eBay

CmtyGuide@ebay.com · ‎07-20-2012

Discuss changes announced during the 2012 Fall Seller Update here!

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/ca/201207.shtml#2012-07-24112136

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pjcdn2005 · ‎07-25-2012

Ottokitty, This might help with your questions about the new condition area. It is from the .com board and the info is from an ebay rep.

http://forums.ebay.com/db1/topic/2012-Fall-Seller/Description-Vs-Condition/5100091293

The "condition notes" field is optional, accommodates 1000 characters, and will be available across all categories. The field will not be indexed by search or receive a boost in BM. Sellers are strongly encouraged to use the field because of the added visibility of condition information above the fold on the "View Item" page, providing an optimal experience for your mobile shoppers, and allowing buyers to get a quick idea of your item when they are evaluating multiple used items.

If you decide to use the field, please use it exclusively to present all condition related information so buyers don't have to look in multiple places on your listing.

The following practices go against the intent of this feature:

- entering condition unrelated information (shipping, returns, branding, promotions etc.) in the condition notes field.

- presenting partial information in the item condition notes field and the rest in the description.

- using the condition notes field as an anchor to point buyers to your description. The field is meant to capture the actual condition description text, not act as a link to the description.

- presenting contradictory information about the item's condition in different parts of the listing (item condition value, item condition notes, description and pictures)

Not following the intended guidelines may result in “Item Not As Described” claims being ruled against you, or non-compliant listings being taken down.

Below is a typical example of text that would go into the field (the example is only 350 characters but we allow up to 1000):

“Super-quality Gerstner tool chests are very lightly used.
The felt lining in every drawer is in great condition.
There are a few scratches on the outside that I've shown in the photos below.
There is some fading to the front edge of the felt on top of the base, and at the fold-down upper lid.
All drawers, handles, latches and locks are working fine.”

rainbow71113 · ‎07-25-2012

Hello pjcdn2005,

thanks SO much for that link, it was very helpful. Since I usually can sum up my descriptions in less than 1000 characters I will probably benefit from this addition. I have MANY buyers that ask me to send them a picture of an item that is already in the listing but they haven't scrolled down so I'm sure they aren't reading the description either. I had one negative that was changed to a positive because the person also didn't see a description before purchasing. Where I won't be able to use it is in variation listings where I have to itemize each item and describe it fully. So I'll see when it is implimented what impact it will have on my future listings. I think it might cause problems down the road if people start getting lazy about scrolling down- there might be more issues of not reading descriptions.

sheepgal54 · ‎07-26-2012

I found my tracking percentages and they are wrong! And how can I upload tracking info when that stupid box is on the blink so often. Sometimes I have to wait a day before I can enter the tracking numbers! I know that tracking percentages don't have to be 90% in Canada but mine are and I want it to show.

raphael@ebay.com · ‎07-26-2012

are you going to address the question of whether it was up to 7 days before and now is 3 days? Is that a change or no?

Yes, that is a change. Under the new rules, a buyer will have to attempt to contact the seller via My Messages before they can open a Buyer Protection case. The seller will be given up to 3 days to respond to the buyer's email and engage in a conversation in order to make things right.Once the conversation is started (or if the seller fails to respond within 3 business days), if the buyer is still unsatisfied, they will be allowed to open a case which will automatically be escalated to Customer Support for a decision.

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-26-2012

Yes, that is a change. Under the new rules, a buyer will have to attempt to contact the seller via My Messages before they can open a Buyer Protection case. The seller will be given up to 3 days to respond to the buyer's email and engage in a conversation in order to make things right.Once the conversation is started (or if the seller fails to respond within 3 business days), if the buyer is still unsatisfied, they will be allowed to open a case which will automatically be escalated to Customer Support for a decision.

So I was reading it wrong and you were right froogal. I don't know if it is going to make a huge difference but it is interesting that it really wasn't spelled out by ebay that once that is in effect, there will no longer be a 7 day waiting period from the time a case was opened to when it can be escalated.

rainbow71113 · ‎07-26-2012

regarding the 3 day response period, what happens when a seller is on holidays during the time that the process starts, with the 7 day window at least you had a chance to respond when you got home. 3 days seems awfully short if you have no access to a computer.

froogal_electronics · ‎07-26-2012

Yes, that is a change. Under the new rules, a buyer will have to attempt to contact the seller via My Messages before they can open a Buyer Protection case. The seller will be given up to 3 days to respond to the buyer's email and engage in a conversation in order to make things right.Once the conversation is started (or if the seller fails to respond within 3 business days), if the buyer is still unsatisfied, they will be allowed to open a case which will automatically be escalated to Customer Support for a decision.

one last clarification please and I will leave you alone.

