eBay

rebovalence · ‎11-24-2018

Hello, I haven't used eBay in a long time so some of the interface has changed on me. I have a buyer that put in offers on four of my auctions, but the buyer lives in Australia. I'm okay shipping down there, but because the mobile app only lets you list one international shipping option at a time and 90% of my sales so far are going to Canada and the US, I defaulted to including just one US shipping package. As so far I have had several people from outside those two regions contact me for shipping information to other countries, and when they asked I would just go to the auctions in question on my desktop and update shipping calculator with another shipping option. I just assumed it would not allow a buyer to try and make an offer at all if they didn't live somewhere I could actually provide a service to ship for... and now I have four. On top of this, the offers are including shipping "estimates" from eBay that are hilariously low.

Apparently eBay doesn't allow me to revise the auctions that have active offers, so I can't just update the shipping from there. I have my account set to do combined shipping discounts. In the interim I have provided my potential buyer a quote for all the items in case he wants to go forward with it, but I'd like to know if it's possible to at least send an invoice when the auction closes with the accurate shipping total so he can pay it. My lowest estimate is over $100 so obviously I need to be comped appropriately.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎11-24-2018

Once your buyer is willing to be acceptable to your shipping options, the buyer can request an invoice or you can send an updated invoice once you see their purchases. You may want to inform your customer that there would be a delay for shipping due to the current strike and backlog of packages in the system. Your package would need to go from Montreal to Richmond BC and then be forwarded to Australia.

-CM

reallynicestamps · ‎11-24-2018

Apparently eBay doesn't allow me to revise the auctions that have active offers,

This is true of the desktop version as well as the mobile.

I have provided my potential buyer a quote for all the items in case he wants to go forward with it,

That would be the appropriate response.

On top of this, the offers are including shipping "estimates" from eBay that are hilariously low.

If the offer+shipping that the customer is making, no matter where they got the shipping price, is too low, your best bet is to politely refuse the offer.

You only have one Auction, and I looked at it using Australia as my location.

This is what eBay says about shipping on the listing.

This item will ship to Australia, but the seller has not specified shipping options. Contact the seller- opens in a new window or tab and request a shipping method to your location.

So I wonder where your customer is getting any shipping information?

Did they specify?

I assume you have this bookmarked.

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎11-24-2018

To be honest, have no idea how the phone app works vs on a pc. Could the app be described as eBay Lite? Hopefully, it will let you enter package weight and sizes in Metric (Most Important) of your items as you list. Have you ever done any actual comparisons for postage with your items between the eBay calculator and Canadapost website? A scale would be a very good investment so you can accurately weigh a parcel with packaging so you don't have a major surprise when something does sell. I did a comparison to the USA with 1 of my similar items. The rates displayed for yours was noticeably higher. Could be because the calculator does not factor in any discounts or possibly due to a handling charge? Just some thoughts for future reference.

-CM

rebovalence · ‎11-24-2018

Some background - I'm not a regular seller but I am moving overseas and have to clear out as many things as possible and eBay is the best place for me to ensure my things go to good homes.

1) I'll let the buyer know when it ships. I've already had one US buyer in the loop from a listing earlier in the month that still hasn't arrived.
2) I'm not sure whether the seller made the shipping offer or not - they were really strange though, like $13 (ha ha no). I was legitimately surprised eBay was letting them place an offer despite my not including a shipping option. Regardless, I did use the official Canada Post calculator to make the estimate for combining all 4 listings into one shipment.
3) The phone app is *definitely* eBay Lite. But since I am going through and photographing and listing so many things at once due to how fast I need them gone, it's very convenient for getting them up and running. It only seems to want to take measurements and weights in metric on the app, so I assume it's checking for my location when it picks the measurements. But while it allows me to add as many Canadian shipping options as I'd like, it only allows me to add the one international shipping option. And again... most of the sales are coming from the US or Canada. I've actually gone through and updated my listings across the board to include a default International Shipping option.
4) As far as the pricing. I actually added a little handling charge to the shipping to offset my having to purchase some shipping materials - since I don't do this often, I didn't have *anything* to ship with lying around. Otherwise, after learning the hard way once, I only allow USA customers to pick the tier that includes tracking - with the labor strike going on, it's been essential to know when a delay is strike related or when to be worried about a more serious problem. So Small Packets - AIR is right out, even if it may cost me some sales due to the higher cost.

rebovalence · ‎11-24-2018

More to the point, as long as it's possible for me to invoice the buyer if I accepted his offers, this may be the best option. If he goes for it and I were to accept the offers, would it give me the option to invoice or would it immediately take his payment and lock me out from providing one?

momcqueen · ‎11-24-2018

If you don't have cost for shipping to Australia explicitly specified on your listings, the buyer has no choice but to wait until you provide an invoice.

A word of caution: Tracked Packet. Far-away land plus lowball offers plus strikes plus holiday shutdowns all scream Items Not Received of the future. Quote a cost for Tracked Packet to your buyer, please.

rebovalence · ‎11-24-2018

Thanks for the information. The buyer realized he couldn't quite afford a shipping cost in the range of $100+, but he was interested in possibly getting just one of the listings instead. Good call, actually, on the shipping. Especially with the strike going on, it's not a good idea to send listings with a higher price tag without a tracking number even if the buyer is 100% legit. I will send him a new quote with just Tracked Packet - International as an option and accept that might still be too high.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎11-24-2018

One other note I forgot to mention previously. With offers, it specifies that the customers offer is just for the item and that shipping IS extra. Same note applies with any counteroffer. A buyer can ask for a deal on shipping but you have the right to stand your ground if you don't have any wiggle room. Then it's up to the potential buyer if they want to accept your offer or ignore it. For packing supplies, boxes etc just check with a dollar store and they are usually willing to provide a few out of the goodness for their hearts, that are just going to end up in the recycling.

-CM