eBay

tyler@ebay · ‎11-27-2018

Hi everyone -

Opening up the chat for you a bit earlier today. 🙂

Leave a question and I'll reply Wednesday!

Tyler

Tyler,

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎11-27-2018

Hello Tyler,

Just would like to clarify something for my own peace of mind. I just went to use the tool in Sellers Hub to bulk edit my handling time(On dot ca). The last pass received a message that a number of items did not meet dot com requirements for allowable shipping(Books and DVD's). My listings are all on dot ca. Is this a glitch or something that is now applicable to dot ca listings? With the rates we have available to us using Canadapost, the only options we have at our disposal are package rates. Including shipping in the price is not an acceptable option. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-CM

PS. I've used this tool in the past and that exception message did not display.

msmaggie060 · ‎11-27-2018

Hi Tyler, now that Canada Post will be returning to work I do hope that eBay will make an announcement that the strike/work stoppages are over. Announcement needs to be made on eBay,ca and especially on eBay.com (where most of my sales come from). Hopefully we will see our sales pick up again now.

sylviebee · ‎11-27-2018

Hello Tyler.

I’ve been having a problem with my shipping supplies coupon. I’ve spent literally hours on the phone with CSRs trying to resolve the problem. Every time I call, after about an hour of questioning me, they realize that they need to issue a new coupon and promise that it will be mailed to me but then nothing comes of it. I then call back and it’s back to square one with the same questions and the same conclusion and promise but I still have no usable coupon.

I have a store on .com and I’ve been using these coupons from the time they first instated the program and for a long time everything went just fine like they do for every other Canadian with a .com store.

This time around when I try to use my coupon I get the message that ""the code can't be applied to your order"". I can’t use it all.

My second problem, and minor when compared to this issue, is that while my coupons were for $C70 Canadian for a long time they suddenly dropped to about $C67. You helped me that once but then the problem come right back. I've been paying the extra charges myself but it's always a little annoying.

Other Canadian sellers with .com stores are issued coupons valued at $C70 and I feel that I should receive a coupon for the same amount.

But first things first…………… this time I don’t have a useable coupon at all.

Can you help?

rose-dee · ‎11-27-2018

Hi Tyler, I wonder if you could check into something that I've been wondering about.

As you no doubt know, digitally-delivered items have been more or less banned on eBay (well, have been relegated to "Classifieds", a place where nobody would normally look). However, I have seen sellers on eBay sites other than eBay.ca and eBay.com openly selling digital items -- and lots of them.

I obeyed eBay's policies in this regard years ago by removing my digitally-delivered listings (sewing patterns), but it was a big part of my business, and I've had to go elsewhere to sell these sorts of items.

So my question is this -- has eBay changed its policy on this matter, or was it never implemented on some sites? Or is eBay reconsidering allowing sellers to offer digitally-delivered goods (or certain types of digital items) again?

I have to add that the "other" site I'm using has done an admirable job of handling these products -- they hold the digital items on their own servers, and have control over the actual transfer, which means there is no possibility of the customer not getting what they paid for.

Thank you in advance for your reply!

ricarmic · ‎11-27-2018

Hi Tyler!

Now that the legislation has been effected, I am wondering what the stance will be on the support behind us for the next few weeks in terms of INRs, late deliveries etc.

I ask because if memory serves, I had more problems last time around AFTER they were legislated back. Ie the "civil disobedience" that may perhaps manifest itself in skids forgotten in the corner or sent to Belgium by accident, accidents of life that seem to happen moreso now.

Of course there will have to be a hard and fast date when things are considered back to normal, but it would be good to know where "ebay's support for us" thinking is in terms of the current and upcoming shipping environment here.

oldhousejunk · ‎11-27-2018

This is not a question, just a note that my packages within Canada, with tracking have been in the mail for 3 weeks, and the arrival date on Canada post, keeps getting bumped up later and later. I'm in ontario and 2 packages sent to Saskatchewan on Nov 13 now have estimated arrival dates of Dec 13. I don't think its safe to mail anything yet!

cgphile · ‎11-27-2018

Hi Tyler,

I recently sent a package that required a signature at time of delivery. When I checked the tracking on the package it showed as delivered, but the on-line view of the signature was removed (replaced with a big black box). When I called Canada Post to ask about the lack of on-line viewing of the signature I was told that Canada Post removed the feature. Apparently with the legalization of cannabis sales there was a concern over privacy issues and it is now impossible to see who signed for a parcel. The new procedure is that the purchaser of the shipping label has to call Canada Post to ask to have a paper copy of the signature confirmation mailed to them.

In the event of a dispute will E-Bay accept pdf copies of the signature confirmation for proof of signed for delivery?

Thanks,

Monika

momcqueen · ‎11-27-2018

Hi Tyler, thanks for being here and thank you for opening this thread for us.

My concern is with the impact of the end of rotating strikes on the estimated delivery dates. I've got parcels destined for southern Ontario that haven't seen scans in a week, so how does ebay decide when and if to adjust the estimated dates of delivery? Those are just the ones I have tracked, with my regular domestic lettermail, it still shows only my plain handling time plus standard delivery for the estimates; I'm concerned that might not be enough.

