Weekly Chat with the eBay Community Team- 23.10.24 @2pm
Hi everybody!
The Community Chat will open at 2pm and will remain open until 3pm on Wednesday. After that it will be closed for further questions. Of course, we will continue to take care of answering any questions that may still be unanswered—We’ll get to everything as quickly as possible.
Please ask your questions in the thread below. In order to be able to answer your questions as quickly as possible, we ask you to have one question per post. Of course, you can make as many posts as you like in the Chat- the more the merrier!
Our eBay Community Team is made up of @kat@ebayand @anita@ebay. Between us, we have knowledge in Buying, Selling, Fulfilment, Payments, and the Community itself. Anything we aren’t sure on we’ll know the people who will be! Please ask us any questions you may have and we’ll do all we can to support.
To ask your question, click Reply in the lower-right corner of this post, type your question, and click Reply between 2pm and 3pm. The community team will answer each incoming question in chronological order, and will quote the original question in each answer.
Please note that any reply without a question to the community team or discussion replies may be removed from the chat. We want to keep on track to get through as many questions as possible. We welcome all discussion to be moved to the discussion boards.
If you missed the weekly chat time, please ask your question in the community boards and tag us or we will be back next week with another chat!
Many thanks,
Your eBay Community Team

direct.gifts
·1 year agoI have an ongoing issue with Multi Buy Orders. I did report this on the techincal issues part of the forum a few months ago.
For example a customer buys 5 items across different listings. It correctly calculates the 10% discount the customer should get but splits the items across 2 orders.
One of the reasons for offering a 10% discount is to pass the postage savings I get onto the customer. However as it splits it in 2 orders we sometimes ship as 2 seperate orders as it is difficult to identify in Royal Mail click and drop which orders need to be merged.
Ideally it should place the 5 items under the same order number.
kat@ebay
Hi @direct.gifts ,
I will follow up with you offline for this as I will need to check to see your previous report and get some examples.
Thank you,
Kat
moldosgifts
·1 year agodave@ebay@dave@ebayThis has been a focus over the past while
While? week ,month, year how long is a while.
And if i was an account reported how long can i expect to have action taken on me,
ducatimondo
·1 year agoWe have a case for a return of 2 brand new relays, that apparently both do not work.
The buyer is in Italy and is playing like he doesn't know how to do returns, messages, etc.
Left us a negative feedback before asking any questions.
So I tried my best to help him, as the relays are a premium product, genuine Hella brand, exactly identical to the OEM part.
We have sodl loads of them, with no issues.
We have used the on bikes we are fixing in our own workshop, with no issues.
There is 100% not anything wrong with the parts!!!
He has not confirmed much information I have asked him to check.
He has now escalated the return and eBay have given me until tomorrow to provide a return label.
Except the utter genius that designs this has not made the system properly.
It does not allow me to add anything to the return, as it is now a case.
I cannot add anything to the case, as it is on hold until tomorrow.
I can't provide a return label anywhere, as the return is closed as he escalated it.
I can't add anything to the case, as eBay have put it on hold.
He will automatically get a full refund from MY POCKET unless I provide a return label before tomorrow.
Yet there is nothing made in either the return or the case to let me do anything???????
So how exactly am I supposed to do that, with the ludicrous way it is made??
I know 100% what is going on, we are being played by an experienced buyer playing dumb and eBay is letting him do it.
It is return number 5275288734
This is not the first time this has happened to us, but is the first I can post on here whilst it is still open.
Help please!!
Thank you Russ
dave@ebay
Hi @ducatimondo
Its been a while I hope you're keeping well.
Unfortunately I don't have any access to look into or action cases, you will definitely need to reach out to the guys in the customer support team for this one. They will be able to advise you on the best next steps with the case.
Thanks,
David
moldosgifts
·1 year agoTic Toc Still waiting for the timeline??
b024281025
·1 year agoHow do i get refund of postage to royal mail through ebay
dave@ebay
Hi @b024281025
You have 14 days to use or void any labels purchased trough our system.
Here's how to void a postage label in My eBay or Seller Hub:
You can find more information on the process here.
Thanks,
Dave
mrdandt
·1 year agoHello,
Just wanted to ask, what would you classify a seller that makes products for resale i.e. manufactures products to make profit – Private seller or Business seller ?
Would manufacturing products been seen as trading as a business ?
Would really appricate clarification as there seems to be a number of private sellers manufacturing products and woundered what the eBays view is on this.
Thanks
kat@ebay
Hi @mrdandt ,
Thank you for your question.
With this you may have situations where a seller is doing this as a hobby selling little amounts or someone may be doing more business style. It would be more of a case by case basis.
If you see that there is an account that should be a business then you can report them through the site to be reviewed.
