New postage policy seems a bit dodgy... | Seller Central | eBay UK

New postage policy seems a bit dodgy... | Seller Central | eBay UK

New postage policy seems a bit dodgy...

Summary: A discussion emerged centered on concerns regarding a new postage policy that some participants, including lord.ford and others, found questionable. Various users shared their thoughts and inquiries, but specific details of the discussion content were not disclosed. The conversation indicates a collective sentiment of dissatisfaction or suspicion among the community regarding this policy.

Anyone else find the ‘new’ postage process for sellers frustrating and a bit suspicious?

Specifically:

Ebay now require sellers to select the postage service during the listing and only allow them to use that postage service once the item has sold.

This would not be too bad but they do not display the costs for the various services at the point of selection (as they used to when selecting after sale) and so buyers are committing to buying a postage service without knowing the price - as such this is not technically a valid contract (under UK law at least).

Ebay also no longer allow sellers to insert tracking numbers for items they have posted themselves (i.e. sellers who did not buy postage from eBay directly). This is bad for buyers but also disastrous for sellers as eBay also now only releases funds 2 days after delivery has been confirmed - in the absence of the ability to add tracking numbers or for buyers to confirm receipt, it means sellers not buying postage from eBay now have to wait up to 2 weeks(!) for funds to be issued.

I’ve been an eBayer for 18 years and never once posted on these forums but these changes seem a bit ‘dodgy’ at best.

OK, so eBay are trying to reduce seller fees and recoup it by selling postage services, I get it. But at least allow sellers the choice of not buying postage through eBay and at the VERY least give us an idea of what the postage service we are buying through eBay will cost.

Questions to eBay: why are you to forcing sellers to confirm delivery service at point of listing with no way of changing it afterwards? Why do you not list the prices for the deliver services at the point when the seller is forced to select? Why do you not allow sellers to add their own tracking numbers? Why do you not allow buyer’s to confirm receipt (same way as you can for collections)?

In the hope of getting some response from eBay, I’m not even sure forcing sellers to choose postage without knowing the price is legal in the UK - said it.

LF

lord.ford

883 View listings

Posted 1 year ago · Edited 1 year ago·Last reply 1 month ago

199 comments

wesleymews

·1 month ago

I absolutely won’t use their postage system, I used to sell quite high value items and always sent them guaranteed overnight signed for, I won’t do this now with unreliable delivery systems they are offering. So their loss , I now sell through a great consignment shop in London, so much easier and a good return.

kazlgw

·7 months ago

I too was sceptical with the new postage system, but having now used it since it started, I’m beginning to love it. However, I don’t list with ‘Free’ postage, as postage is never free, & I want my buyers to know what they are paying for the item & what’s for the shipping, & they can’t choose which service they want to use.
As a seller you can select as many different carriers as you are comfortable using. For me I only use Evri & Royal Mail, as those 2 are my closest drop offs that I am happy using (looking into others atm).
As long as you select the right size/weight of package, the buyer chooses which service they prefer & what the cost of each one is, so they can see the cost, even if you can’t. Obviously this only works this way when you select buyer pay postage, so if you are listing as free shipping, I can’t answer what you might see then. 🙂

steve66brubay

·7 months ago

My problem with Simple Delivery is that you can't select 'Letter' any more. I have got used to using 'Simple' delivery for larger items, but some of the items I am selling are very small and would easily fit into a letter. It really annoys me that eBay want me to post them at large letter rate, with (if I remember correctly) a 2 kg minimum, which is unfair and extremely irritating for both me and the buyer.

shipl0

·7 months ago

@lord.ford wrote:
Anyone else find the ‘new’ postage process for sellers frustrating and a bit suspicious?

Specifically:

Ebay now require sellers to select the postage service during the listing and only allow them to use that postage service once the item has sold.

This would not be too bad but they do not display the costs for the various services at the point of selection (as they used to when selecting after sale) and so buyers are committing to buying a postage service without knowing the price - as such this is not technically a valid contract (under UK law at least).

Ebay also no longer allow sellers to insert tracking numbers for items they have posted themselves (i.e. sellers who did not buy postage from eBay directly). This is bad for buyers but also disastrous for sellers as eBay also now only releases funds 2 days after delivery has been confirmed - in the absence of the ability to add tracking numbers or for buyers to confirm receipt, it means sellers not buying postage from eBay now have to wait up to 2 weeks(!) for funds to be issued.

