are investigating further.
- Missing Tracked Packet destinations - still no update from PayPal and Pitney Bowes
- Combined shipping offers not shown to international buyers - ticket open
If anything is missing, please let me know. Thanks!
@pocomocomputing wrote:
raphael@ebay.com wrote:
Hello everyone,
We're back! Welcome to our weekly chat. The thread will remain open for the next 24 hours or so, please go ahead and post at your convenience.
Open issues:
- Best Offer on listings that didn't have it in the first place
- Errors when uploading more than one tracking number at a time (repeated, erroneous numbers saved)
- Request Total unavailable
Updates:
- Anchor Store coupon not working/only working on AU site - Issue has been identified and is being worked on between eBay and PayPal. In the meantime CS has been provided with tools to help affected sellers with a work around.
- Printer friendly Order Details page missing items - Resolved - fix rolled out or to roll out soon.
- Selling limits live items count discrepancy - We are investigating further.
- Missing Tracked Packet destinations - still no update from PayPal and Pitney Bowes
- Combined shipping offers not shown to international buyers - ticket open
If anything is missing, please let me know. Thanks!
It has been months since I reported issues with Selling Limits and how they are counted. What is the status?
Hi pocomo,
I have been leaving this here for good measure. Last news I got there was that the count discrepancy in your reported case was due to certain items being in categories where the count was different. The details are somewhat far from memory now though, are you still seeing problems with your selling limits? Please drop me an email.
@musicyouneed wrote:
This is further to my email. This buyer has purchased over 80 CD's from me in the past using .com, over $1,400. I feel that him having to go over to .ca and the fact that the Canadian $ amounts show higher discouraged him. Having the fact that he cannot use the .com cart and the Canadian $ is working against me and probably most of the sellers here who sell on .ca. Here is his first email indicating that he wished to purchase 5. If Canadian sellers who sell on .ca lose US buyers, we will have to move our business to .com as the .ca model doesn't work for us and this is proof right here.
Hi musicyouneed,
It sounds more like your buyer desisted because they couldn't combine their items on eBay.com, and for some reason going to eBay.ca was too much work for them.
If you look at our guidance published along with the announcement that we are retiring USD from our selling flows, we do say that sellers who rely on combined sales to US buyers should list on eBay.com until eBay.com updates their shopping cart to work with items listed on other sites.
http://pages.ebay.ca/sellerinformation/list-in-cad/usd-retirement-faqs.html#faq=faq-23
@pierrelebel wrote:
Good morning Raphael
Are you aware of these problems, including Canadians redirected to sign in on eBay Denmark or United Kingdom, etc...
http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Problems-with-the-eBay-Platform/m-p/346277#U346277
Hi Pierre,
I was not aware. Thanks for bringing it up.
@dutchman48 wrote:
Wondering if anyone asked Wenig:
How do you expect to go off on another technological tangent when you can't even put a proper shopping cart in place?
I am getting sick and tired of no one dealing with this issue and fixing it. If he wants Ebay to work, which it does not seem like, a working cart is the first thing a site needs.
Here is what I got the other day:
When are they going to fix this instead of going off in every other direction. Actions or lack of, speak louder than all the garbage at the rah rah sessions.
Dutchman,
I confirm that no one asked this kind of question to Devin.
I'm not sure what "other direction" you speak of. The US shopping cart limitations have been discussed at length in these sessions, feel free to refer to past threads if you want to read those comments.
@hit_the_icebox wrote:
Raphael,
Longtime listener, firsttime caller!
In eBay terminology, are "ended" listings the same as "unsold" listings? I don't see "ended" on my summary anywhere. I ask because we are going to use the move to .com as a way to prune some of our useless listings from the 25K we have up now and I plan to just look through the daily non-renewals and pick what we want to relist. However, I expected to come in this morning and find a pile of those listings in my "ended" bin, but there's nothing there yet.
I also tried the Migration Tool and had a number of issues, but have read that many people are using the Turbo Lister instead. Any advice in regards to that?
raphael@ebay.com wrote:
@silverpinups wrote:
Hi Raphael,
I asked you this question at the last Weekly Session and just wanted to confirm again.