Are the extended delivery estimates being shown to buyers specific to originating or receiving postal codes? Regions? Sellers? How is ebay monitoring the real-time delays and what methods is ebay using to achieve the right balance between protecting sellers from circumstances beyond our control and unrealistic expectations while giving buyers an accurate but not frightening delivery promise?

Thank you,

Maureen

p.s. Also, I really appreciate the efforts and support of ebay Canada in reaching out to the federal government to share the impact the postal strike was/is having on small online sellers. Thank you.

katlover1952 · ‎11-27-2018

Just read that Canada Post indicates will take some time to clear up backlog. They indicate first class mail should be normal by Dec 25th but parcels will stretch into Jan 2019 & if international could be as long as March. Yikes!

Think Canadian sellers will need eBay’s assistance with this till January anyway.

the union president has also said let’s make this clear it will not be business as usual at Canada Post. May not be normal for quite sometime.

momcqueen · ‎11-27-2018

https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/comm/alert/details.page?article=2018/11/27/unprecedented_backlo&cat...

momcqueen · ‎11-28-2018

Tyler, would eBay Canada consider inviting reps from Canada Post and CUPW to these Discussion Boards or a webinar to field questions and handle our concerns about using Canada Post as sellers (and buyers) right now?

We’ve heard the ‘unprecedented delays’ but what does that mean, really? At what point will our delivery guarantees be re-instated?

If I mail something today and it drops off the radar, not to be scanned again even three weeks past when it would normally have been delivered, when do I get to open a trace ticket? At what point is the sender (and receiver) supposed to be prepared to give up and declare it lost?

I feel like I need to know how to better manage buyer expectations and in order to do that, I’d need to know from Canada Post what *my* expectations should be.

Can eBay facilitate this for us?

I could call Canada Post myself— thousands of us could — but I feel like it means more if eBay brings them here to us, or asks on our behalf.

Thanks.

I’m not even sure I should be shipping via Canada Post right now.

Like, if it’s going to be as bad as Canada Post is telling us to expect due to ongoing ‘civil disobedience and protest’ efforts by CUPW.

mypaperstuff · ‎11-28-2018

Hi Tyler,

Thanks for opening the thread. I would have two questions for you.

Do we have a more precise timeframe - than somewhere in 2019 - for the deployment on .ca of the new store tier subscriptions (I'm eagerly awaiting for the new "Starter" subscription to come in) that is already in effect on .com ?

Also, I wonder why the total sale to date on ebay.ca is in US dollar. It would be much more logical and useful to have our total $ sales in CAN currency...

Regards,

cumos55 · ‎11-28-2018

The strike has ended. However the Postal Union promises to continue their fight with "disobedience" outside the work environment as an example

Canada Post has provided information about what to expect with parcels.

My question relates to the meaning of "First In, First out " For parcels.

Does this mean that if I mail a parcel December 12, will this parcel get delivered within a specific time period.... perhaps within 7 to 10 days.

OR

Does this mean that if a parcel was mailed on November 12, it might get delivered on December 12.

and then that parcel mailed on December 12, might get delivered on January 12.

If eBay asks for a confirmation.....it will have more meaning than if any eBay seller asks for an explanation.

If mail is going to be slow, why should we sell and expect a buyer to be happy with "slow"

My store has been on vacation since September 17.

It is my plan to end the vacation setting on December 1.

Why should that vacation end if parcels will not get delivered within days... but within months in the future?

cumos55 · ‎11-28-2018

It is our thanks to eBay to step forward and send a letter to the Government. One gets the impression that this letter was a signal for others to do the same.

It was an action such as this that helped the Government to proceed with back-to-work legislation.

--------

Online sellers that continued to sell on eBay during the strike experienced a reduction in sales.

And now, the eBay sellers that use Canada Post will continue to be affected by the strike.... It is the effect of the backlog of parcels at major handling centres in Canada.

A postal strike must never happen again....This action to prevent any more strikes must be addressed in early 2019.

The Government must be stimulated to make some form of adjustment in law

and then....also ..... When CUPW, the Postal Union, pursues their claim in relation to back-to-work legislation, groups must step up and force the Union to recognize the effect of the strike on online sellers, and buyers that use Canada Post.

The effect of the strike must be addressed. Our focus must be the Postal Union, with continued verbal reminders of the effect on Canadians that use Canada Post.

-------

We must also ask the Government why Canada Post has not been defined as an essential service. The delivery of parcels has become a major part of Canada Post earnings.

This strike has had a major effect on earnings by Canada Post and online sellers.... Yet it is the Union that created this mess, and it is the members of the Union that will gain with respect to salary, after this strike, and after negotiations have ended.

tyler@ebay · ‎11-28-2018

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Hello Tyler,

Just would like to clarify something for my own peace of mind. I just went to use the tool in Sellers Hub to bulk edit my handling time(On dot ca). The last pass received a message that a number of items did not meet dot com requirements for allowable shipping(Books and DVD's). My listings are all on dot ca. Is this a glitch or something that is now applicable to dot ca listings? With the rates we have available to us using Canadapost, the only options we have at our disposal are package rates. Including shipping in the price is not an acceptable option. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-CM

PS. I've used this tool in the past and that exception message did not display.