I’ve been an eBayer for 18 years and never once posted on these forums but these changes seem a bit ‘dodgy’ at best.

OK, so eBay are trying to reduce seller fees and recoup it by selling postage services, I get it. But at least allow sellers the choice of not buying postage through eBay and at the VERY least give us an idea of what the postage service we are buying through eBay will cost.

Questions to eBay: why are you to forcing sellers to confirm delivery service at point of listing with no way of changing it afterwards? Why do you not list the prices for the deliver services at the point when the seller is forced to select? Why do you not allow sellers to add their own tracking numbers? Why do you not allow buyer’s to confirm receipt (same way as you can for collections)?

In the hope of getting some response from eBay, I’m not even sure forcing sellers to choose postage without knowing the price is legal in the UK - said it.

LF

im taking 300 items off ebay 2day..i cant get my head around the lable system .im 70 and have no family or friends to help.im moving to smaller place so i was hoping to sell everything before i went

stuart3176

·9 months ago

Totally agree. It is putting me off selling and buying on eBay as the cost are too much and the delivery I’m forced to use doesn’t suite me. I have been on the phone twice to eBay since selling a golf club. They are going to email a different QR code for another service where I can drop off at my convenience. However, this is causing a 3 day delay at least in sending the golf club to the buyer. Being forced to choose a service for a 30kg suitcase is not appropriate for a 1-2 kg club. Not good!

beauty557

·9 months ago

Hello , Looks like Ebay UK now FORCING us to use their SIMPLE DELIVERY system whereas a couple of weeks ago we could "opt out".They are really aggravating Ebayers and it would be interesting to know if the number of UK Ebayers has diminished over the last 12 months and if so,by how many??? Anyone have any stats??

mle_drones

·9 months ago

I managed to get a reply from one of eBay's board members. He confirmed, "long time sellers are leaving the platform, but they are getting a lot of new buyers joining".

I wonder if they had a shortage of buyers that might explain why everybody says their sales are down. Maybe to address this they put all these new things in place to attract new buyers including that horrendous advert that seems to be everywhere.

The rules regarding simple delivery is if your item is under £20 and is small ie it will fit in a large letter then you can choose which postage you want like the old system. Unfortunately eBay moved everything to simple delivery so to switch it back to non-simple delivery you have to open each one and change it manually a huge deal if you have hundreds of items

beauty557

·9 months ago

Thankyou for the info. Long time sellers should be the backbone that Ebay
retain,not let go but Ebay do not seem to understand that and only seem
motivated by greed and control and this could bring them down.I only use
them rarely now and any Loyalty I had to the Brand has now gone.A sad thing
to have to say,but it is the truth.

beauty557

·7 months ago

The old system worked fine.If it ain't broke,don't fix it.

kristeltips66

·10 months ago

I have been on EBay from since 2004 as a buyer and seller. What I have done is go through my inventory since the simple delivery was introduced overnight. After 2 months of having Evri NOT delivering packages to my parcel shop / home address over the past few months. I have taken action deselect Evri from my listings.

cabezacool

·10 months ago

I cant comment on the tracking aspect of the post as i buy all my postage via ebay, as its easier for me to keep track of everything and easier for me when there is a problem,

Selecting postage only being able to send via that postage choice despite not knowing the cost? I will state the obvious first, as a seller it is my responsibility to know my costs before i list an item. That is on me (and you) i'm afraid.

Secondly, if i am buying an item and it says royal mail delivery, i expect royal mail delivery so i think this is a good thing if correct as i personally, and i am sure many buyers use the delivery method to determine which item they will buy. The only issue i see with this is if i listed RM 2nd class, as i do for most of my items, but wanted to upgrade to RM 48 hr tracked and couldnt. As far as i am aware though, i can do that.

theretrodetective

·10 months ago

Sometimes have my delivery charges randomly take a hike. When I create the listing, it will say delivery costs 2.94, customer will pay 2.94. Then once my item sells, suddenly ebay are charging me 3 pounds something for delivery, despite it even saying I chose the 2.94 option on my listings still. Theres no way to change the postage at this point. Ive contacted ebay and they said all you can do is cancel the order. But obviously that results in an unhappy customer. I just end up coughing up the extra and putting myself out of pocket to keep customers happy. Its a complete racket.

