Weekly Chat with the eBay Community Team- 13.08.25 @2pm | Chat with the eBay Community Team | eBay UK

Weekly Chat with the eBay Community Team- 13.08.25 @2pm | Chat with the eBay Community Team | eBay UK

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Weekly Chat with the eBay Community Team- 13.08.25 @2pm

Hi everybody!

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community-team@ebay eBay Staff

eBay Staff

eBay Staff0 View listings

Posted 11 months ago · Edited 11 months ago·Last reply 11 months ago

33 comments

technthread

·11 months ago

Until a few days ago when I took an untracked large letter or parcel to a Royal Mail Parcel Locker, the scan that appeared on the Royal Mail tracking would also show on the eBay tracking. That doesn’t seem to be happening anymore. As an example:

Item No: 317133347178

Can you check if that will continue to be the case, or a temporary glitch? Thanks

kat@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@technthread wrote:

Until a few days ago when I took an untracked large letter or parcel to a Royal Mail Parcel Locker, the scan that appeared on the Royal Mail tracking would also show on the eBay tracking. That doesn’t seem to be happening anymore. As an example:

Item No: 317133347178

Can you check if that will continue to be the case, or a temporary glitch? Thanks

Hi @technthread ,

This should be temporary as there has been some issues with the Royal Mail this week. They are currently working on resolving them.

Thank you,

Kat

dantwocats

·11 months ago

Q will ebay get round to make combining postage easier to do or make refunding extra postage labels easier as waiting for a label not to be used to get a refund is not very customer friendly , also will ebay sort out this large letter issue with items so items under £10 are not being force to go by simply delivery , low cost vinyl singles have to go tracked but items under item category ,,Other Music Memorabilia,, do not ,this makes no sense ? ,had plenty of time to sort out so are they going too .

Thanks

wellingnorth

·11 months ago

This is somwehat related to moldosgifts's post above

Last week I asked about what procedures were in place to inform US buyers about the potential charges and you helpfully posted this link after the chat finished.
https://pages.ebay.com/tariffs/

Later on I stumbled across this link as well
https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Announcements/Navigating-New-US-Tariffs-Support-and-Solutions-for-UK-Sellers/ba-p/7904754

Where it says

"To reach US customers, you’ll need to Include the “Country/Region of Manufacture” (country of origin) in your listing aspects"

This seems to imply that items will not be visible to US buyers if they do not have a
'Country/Region of Manufacture' item specific set, do you know if that is definitely the case?

If so is there a straightforward way to check current listings to see whether it is set or not?

marco@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@wellingnorth wrote:

This is somwehat related to moldosgifts's post above

Last week I asked about what procedures were in place to inform US buyers about the potential charges and you helpfully posted this link after the chat finished.
https://pages.ebay.com/tariffs/

Later on I stumbled across this link as well
https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Announcements/Navigating-New-US-Tariffs-Support-and-Solutions-for-UK-Sellers/ba-p/7904754

Where it says

"To reach US customers, you’ll need to Include the “Country/Region of Manufacture” (country of origin) in your listing aspects"

This seems to imply that items will not be visible to US buyers if they do not have a
'Country/Region of Manufacture' item specific set, do you know if that is definitely the case?

If so is there a straightforward way to check current listings to see whether it is set or not?

Hi @wellingnorth, thanks for your question.

That is correct, if this is not implied, your items may not be visible. If you want to check this, you'd need to do it the usual way, as there is not a specific option to do that at the moment. However, you can update your listings in bulk to add this, as that would be easier than doing one by one.

Thank you,

Marco

moonlight-rhapsody

·11 months ago

Thank you, Kat. Even if the team don't want to do the solution I've suggested, please ask them to do *something* to stop the nonsense of only 3 out of 21 items in a search being relevant. They could change the weighting of the algorithm, for instance, to place less weighting on Item Specifics. But please... do SOMETHING.

dantwocats

·11 months ago

Afternoon on the subject of search results why is it best to find items on ebay by using google search rather than searching on ebay ,this has be said before but no change,

kat@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@dantwocats wrote:

Afternoon on the subject of search results why is it best to find items on ebay by using google search rather than searching on ebay ,this has be said before but no change,

Hi @dantwocats ,

Google search would have its own algorithm as does eBay so I cannot advise on one over the other. As advised to our other user who shared examples of search results we will take the feedback and share with the relevant team within eBay.

Thank you,

Kat

moonlight-rhapsody

·11 months ago

I’ve raised the matter of irrelevant search results previously. This week the top 4 results for a search for “original watercolour painting seascape”, sorted by price, are a Forest, the Grand Canyon, a Vase of Flowers and a Landscape. Out of the first 21 listings, only 3 are Seascapes. The rest are landscapes, forests, calligraphy and other miscellaneous subjects. Why would any buyer bother searching on ebay when they are given such nonsensical search results. Obviously it’s very frustrating for sellers as well to see their items buried beneath a mounting of dross.