Hi @lotzofuniquegoodies - sounds like a one-off, frankly. Did it prevent you from making the edits you were looking to make or was it a yellow 'advisement' flag?

If it's still happening let me know!

Tyler,

tyler@ebay · ‎11-28-2018

@msmaggie060 wrote:

Hi Tyler, now that Canada Post will be returning to work I do hope that eBay will make an announcement that the strike/work stoppages are over. Announcement needs to be made on eBay,ca and especially on eBay.com (where most of my sales come from). Hopefully we will see our sales pick up again now.

Hi @msmaggie060! We're working on that currently as a matter of fact. Our plan is to communicate with members (both buyers and sellers) via email and let them know. I've seen a few reports on the boards of folks receiving them but such large mailings are usually broken into batches, so I anticipate everyone being up to date on this by the end of the week!

Tyler,

tyler@ebay · ‎11-28-2018

@sylviebee wrote:

Hello Tyler.

I’ve been having a problem with my shipping supplies coupon. I’ve spent literally hours on the phone with CSRs trying to resolve the problem. Every time I call, after about an hour of questioning me, they realize that they need to issue a new coupon and promise that it will be mailed to me but then nothing comes of it. I then call back and it’s back to square one with the same questions and the same conclusion and promise but I still have no usable coupon.

I have a store on .com and I’ve been using these coupons from the time they first instated the program and for a long time everything went just fine like they do for every other Canadian with a .com store.

This time around when I try to use my coupon I get the message that ""the code can't be applied to your order"". I can’t use it all.

My second problem, and minor when compared to this issue, is that while my coupons were for $C70 Canadian for a long time they suddenly dropped to about $C67. You helped me that once but then the problem come right back. I've been paying the extra charges myself but it's always a little annoying.

Other Canadian sellers with .com stores are issued coupons valued at $C70 and I feel that I should receive a coupon for the same amount.

But first things first…………… this time I don’t have a useable coupon at all.

Can you help?

Hi @sylviebee - I'm not certain why you'd be getting that error, the coupon issued at the beginning of the quarter should be working.

I've gotten this reported and will keep you updated on this as I hear back.

When it comes to the total coupon amount I would continue to work with CS on that, as there's not a reason why a coupon for less than the $70 should have been issued. Thanks!

Tyler,

tyler@ebay · ‎11-28-2018

@rose-dee wrote:

Hi Tyler, I wonder if you could check into something that I've been wondering about.

As you no doubt know, digitally-delivered items have been more or less banned on eBay (well, have been relegated to "Classifieds", a place where nobody would normally look). However, I have seen sellers on eBay sites other than eBay.ca and eBay.com openly selling digital items -- and lots of them.

I obeyed eBay's policies in this regard years ago by removing my digitally-delivered listings (sewing patterns), but it was a big part of my business, and I've had to go elsewhere to sell these sorts of items.

So my question is this -- has eBay changed its policy on this matter, or was it never implemented on some sites? Or is eBay reconsidering allowing sellers to offer digitally-delivered goods (or certain types of digital items) again?

I have to add that the "other" site I'm using has done an admirable job of handling these products -- they hold the digital items on their own servers, and have control over the actual transfer, which means there is no possibility of the customer not getting what they paid for.

Thank you in advance for your reply!

Hi @rose-dee - the policy has not changed (link to it here). I'd encourage you to report listings that you feel are in violation so we can get them reviewed.

There are some exceptions to the rule (PayPal Digital Gifts, as an example) but individual members shouldn't be offering digitally delivered goods outside of the Everything Else category.

Sounds like your other site has a good plan in place! I'll communicate it to the Powers that Be. 🙂

Tyler,

tyler@ebay · ‎11-28-2018

@ricarmic wrote:

Hi Tyler!

Now that the legislation has been effected, I am wondering what the stance will be on the support behind us for the next few weeks in terms of INRs, late deliveries etc.

I ask because if memory serves, I had more problems last time around AFTER they were legislated back. Ie the "civil disobedience" that may perhaps manifest itself in skids forgotten in the corner or sent to Belgium by accident, accidents of life that seem to happen moreso now.

Of course there will have to be a hard and fast date when things are considered back to normal, but it would be good to know where "ebay's support for us" thinking is in terms of the current and upcoming shipping environment here.

Hi @ricarmic - there are definitely plans to extend protections that are currently in place while CPC works to get back to normal. As @momcqueen references, it seems like it will be quite some time. I know for now that the plan is to protect accounts from negative feedback, extend holds on escalated Not Received requests, etc at least through the end of next month. Depending on how their process of the backlog goes that may be extended.

Hoping none of your items get a tour of Europe unless they're meant to!

Tyler,