eBay

73rhc · ‎12-17-2013

So I've just notice this and don't know how long it's been like this. Bought something recently. The transaction went rather smoothly. When leaving DSR stars, shipping was "free" so I couldn't leave stars. This is normal and okay. But now I could not leave anything for communication. This popped up "This question isn't applicable because we didn't see any direct messages between you and the seller." This presumes that I will be leaving pos feedback and that there were no issues. Would this disappear if I had to contact the seller for any possible problems?

i*m-still-here · ‎12-17-2013

Quite some time ago the ability to leave FB for communication was done away with when there was none.

That's an interesting question though.

That is, if there is no communication for most of the duration of the transaction, does the ability to leave FB become available once an email has been sent to the seller?

I'm guessing the answer is yes, but with all things eBay nothing is ever simple.

They've complicated their site way beyond what is necessary and as a result have endless loops of nonsense.

pjcdn2005 · ‎12-17-2013

They've complicated their site way beyond what is necessary and as a result have endless loops of nonsense.

I have to agree.

femmefan1946 · ‎12-18-2013

And the most annoying and misunderstood Rating "Shipping Time" is still open to accidental abuse.

Many buyers think this means how long delivery took, which is up to the shipper/postal system, when it is supposed to indicate how quickly the seller got it packaged and into the mailstream.

So, two Ratings move to automatic. One is widely misunderstood. And the Shipping Price? Well, few buyers do any shipping and are unaware that the cost of shipping is unrelated to the value of the item.

Sigh.

I'll shut up now.

73rhc · ‎12-18-2013

If no added handling is added, shouldn't the shipping price also be an automatic 5 stars. If one is using the shipping calculator provided by eBay?

pocomocomputing · ‎12-18-2013

No way to prove what the shipping calculator outputs is real. Nothing to stop a seller by declaring a heavier weight or larger dimensions to inflate the price.

73rhc · ‎12-18-2013

Then the buyer could open a dispute! Leave neg. feedback. What would be the use. The buyer usually wins.

marnotom! · ‎12-18-2013

@73rhc wrote:
Then the buyer could open a dispute!

On what grounds? This isn't an instance where the item wasn't received or that it wasn't as described in the listing.

73rhc · ‎12-18-2013

Surely, if you advertise that the weight is 1.5 kg and it's only 750g. The buyer will see it on the CPO sticker, along with the price paid.

marnotom! · ‎12-18-2013

That's not my point, though. My question to you is: How can a buyer open a dispute when the item has been received and the item is as it was described in the listing?

Or to put in another way: Disputes are about the item, not the shipping method or price. Most listings don't list the shipping weight of the item and I'm not sure if it would be given any--um--weight in a dispute.

73rhc · ‎12-19-2013

Let's put it this way. If you pay for xpresspost and the item shows up via regular surface. So that the seller can put extra $$ in his pocket. I think you can open a dispute for not getting what you paid for. And I didn't say that the weight was in the listing. I was giving an example.

anguscoinshop · ‎12-19-2013

in this case i would be a lot easier to just report it, keep your feedback and DSR factual then move on. at least you know who not to buy from.

if this seller is an habitual, it will catch up with him/her

femmefan1946 · ‎12-19-2013

Possibly but Paypal stickers, which are more commonly used, both for convenience and the higher discounts, do not have the postage listed.

And again, the postage on the sticker is not the cost of the CPO sticker. Not noted are GST and fuel surcharges, nor the 5% (?) VentureOne discount.

Even if you use stamps, you may be buying discount postage lots from a fellow eBay seller, so the dollar value shown is higher than what you paid out for them.

73rhc · ‎12-19-2013

"in this case i would be a lot easier to just report it, keep your feedback and DSR factual then move on. at least you know who not to buy from."

Most buyers don't look at feedback and even less at the DSRs.

marnotom! · ‎12-19-2013

@73rhc wrote:
Let's put it this way. If you pay for xpresspost and the item shows up via regular surface. So that the seller can put extra $$ in his pocket. I think you can open a dispute for not getting what you paid for.

But the item in a dispute has to be physical and tangible. Shipping isn't that. You can certainly open a dispute over shipping, but I doubt that PayPal would let it be escalated to the claim stage because of that.

73rhc · ‎12-19-2013

I disagree. The item has to be tangible, yes. But we are talking about an advertised price within the listing. I think Paypal would side with me on this one.

73rhc · ‎12-19-2013

So is it okay then for an honest seller to use the eBay shipping calculator, lose the 10% and absorb the cost of the packing materials. Then get get nailed with low DSR and possible neg. feedback? This is the original issue that I was asking about!

marnotom! · ‎12-19-2013

@73rhc wrote:
So is it okay then for an honest seller to use the eBay shipping calculator, lose the 10% and absorb the cost of the packing materials. Then get get nailed with low DSR and possible neg. feedback? This is the original issue that I was asking about!

You asked nothing like this originally. You were commenting on the seller's use of "free" shipping and the inability to leave DSRs on shipping when the seller offered it as a "free" service.