Hello everyone,
Welcome to the first session of February 2016. This thread will remain open for most of the day and possibly into tomorrow, time permitting.
Here are the issues I'm currently tracking:
- Estimated Delivery discrepancy between View Item page and Order Details page
- Hard block on non compliant images only on relist/sell similar
-
Missing Tracked Packet destinations
- Odd missing gallery picture in search results
Updates:
- SYI: Form resets IS when switching currencies. - Problem identified, Dev team is working on a fix
- SYI: Form resets IS when trying to update handling cost - Problem partially solved. Complete fix upcoming
- Sold items going into Unsold container in Turbo Lister - TL team has been unable to reproduce the issue on the current version
- Safari browser SYI exhibiting erratic behaviour when trying to select text in description in Revise - under investigation
@pocomocomputing wrote:
Delivery time estimates.
Here is a table of delivery time estimates for various eBay.ca Canada shipping options where a country shows a range of days. All other countries on ebay.ca give an estimate saying it varies with the country. I am using a handling time of 1 day for this table.
The information was compiled from a test listing with all countries available using Flat Rate Shipping and Calculated Shipping and the specific shipping options for Canada Post and the generic ebay shipping option Standard Int'l Shipping.
I compiled this list years ago when delivery estimates were first introduced. Other than the addition of Brazil and Russia changes to shipping, no time estimate has changed since introduced. I recently verified this table in December. I usually check once a year to see if there are changes. Never changed.
I was trying at the time to see what estimates were available and what gives the longest times possible for international shipping. Ironically, this research became much more relevant today since defects are to be based mainly on shipping today.
The table has the ebay countries in the left column. The top column has ebay shipping options. I have abbreviations there so I will explain them.
Std Int'l = Standard Int'l Shipping (Flat Rate Shipping)
CP Lm/Lp = Canada Post Lettermail (Canada only) / Letter-post USA (USA only) and Letter-post Int'l (Flat Rate Shipping)
CP LP Flat = Canada Post Light Packet USA (USA only) and Canada Post Light Packet Int'l (Flat Rate Shipping)
CP LP Calc = Canada Post Light Packet USA (USA only) and Canada Post Light Packet Int'l (Calculated Shipping)
CP SPA Flat = Canada Post Small Packet Air USA (USA only) and Canada Post Small Packet Air Int'l (Flat Rate Shipping)
CP SPA Calc = Canada Post Small Packet Air USA (USA only) and Canada Post Small Packet Air Int'l (Calculated Shipping)
CP SPG Flat = Canada Post Small Packet Ground USA (USA only) and Canada Post Small Packet Ground Int'l (Flat Rate Shipping)
CP SPG Calc = Canada Post Small Packet Ground USA (USA only) and Canada Post Small Packet Ground Int'l (Calculated Shipping)
The USA is listed twice because the eBay Listing system treats the USA sometimes as an International country as well as a USA only country. So a listing can show the USA with two shipping options and the estimates are different.
I was hoping when I first compiled this table years ago to use the Standard Int'l Shipping option to give the longest possible delivery time estimates. Since for flat rate shipping which I used in my listings, the actual Canada Post shipping name seemed meaningless to the buyers outside Canada.
The table shows that the Standard International Shipping option is longer for most other options (green) with a few countries having this option within one day of the maximum days for the other options for that country (yellow) and some countries having the standard way under the individual options (pink).
How is the standard time chosen? It makes no sense for Germany to have a standard time of 5-11 days when all other CP options are significantly longer. A review of the standard time is needed since it is not realistic.
Same for Italy. Standard makes no sense. For other countries not so drastic a diffidence. Australia. Netherlands. United Kingdom. How did Poland get added with a 5-11 standard time with only Lettermail as having an estimate. The 5-11 seems to be an number used by eBay for Europe as a default.
How can the standard option be less than the real shipping options? Where did ebay get those numbers?
These estimates were compiled 4-5 years ago and have never been updated. I know because I have monitored them yearly. How can eBay Canada base a sellers reputation on years old data that has never been updated since the original study. You have posted in the weekly session in the past that the estimates are monitored and updated. Maybe for Expedited or Xpresspost since I cannot check them but for the non-tracked CP options I have monitored, no changes have been made since the estimates wer made years ago.
I have strong reservations on all the eBay studies on delivery estimates being a reflection of reality. The services I have listed do not have tracking so how can an estimate be done? What methodology was used by eBay? Were packages actually sent to real people and recorded? Or was feedback left by a buyer used as a time estimate. Explain the methodology used and show your estimates are valid.
