JANUARY 18TH 2017 Weekly Session: WISH LIST

I am not an employee of ebay and I don't play one on TV.

 

It's been more than a month since ebay Canada held its last Weekly Session as a result of our point person, Raphael's, departure to greener pastures. (Literally, he went south to ebay HQ in San Jose.) 

 

I, like the rest of you, am waiting patiently for a successor to be appointed so that we can resume open two-way communication with ebay Canada in Toronto. I do miss the Weekly Sessions. I always appreciated the effort put into them, even if I wasn't always satisfied with the news I learned.

 

Therefore, I thought we might start a running list of issues we'd like to see addressed when a staff person is appointed to deal with us. (Lucky them, I'm sure.) Let's remember to keep it constructive, folks. Nothing below the belt.

 

Because I am the rabble-rowser, I'll go first......

 

 

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Ebay Canada has in the recent past organized lobby efforts to sway the Government of Canada in support of a quick resolution to end the postal strike last summer, and also to increase to the de minimus last fall. (I personally supported the former but not so much the latter; regardless, I understand the reason these initiatives were undertaken.) I think now, with the issue of mail coming form China and Asia being impossibly-over-due-delayed due to Customs searching for illegal drugs being smuggled this way, it's time for ebay to consider issuing a statement and also taking a position on this. Chinese ebay sellers are losing INR claims and Canadian buyers are becoming disillusioned about shipping times and ebay in general. 

 

As you no doubt agree, any time a customer has a bad experience on ebay, all ebay sellers suffer for it regardless of region or category. Negatives buyer experiences affect us all. 

 

 

There are dozens of threads on Ebay Canada about unusual and terrible delays in items coming to buyers here in Canada from ebay sellers from China in recent months. 

 

While I have no love lost for cheap merchandise flooding the Canadian market, I do feel empathy for any seller who is being held accountable when the system (in this case postal delays due to Customs examination) has failed them. Likewise for buyers who simply cannot wait any longer and doesn't understand this potential reason they have not gotten their goods.

 

The problem is real. Please read these two articles http://globalnews.ca/news/3043678/chinese-trade-of-deadly-opioid-carfentanil-thrives-at-the-cost-of-... and http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/carfentanil-exports-china-ap-investigation-1.3795415 and ask Google for more. The depth and extent of this problem is astounding. Customs officers are doing their job. It's not their fault there are delays in processing mail, they didn't create the problem. China did. 

 

Can or should ebay Canada lobby our Foreign Trade Minister to put pressure on the Chinese Government to ban the export of deadly drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil? 

 

Has the time come for an official statement from ebay about delayed shipments from China? There was an announcement last year about potential delays from China due to lithium batteries, is one not now also necessary due to incoming Customs delays as well? 

 

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Who else has an action item? Anyone? Or am I the only troublemaker today? 

 

 

 

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Re: JANUARY 18TH 2017 Weekly Session: WISH LIST

eBay shipping changes with PayPal announced a couple of days ago.

 

http://announcements.ebay.ca/2017/01/16/7939/

 

You’ll also continue to benefit from eBay’s negotiated Canada Post rates, which include 18% off Expedited Parcel within Canada, and 15% off Expedited Parcel and Tracked Packet USA.

 

It was 18% for EP USA and 14% for TP USA. A change of discount?  Please confirm rates are changed and not a typo.

 

What about Tracked Packet International? It was 14%. Does it still exist?


What about Xpresspost Canada 8%, Xpresspost USA 9% and Xpresspost International 9%? Do these discounts still exist?

 

If the discount changed, then that eBay announcement should have stated that the discounts changed and should confirm that the others discounts stayed the same (TP International, Xpresspost Canada/USA/International) or were discontinued.

 

Typical eBay with poor communication.

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Re: JANUARY 18TH 2017 Weekly Session: WISH LIST

That is a very good question. I cannot compare the current ebay/Paypal postage discounts on service with former ones because all my most recent orders placed have been sendable via lettermail. 

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Re: JANUARY 18TH 2017 Weekly Session: WISH LIST

Tested on a parcel awaiting shipping to USA -- the discounts showing are:

 

Tracked Packet USA: 10% off base price

 

Expedited Parcel USA: 10% off base price

 

XpressPost USA: 1% off base price

 

 

But if I compare to the rates from the Canada Post calculator (for over the counter):

 

Tracked Packet USA: 14.9% off base price

 

Expedited Parcel USA: 14.9% off base price

 

XpressPost USA: 5.8% off base price

 

...

 

I'm thinking paypal's base rate is a discount you can get for a paypal invoice and the 10%/10%/1% are the additional discounts for an eBay purchase.

 

...

 

Also:

 

Canada Post has revamped their calculator so if you click on "Show minimum online savings" it now shows both the over the counter rate and the discounted basic Solutions for Small Business rate.

 

Small Packet USA now gets an online discount making it slightly cheaper than paypal which uses the over-the-counter rate with no discount.

 

Over the counter vs Canada Post online basic discount for Small Packet USA

 

000-250g ..  8.61 vs 8.49
251-500g .. 11.29 vs 11.15
501g-1kg .. 16.82 vs 16.60

 

No discounts for Light Packet.

 

-..-

 

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Re: JANUARY 18TH 2017 Weekly Session: WISH LIST

If you read the US chats and forums, you will find even though it and all the chat staff are all new, it is worse than the old (Griff and Jeff)

 

Recently it came out that a blocked bidder can set up a new account to bid which is now condoned as long as it is not for malicious intent.