Will the buyer be required to email the seller specifically using the resolution center to start the process, regardless of how many times they have emailed through my messages, or will they be able to go straight to resolution if they have emailed the seller through my messages.

froogal_electronics · ‎07-26-2012

So I was reading it wrong and you were right froogal. I don't know if it is going to make a huge difference but it is interesting that it really wasn't spelled out by ebay that once that is in effect, there will no longer be a 7 day waiting period from the time a case was opened to when it can be escalated.

partially correct. I wasn't sure if previous email contact would count, but it seems to read that it won't, so at least no blindside.

It is positive that the buyer will have to contact you via email rather than the click box checklist they had before, but the decrease in time is a pretty big negative.

I wonder if ebay quantifies these rules or if they just go about them based on customer and seller input.

What I mean, is that there will be an actual physical cost to the customer for sellers to abide by this.

For me, I have already bailed on the small package air at $10 to about $15 for expedited.

I also have raised prices based on peoples complaints.

If ebay is not prepared to allow for longer delivery times, and shortens the time to come to a reasonable solution, and force sellers to close the case quicker, then more will opt to just refund which means higher costs for all to absorb this extra cost.

To me, it won't be devastating, but to ebay, I am sure it will impact their bottom line.

For me, every time they cause a cost increase to me, I just pass it on to the buyer, or my seller, and my seller ironically sells a lot of my stuff to me via ebay.

It would be interesting to know if they actually try to quantify the cost of their changes.

Anonymous · ‎07-26-2012

Thanks for the reply. Still worried so I do believe that I will start to use a nearby postal code rather than my own until I'm sure of exactly how it's going to work afterall e-Bay is all about the buyers now.

rainbow71113 · ‎07-26-2012

granydsattic, does he know what city your are in already? if so, your postal code won't make any difference. In a previous post ebay said it will only show city and province not a street address. You might want to contact Ebay regarding using another postal code because they tend to frown on information that isn't correct and may fault you for incorrect contact info or some other reason. Which reminds me, I was in Vancouver for 2 years and probably have a couple of listings that still show that postal code, will have to try to figure out how to find out which ones. Does anyone know how to find those in turbo lister?

msmaggie060 · ‎07-27-2012

I have a question re TRS plus.

The fall seller update says that the TRS plus logo program will start as of September 2012. I am a seller who ships paper items using mainly letterpost to the US so I can not provide tracking. I am a powerseller and TRS.

Why has my TRS logo disappeared already from my items on .com when the program will not start until Sept 2012? There is nothing in the seller update to say that this will happen immediately.

rainbow71113 · ‎07-27-2012

I never noticed until you mentioned it Msmaggie...I'm not showing up as power seller or top on ebay.com either although I show up on my ebay page as power seller and show that I am still a Bronze power seller in the dashboard... interesting...

rainbow71113 · ‎07-27-2012

just checked in the dashboard and it does say as of June 1st

msmaggie060 · ‎07-27-2012

isis: which dashboard? On your seller dashboard on .ca or on .com?

rainbow71113 · ‎07-27-2012

on .com because it is only affecting the US.

"We are extending the time for implementing the tracking upload requirement by one month. We will begin counting tracking for achieving Top-rated status as of June 1 (and not May 1 as originally announced)."

Canadians still get the discount just don't get the branding of top seller on the listings unless you do 90%. So I'm adding all the transactions from paypal even for light packet, even though it's going to confuse customers even more when they can't get live tracking. They can't get live tracking for small packets anyway and those already migrate over to ebay from paypal.

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-27-2012

"We are extending the time for implementing the tracking upload requirement by one month. We will begin counting tracking for achieving Top-rated status as of June 1 (and not May 1 as originally announced)."

That deadline was just for American sellers. The top seller plus icon doesnt' come in effect until September so Canadians shouldn't need to have the 90% tracking until then.

isis and msmaggie...If you go to your dashboard and then click on performance standards under seller standings and then click on the US flag..what does it say?

rainbow71113 · ‎07-27-2012

not sure what part you want but currently I show a yellow flag with this info

Tracking uploaded within stated handling time 43.48% (60 of 138 transactions) 90.00%
Total tracking uploaded 45.65% (63 of 138 transactions)

so I'm well below the standard. I will have to rethink lettermail as a shipping option if my discount is depending on this...

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-27-2012

I checked a few other Canadian sellers who are TRS on Canada but don't show as one in the U.S. I know for sure that one of those sellers is a TRS in the U.S. so I have a feeling ebay goofed when they were doing an update.