Screenshot 2025-08-12 at 11.21.03.jpg

It looks as if it is the Item Specifics that are skewing the results:

The top 2 have put “seascape” in the Subject line in Item Specifics, even though they are a Forest and the Grand Canyon.

The second 2 have put “seascape” in the Theme section in Item Specifics, even though they are Flowers and a Landscape.

It is also in Item Specifics that the seller has put “original”, when clearly they are not original paintings, they are postcards.

I must stress, this Seascape search is just an example. Nonsensical results happen all the time, with multiple different search requests. From the many that I’ve looked at, they all seem to be the result of incorrect terms in the Item Specifics.

One thing ebay could do to stop Item Specifics from skewing the results is to add the option on the Sort button to Ignore Item Specifics, giving users the choice of how accurate they want their results to be.

Surely ebay can't be satisfied with nonsensical search results, and it’s in ebay’s own interests to do everything possible to make search results accurate, so can I please urge the team to consider adding the option to Ignore Item Specifics as described above.

kat@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@moonlight-rhapsody wrote:

I’ve raised the matter of irrelevant search results previously. This week the top 4 results for a search for “original watercolour painting seascape”, sorted by price, are a Forest, the Grand Canyon, a Vase of Flowers and a Landscape. Out of the first 21 listings, only 3 are Seascapes. The rest are landscapes, forests, calligraphy and other miscellaneous subjects. Why would any buyer bother searching on ebay when they are given such nonsensical search results. Obviously it’s very frustrating for sellers as well to see their items buried beneath a mounting of dross.

It looks as if it is the Item Specifics that are skewing the results:

The top 2 have put “seascape” in the Subject line in Item Specifics, even though they are a Forest and the Grand Canyon.

The second 2 have put “seascape” in the Theme section in Item Specifics, even though they are Flowers and a Landscape.

It is also in Item Specifics that the seller has put “original”, when clearly they are not original paintings, they are postcards.

I must stress, this Seascape search is just an example. Nonsensical results happen all the time, with multiple different search requests. From the many that I’ve looked at, they all seem to be the result of incorrect terms in the Item Specifics.

One thing ebay could do to stop Item Specifics from skewing the results is to add the option on the Sort button to Ignore Item Specifics, giving users the choice of how accurate they want their results to be.

Surely ebay can't be satisfied with nonsensical search results, and it’s in ebay’s own interests to do everything possible to make search results accurate, so can I please urge the team to consider adding the option to Ignore Item Specifics as described above.

Hi @moonlight-rhapsody ,

Thank you for the details on the examples you are coming across with the search results. We will continue to share this feedback with the relevant team for review.

Thank you,

Kat

moldosgifts

·11 months ago

With the big change on sales to the USA the export taxes,

Will something be agreed with royal mail and put into place to show these have already been paid through ebay.

If so will it be something akin to the European model IOSS?

marco@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@moldosgifts wrote:

With the big change on sales to the USA the export taxes,

Will something be agreed with royal mail and put into place to show these have already been paid through ebay.

If so will it be something akin to the European model IOSS?

Hi @moldosgifts, thanks for your question.

This topic is rather tricky, as it is constantly changing. However, to answer your question, we are not aware of any plans that suggest something like this for now, but like I said just there, this is something that is constantly changing, so if we happen to learn more about this or more changes around this are made, we will most likely announce it like we've been doing in the last few months.

Thank you,

Marco

moldosgifts

·11 months ago

@marco@ebay wrote:
@moldosgifts wrote:
With the big change on sales to the USA the export taxes,
Will something be agreed with royal mail and put into place to show these have already been paid through ebay.
If so will it be something akin to the European model IOSS?
Hi @moldosgifts, thanks for your question.

This topic is rather tricky, as it is constantly changing. However, to answer your question, we are not aware of any plans that suggest something like this for now, but like I said just there, this is something that is constantly changing, so if we happen to learn more about this or more changes around this are made, we will most likely announce it like we've been doing in the last few months.

Thank you,
Marco

Thanks look's like I'll have to turn off USA until something put in place, don't want my customers paying twice for these import taxes.

krafty-kreations

·11 months ago

Good Afternoon

Is there an easy way to move all listings from one account to another or is it just a lot of copy and pasting doing it one by one?

Thanks

kat@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@krafty-kreations wrote:

Good Afternoon

Is there an easy way to move all listings from one account to another or is it just a lot of copy and pasting doing it one by one?