Sometimes I wish ebay would fix all of the horribly broken features on this website, but then I worry that if they did try fixing anything they'd make it all 10x worse!

abi.sales.247

·10 months ago

I can completely relate. Given up on eBay selling now. It used to be a fun hobby but slowly but surely been destroyed by ridiculous complications and the bot taking over.

beauty557

·10 months ago

I seldom use eBay now,but when I do,I specify Freepost and pick the service
I wish to use.That way,eBay should have no input into what postal service
you use and you just write your own address label and use your chosen
postal provider.

str11p

·10 months ago

Ebay only allows certain items to be opted out of Simple Delivery.

jackies46

·10 months ago

I have nearly gone mad trying to sort this mess out. I have no printer and no smart phone. I used to just sell the item, get the address, write the label and when I was paid, walk to the Post Office and post it. I have done this for over 20 years with no problems whatever. I now have 22 items which have apparently been 'pre-paid' and I have been to the PO and EVRI and neither of them will post my items because the labels are hand-written. I have spent hours on the phone to e bay who have said that they will refund me - but they haven't. In the meantime I have had e mails from my buyers asking where their parcels are. I am going to be made to look fraudulent if the parcels are not posted in a day or two. So I have had to try to find help on Facebook and a very kind person has offered to assist me. I feel like some stupid old person who is being gradually phased out and I am going to finish with e bay altogether. I am fed up with it after having thoroughly enjoyed it for over 20 years.

str11p

·10 months ago

For Royal Mail parcels you can book them to collect the parcel and bring the labels with them, within ebay.

For Evri parcels you get a 6 digit PIN code, which you can use at specific Evri points which have a label printer to print the label.

No printer or mobile phone required.

See https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/simple-delivery?id=5575#section5 and the whole page for more info on Simple Delivery.

Hopefully that means you don't need to have any labels refunded. If you do and you paid for the SD label, that's explained on the same page https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/simple-delivery?id=5575#section11 (The theory is you use SD labels where you are supposed to - not use the refund process just to avoid SD.)

abi.sales.247

·10 months ago

Royal Mail collect? Good luck with that. Numerous occasions nothing but mishaps and muck ups by Royal Mail via eBay. Item sold recently first attempt no label brought, second attempt that I had to pay for received email "no one available at address" there was I was in, third attempt didn't show up at all - no choice but to go take large item to post office myself, with no refund for the payment I made for collection. I literally give up!!!

abi.sales.247

·10 months ago

& Evri???? Local Co-op more often than not label printer out of order and not just for a few hours or even days last count not working for a month.

stanleybarnard1946

·10 months ago

I’m so sorry for you it must be frustrating having used e as for so long but I’m afraid a lot of people will move to other selling platforms .I’m lucky I have a printer but really object to being told I cannot just go to Post Office and post the item with handwritten label , not used new system yet but if I have problems I will move to another platform think eBay will lose a lot of users .
Est of luck for future selling .
Sent from my iPad

rustyrula97

·11 months ago

I am stopping using ebay, l do not have a printer or smartphone

andrewjamesscott

·1 year ago

Well the update here is it’s been sorted out and I've been paid both for the item and the redundant postage. I had to spend a fair bit of time with an online agent to figure out the what and where of it all but we got there.

As I see elsewhere in this thread it likely wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t send registered and tracked and was able to provide that info. Seller beware.

Agent was good, there to help and did. eBay itself? They banked interest for a couple of weeks.

notlib50

·1 year ago

The cost of it wipes out any profit I made.

notlib50

·1 year ago

Do you get charged postage by ebay if you don't use their new label. My next sale fits in a small letter but they want to charge me a KG price. I am sending it myself which I hope is okay?

stevemellor

·1 year ago

Test

str11p

·1 year ago

If it's listed with Simple Delivery - you or the buyer will be charged for the Simple Delivery label, depending on what was selected.

edwardian-dreams

·1 year ago

You can cancel and relist under a category that allows you to post custom delivery with a letter size price , see list below (just use any for this purpose)

or you can just send yourself what you’ve sold now , don’t use the label and request a refund for the simple delivery label

however I’m not sure if you do get a refund if you don’t send it tracked

all very “not simple” complicated

retroman303

·1 year ago

"... I’m not sure if you do get a refund if you don’t send it tracked."