Thank you,
Kat
nutrafituk
·1 year agoWith regards to a negative/neutral feedback removal request - can you actually start considering facts and evidence more than what a buyer just says? It turns out that video or photo footage, documents and any other evidence is not good enough for you as you 'did not handle the item'. In that case you should never be in a posotion to remove any feedback as you never handle any item. By supporting a buyer's comment without any proof, you do take sides with them when a seller can contradict their statement. Your 'buyer's experience' reason not to remove any feedback is utter disgrace as anything can be considered as such. It would be nice to actually see some care more than just reading a script.
kat@ebay
Hi @nutrafituk ,
I appreciate how frustrating it can be when getting negative and neutral feedback from a buyer when you have done everything right as a seller. While eBay does its best to protect both sellers and buyers essentially we do not see or handle the item so it can be subjective.
Thank you,
Kat
military-incorporated
·1 year agoSince June this year we’ve noted a significant decline in sales on the eBay platform, we’ve increased our stock offering since then, with a wider range available and we continue to add new stock regularly, we’ve tried your promotional options and regularly revise long term listings, and nothing is working to bring it back. I’ve spoken to a lot of other business users, and they are all experiencing similar declines. eBay has always been a huge part of our business and it’s quickly becoming unreliable and inconsistent. Can you tell me what has changed since June on the platform and with your systems please?
dave@ebay
Hi @military-incorporated
Im not aware of any specific changes to the overall system that would cause a drop in sales. We do regularly run updates to the site to help improve its day to day running.
There was our usual Seller Update in June where we announced some changes to the site. You can find details that here.
If you're experiencing a drop in sales it could also be worth having a look over on our eBay for Business Youtube channel. There are some great videos from our recent eBay open which could help with optimisation as well as other tips for helping increase sales.
Thanks,
Dave
moonspender
·1 year agoI read on a business seller comm that a consierge advised someone yesterday that private sellers doing over £1000 PA of sales will be expected to become business sellers by the end of the year, is this correct?
kat@ebay
Hi @moonspender ,
We are not aware of a specific amount like this for private sellers. This may be in relation to the HMRC rules. eBay reviews accounts based on various factors of which we are not able to share due to security reasons. I will follow up with concierge to check on the information being given.
Thank you,
Kat
technthread
·1 year agoeBay you don't half give out mixed messages to sellers. Today's message in the inbox - 'improve your delivery experience to help boost sales this season' went out to both business and private sellers. In that email it is linking the circular fashion fund offer for a chance of winning a £50k cash boost for a business. It is no wonder private business sellers just stay on the private account for the free fees.
And in that email it is telling sellers to get ready for the rush but don't worry about estimated delivery dates because eBay have us covered. They don't really do they when standard post options like evri, RM 2nd Class / RM Tracked 48 are always given an EDD of 1-2 days from the day the order is placed. Sellers just want you to get the basic EDD correct in the first place. I don't believe the dynamic EDD line. A family member of mine who is a private seller (and inactive in eBay for nearly a year) has just sold something today (2nd Class letter / 1 day dispatch time) and has asked me why the EDD would be Friday/Saturday. I can't help them to understand it because nobody but eBay seems to. If a 2nd class letter is posted on a Thursday the EDD shouldn't be Friday/Saturday should it? Why would a private seller who came back to test eBay out again want to list and sell if they are put under immediate pressure with an EDD they can't achieve. It's not a good experience for sellers at all eBay really need to listen to business and private we are getting tired of it.
kat@ebay
Hi @technthread ,
With the EDD date being dynamic it is based on various factors. As there is quieter periods of the year and busy periods it helps to have it changing to give more realistic dates to buyers. I will share your example here with our shipping team as feedback but currently there is no plan to change to how it is being calculated.
Thank you,
Kat
technthread
·1 year agoPlease do. The example I gave is someone who works full time.
They can't post the same day so they set their dispatch to 1 day which I think is very good for a private seller. They are irritated by it because what eBay are effectively saying is go home from work now and post it 2nd class or if you post it tomorrow as agreed, upgrade to 1st class post to be sure you won't get a defect.
Anyway point made, I realise it's not your fault but it is so frustrating. I see it on my account but I am used to dealing with it.
moldosgifts
·1 year agoIll ask again as ive not reived a relevaent answer
What is the time line for businesses operating on a private account once reprted by us doing your job for you.
Example once you receive the report they have 1 month to offer any evidence they are not a business before being forced, i dont want to know individual informatio timelines just in general what to expect once reported.
How long before i see evidence you hav etaken action i do keep an eye on the ones i have reported and so far in 2-3 weeks no evidence at all.
1 week to take action, 1 week to appeal, 1 week of restricted listing sometyhing like that would be essentiol to share here.
So what IS the timeline.
