eBay

holdmygold2 · ‎08-23-2014

Anybody notice that their TRS status on eBay.com disappeared?

holdmygold2 · ‎08-24-2014

The odd and interesting thing is that so few US sellers have the TRS badge any longer. The program may be biting the dust anyway.

Things like this that give other sites momentum.

Even though the badge may mean nothing at all, the act of taking it away means a lot.

A punishment no matter how they try to twist it into some other shape.

rose-dee · ‎08-24-2014

@holdmygold2 wrote:

Even though the badge may mean nothing at all, the act of taking it away means a lot.

A punishment no matter how they try to twist it into some other shape.

You're right -- it smarts. Especially since we Canadians have so many handicaps to work with and few special accommodations in recognition of that fact.

But that's in a utopian world. EBay is a money-making corporation, centred in the U.S., and is not interested in our little problems up here. EBay giveth and eBay taketh away... I've gotten used to that over the years.

My other recent pet peeve was when they removed the "Me" page -- that meant a lot to me and my business, and it felt like a slap in the face. It disappeared so quietly -- sellers didn't seem to notice, or didn't seem to care, there was little if any protest.

You're right that it just makes other places look that much better.

mr.elmwood · ‎08-24-2014

My "opinion" is that TRS was a mistake from the beginning. eBay is giving sellers a discount for doing what? Just what they are supposed to do. The discount comes right off eBay's bottom line. The bar was set too low, 100 sales and $100, isn't it?

If anything, it should have been a sliding scale as sales increase. It was a no return on investment, discount.

PowerSeller badge meant something, once upon a time, $1000 a month for XX months running. I remember when I first hit that, 8 1/2 years ago.

.
.
.

oranorth · ‎08-24-2014

Not only did I loose my TRS on .com but now ebay MAKES ME offer;

" MONEY BACK GUARANTEE "

"Get the item you ordered or get your money back".

"Covers your purchase price and original shipping".

The rip off on the shipping cost fee was bad enough, as a result I can no longer offer international shipping for my low cost items .....BUT THIS .......HOW DARE YOU EBAY offer money back on the shipping that is NOT in my pocket.

I never thought that I would be forced off ebay because of their policies.

This is it for me and I'm sure many other Canadian sellers ....anyone that's left selling here on ebay is oblivious

cumos55 · ‎08-24-2014

From eBay.com...

---------------------------------

You've uploaded valid shipment tracking to My eBay within your promised handling time for at least 90% of transactions with US buyers in the last 3 months

1 business day handling time: If a buyer pays on Tuesday, you need to upload tracking by 11:59:59 pm Pacific Time on Wednesday.

Same business day handling time: If you offer same business day handling, you also have 1 business day to upload valid tracking information. For example, if a buyer pays on Tuesday at 10:00 am Pacific Time, you need to upload tracking by 11:59:59 pm Pacific Time on Wednesday. The tracking number must have at least one carrier scan recorded within your promised handling time.

Handling time is measured in business days. Weekends and holidays aren't counted. For example, if you specify 1-day handling time and a buyer pays on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, you need to upload tracking by 11:59:59 pm Pacific Time on Monday.

If a buyer purchases items from multiple listings, each listing (or transaction) must have a tracking number, even if all the items have been combined into a single order for shipping.

-------------------

also

-------------------

20% discount on final value fees and prominent Top Rated Plus seal for listings that offer same business day or 1 business day handling and a 14-day or better return policy with a money back option. The 20% final value fee discount applies only to the final price of the item, not to shipping charges or other amounts you charge the buyer.

------------------

In order to be a TRS plus on eBay.com

The key components are the 90 % tracking and a handling time of same day... or... one-day handling

And there is a third component....most recently introduced.

A US seller would buy postage on eBay/Paypal.... and show tracking and one day handling.... and they qualified for TRS plus.

However... They would not deliver the parcel to the post office within that one-day handling time interval....Parcel were allowed to accumulate and then get taken to the post office....