What happens to my USD GTC listings on eBay.ca after Aug.3/16? When eBay.ca starts to end the USD listings from renewing, will they show up as "ended listings" / "unsold listings" or will they disappear or be deleted?
There seems to be some confusion with different sellers about this particular issue.
Hi silverpinups,
Starting today, GTC listings that were created in USD will no longer renew, but will remain live until their next scheduled renewal date. Once that date hits, the listing will go into your Ended listings.
Thanks in advance, and if someone else wants to jump in and answer my question(s), please feel free!
Hello hit_the_icebox, welcome to the weekly sessions!
My bad, I used internal lingo when I said "Ended." I meant Unsold.
What issues are you having with the migration tool? Please reach me at raphael@ebay.com and I'll help you with that.
@rose-dee wrote:
Hi Raphael, I hope you had a great time in Vegas! I would like your advice on how best to handle a specific issue to avoid a defect or other follow-on problems. I doubt I'm the only seller to have ever been in this particular situation.
I sold an antique sewing pattern very recently to a relatively new U.K. buyer, and shipped it the same day (as I usually do). Today I received a message from the buyer (paraphrasing), that: "Whoops, I thought I was buying the item, not a pattern, can you please refund me". (Item #161831007568, if it matters).
Clearly the buyer did not read the listing title or description, both of which state this is a pattern. In fact, in the description I always include a reminder - in bold typeface - to buyers that they are buying a sewing pattern, not a finished garment. The price ($12.95 US) should be a clue too, I would think!
At any rate, the pattern is now halfway across the Atlantic. My return policy states full refund on return of the item within 30 days. I'm not as concerned about losing money as I am about defects or repercussions later. Since I presume this is a "buyer's remorse" type of scenario, I have 3 choices. I'm inclining toward the first, mainly because I do not want the buyer to become irritated or angry at complications and end up leaving nasty FB -- someone who couldn't comprehend a 12-word title may take out the frustration of a return on me:
1) Refund the buyer the $12.95 US immediately to close this problem off immediately, and tell the buyer to return the pattern when she receives it (which she may or may not do, I don't really care, as long as I don't get a defect or open case);
2) Tell the buyer to return the item to me when she gets it (which will take 2 or 3 weeks), then refund.
3) Tell the buyer I'm afraid I can't refund under such circumstances (unfortunately my refund policy doesn't specifically state no buyer's remorse refunds/returns).
Again, I don't care about losing the $12.95 US. What I care about is which option is least likely to result in eBay punishment and to best protect the spotless seller record I've maintained now for years -- and that includes neutral/negative FB by the way, which is very important to me. Please tell me if there is an ending to this silly mess that would not involve the buyer being able to leave FB.
Hi rose-dee,
First off, Feedback is kind of detached from whether the transaction completes or not, or if it's cancelled, returned or refunded. FB is meant as an expression of the buyer's overall impression of their experience with a seller, that includes cancelled or aborted transactions. What this means is none of your 3 scenarios make it impossible for the buyer to leave you whatever FB they want. The only way a buyer can't leave FB is if they don't pay and don't respond to the unpaid item case.
This resembles a question you asked me on a previous session, which I hesitated to answer because it's not mine to tell you what to do in such a case. My best advice, if to make a decision based on the feel you get from the buyer. Are they reasonable? Did they express empathy for the position they put you in or do they come off as entitled to that refund?
In terms of eBay punishment, I don't think you're at risk. Your item is as described and you have shipped it. Did you use tracking?
@rose-dee wrote:
A more generic question...and very worrisome for sellers (and buyers alike).
This week it came to light in seller discussions that there are a lot of sellers listing eBay 5-star feedback for sale, usually for about $0.99 a shot. Search by the word "feedback" and you will find them, peppered amongst the legitimate sellers of music-related feedback amps and such. Here is just one example: item #152186629291.
Clearly these people are exploiting the system and profiting from problems created for sellers by eBay rules, while those who are buying are cheating their way out of trouble. It also demeans the efforts of the majority of sellers who earn their FB the hard way.
I think eBay should be dealing with this egregious and flagrant abuse of eBay selling policy thoroughly and swiftly. Is there any way you can pass this up the line to eBay HQ and ask that it be given priority action?