I asked about this in last Wednesday's weekly chat session. Kat from the Community Team has confirmed that if you don't send an SD-eligible item with tracking, then you will not qualify for a refund.

Not the response I was hoping for, but definitely the one I was expecting.

edwardian-dreams

·1 year ago

That’s so sad really

so eBay or the courier or both gets paid for something for nothing

as you say to be expected n todays climate

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

catescoot74

·1 year ago

It’s expected, but it’s up to us whether we roll over and tolerate it! EBay is nothing without us. It dies, and their stupid fees go with them. Greedy GREEDY people they are.

retroman303

·1 year ago

Yes, if the item is eligible for Simple Delivery (SD), and you don't use their label, eBay will still charge you or the buyer for it (depending on who paid for it).

If the buyer paid for the unused label, then they will (or should) automatically get a refund for it within 30 days of purchase.

If you paid for it, then you can request a refund within 14 days of the sale, but there are conditions attached to this, one of which being that you used a tracked service to send the item. If you don't send tracked, then you will not get a refund - eBay has 'officially' confirmed this in the weekly chat - so you will still be out of pocket anyway! With SD, private sellers are pretty much forced to use a tracked service, even if they don't use eBay's label. It's quite the stitch-up, really, and demonstrates that eBay can think things through very thoroughly, at least when it comes to making life difficult for private sellers.

I'm sure another member will post the link to the refund page for you, I don't seem to be able to find it at the moment. It's worth having a read through the SD help pages, too.

"The cost of it wipes out any profit I made." Yep, that's one of the main complaints about SD.

As an aside, I must say that I admire sellers like yourself who just 'give it a go' without necessarily knowing how everything works beforehand. I don't mean that disrespectfully at all; I wish that I were less risk-averse. I'm one of those cautious sellers who endlessly scans these forums to try and fathom how things work, whereas sellers like you are kind of the 'pioneers' exploring the mystery-shrouded lands of Simple Delivery, and (hopefully) reporting back on your experiences for the benefit of us overly hesitant onlookers!

Good luck!

catescoot74

·1 year ago

No, they charge you for the label no matter what. This is the problem you see?

tressygirl

·1 year ago

@catescoot74 wrote:
No, they charge you for the label no matter what. This is the problem you see?

That is not correct. If the SD label is not used, it is refunded, it goes back to who initially paid for the label, and it does take 30 days for the refund to process.

If you selected 'Buyer pays’ when you created the listing, your buyer will automatically be refunded for any Simple Delivery label that isn’t used after 30 days

If you selected ‘Seller pays’ and offered free postage on your listing, you'll need to fill out the Request a refund for Simple Delivery form for the label that wasn’t used. Make sure to send your request within 14 days of your item selling.

@catescoot74

catescoot74

·1 year ago

Only if you send tracked. You lose out either way

far_260947

·1 year ago

If you decide to not us the SD and reclaim the postage costs and post yourself how do you find the details of the buyer

lucy_farmer

·1 year ago

'If you decide to not us the SD and reclaim the postage costs and post yourself how do you find the details of the buyer'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You have to download/'print' the postage label (which has their details) ; just don't *use* the label.

Post it your own way, then 'reclaim' the label cost.

catescoot74

·1 year ago

Please be careful, they attach ‘conditions’ to be able to get a refund for the label. It’s not made easy and if you don’t meet all the ‘conditions’ you will be left out of pocket like many people

lucy_farmer

·1 year ago

Oh dear..... I thought it seemed it bit too easy to do ☹️

notlib50

·1 year ago

Perhaps they are money laundering or just trying to get foreign exchange for their country?

andrewjamesscott

·1 year ago

I had to change my postage/tracking number because it wasn't enough. The item's been delivered but not according to eBay. That's the end of it for me. I'll wait another week then close my account.

str11p

·1 year ago

If ebay recommended that postage weight/size band; the label was fine (unless it was over 20kg and 61cm x 46cm x 46cm). [If I understand "it wasn't enough" correctly.]