An example is a seller with TRS plus standing... that states in all listings... delivery to the post office on Tuesdays and Fridays...only

Sellers were "beating" the system and qualifying.for TRS plus.. even by letting the parcel to accumulate and get delivered to the post office well beyond one-day handling.

Now the third component.... The parcel must show tracking on a postal service within one-day handling time...

This is a confirmation of the one-day handling time....

-----

Another thing that was happening was a seller would deliver prepaid parcels to a post office outlet.... and not wait in a "long" line up ...to get the parcel scanned.. The parcels would be left in the equivalent of a "box" and get scanned when a clerk was available.

US sellers have also been finding that the parcels were not being scanned if left in that box.... no scan... no TRS plus and no 20 % discount... that is if only TRS plus sellers get the 20 % discount on eBay.com.

Many seller are frustrated with USPS... mainly because of a lack of scan when the parcel is dropped off at a postal outlet.....

and then not scanned when the parcel is delivered.... If a parcel is not scanned when delivered ... buyers can file a case... Item not received..... a tracked parcel that was not scanned when delivered... File an insurance claim with USPS... when USPS says "It was delivered" even if not scanned properly

-----------

Major problems with scanning of tracked packages on eBay.com

(1) Not scanned when dropped off and left at a postal outlet.... seller did not oversee the scanning process.

(2) Not scanned when delivered

(3) Scanned upon delivery but parcel is left on the equivalent of "a porch"

and on ebay.com --- sellers appear to be held responsible for final delivery to a buyer.

Then comes this thing of estimated delivery date...... For some reason estimated becomes actual.

and when one thinks of a seller letting parcels accumulate ---delivery to a postal outlet after a one-day handling period.... resulting in a "late" delivery of the parcel to a postal outlet, and then to a buyer.

The estimated delivery times appear to be "too tight" not long enough in relation to what USPS states as estimated delivery time.

TRS plus sellers that have been playing with the system... and beating it are finding otherwise... and are losing their TRS plus standing with these new rules... or lack of scanning by USPS

Everything is tied together....

pocomocomputing · ‎08-24-2014

If you make TRS on eBay.ca Canada, it is based on global sales. What is interesting it that you have this global TRS badge show up on your ID on all eBay global sites outside of the special TRS for US, UK+Ireland, Germany+Austria+Switzerland.

This means that buyers on the France, Italy, Spain, Australia, etcetera eBay sites see you as having a TRS badge. So the Global TRS has a perk in that regard. Maybe a little more confidence from buyers shopping on their home country sites and looking at items outside their country.

It is not much but at least it is something that Global TRS gives.

femmefan1946 · ‎08-24-2014

It's my guess that the majority of buyers, US, Canadian, Venezualan, whatever, do not notice any TRS badges.

Look at how many times we see complaints about 'accidentally' buying something or 'why is my purchase in Kentucky?' Buyers don't read.

(Sellers aren't much better, but that's a different story for another day.)

The important question is, 'Did I get my 20% discount this month?'

If you did, all is well.

If you didn't, can you still make money selling here?

mr.elmwood · ‎08-24-2014

@femmefan1946 wrote:
It's my guess that the majority of buyers, US, Canadian, Venezualan, whatever, do not notice any TRS badges.
Look at how many times we see complaints about 'accidentally' buying something or 'why is my purchase in Kentucky?' Buyers don't read.
(Sellers aren't much better, but that's a different story for another day.)

The important question is, 'Did I get my 20% discount this month?'
If you did, all is well.
If you didn't, can you still make money selling here?

If yer profit is dependent upon the 20% , y'all got problems.

10% of sellers do 90% of the profit, 90% of the sellers do 10%.

.
.
.

holdmygold2 · ‎08-24-2014

Personally, I think that it's hi time eBay, the PO, and other powers that do some research to get some understanding of why Canadians don't buy on line.

The PO is so busy pushing "Electronic Bill Paying" or some such **bleep** about 10 years too late.......... so out of time it's a comedy routine.............

That money would be better spend trying to understand the block that Canadians have towards on line buying. and then offering incentives to shoppers.

