eBay

raphael@ebay.com · ‎06-01-2016

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the first weekly session of June! I'll leave this thread open until tomorrow as it has become the norm.

Open issues:

Odd missing gallery picture in search results
Errors when uploading more than one tracking number at a time (repeated, erroneous numbers saved)

Updates:

FVF on shipping charged on international sales even when there was free domestic shipping - discovery work on this issue is ongoing
View Order Details page showing erroneous currency conversion - Fix was scheduled for yesterday, I'm awaiting confirmation.
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!

merritt-motorcycle-salvage · ‎06-01-2016

raphael@ebay.com wrote:
@merritt-motorcycle-salvage wrote:
raphael@ebay.com wrote:
@merritt-motorcycle-salvage wrote:
I know this is a difficult concept for ebay to grasp, but the deadline dates need to be adjusted/extended and started when the Migration Tool is fully functional, not while it is been build and tested, we are not ebays lab rats. We can`t be expected to complete a task when we are given a tool that isn't capable of completing that task. This whole thing has become a circus and we are sick and tired of been the side shows. Our time is been wasted and time is money.
Hi merritt-motorcycle-salvage,

It looks like most of your listings are Good Til Cancelled. Please note that you have until August to migrate those. What's coming on June 14th is, new listings, including relists and Sell Similar, can only be in CAD.

Your GTC listings will remain untouched until August 3rd. After that, they will no longer be allowed to renew. Hence, if you have one date to remember, it's that one. Hope this helps.
I am more than well aware of the dates and keeping up with the documentation provided for this matter, why you constantly insist on side stepping my questions is beyond me. I am not gullible. The New listings in CAD was extended, but not the Good Til Cancelled? Even after the late release of the tool there is no further extension even though it is not fully functional.

Here is a pair of pliers, you have 6 weeks to frame a house of specific dimensions...

In 2 weeks you will be provided with some nails...

In 4 weeks you will be provided with a hammer...

In 5 weeks you will be provided with a saw...

In 5 weeks and 6 days you will be provided with a measuring tape...

In 5 weeks and 6 days and 12 hours you will be provided some wood.
I apologize for attempting to zero in on your own particular case.

While it is true that the tool had to go through growing pains and that as a result, it has shortened the preparatory period available for sellers to migrate their listings, we feel there is still enough time for everyone to complete this work within the updated timelines without severely disrupting their business.

Say what you will, but don`t put words in my mouth. I am speaking for EVERYONE on this matter, this is not just about me. Thanks for your time! 😉

dutchman48 · ‎06-01-2016

What are Ebay and Paypal going to do during the strike if buyers open INR claims, or have returns in the mail to sellers.

momcqueen · ‎06-01-2016

raphael@ebay.com wrote:
Hi Maureen,
@mjwl2006 wrote:
Good morning,

As you may know, there looms a lockout-strike situation with Canada Post this summer. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-post-warns-key-customers-of-looming-contract-dispute-1.360190... What contingency plans does ebay have for Canadian buyers and sellers so as to minimize the effect on sales and/or resulting defects from items received past their ebay-set shipment deadlines?
We do have protocols for such things. A good example is the postal disruption currently happening in and around Fort McMurray. We worked with the Standards team to define the areas (postal codes) and timeline involved, so we can proactively remove any defects caused by the wild fires still raging there.

Similarly, we have engaged with the Standards team to give them a heads up on the possible upcoming Canada Post labour disruption will put a protection plan in place to cover the affected sellers adequately. The exact details of what this entails are still TBD, but should resemble what I described for Fort McMurray above.
@mjwl2006 wrote:
Also, I wanted to clarify something about store subscribers' Vacation Mode: if a store seller leaves the listings live and visible and says 'will be gone until July X' does that automatically override the handling time deadline? Or does the seller's committed handling time remain unaffected? I'm fairly sure I already know the answer to this but I want to be certain.
If you set your store to vacation mode and leave your listings live, the estimated delivery date will reflect your vacation setting (the system won't assume that you will ship while you're on vacation).
@mjwl2006 wrote:
Thirdly, I know Paypal Shipping isn't ebay's problem anymore but you should be aware of a situation that has plagued users since early May. The Item Contents information on multi-item orders for international shipment isn't generating correctly and providing false export documentation on the paypal-printed postage labels. This has already been reported to paypal by me and other ebay users. Can you call over to whomever it is that you have contact with at Paypal and ask them to put the fear into Pitney Bowes or whoever it is that is responsible for fixing it? This is just one of the many times it has been mentioned in threads on ebay Canada https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Who-do-I-call-about-problems-with-Paypal-labels/m-p/3392.... I placed my report with paypal on May 7. As far as I know, the problem still exists. It should not. These are Customs forms. Sooner or later, either a seller or buyers is going to find themselves in hot water about it.
I wouldn't go as far as saying that PayPal labels aren't our problem anymore 😉

This is an issue I have well documented and duly reported to PayPal. I got the usual "we will look into it" but nothing further as I write this. I'm certain they are working to resolve.