If it shows delivered on the carrier site, it may still take a while for ebay to update (assuming you were able to change the tracking number on ebay.)

andrewjamesscott

·1 year ago

Too fat to go through a letter box said the lady who trashed it and charged me more. I only realised today that eBay had the original tracking number. It's cost me more to *bleep* around with this *bleep* than the unit I sold. I'm entirely done with eBay at this point.

ruby*ryan

·1 year ago

@andrewjamesscott wrote:
Too fat to go through a letter box said the lady who trashed it and charged me more. I only realised today that eBay had the original tracking number. It's cost me more to *bleep* around with this *bleep* than the unit I sold. I'm entirely done with eBay at this point.

That would be the fault of your PO lady not eBay. RM have told the POs to accept any SD items as long as they are within the size limit mentioned above.

str11p

·1 year ago

Correction - "the label was fine (unless it was over 20kg or over 61cm x 46cm x 46cm)."

glov_edwa

·1 year ago

Agree that this poor upgrade is only a benefit to eBay.

Limited or no options is not simple to seller or buyer

I have taken all listings off and wasted 40 minutes trying to get a sensible answer , Was told they are still working on improving it,!

Why degrade something that worked for buyer and seller?

Best solution seems to be was to list increase price by postage cost and offer freepost

But even this is flawed if eBay will not accept tracking of eternal generated labels.

after 10 years selling perhaps time to save ebay by not using a work in progress post trial and take down all my listing

Pleas eBay reinstate old system until you have a clue as to what you have done.

T

beauty557

·1 year ago

Totally agree.Nothing wrong with old system 2024.Quite happy with fortnightly fvf discounts to give eBay an income.They are just too greedy now and their schemes have lost them a lot of business.

beauty557

·1 year ago

Ebay now offering £15 coupon to selected Sellers who sell an item for £10 or more before end of August. They have finally seen the light and must have lost so many sellers that they have to tempt them back somehow.Just like the "GOOD OLD DAYS" when they would give a discounted FVF every fortnight or so.Why must they learn the lesson the hard way?? IF ITS NOT BROKE,DON'T FIX IT !!!

catescoot74

·1 year ago

I honestly couldn’t agree more!

lucy_farmer

·1 year ago

'They have finally seen the light and must have lost so many sellers that they have to tempt them back somehow.'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I believe ebay took a bit of a gamble on Simple Del (which was a good money-making idea). But forcing it onto sellers when it was so very not ready, may have come back to bite ebay on the rear harder that they anticipated.

If S.D. was ready and usable in respect of : the over-size problem, the under-size category problem, the combining postage problem, the getting refunds for unused labels problem, the having to use Evri at all problem(!)., the continuing changes of rules , CS not knowing their bum from their elbow about it, etc etc..... If this little lot was fixed, then I'm pretty sure a fair amount of sellers would be reasonably happy to use it.

Because *when* it works it can be fairly Simple.

But when it doesn't, which is a lot of the time, it's a complete dog's breakfast.

But it doesn't matter how bad it is at the moment : they can't get rid of S.D. ☹️ Ebay will have gone into allsorts of business/legal/contractual stuff with Evri and R.M. which would make going back to how it used to be, impossible.

Ebay have been 'rowing back' on a few things - the time it takes to get your money, the buyers fee % etc. But these are things that are under ebay's (and only ebay's) control. So they can 'listen to sellers' and make changes there.

Ebay may well be trying to attract sellers back with coupons etc, but they won't be able to change the BIG problem, because S.D. is not just ebay's baby.

There is definitely a drop in seller numbers (my saved seller lists alone are telling me that...) and the only chance ebay have to stop the slide, is to make S.D. work properly...... because they can't get rid of it, much as I want them to 😢

catescoot74

·1 year ago

I agree with the SD thing completely, but it’s more than that. I’ve actually turned away from buying because of the imposed buyer protection fee.
What other companies charge for protection of your purchases? It’s an actual racket and there are several sellers out there that have lost sales from me because I refuse to pay that much just to have eBay protect my purchases.
They have been too greedy this time. Hurt buyers and sellers and they are going to regret it. You can only make money eBay if people are buying and selling?!

lucy_farmer

·1 year ago

'What other companies charge for protection of your purchases? '

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd say all of them.

It's just folded in to the overall price of whatever we're buying, so we don't see it. Likewise the cost of keeping payments secure, or replacing stuff that gets lost or squashed in the post etc.