With the new defect policy based on delivery times and many Canadian sellers using the non-tracked options above as their main shipping options, these sellers will be based solely on the buyer answering the "Did the item arrive on time?" question. No acceptance scan to prove it was shipped. No delivered scan to show it arrived on time. Totally at the mercy of a buyer memory and opinion.
Sellers are going to be based on the countries above that have delivery time estimate in days. Those without a days showing and varies is the option will not be asked the question. As it is now, the rating will be only on those few buyers who leave feedback and only those countries where a delivery time estimate in days is available. So even a smaller sample size to rate a seller. How can eBay prorate the defects allowed based on such a small sample size and one that gets even smaller each day as feedback declines each year?
As for the suggestion for using a handling time to pad the estimates is ridiculous. How many days to add? 1, 3, 5, 10 days handing? Just for the few items that are slower. I have looked at sellers listings and I see crazy delivery time estimated because of the padding for handling. If a buyer looks at 20 day estimates, will they buy? I know I look when buying to see how long when buying.
Let me get someone to respond to this for you. Thanks for your patience.
@tobyshitzu wrote:
So I see everyone using ebay's image is 300X300. Sometimes they relist fine. Perhaps the poblem is ebay didn't follow their own rule for sellers, and some number of ebay's own stock photos don't comply, which ramdomly causes problems with relists?
Ive regularly have had listings blocked from listing with new under 500X images
The image being too small isn't the cause of the missing gallery photo. I'll take your case to the images team to make sure they know the issue is also occurring with catalogue images.
dutchman48 wrote:It would obviously be sent through Paypal.
Not that obvious actually. There are other ways, so I needed to mention that.
dutchman48 wrote:Raphael, that is not an answer.
All that is required is a yes or no from Ebay and have it put in policy. There is just too much unwritten garbage on Ebay that we are playing with fire and are damned if we do and damned if we don't.
If we don't send the money, Ebay has no hesitation of finding for the buyer, refunding and letting the buyer keep the item as well. To me that becomes a free item.
Why can they not decide what to do if they support buyer fraud with money that is sent for a return, and not returned.
That is absolute garbage.
Before anything else I need to correct you on one thing: it is not true that if you fail to send money to the buyer for return shipping, eBay automatically lets them keep the item and the money. All that is required for a seller to do if the item is reported to be not as described is to provide the buyer with means to return the item, as such, providing instructions usually suffice to satisfy eBay that the seller is working to resolve the issue for the buyer.
I'm sorry you're having a hard time with the policy. If you're looking for me to say flat out that eBay supports buyer fraud, obviously I won't because we don't support any kind of fraud. Sorry to state the obvious but I really think I have been clear enough even though you say I give you non-answers.
@dutchman48 wrote:
Another cop out and no answer. Thanks again. These chats are getting to be as bad as on the US boards with no answers.
Once again I'm sorry you feel this way but I am not evading helping you on this one either. If you tell me you have sold items that end up in your unsold container and when I go to your unsold container I find it empty, what can I do? I have said I needed you to leave at least one in there so I could diagnose the issue.
Hi rose-dee,
@rose-dee wrote:
To your knowledge, is eBay considering adding -- or would it consider adding -- a 3rd optional response to the on-time shipping question presented to buyers? That response choice, specifically, would be: "Don't know or don't remember".
To my knowledge, there are no such plans.
@rose-dee wrote:
Isn't it fair to sellers (especially Canadian sellers) not to box buyers into a corner of a black-and-white, yes or no answer? Adding a 3rd option is such a small alteration to the "Question", but it would vastly improve sellers' chances of being treated equitably by eBay on delivery performance. So my second question is this -- why didn't eBay include it in the first place? Do they think all buyers have perfect recall, or even care?
We know from data that the question and OTS metric works for most sellers. The vast majority of sellers shipping untracked and who are TRS today will remain TRS after the changes, with a very large number of previously Above Standard sellers who will become TRS. Beyond that, I can tell you the Standards team is listening to everyone's feedback on the new metrics and continues to improve the program.
@rose-dee wrote:
I do some buying on eBay as well as selling, and I can tell you that I have honestly hesitated before that "Question" on many occasions, especially if the item was coming from overseas and I really couldn't recall when I got it, or whether I got it prior to the date eBay stipulates. I toss (or recycle) packaging once I get an item, so what else is there to confirm the actual date of receipt besides my memory?
If I know I received the item and was happy with the transaction, what should I do? This is the dilemma for buyers -- answer "Yes" when I can't honestly remember, or answer "No" just in case? Human psychology being what it is, I think this is a grossly unfair trap, for buyer and seller alike. Besides, just about every survey or feedback form I've ever seen has an option for declining to make a definitive answer.