Sorry for all the typos
dave@ebay
Hi @moldosgifts
Unfortunately there is no set answer to that question that I can give you. Each case can differ based on a number of factors and depending on what is required in each case there could be extra time needed.
As I'm sure you've seen it will continue to be a focus for us and the policy team will work though any reports as they receive them.
Thanks,
Dave
british-ceramics-and-paintings
·1 year agoSame old question about business sellers on private accounts, I am competing against businesses trading on private accounts, some have 1200 to 1800 items for sale and are generating sales of many thousands each month.
As things stand my business pays ebay approximately £220 for every £1000 we generate in sales, the above sellers are paying next to nothing.
I don't see any changes on this despite the problems it is causing so many legitimate business sellers.
When will this be addressed as many of us don't want to / cannot wait weeks or months. As things stands the platform is no longer viable for us.
dave@ebay
Hi @british-ceramics-and-paintings
This has been a focus over the past while. Through the community you may have seen the posts from private sellers the received notifications about upgrading to businesses with some having their accounts actioned. Much of this action is happening on an account level so we cant speak to non account holders about what has happened.
It is an ongoing process and there are many different factors involved so there is no timescale I can set to say all actions will or have been taken on this.
Thanks,
Dave
pg_kicks
·1 year agoWhilst I like to hear it has been a focus in reality I sent a list of accounts selling over 200 brand new items all different sizes and management told me these are not a business within eBays eyes, also the one which has 'small family run business' in the about us which me, many others, you, concierge staff, concierge managers, Pro Trader staff have all reported yet is STILL on a private account. This is the reality of it, words are easy but real actions are not following the words, granted 5 or 6 accounts may have been asked and REWARDED to upgrade but the issue is huge and eBay are not giving it the attention it needs.
Sorry you are getting it as you are the face as management dont dare speak to us minions but the site has bigger problems than they care to admit in regards to this.
british-ceramics-and-paintings
·1 year agoDave, I am seeing very little movement on this, I hope ebay is prepared for the inevitable loss of a lot of good quality sellers from the platform.
I don't think Ebay quite understand the urgency that is required on this. This isn't a sudden development, it is being handled very very poorly.
sheffieldtoolingco
·1 year agoHello
I have a large store and some items have not sold after several years. They have now falled down the rankings, what are your views on ending and relisting the item / items?
Thanks
kat@ebay
Hi @sheffieldtoolingco ,
If you have items that have not sold in years then it is worth either revising the listings or relisting them. You can focus on changes to price/title/description and images to make improvements. There is good helpful information on this on our eBay for Business youtube channel so can be worth having a look here for best practices.
Thank you,
Kat
pg_kicks
·1 year agoWhen we phone eBay we are thanked for our loyalty, can this please be removed as its patronising, also the hold music has been the same for about 10 years, can it be changed?
The main issue, eBay has a big issue of lying on the phones, be it the incorrect information or the issue I'm currently suffering from the phantom promised call backs from managers. As concierge I should get a call back within 24 hours (so 1 business day) I had to wait 8 business days and phone 3 times, now a manager promised a call back on Monday, didnt happen to I called last night and still not heard from him? Why do eBay just lie so much on the phones, then when we complain we are never given any feedback on the complaint due to eBays policy of not doing so aka we dont really follow up your complaint.
dave@ebay
Hi @pg_kicks
Thanks for your feedback Ill pass it on the CS teams.
Ive reached out to the manager you were speaking to about the callback. As you know CS is a different channel to us so I don't know what would have caused the delay in them getting back to you.
Ive asked that they call you back as soon as possible.
Thanks,
Dave
pg_kicks
·1 year agoThanks, its just annoying as we are all being told different information, like I always say communication is simple as long as its truthful and released sadly eBay rarely release any info (no idea why they are afraid) and then tell each person different things when they phone up, one concierge member was told businesses selling over £1000pa will eb forced to upgrade, I was told its between £50k-£80k but he wasnt sure and would find out, and accounts that have 300+ listings all of brand new trainers are not going to be considered a business? Sorry but thats basics, any manager should know these figures and know if they can give them out.
All we (I) want is a fair and equitable marketplace for all sellers/buyers, sadly is seems eBay want a badly designed website, with more bugs than London zoo and full of illegal accounts. Again if there is ever open forums in person I will happy pay travel costs myself to tell Sholto and the higher management exactly what is broken on his site.
glordain
·1 year agoBuyer contact number and/or email is needed so they get delivery updates, and should be standard when dispatching orders is currently only available under the "Legacy Tool" option which you state is soon to be retired. Are you going to make this useful information available in the standard order dispatch details?
kat@ebay
Hi @glordain,
Let me follow this up with our shipping team to clarify and I will come back to you when I have an update.