Just like the old 'FREEpost' idea.

Eveybody knows that nothing is ever truly free: we're all paying for everything, somewhere or other.

But putting charges for something up front and centre, looking the buyer right in the face, is a really bad idea. (especially, if up until that point they'd been hidden. In ebays case, all the BPF stuff was hidden in the private seller's fees)

We humans are a funny lot, and we don't like seeing it.

Ebay's psychology dept made a blooper there....

@mle_drones 'They'd get rid of S.D. if seller levels drop too low'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh I hope you're right!

But my point is I don't think they can. Enormous businesses like ebay, R.M. and Evri contractually and legally getting into bed with each other, is going to make dropping the idea really difficult, if not impossible ☹️

mle_drones

·1 year ago

I don't think it would be impossible, eBay are just doing this as their latest attempt to get everybody to open a business account.

SD is only implemented on private accounts.

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esoterica_mail

·1 year ago

I'd love to be a fly on the wall of eBay's psychology department, working full-time on how far by a mixture of algorithms and human influence they can push people into accepting higher charges and handing over control of more and more of the transaction process, while marketing eBay as an apparently innocent, helpful, user-friendly platform that just is trying to please everyone.

It's funny how big multinational companies that use technological advances to expand, take things over and change them for the worse are always apparently powerless to change them back, while we mere individuals are 'empowered' to bend over backwards to adapt to them. Well, until the sales fall below a certain point, anyway. Then - as with the exorbitant fees they recently tried to pass off as 'buyer protection' - suddenly they've 'listened' and are able to find solutions.

If Simple Delivery (itself legally dubious, as mentioned above) is contractually impossible for eBay to get out of, then it looks like eBay has irreversibly alienated its core sellers/buyers and is finished. I haven't listed anything on here for 6 months. I've sold hundreds of low-price items and I've got hundreds more ready to go, but if selling them on eBay leaves me out of pocket and makes me feel like an employee with no autonomy I won't be using the platform. I'll go to another site or give the stuff to charity shops or recycle it and save myself a load of time and hassle.

If this restrictive and exploitative arrangement is a result of a contract eBay has got into with Evri and Royal Mail, I suggest they get themselves out of it (as I'm sure they can, I mean they're a vicious corporate machine but they're not stupid) as soon as possible. Otherwise it's bye bye for good eBay.

This story on its own is of no consequence to eBay of course; but multiplied by a few thousand it might be enough to register on the eBay psychology department's algorithm and give them something to puzzle over before they get laid off themselves.

steve66brubay

·1 year ago

Very interesting assessment of what eBay have done and why. I think 'Simple Delivery' could be a good thing in some cases where item size is compatible. My biggest problem is that it's just not possible to to post items by letter or large letter where the weight is well under 1 kg, but that's what a lot of the things I am selling (CDs, DVDs, cables, etc.) are. I'm not sure who wants to pay expensive 1 kg postage for a very thin, very light screen protector (for instance) which could easily be posted in an 87p letter.

iarichardso-10

·1 year ago

Exactly the problem I have. If you are selling collectable cards or small
items. It is nit good.

department28

·1 year ago

'But it doesn't matter how bad it is at the moment : they can't get rid of S.D. Ebay will have gone into allsorts of business/legal/contractual stuff with Evri and R.M. which would make going back to how it used to be, impossible.'

It is a pity we can't sabotage SD, like Mrs. Doyle & the despised, automatic tea-making gift from Father Ted... then we could all go back to posting normally again... 😂 🍵

catescoot74

·1 year ago

I’ve just stopped using eBay to sell. I’m using Facebook marketplace and gumtree now.

mle_drones

·1 year ago

I tried some products on gumtree and other than my car, nothing sold.

And Facebook is like the wild west, too many scammers.

Vinted have added many of the groups that eBay have, so I'm selling my products there until eBay see the light or go bust

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mle_drones

·1 year ago

They'd get rid of SD if seller levels drop too low. And they probably will. The T.V add they are running every 2nd add, does not seem to be working. Everybody I know who, didn't use eBay before, still don't use it now.

Then there's the big shiny V of vinted, I'm selling more on vinted than I am on eBay, despite only having a quarter of my stock on vinted. I guess we know where all the ex eBay buyers have gone

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catescoot74

·1 year ago

Ooooh! VINTED!! I forgot about Vinted! Thank you!

retroman303

·1 year ago

"Maybe I like the misery!" Classic episode - well, every episode of Father Ted was!