Thank you, Raphael.

I have to admit your answer on Store Vacation Mode was not the answer I had anticipated and I am pleasantly surprised. I thought it was assumed we would continue to ship through Vacations if we let the listings live and visible and therefore purchasable. I am pleased that post-holiday ship time is added to the delivery estimate BUT the first line of defence against a Late Shipment Defect is shipping on time i.e. a seller getting their the Acceptance Scan. So let me pose a further question, if I may, to that effect. If I have same-day handling as my set Handling Time but my store is on Vacation until July 24, does that mean I have until the evening of July 24 to get an Acceptance Scan? Or does it still have to be gotten by the end of the postal counter business day on the day it was purchased.

The reason this seems like it might be important now is that summer is coming and so is postal disruption; I would anticipate a lot of sellers putting their stores on Vacation until the lbour disruption is over and done.

As an aside, does anyone know what happens to the postal counters during a lockout/strike? They are retail employees, people employed by the drug store (or whatever) where the authorized dealer is located and not Canada Post employees. Are the authorized dealers still open for business even if the mail isn't being picked up? Anyone know?

Will ebay Canada have any official recommendations for sellers about how to handle postal disruption?

the_d_consortium · ‎06-01-2016

It was tongue and cheek, I will admit, it was the option of being able to list new listings using sell similar, since I keep getting errors telling me that I needed to add the weight with no place to add it to, and I needed to add an image that was already in the listing url's window.

On my other sites it's been a bug bear to add an url using self hosting all this past week, but I worked my way around it by using another option or constantly hitting the insert image button until it paid attention.

New form is no where near as good as the old one.

How am I suppose to add the shipping rate if it cost $10. to ship it to my neighbor in Ontario and $18. to ship it to Vancouver?

It's one screwed up mess IMHO.

Besides, nit picking...it's .ca and I do not live in a "State," I live in a province.

pjcdn2005 · ‎06-01-2016

mjwl2006 wrote:

Also, I wanted to clarify something about store subscribers' Vacation Mode: if a store seller leaves the listings live and visible and says 'will be gone until July X' does that automatically override the handling time deadline? Or does the seller's committed handling time remain unaffected? I'm fairly sure I already know the answer to this but I want to be certain.

If you set your store to vacation mode and leave your listings live, the estimated delivery date will reflect your vacation setting (the system won't assume that you will ship while you're on vacation).

Raphael, I'm sorry but I'm a bit skeptical of that is it is the total opposite of the way that I've always understood it to work. I've always been under the impression that the vacation mode put a message on your listing but did not change any other other settings which is why the hide mode is available. I thought that the only way to change that eta when on a holiday was to change the handling time to reflect the time that you're away.

There is nothing in the help pages about the arrival time changing although it would be nice if that's how it worked. Have you seen it work as you described?

bunbar · ‎06-01-2016

I asked this morning but am still wondering why store sellers have to pay extra for listing sheet music but not sellers who don't have a store. About one third of my listings are sheet music but it would be very expensive if I tried listing each one as as auction. It;s free in our stores

block36 · ‎06-01-2016

On weekly session of April 13, 2016 I asked Raphael whether system is able to extend the delivery date to accommodate seller's vacation.

His answer was that he does not think system can do it and he promised to update me (and all of us) if he learns something different.

I did not hear anything although was very anxious for good news.

Now he says that system knows to do it... Do you think it is only his expectation or the actual situation?

forester_studios · ‎06-01-2016

This has also happened to me several times. I brought it to Raphael's attention in last weeks discussion thread. Hopefully they can fix this ASAP since this is a serious problem as it gives incorrect info on customs forms. I'm planning to get some paper customs forms at my local post office for use on multiple item orders until this is fixed. Filling forms in by hand will be more time consuming, so hopefully this will be fixed soon.

bunbar · ‎06-01-2016

Today is just about over and I still don't see any change, Not a happy camper

tixcanada · ‎06-02-2016

Hi, first time participant on the weekly session. I migrated my listings to .ca earlier this week, not the best workflow, but it got done. Ebay certainly can make it much easier and clearer, so hopefully they do that.