Thank you,
Kat
darth_baggins
·1 year agoIt's been several months since the feedback removal policy was secretly updated and an announcement was promised about what the changes actually were.
When can we expect to see this please?
dave@ebay
Hi @darth_baggins
At the moment I'm not aware of any upcoming feedback announcements but we will as always post an update as soon as we have one.
Thanks,
Dave
darth_baggins
·1 year agoThanks Dave.
Follow up question;
Do you think it's acceptable to make a major change in feedback policy but then keep it hidden, promise an update 'sometime' but continue to keep your customers (sellers) in the dark?
dave@ebay
Hi @darth_baggins
Some of the changes to feedback were to with internal processes so unfortunately its not possible to share them publicly. It is in no way an attempt to keep it hidden. Its also worth noting that as this is still an ongoing process so not every change is available to share yet.
There's a session with Andrea Stairs, our VP of Global Regulatory, Trust & Monetisation where they provided some clarification on whats happening with feedback here that you might also find interesting.
Thanks,
Dave
wellingnorth
·1 year agoHi there,
With the clocks going back this weekend any auctions starting now and running across the time change have a duration of the number of days specified plus 1 hour (so an auction starting at 2pm today will finish at 2pm on the 30th).
Previously auctions always ran for exact multiples for 24 hours regardless of the time change, and an auction starting at 2pm before the clock change would finish at 1pm if the clocks went back, or 3pm if the clocks went forward.
The listing duration policy still says that auctions should run for multiples of 24 hours and I couldn't see any recent announcements
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/listings/selecting-listing-duration?id=4652
Do you know if the policy has changed or has something gone wrong here?
kat@ebay
Hi @wellingnorth ,
We are not aware of a change in the policy.
Our policy is as " Listings that run during a daylight saving time-change will still receive the full amount of the listing duration. For example, if you have a 1-day listing that starts at 1pm on Saturday, and the daylight saving time spring transition occurs that Saturday evening, the listing will end at 2pm on Sunday."
Do you have item number example and I can follow up offline
Thank you,
Kat
wellingnorth
·1 year agoIf you do a search on ebay for anything, limit it to auctions, set it to sort by newly listed you'll find examples. For example a search for ornament
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=ornament&_sacat=0&LH_Auction=1&LH_PrefLoc=1&_sop=10
Top listing Burleigh Blue Felicity New Christmas Tree Decorations Set Of 3
On the results page shows Listed at "23-Oct 14:25"
Click into the listing https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226414117977
The page shows "Ends in 7d 0h30/10, 14:25"
wellingnorth
·1 year agoAs the chat is closing, there are a couple of threads about this from Sunday you could reply to
https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Technical-Issues/Clock-change-bug-Duration-7d-1-hour/m-p/7697292
https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Business-Seller-Board/day-auctions/m-p/7697344
Obviously I don't know whether in this case this is a bug, but as a side note I always think it would be great if someone on the development team were tasked with spending half an hour a day on the forums, particularly the 'technical issues' one, as it would surely help early identification of any malfunctions on what must be a very complicated site to improve and maintain.
kat@ebay
Thanks @wellingnorth ,
I'll follow up offline to have it checked.
Thank you,
Kat
glordain
·1 year agoShould have the ability to add tracking without ebay automatically marking an order as dispatched. For example, when someone buys at 9pm I immediately go onto Royal Mail and order postage. I cannot enter the tracking number though as you will then mark it as dispatched, even though it isn't.
kat@ebay
Hi @glordain ,
I understand and this is part of the process design for it automatically being marking as dispatched. The aim is to try and have items dispatched as quickly as possible to keep in line with buyer expectations. There are no plans in place to make a change on this at the moment but I will share your point as feedback,
Thank you,
Katie
glordain
·1 year agoAs a professional buyer (lol), when an item is marked as dispatched that means I expect it has been handed to a courier, put in a post box etc., and I can use the tracking number provided by the seller to see that my item is now in the hands of the delivery company. I recently bought an item that was marked as dispatched on Monday but not *actually* taken to the post office until Friday, thus protecting the seller's status. This means that sellers who do not honour their dispatch times can cheat/circumvent your system, no?
retroclub
·1 year agoHello,
I just wanted to check on listing ItemID 115607232225 does ebay allow pictures/photos like the first one or is this against eBay policy?
Thank you
dave@ebay
Hi @retroclub
In general we always advise sellers to keep the first photo of a listing to just an image of the item with a plain background and avoid adding text or added images. This helps with external search engines that don't tend to show these items as the images could be considered spammed with information. That main image is of a bundle showing the different items included but there could be issues with the rights owners for the different brands.
You can report the item to have it reviewed and our policy team will action it if there are any policy breaches.
Thanks,
Dave