Good analogy with SD, except for the fact that, until Mrs Doyle tampered with it, the teamaker did actually work properly...

department28

·1 year ago

'Good analogy with SD, except for the fact that, until Mrs Doyle tampered with it, the teamaker did actually work properly...'

Yes, good point! 😄

I keep hoping SD will have some sort of catastrophic 'breakdown', and be forced to take early retirement... 🤖

3942rick2005

·1 year ago

You mean AI not Al! ( ai not al ) Stupid font that shows a capital i the same as a lower case L.

Using a different font gives you AI and Al or AI and Al which make more sense.

mle_zones

·1 year ago

I have 2 private accounts (my wife and I), these accounts have both been moved to eBay's new "highway robbery" erm I mean simple delivery.

For a test, I listed the same item on both accounts, made everything identical.

Ebays highway robbery system said during listing the item:-

Account 1: Postage will be £3.71

Account 2: Postage will be £3.38

How can the price be different for an identical item.

If I purchased postage directly from the courier, the cost would have been £2.96

They only give you 2 options Royal mail (good look on trying to send a 2nd class large letter tracked)

]

And Evri who top the list of every "worst delivery company list" compiled. And good luck in using any other courier.

And then they have the audacity to call it simple delivery.

I hope Big AL gets his eBay rival off the ground.

Until they you will find me on Vinted

edwardian-dreams

·1 year ago

If you have both couriers selected it looks as if one of them was put as small and one as medium

robmuir_78

·1 year ago

Who is Big Al?

stevemellor

·1 year ago

Big Artificial Intellegence

mle_drones

·1 year ago

Big AL, not Artificial Intelligence

mle_drones

·1 year ago

Just search for Big AL (not AI) on YouTube

steve66brubay

·1 year ago

I have been using eBay for several years, but it looks like this is the end. It is no longer possible to post items by letter, even if it is well within the dimensions. If I want to post as a large letter, I cannot do it at 100g or 250g. eBay want to force me to pay way more postage than an item requires, putting off many buyers.

beauty557

·1 year ago

Looks like Ebay relenting (a bit) and slightly reducing fixed Buyer Protection Insurance.Best thing is that Payouts to sellers will be 24 hrs after Buyer pays instead of all that nonsense of up to 14 days wait or even more.Am sure they have lost an awful lot of Sellers and are now licking their wounds with these revised conditions. Simple Delivery still sucks and living on an Island,a boat trip would be necessary for me to link with the nearest Evri collection point.Round trip of 3 hours !!! If they knock simple delivery on the head and let the seller choose with no catches,might just win back a few of the Departed Ebayers.?? Lets wait and see.

str11p

·1 year ago

You can turn off using Evri for Simple Delivery as a seller.

(There may be "exceptions" where they still give you an Evri label.)

beauty557

·1 year ago

Cannot risk any exceptions.Ferry trip and bus trip return to get to Evri is a no no. 3 hour round trip.

str11p

·1 year ago

You could list with seller pays postage. If a Evri label comes out, send it another way and claim a refund for the Evri label giving reason - no Evri drop off on island/within 90 minutes etc.

If you sell a lot of things and see more than a couple of Evri labels, then what I would do is pause all my listings and talk to ebay about it, and also not have many label refunds pending at a time just in case they don't want to refund the Evri labels.

Turn "off" Evri here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/ship/prf/simpledelivery

Hopefully most of the labels would then come out as RM.

It's up to you obviously if the above is worth the effort or not.

steve66brubay

·1 year ago

I'm curious as to how you 'talk to eBay' - I've never found a way to directly express what I think is wrong about what they're doing. Quite the opposite, they do everything they can to make sure users have no voice.

str11p

·1 year ago

I meant they could describe their situation and the issue they have with customer services

and/or

they could post a new thread on here and for hopefully the ebay reps to see

either option can offer advice or feedback to the relevant team.

I didn't guarantee the issue would be solved overnight. I'll "answer" your other reply though.

str11p

·1 year ago

You can list in some [sub]categories and select you own postage for small/light items.