 

Unfortunately you don't know that until after the fact when you have lost money, etc.

 

You then have to call cs to have things fixed but will still be out the money you lost due to this new unwritten policy.

 

I really don't think a new chat person will do anything for us either as most are no answers, we will forward to the appropriate team, or we will get back to you.

 

And oh, I have also read the US cart still has some combined shipping issues.

 

 

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@dutchman48 wrote:

 

I really don't think a new chat person will do anything for us either as most are no answers, we will forward to the appropriate team, or we will get back to you.


 

I was thinking wouldn't it be nice to get a woman in that job this time.  Women are usually more attentive, more apt to see a problem through to the end, better listeners, more thorough with their solutions, and more others-focused in their approach to human relations.  The right woman could really get things done.  So how about we get the overly-officious mods we currently have here  to staff the Weekly Chat, and then have the laid-back, lackadaisical Chat person moderate the boards.  Wouldn't that make for an interesting eBay!   🙂  

 

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Honestly, I doubt that 'getting things done' here has anything to do with gender but more to do with the difficulty of  trying to make changes and fix things within a large corporation. Compared to the US reps, I've found the Canadaian ones a lot more personable, not  'officious'.  But I doubt that they have a lot of leeway in what they can say to us.  If they are told that x is being changed because of y and z, they likely have to repeat that regardless of how they feel about it.

 

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Re: JANUARY 18TH 2017 Weekly Session: WISH LIST

 

~Sigh~  Always so serious.  You are entitled to your opinion but mine is a different one.  I agree with 'dutchman' and I'd say he got it spot-on with his comment and I applaud his coming right out and stating his view as he sees it. IMO he's right.  

 

 

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Re: JANUARY 18TH 2017 Weekly Session: WISH LIST

The US boards have both male and female on chat but it does not seem to make any difference, nice thought and idea though.

 

I think they all graduated from the same training school.

 

I was trying to find out something as to whether it is allowed or not. I asked for a policy stating that it could not be done.

 

They told me to show them one that says it can be done.

 

This is what the chats and boards are coming to and personally both are useless and should go away period.

 

It is nice to chat with people, but maybe off site on a blog is better, no idiotic Lithium with their high handed tactics, and no Ebay staff who are no better or worse than CS staff except give no actual answers at all.

 

They are telling people to go onto facebook and twitter to find policy updates or news. Absolutely ridiculous.

 

But on the US boards, you get badges, whooooooopppppppppppeeeeeeee!

 

 

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Re: JANUARY 18TH 2017 Weekly Session: WISH LIST


@pjcdn2005 wrote:

Honestly, I doubt that 'getting things done' here has anything to do with gender but more to do with the difficulty of  trying to make changes and fix things within a large corporation. Compared to the US reps, I've found the Canadaian ones a lot more personable, not  'officious'.  But I doubt that they have a lot of leeway in what they can say to us.  If they are told that x is being changed because of y and z, they likely have to repeat that regardless of how they feel about it.

 


I agree with you completely, and I want to say for the record that, despite my frustration at times with the "non-answers", Raphael did do an exceptional job, given the constraints he was under (which I think we all understood, whether we wanted to accept them or not).  And with just a couple of exceptions that I can recall, he was courteous, respectful and patient.  He had a sense of humour too, a prerequisite for that role. 

 

He was also willing and able to provide personal assistance to sellers.  On the few occasions over the years on which I really needed his help to resolve an issue, he was friendly, prompt, thorough and entirely effective.  I was amazed at what a master technician he was as far as code and site software functionality was concerned, and he was bilingual, which I'm sure helped a lot of sellers.  

 

These people are strictly limited in what they can actually say or reveal about the corporation, no doubt due to binding non-disclosure agreements.  To expect them to disagree with eBay policy, make policy recommendations directly, or discuss the inner workings of the corporation that pays them is unrealistic.  It would mean the loss of their job, with a lawsuit to follow.    

 

Raphael told us he had freely agreed to take on the position of fielding questions and complaints every week.  I don't think he was obligated by his job description to be in the firing line.  Which makes his willing performance even more laudable under the restrictive circumstances. 

 

The best we can anticipate from anyone taking over from him is that they will provide answers to specific questions about eBay policy, seller practice, or site issues/bugs, not to argue the merits or discuss changes.   I think we'd be naive to expect more.  Frankly, why would eBay want to use its best talent as a whipping post at a time when they're tightening up the organization on all sides?  I may be mistaken, but I think that era is gone the way of personal email help contact on eBay (remember that?).  

 

Whether the eventual replacement is male or female will make no difference.  In any case, I really don't think we'll have anyone of Raphael's calibre again, nor someone who is able to problem-solve and/or intervene for individual sellers to the same extent.  

 

I think we sellers are going to be on our own more and more.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Re: JANUARY 18TH 2017 Weekly Session: WISH LIST

I have intentions to do another Weekly Board Hour Wish List next Wednesday and roll-forward these topics raised.

 

Perhaps if we continue to jump up and down while waving our arms, someone will eventually remember we are still here. 

 

I cannot see it doing any harm, other than to perhaps identify me as a pain-in-the-butt. But that was probably already apparent. 

 

Thanks to everyone who participated in this one. 

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