And eBay.ca: Where are they?

A little advertising push could only help. Offer Canadians some incentive to buy here.

Instead eBaty dangled eBay Bucks for Canadians for an instant and then Presto Zappo "Gone like the TRS badge.

They should have been pushing that program. Buying TV time or whatever it takes.

Canadian sellers can't do it alone, and unless Canadian buyers step up Canadians will always be lower caste eBayers and that's no fun, is it?

holdmygold2 · ‎08-24-2014

......... Didn't take too much to get down to it: The reason Canadians don't buy on line is our $20 import limit before they start charging taxes and maybe also duty.

It's true that they let it slide 90% of the time, but get dinged once and it's game over.

It doesn't make Canadians start buying Canadian as perhaps intended.

It makes Canadians stop buying on line: Period! The End!

Until that limit is increased we don't have a chance of moving beyond our pariah status on eBay.

pierrelebel · ‎08-24-2014

"The reason Canadians don't buy on line is our $20 import limit before they start charging taxes and maybe also duty.'

????

Online business in Canada is growing, growing fast, growing faster, much faster than the overall economy:

http://www.statista.com/statistics/241453/forecast-of-b2c-e-commerce-sales-growth-in-canada/

Somehow, some posters may think of eBay as a huge part of e-commerce in Canada. It is not.

Canadians buy more online this year than last and will buy even more next year. And yes we pay tax. So what? The idea that Canadians only buy online to avoid paying consumer taxes (GST/HST) fails to look at the much larger picture.

Not everyone purchase "stuff" online, from outside the country, for the sole purpose of avoiding taxes.

While selling on eBay may be challenging at times (that is an understatement), reality remains that sales overall by Canadian sellers are still growing on eBay and other online venues. If that does not apply to you, try to find ways to change your listings, your pricing and/or your policies to make it work. Most others do.

pjcdn2005 · ‎08-25-2014

@rose-dee wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
It sounds like you're saying it's TRS plus or no badge at all for Canadians?

There's no TRS badge for anyone unless they meet all of the requirements for TRS plus.

That's not completely accurate -- if you're a Canadian seller who has met all the qualifications for Global TRS, you'll have the TRS badge on your listings displayed on eBay.ca (but not .com), for what it's worth. If you sell mostly to the US, and expect that most of your buyers will be viewing your listings on .com, then of course it's useless. But it does still exist here.

My listings and yours show the Canadian (TRS Global) badge. As I'm sure you know, the US TRS Plus badge looks somewhat different (for those who have it). It has a sort of laurel leaf design on each side. I had it up until August 20th, but it's gone now, as I expected.

I agree with the OP that we Canadian sellers are the least of eBay's concerns, let alone small Canadian sellers. This is just one more nail in the coffin as far as I'm concerned, signalling that eBay has no real interest in encouraging its "boutique" sellers anymore. I'm beginning to get that "bum's rush" feeling...

You're right although I was aware of that. Since the OP was asking about the badge on .com, I was referring to the TRS plus badge and meant to say that Americans too (not just Canadians) must also meet all the TRS plus requirements to have any sort of TRS badge on .com but once again my fingers didn't type what I meant to tell them to type. lol

As far as ebay not being concerned about Canadian sellers.....I think that because of the defect system many sellers feel like that regardless of where they are located. As you said earlier, it was nice that we were able to have the badge on .com at all for the last year or two but I'm sure that some U.S. sellers wouldn't have thought that it was fair. We each tend to look at things from our own point of view.

pjcdn2005 · ‎08-25-2014

@rose-dee wrote:
The qualifications for the US TRS and the US TRS Plus designations have changed somewhat (since Aug. 20th). So yes, it did go from all to nothing overnight for many of us.

Now, in order for a Canadian to get the regular US TRS "badge" on .com, you need to meet the 90% tracking requirement. That used to be part of the US TRS Plus criteria. So, now those of us who had US TRS Plus as a result of the concessions made to Canadian sellers regarding tracking, have lost it. And we've lost the regular US TRS badge, if that's all a seller had on .com prior to Aug. 20th.