Thanks

Hi @krafty-kreations ,

There isn't a way on eBay that can do this process but there maybe a 3rd party tool online that could do this function. As were not affiliated with any specific company I can't advise on one.

Thank you,

Kat

wellingnorth

·11 months ago

Another question on simple delivery if that’s okay?

We are told that there will be no surcharge for parcels if we use the ebay recommended size / weight. When an order is placed how do we see whether the label has used the ebay recommended size or not?

To be more specific, on this page

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sellercentre/postage/simple-delivery

It states “If you use the recommended parcel size and your item exceeds the maximum size and weight of the label, you won’t be charged any additional costs.”

But when you sell an item the order page says

"Ensure the package is not heavier or larger than your size selection to avoid additional costs deducted from your account."

That statement is there regardless of whether you have made the size selection yourself or whether you have left the ebay recommendation untouched.

Could I suggest please that there should be a clear statement on the order page of whether the label size has been selected by ebay in which case you do not need to worry about the parcel size, or if you have selected the size yourself in which case you do?

marco@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@wellingnorth wrote:

Another question on simple delivery if that’s okay?

We are told that there will be no surcharge for parcels if we use the ebay recommended size / weight. When an order is placed how do we see whether the label has used the ebay recommended size or not?

To be more specific, on this page

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sellercentre/postage/simple-delivery

It states “If you use the recommended parcel size and your item exceeds the maximum size and weight of the label, you won’t be charged any additional costs.”

But when you sell an item the order page says

"Ensure the package is not heavier or larger than your size selection to avoid additional costs deducted from your account."

That statement is there regardless of whether you have made the size selection yourself or whether you have left the ebay recommendation untouched.

Could I suggest please that there should be a clear statement on the order page of whether the label size has been selected by ebay in which case you do not need to worry about the parcel size, or if you have selected the size yourself in which case you do?

Thanks for your question, @wellingnorth.

Since the label is internally generated, you wouldn't be able to see what exactly was used other than the details shown on your label/invoice for the label.

And yes, we will definitely pass on your feedback on this, that's no problem.

Thank you,

Marco

wellingnorth

·11 months ago

@marco@ebay wrote:
Thanks for your question, @wellingnorth.

Since the label is internally generated, you wouldn't be able to see what exactly was used other than the details shown on your label/invoice for the label.

And yes, we will definitely pass on your feedback on this, that's no problem.

Thank you,
Marco

To be clear on the order page before you print the label it does show you the size you are supposed to pack to, ie Large Letter, Small Parcel under 2kg, etc.

But it does not show you whether this was your own choice or ebay's recommendation. This is critical information because in the latter case you can pack to any size without surcharge, in the former you may be surcharged if it's too big.

Could I ask also are you actually surcharging people yet or is there a grace period in place?

marco@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@wellingnorth wrote:

@marco@ebay wrote:

Thanks for your question, @wellingnorth.

Since the label is internally generated, you wouldn't be able to see what exactly was used other than the details shown on your label/invoice for the label.

And yes, we will definitely pass on your feedback on this, that's no problem.

Thank you,

Marco

To be clear on the order page before you print the label it does show you the size you are supposed to pack to, ie Large Letter, Small Parcel under 2kg, etc.

But it does not show you whether this was your own choice or ebay's recommendation. This is critical information because in the latter case you can pack to any size without surcharge, in the former you may be surcharged if it's too big.

Could I ask also are you actually surcharging people yet or is there a grace period in place?

Thanks for your reply, @wellingnorth.

As advised before, the details on it that you would get is what it is displayed on the label and invoice, but that's it. Regarding your question, like it says on the help pages If you don’t use the recommended parcel size, and your item ends up exceeding the maximum size and weight of the label, you may be responsible for covering the additional costs of sending your item. I haven't came across an account with this charges, but it is something that it could happen, so any transactions that potentially exceeds the maximum allowed, will be charged accordingly.

Thank you,

Marco

wellingnorth

·11 months ago

I recently sold an item through Simple Delivery. I packed and sent the item and went my ebay to let the buyer know it was on its way. When I got to the ‘my messages’ page I saw the following:

“Your buyer has reached out about their order. Since you used Simple Delivery, we'll work with your buyer directly on any delivery related questions.”

I sent my message to the buyer and also let them know that you had intercepted any message that they may have sent me.

Could I ask please what are the circumstances when messages are diverted in this way?

And could I suggest that a better approach may be to send your automated reply but also forward the buyer’s message and your response to the seller so that the seller knows what the buyer’s questions are.

For example if the message were

‘Please can you send the item by x date’ OR ‘Please can you not send the item until y date’

I would really like to know that

marco@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@wellingnorth wrote:

I recently sold an item through Simple Delivery. I packed and sent the item and went my ebay to let the buyer know it was on its way. When I got to the ‘my messages’ page I saw the following:

“Your buyer has reached out about their order. Since you used Simple Delivery, we'll work with your buyer directly on any delivery related questions.”