The other issue I can see is that buyers may abandon the feedback page altogether if faced with this unresolvable conundrum -- if the answer can't be Yes, and it shouldn't be No, just give up and go elsewhere. Brilliant thinking on the part of eBay to design a dead-end maze.
You see what I'm getting at in terms of viewing this issue from a buyer's perspective? I think this is putting buyers in an extremely uncomfortable spot, not to mention punishing sellers for either the lack of recall of their buyers or for buyers' confusion about how to answer.
Like I said earlier, we know from real data that the question at feedback produces a metric that works for most sellers. Is it a perfect way to measure a seller's performance? probably not, but we are confident from what we can see in the numbers that it will not harm you.
With that said, I continue to bring any and all of your comments and suggestions to the Standards team. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
@rose-dee wrote:
Incidentally, is it possible to completely bypass "The Question" when leaving feedback? I haven't yet tried it, but I'd like to.
Yes, buyers are able to leave FB but not respond to the shipping question.
raphael@ebay.com wrote:Hi pocomo,
@pocomocomputing wrote:What is the status of adding Economy Shipping option for International shipping on eBay.ca? Post 23 of last week.
The ask has been made, but I don't know when we can hope to get this live yet.
Raphael, I have been thinking about the request for an Economy Int'l shipping option. I am wondering what we are asking for and what ebay will give.
I have what eBay.com USA has for delivery time estimates for Flat Rate Shipping and Standard Int'l Shipping and Economy shipping options for countries like I showed for Canada above for Standard Int'l Shipping.
I see only a 2-3-4 day increase in the estimates or no increase at all and some with varies (which is good since it cannot be rated).
So when we request an Economy Int'l Shipping option on eBay.ca, what are we asking for? What will be getting? How will it be done?
It seems we are all hoping for some magic Economy Int'l Shipping option to save sellers with a longer estimate.
What would the Economy Int'l Shipping be based on? The Standard Int'l Shipping option which I have shown to possibly be flawed and inconsistent with 3 day padding added? Or is it based on actual shipping options from Canada Post?
The delivery time estimates are a farce. Sellers wants ways around it. ebay.ca Canada is rating Canadian sellers on a "Did the item arrive on time?" question based buyer opinions and memory and not on facts for all the non-tracked shipping options that eBay.ca Canada sellers have to use.
I can't see eBay.ca Canada offering an Economy Int'l Shipping option with longer estimates (or no estimates for some countries which is better) to partially circumvent the new seller rating system because doing so if just "fixing" the system which ebay.com will not like. The Economy option has to be based on some logical methods and facts somehow which I hope the Standard Int'l Shipping option is based on. Otherwise the delivery time estimates and the rating of the sellers is just a farce with no basis on fact.
The more I look into this and think about it, the more I realize that the new seller evaluation system based on shipping is a ridiculous thing to do for Canadian sellers shipping with Canada Post shipping options with no tracking available on many CP services sellers have to use.
The system is a terrible fit for Canadians.
I do hope that your reassurances that buyers will answer the "Did the item arrive on time?" question as yes for most sales is true based on what you see for sellers in the data already gathered. A lot is riding on this question since it is the only way ebay is measuring many sellers. I really dislike the fact that the sample size for evaluating sellers is based on feedback which is not being left by many buyers.
It looks like the only way to add time is by padding days with the handling time. Way too visible to buyers and creates ridiculous delivery time estimates to try to prevent the odd late delivery.
Selling Limits (not monthly free listings count)
I already emailed you about issues with account monthly Selling Limits not making any sense since they do not reflect what is active and sold. This was back in December and I never followed up.
On another eBay id, this is the limits module in Selling Manager Summary Page.
Here is the totals at the bottom of the Selling Manager Active Listing page
From experience I know both never match, the Selling Limits usually lower. I also believe Scheduled Listings count in the totals. Yesterday, I had 5 scheduled listings go active that were not finished (I forgot to change the scheduled date to stop them from listing, my mistake) so after they were ended, I had the totals above which are really out of sync with reality.
I know Selling Limits are based on an item count and not a listing count which can have more than one item.
I have to assume there is something bad in the programming of the Selling Limits. It is not adding or removing items and $$$ properly.
I am reporting this because if you go to the link "How selling limits work", there is a warning
Important: If you exceed the maximum amount you can list in a month, reduce the number of active listings you have on eBay to bring the number within your limit. We may end any listings that place you over your current limit. Good 'Til Cancelled listings count toward your selling limits, and won't renew automatically if you've reached the maximum amount that you can list.
http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/sellinglimits.html
Now this warning should not be a problem since I seem to always be well under my limits but the threat of ending listing based on a faulty counter is not a good feeling.
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