Obviously reporting these pop-up purveyors of feedback one by one is either not working or not getting eBay's attention.
Feedback padding has been a serious offence ever since I joined eBay. When sellers get caught the consequences get harsh very quickly and those sellers never stay long.
This particular seller seems to skate right on the edge of the policy, selling ebooks and other similar items advertizing for feedback. I have reported them. Thanks for bringing it up.
@hit_the_icebox wrote:
pjcdn2005 wroteI think that when Rapael said ended file he meant unsold. Did your listings just renew again? I know that one seller's listings renewed on .ca yesterday even though they are on .ca in $US.
Yep, that's exactly what appears happened. I was expecting to have 700-800 ended listings to start picking through and instead, nothing. Perhaps they took someone else's advice from earlier and pushed the date back? Anyone else have the same situation I do or has had listings ended?
We didn't push any dates. Your listings will go in your Unsold folder when they hit their next renewal date (this occurs every 30 days from the date you listed them).
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
Hi Raphael,
This was brought up on the sellers board today. A seller opened a store recently and lists on .com so all listings are in $US. When I look at their store on .com, their storefront converts all listings in $C.
http://stores.ebay.com/vsaauto
This happens if my location is showing as being in Canada or the US. When I look at my own store on .com the storefront shows all $US which is how it has always looked.
http://stores.ebay.com/PJs-Bags-n-Stuff
Why is their storefront showing to me in Canadian currency on .com and how are Americans seeing it?
Hi pjcdn,
When looking at Store pages, buyers will see items in their own currency, no matter what site they are on. This is only true with the new store pages.
Hence, US buyers see USD on the same page where you see CAD (because you're Canadian).
@mjwl2006 wrote:
Further to what pj is saying, there are some oddities found with USD and CAD which seems to be user specific. Different users are seeing different things, depending on who is viewing them, not currency of viewing site or listing currency, as we are used to.
http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/No-more-US-dollar-listings-on-eBay-Canada/td-p/346143
It starts with Mr. Elmwood in Message 7 and goes on from there.....
What is this exactly? Another test?
Hi Maureen,
Not a test. Search results always only show the site's currency. USD on .com, CAD on .ca, etc. That's true regardless of what currency or site the item was listed on. Once you click on the item, the View Item page shows you the currency the item was listed in.
@mjwl2006 wrote:
While I'm asking questions, what has happened to all the information that used to be displayed in this giant blank spot between price and item specifics and description?
Is this a test? Or a glitch? Or a change? It's supposed to say things like Free Shipping, Experienced Seller etc.
Here's where the Item Descriptions starts. A good fifth of the page is blank for no apparent reason.
EDIT: Oh wait, it's all back again. I feel like I'm stating the very obvious here but doesn't ebay know it causes buyers and sellers real stress to see vital data arbitrarily disappear? Can't testing be done on an internal dummy site created for that purpose?
Did you mean this?
Looks like your browser may not be loading the page properly.
@mjwl2006 wrote:
At risk of monopolizing this thread as a conversation with myself, now my listing frame is showing as the old store style. I've had a new store since they were introduced.
I understand that some kind of changes are coming but if there is a team of people at ebay who have technical programming skills, how about directing them to something useful like fixing the USA/UK Shopping Cart/Baskets and leave what's not broken -- storefronts -- alone. Can I just suggest that?
I wish it were that simple.
Without rehashing what has been rehashed many times already, that's not how resourcing works in a large company. Product developers who work on Stores don't necessarily have the same credentials and expertise as shopping cart developers. Furthermore, if the Stores start experiencing issues, it's not necessarily because someone made a change to them, the same way a car doesn't break down only when a mechanic touches it.
I have alerted the Stores team of this issue.
@jt-libra wrote:
I have another question which you can probably answer. When you open a store, does the month start from the day you open it or is it like the free listings -- calendar month only? Thanks.
PJ gave you the right answer. If you start a store subscription in the middle of your billing cycle, the subscription charge for that month will be prorated so that it synchronizes with your invoices for the following months. You do, however, get a full month's worth of free listings right away.