I sent my message to the buyer and also let them know that you had intercepted any message that they may have sent me.

Could I ask please what are the circumstances when messages are diverted in this way?

And could I suggest that a better approach may be to send your automated reply but also forward the buyer’s message and your response to the seller so that the seller knows what the buyer’s questions are.

For example if the message were

‘Please can you send the item by x date’ OR ‘Please can you not send the item until y date’

I would really like to know that

Hi @wellingnorth, thanks for your question.

That's an odd one, but if you confirm the item number, I'd be happy to look into it to see what happened. If the buyer was just reaching out to ask you a simple question and it is working as designed, I will flag this with the relevant team to see if this can be updated to provide a better experience.

Thank you,

Marco

guymafo

·11 months ago

@marco@ebay

It’s not really odd, it’s been reported on several threads that this message appears when trying to communicate with the buyer.
For example

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Member-To-Member-Support/eBay-do-all-communicating-with-buyer-with-Simple-Delivery/m-p/7897458

I’ve had it myself.

With eBay pushing ai on the messages too are we going to lose all personal contact with users?

GM

marco@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@guymafo wrote:

@marco@ebay

It’s not really odd, it’s been reported on several threads that this message appears when trying to communicate with the buyer.
For example

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Member-To-Member-Support/eBay-do-all-communicating-with-buyer-with-Simple-Delivery/m-p/7897458

I’ve had it myself.

With eBay pushing ai on the messages too are we going to lose all personal contact with users?

GM

Thanks for your question, @guymafo.

No, members still are will still be able to message each other.

Thank you,

Marco

baxtersequestrian

·11 months ago

Recently moved house just changed my address now being asked to verify my identity. I am still waiting for my drivers license to arrive with my new address on it , can I use a picture of my license with my old address on it? Or what can I do as frustratingly payments are on hold until I can sort this out.

marco@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@baxtersequestrian wrote:

Recently moved house just changed my address now being asked to verify my identity. I am still waiting for my drivers license to arrive with my new address on it , can I use a picture of my license with my old address on it? Or what can I do as frustratingly payments are on hold until I can sort this out.

Hi @baxtersequestrian, thanks for your question.

If the license is not expired, then you can still use it as we are looking to verify your identity only, not the address. If we need your current address, we would let you know. However, we normally verify identity and bank accounts only.

When uploading your license, make sure you upload a photo of the front and back of it, and that the full license is showing, as in do not cut off any corners or parts of the license off the photo.

Thank you,

Marco

davrman

·11 months ago

Good afternoon.

There seems to be a bug in Simple Delivery when making offers. Despite specifying "Express Tracked Delivery" when submitting the offer, once the offer is accepted it has reverted to "Standard Tracked Delivery". This has happened to me on at least three occasions recently. It's particularly irksome when I am trying to avoid Evri...

Thanks.

kat@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@davrman wrote:

Good afternoon.

There seems to be a bug in Simple Delivery when making offers. Despite specifying "Express Tracked Delivery" when submitting the offer, once the offer is accepted it has reverted to "Standard Tracked Delivery". This has happened to me on at least three occasions recently. It's particularly irksome when I am trying to avoid Evri...

Hi @davrman ,

Can you provide an example for an item this has occurred with?

Thank you,

Kat

davrman

·11 months ago

Thanks, Kat.

The latest example is order number 08-13446-91416.

kat@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@davrman wrote:

Thanks, Kat.

The latest example is order number 08-13446-91416.

Hi @davrman ,

Is this order for a different user account as its not showing under the account your posting from.

Thank you,

Kat

davrman

·11 months ago

No, it's on this ID. I cut-and-pasted the order number from the Order Details page URL as it doesn't seem to be displayed on the page any more.

kat@ebay

eBay Staff

Admin11 months ago

@davrman wrote:

No, it's on this ID. I cut-and-pasted the order number from the Order Details page URL as it doesn't seem to be displayed on the page any more.

Thanks @davrman , it wasn't showing initially but located it now.

The order does show standard postage option. Its at the checkout stage where it should present the option of both standard and express. In order to log this with tech we would need to see that you choose express during the checkout stage. Would it be possible to share your chosen view before you make payment on your next order when it happens so we can send this as proof to tech.

Thank you,

Kat

davrman

·11 months ago

Thanks, Kat. As this seems to happen every time I'm reluctant to make another purchase using Simple Delivery and Offers until it's fixed. It may be some time until the sitation arises again. Fortunately for this latest purchase Standard Tracked Delivery is actually RM (£3.38) whereas I chose Express for £4.00 (the lower amount was charged).