One issue I have run into is that some listings now only show up in the basic editor, so I can't add more shipping options etc.. the button in the top right to change the listing editor to "Advanced view" is not there, and I can't find a way to change that.

can you get the coders to add that button when editing listings.

Also, on the create/edit listing page, can you put a quick guide or box that populates with the selected shipping methods min/max dimensions and weights.. IE select USA Expedited parcel and a box would show up that says minimum is X"H x Y" L 2kg etc etc and the maxes. It would really help us less experienced sellers ensure we are selecting the right methods for each item.

momcqueen · ‎06-02-2016

@forester_studios wrote:
This has also happened to me several times. I brought it to Raphael's attention in last weeks discussion thread. Hopefully they can fix this ASAP since this is a serious problem as it gives incorrect info on customs forms. I'm planning to get some paper customs forms at my local post office for use on multiple item orders until this is fixed. Filling forms in by hand will be more time consuming, so hopefully this will be fixed soon.

That's right, I remember now but it had slipped my ind that you raised this last week. Thank you for that. I do find it kind of incredible that Paypal Shipping would allow this problem to continue unabated when Customs Declarations are really an area with no room for error. Someone is going to end up in some trouble over this eventually, buyer or seller. My temporary workaround is to generalize the package contents as a lot with total value so as to generate only one item line. It works with toys which is mostly what I sell, and mostly manufactured in China. For a seller packing a dress made in Italy with a mug made in England, this won't suffice.

forester_studios · ‎06-02-2016

I agree with all the points you make. The last package I shipped with more than one item was two magazines both printed in the USA. I listed both on a single line with a total value as you mention as a temporary workaround. As you mention though this wouldn't work with different types of items from different countries of origin.

I would imagine that this is happening to every label with multiple items. Considering the many thousands of sellers sending packages to other countries every day this problem has the potential to cause a lot of problems. If multiple packages start being turned back at the borders this could be very costly financially to sellers. Also, with ebay's penalties for late delivery this could hurt sellers there as well

What I find really incredible is the fact that these errors occur in the first place and also that ebay/paypal has so little concern to fix serious problems like this quickly. It really is baffling as it can't be good for their business in the long run either.

Anyway I plan to keep asking about when this will be fixed every week until it is resolved. Thank you for also bringing this up on the discussion thread. If more sellers express their concern, perhaps something positive will happen.

merritt-motorcycle-salvage · ‎06-02-2016

When are the new enhancements to the Migration Tool going to take effect?!?!?

momcqueen · ‎06-02-2016

And thank you again to Raphael for keeping the thread open overnight so that more people may participate in it.

merritt-motorcycle-salvage · ‎06-02-2016

Item condition is not carrying over migrating to .com and its says "Condition is not applicable to this listing." now what?!?!

Tried bulk edit, 1 changes and the rest don`t update?!?!

Still can`t start migrating?!?!

raphael@ebay.com · ‎06-02-2016

@dutchman48 wrote:

What are Ebay and Paypal going to do during the strike if buyers open INR claims, or have returns in the mail to sellers.

Hi dutchman,

As I told Maureen, we are only starting to discuss protection for all sellers who will be affected by the Canada Post labour disruption. We are discussing both proactive and reactive measures, which we will announce in due time.

raphael@ebay.com · ‎06-02-2016

@mjwl2006 wrote:

raphael@ebay.com wrote:

Hi Maureen,

@mjwl2006 wrote:

Good morning,

As you may know, there looms a lockout-strike situation with Canada Post this summer. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-post-warns-key-customers-of-looming-contract-dispute-1.360190... What contingency plans does ebay have for Canadian buyers and sellers so as to minimize the effect on sales and/or resulting defects from items received past their ebay-set shipment deadlines?

We do have protocols for such things. A good example is the postal disruption currently happening in and around Fort McMurray. We worked with the Standards team to define the areas (postal codes) and timeline involved, so we can proactively remove any defects caused by the wild fires still raging there.

Similarly, we have engaged with the Standards team to give them a heads up on the possible upcoming Canada Post labour disruption will put a protection plan in place to cover the affected sellers adequately. The exact details of what this entails are still TBD, but should resemble what I described for Fort McMurray above.

@mjwl2006 wrote:

Also, I wanted to clarify something about store subscribers' Vacation Mode: if a store seller leaves the listings live and visible and says 'will be gone until July X' does that automatically override the handling time deadline? Or does the seller's committed handling time remain unaffected? I'm fairly sure I already know the answer to this but I want to be certain.