I'll find and paste the details on qualifying for the Canadian (Global) TRS in the next post, as I agree this whole thing is rather complicated.

I'd also suggest reviewing the entire TRS programme requirements at this link: http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/top-rated.html.

This really isn't important but just to clarify, there hasn't been a 'regular TRS badge' for Canadians or Americans on .com ever since TRS plus started.

pjcdn2005 · ‎08-25-2014

@pocomocomputing wrote:
If you make TRS on eBay.ca Canada, it is based on global sales. What is interesting it that you have this global TRS badge show up on your ID on all eBay global sites outside of the special TRS for US, UK+Ireland, Germany+Austria+Switzerland.

This means that buyers on the France, Italy, Spain, Australia, etcetera eBay sites see you as having a TRS badge. So the Global TRS has a perk in that regard. Maybe a little more confidence from buyers shopping on their home country sites and looking at items outside their country.

It is not much but at least it is something that Global TRS gives.

Interesting...I hadn't noticed that before. But for some reason I don't see my TRS on Australia but do see it on the France and Italy sites. I didn't check any other ones.

pocomocomputing · ‎08-25-2014

Global TRS is not showing on Australia. It used to and recently.

I did some research on international sites that eBay has a web site on over the years. In the last couple of years eBay has been globalizing their sites to all use the same listing layout and structure. If you view a listing on eBay.ca or eBay.com and want to see it on another site, you simple change the listing URL country from .ca to say .de for Germany and the listing comes up. Other than language, everything is laid out exactly the same in a listing.

I made notes on the various sites and how compatible they are to just changing the country code and I also marked down if they showed TRS or PowerSeller or none. My notes show Australia as being TRS. Something must have changed in the last 3-4 months and Australia does not show Global TRS now. I last worked on this project about 4 months ago so I am sure it was TRS. My notes I have show Australia as Global TRS.

I wonder if Australia is going to be in a TRS group by themselves like the US, UK+Ireland, Germany+Austria+Switzerland.

Or it could just be another eBay glitch, lol.

holdmygold2 · ‎08-25-2014

Pierrelebel previously posted that Canadians account for less than 1% of eBay revenue, and I took him at his word.

Canadians do not buy on line to avoid taxes. (Now, that as one huge leap to take, wasn't it?)

In addition: Please restrict comments to eBay purchases only.

Everyone is accustomed to the routine way of doing eBay business: Pay for an item once and it's a done deal.

When asked to pay a second time upon delivery no one is a happy camper and that's all they remember about the transaction.

Think of it this way:

If the government were to raise our limit to $200 to be in line with the US and announce that publicly, Canadian eBay sellers would likely have a influx of business even though many charge tax.

It's not about tax avoidance so why put an unhealthy twist on it?

pierrelebel · ‎08-25-2014

"Canadians do not buy on line to avoid taxes. "

Let's get the quote correctly. I wrote "Not everyone purchase "stuff" online, from outside the country, for the sole purpose of avoiding taxes."

"If the government were to raise our limit to $200 to be in line with the US and announce that publicly, Canadian eBay sellers would likely have a influx of business even though many charge tax."

Have a large cup of coffee and think it through.

If the Canadian government were to raise postal import tax exemption limits to $200, it is NOT Canadian sellers who would benefit but American and foreign sellers. Canadian retailers who are forced to remit GST/HST on their sales to Canadians would suffer tremendously from this unfair foreign competition resulting in many businesses closing their door or laying off Canadian workers.

Why should Canadian consumers buy from Canadians where they have to pay consumption taxes (HST/GST/PST) if they can get the same product at an equivalent price (including shipping) without paying taxes?

pierrelebel · ‎08-25-2014

"our limit to $200 to be in line with the US"

Canada import tax limit cannot be compared with the USA where no such tax exist.

We have a national consumption tax (GST or HST) while the USA is one of the few countries in the industrialized world without a national consumption tax.

holdmygold2 · ‎08-25-2014

Pierrelebel; Have a coffee yourself. 🙂

You are not correct.