See my post - (I use a web browser for ebay) https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-Central/Ebay-simple-delivery-opt-out/m-p/7890684#M745612

There isn't a list of which subcategories are valid for opting out. The closest is here https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/simple-delivery?id=5575#section13

stevemellor

·1 year ago

Just to add my voice of objection to this unacceptable control now being exerted by Ebay, taking away buyer and seller choice and effectively wiping out interface with the customer regarding delivery. The offer to combine postage is now dead. Further, they have removed all custmer details and so for orders from overseas, it is no longer possible to see end user country until after the label is printed. And yes, i fully understand that you can limit or define the countires that you might supply to, but it is such a great asset to know, when the order comes in, where it is going to - if nohing else, it helps to prioritise

beauty557

·1 year ago

Totally agree,but they just won't listen.

sin-6737

·1 year ago

It’s a nightmare and my sales have fallen off a cliff. What are they thinking?
Sent from my iPhone

lucy08010

·1 year ago

I've been with ebay for 23 years and never experienced anything like it! You're correct - it should be an opt in / opt out. Advisor this morning confirmed they're keeping in line with Vinted - I pointed out to her that many who use Ebay would not get on well with the Vinted system either. I know it's personal choice, but I am very disappointed. So many issues.

beauty557

·1 year ago

I have never used Vinted,but obviously Ebay feel obliged to follow the Vinted system rather than apply their own common sense to this stupid system. Was the ADVISOR who confirmed this a real person or an Ai robot??

poolmustang

·1 year ago

I am currently reporting ebay to Citizens advice under the consumer rights act 2015 and the Fair trades Act 1973, for breaching UK law and limiting users choices with the sole intention of forcing users into ebay's ecosystem with paid for partnerships in conjunction with Royal Mail (RM) and EVRI, lack of choice for postal services and options therein,

I have also sent information to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) stating that ebay, RM and EVRI are forcing and limiting users interactions with third party companies again by limiting the users choice with the intention of monopolizing the market and forcing users into ebay's ecosystem.

sin-6737

·1 year ago

Well done, sounds very sensible. Hopefully something will come of it.
Sent from my iPhone

4t5-rpm

·1 year ago

I despair now, I was selling lots of cheap records between £4 -£10. It’s completely dried up now, everything just looks too expensive to the buyer, sales have dropped from £100 per week to zero……..

beauty557

·1 year ago

Not a single response from Ebay themselves.Do they ever bother to read about our concerns.In almost 20 years of being an Ebayer,I don't think I have ever received a phone call back when I have submitted a concern to them. Once or twice the odd email but rarely.Have started using Freeads now.

mulv12366

·1 year ago

Now stopped selling after 15 yrs plus. To confusing, no control over postage ect

catescoot74

·1 year ago

It’s really awful isn’t it? This is this “too big to fail” attitude. I myself have actually turned away from bidding on things because this buyer protection charge they were slapping on was just too much. Their greed is going to get them this time. Back to the good old days of the freeads (now online) and gumtree! I’m hoping the Amazon seller thing is easy too. That would be good.
I seriously cannot wrap my head around what eBay are thinking or doing! Whomever came up with this idea, wants sacking.
Cate
Sent from my iPhone

beauty557

·1 year ago

My thoughts exactly the same yet they keep advertising Selling For Free which is a blatant LIE !!!

catescoot74

·1 year ago

Oh no, they’ve got that worded just right. They are offering no selling fees. They just tripled the charge and forced it onto the buyer and not the seller. They are making 3 times more money this way. But no one is able to sell anything now. So we are just screwed over in a different way. Awful. Just awful. Actually, Facebook marketplace is working quite well. I didn’t bother with social media before (yuck!) but after all this with eBay on the grab, I got myself a Facebook account to try the market place and it’s pretty good! Bye bye EBay. You did it to yourself with greed.
Cate x
Sent from my iPhone

pollythepink

·1 year ago

Here, Here,

Thoroughly angry with Ebay now, will not be adding anything new to my listing and already deleted a lot.

Would rather give it to charity, than let EBAY rip us off anymore.

They have brought this on themselves.

Shame on you Ebay

floydy_68

·1 year ago

100% agree this format of postage is disastrous for occasional sellers like myself, I was unable to change the postage reference number the item had been delivered still waiting for any funds after been made to basically pay postage twice...my post office told me ebay uses evri and they didn't.