If you set your store to vacation mode and leave your listings live, the estimated delivery date will reflect your vacation setting (the system won't assume that you will ship while you're on vacation).

@mjwl2006 wrote:

Thirdly, I know Paypal Shipping isn't ebay's problem anymore but you should be aware of a situation that has plagued users since early May. The Item Contents information on multi-item orders for international shipment isn't generating correctly and providing false export documentation on the paypal-printed postage labels. This has already been reported to paypal by me and other ebay users. Can you call over to whomever it is that you have contact with at Paypal and ask them to put the fear into Pitney Bowes or whoever it is that is responsible for fixing it? This is just one of the many times it has been mentioned in threads on ebay Canada https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Who-do-I-call-about-problems-with-Paypal-labels/m-p/3392.... I placed my report with paypal on May 7. As far as I know, the problem still exists. It should not. These are Customs forms. Sooner or later, either a seller or buyers is going to find themselves in hot water about it.

I wouldn't go as far as saying that PayPal labels aren't our problem anymore 😉

This is an issue I have well documented and duly reported to PayPal. I got the usual "we will look into it" but nothing further as I write this. I'm certain they are working to resolve.

Thank you, Raphael.

I have to admit your answer on Store Vacation Mode was not the answer I had anticipated and I am pleasantly surprised. I thought it was assumed we would continue to ship through Vacations if we let the listings live and visible and therefore purchasable. I am pleased that post-holiday ship time is added to the delivery estimate BUT the first line of defence against a Late Shipment Defect is shipping on time i.e. a seller getting their the Acceptance Scan. So let me pose a further question, if I may, to that effect. If I have same-day handling as my set Handling Time but my store is on Vacation until July 24, does that mean I have until the evening of July 24 to get an Acceptance Scan? Or does it still have to be gotten by the end of the postal counter business day on the day it was purchased.

The reason this seems like it might be important now is that summer is coming and so is postal disruption; I would anticipate a lot of sellers putting their stores on Vacation until the lbour disruption is over and done.

As an aside, does anyone know what happens to the postal counters during a lockout/strike? They are retail employees, people employed by the drug store (or whatever) where the authorized dealer is located and not Canada Post employees. Are the authorized dealers still open for business even if the mail isn't being picked up? Anyone know?

Will ebay Canada have any official recommendations for sellers about how to handle postal disruption?

Hi Maureen,

I apologize again but my answer about the vacation setting was wrong. Please see the updated answer in my original response.

Regarding the Canada Post labour disruption, we will do our best to assist our sellers and buyers with information and protective measures.

raphael@ebay.com · ‎06-02-2016

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

@mjwl2006 wrote:

Also, I wanted to clarify something about store subscribers' Vacation Mode: if a store seller leaves the listings live and visible and says 'will be gone until July X' does that automatically override the handling time deadline? Or does the seller's committed handling time remain unaffected? I'm fairly sure I already know the answer to this but I want to be certain.

If you set your store to vacation mode and leave your listings live, the estimated delivery date will reflect your vacation setting (the system won't assume that you will ship while you're on vacation).

Raphael, I'm sorry but I'm a bit skeptical of that is it is the total opposite of the way that I've always understood it to work. I've always been under the impression that the vacation mode put a message on your listing but did not change any other other settings which is why the hide mode is available. I thought that the only way to change that eta when on a holiday was to change the handling time to reflect the time that you're away.

There is nothing in the help pages about the arrival time changing although it would be nice if that's how it worked. Have you seen it work as you described?

Hi pjdcn,

That's my bad, I consulted an erroneous internal document. My answer was wrong and I have corrected it.

raphael@ebay.com · ‎06-02-2016

@bunbar wrote:

I asked this morning but am still wondering why store sellers have to pay extra for listing sheet music but not sellers who don't have a store. About one third of my listings are sheet music but it would be very expensive if I tried listing each one as as auction. It;s free in our stores

I may be wrong, but as far as I know there is no difference in insertion fees whether or not a seller has an eBay store for the sheet music category.

raphael@ebay.com · ‎06-02-2016

@block36 wrote:

On weekly session of April 13, 2016 I asked Raphael whether system is able to extend the delivery date to accommodate seller's vacation.

His answer was that he does not think system can do it and he promised to update me (and all of us) if he learns something different.

I did not hear anything although was very anxious for good news.

Now he says that system knows to do it... Do you think it is only his expectation or the actual situation?

Hi block36,

Sorry for the confusion. I was wrong in my previous answer.