EBay buying is rarely the logical process you seem to think it is, and this is especially true for a beginner.

One bad experience is the end for most.

Canadian sellers would indeed benefit if the limit were raised to $200 because Canadians would start buying, and they'd also buy from Canadian sellers.

This is true even if Canadians charge tax on the entire purchase while US sellers do not.

Canadians do not buy on line to avoid taxes, but when an item arrives with an added charge the thrill of the purchase evaporates in an instant and most are left with a bad taste and a story to tell.

rose-dee · ‎08-25-2014

@holdmygold2 wrote:

"Canadian sellers would indeed benefit if the limit were raised to $200 because Canadians would start buying, and they'd also buy from Canadian sellers.
This is true even if Canadians charge tax on the entire purchase while US sellers do not."

While there's no way of proving a future hypothesis, I do disagree with this view. Recent history has shown that when the U.S. market is suddenly opened up -- for one reason or another -- to Canadian shoppers, they stampede to get the deals. For example, in the 1990's when the Canadian dollar was down around $0.75 US, Canadians living anywhere near the U.S. border would flock to American retailers, including buying food. When the dollar rose, the cross-border shopping slowed to a trickle.

I really don't think if we had a $200 personal import limit that Canadian eBay sellers would benefit at all, even if the overall visits to the site increased. Word would quickly get out that you could buy eBay goods at U.S. prices and get them over the border tax-free. The perception is, and probably always has been, that selection and pricing is better in the U.S., and often that's true.

The other handicap we Canadian sellers face is that I don't believe Canadian buyers specifically look for Canadian sellers when they are searching on eBay. Here I agree completely that eBay hasn't done really much work at all in promoting eBay.ca. I think most Canadians who shop on eBay probably go to eBay.com first and foremost. This means that the odd Canadian seller mixed in with all the US sellers is not going to stand out. Often we end up on page 4 or 5 of the US site. In fact, I'd be surprised if the majority of Canadian buyers even know there is an eBay.ca.

Now, occasionally when I buy on eBay, especially if I know I might have to pay cross-border tax, I specifically set my filter to "Canada only" to see if I can find the same product from a Canadian seller first. In almost every instance the selection and pricing just isn't there in comparison to the U.S. counterparts.

So, from my perspective, on the subject of trying to get Canadians to buy from Canadians, in several years of selling I've had only a dozen or so Canadian buyers. I wish I could attract more! And I wish eBay.ca would do more to attract them! In spite of offering free shipping to Canada on many of my items, it hasn't made any difference. My usual percentage is still about 90% US buyers, a sprinkling of international, and the occasional (or even rare) Canadian. I do think the perception by Canadians that I mentioned above is largely the cause.

"Canadians do not buy on line to avoid taxes, but when an item arrives with an added charge the thrill of the purchase evaporates in an instant and most are left with a bad taste and a story to tell."

Here again I have to disagree. I think Canadians, for the most part, are well aware that they have to pay GST/HST when buying from outside the country. Most of us have gotten a bit spoiled by being used to a lot of things "squeaking through" over the border from the U.S. without tax, and so there's been a storm of complaint about the GSP programme.

I doubt most Canadians buying from the U.S. expect to always get away without paying taxes, even if they don't know that the legal limit is $20. Personally speaking, I'm usually pleased to be able to get something that I just can't find in Canada. I pay the tax happily. If the selection in Canada were as good, there's no question I'd buy from a Canadian seller, but the price would have to be right, too.

Remember that the Canadian retailer probably gets his goods from offshore to begin with, which means that he's already paid the tax and shipping charges, which is then factored into the retail cost. Then there is the GST/HST you pay when purchasing, making the products less attractive price-wise in comparison to the same thing from the US anyway, even with added taxes.

To get back to the TRS badge issue, my own view is that the badges probably aren't worth as much in terms of sales as eBay tries to convince us they are. Having good, competitive pricing, top quality photos, an interesting selection of items for sale, and an excellent record of customer service is probably more important to buyers.