Business Policies - Postage Keeps Changing

[knit-in-styles]

This last week eBay keeps creating new postage policies and no amount of trying to delete them is working.

I basically have two main postage policies, one for free postage and one for items where I charge postage. My listings are now in around 7 different postage policies, 4 of which I have not created and been created by ebay. They are correct in that the items where I am offering free postage do have this but the policy is a long winded sentence with a lot of numbers.

I have tried editing the listing singularly however it immediately jumps back to the policy eBay has created. I have also tried bulk editing and again not working.

Is this happening to anyone else?

Thanks

[technthread]

I have had it happen a few different ways. If I make a policy amendment, any listings that are locked (an offer is active for example), those come up as errors and then port to a ‘copy’ of the policy. Bulk editing can multiply that problem, you can easily end up with loads of copies over time if you don’t keep an eye on it.

I had a few new listings yesterday which had a new policy that started with something like ‘flat_rate’ in the name. That isn’t a policy I would name, I amended the listings to the normal policy I use and then went to business policies to delete the new one eBay generated straight away. Why does this happen? Well I think I made the mistake of going to an older item in sold history to do a sell similar which had a policy that has since been amended or deleted - I think that is the key, only re-list or sell similar on listings that are up to date. 

[knit-in-styles]

Thanks yes that is the same flat_rate then a name with a pile of numbers. It is a mess as now there are so many different postage policies and I cannot tidy them up.

[technthread]

It is a bit time consuming to sort, the last time I had a lot of them to do at one I had to check the number of active listings under the policies I didn’t want and manually edit each listing 1 by 1 to the policy I wanted.

All that were left were locked listings which were offers sent / received or auctions with under 24 hours to run. As soon as those could be changed or ended I could then see the copy policy had 0 listings and was able to delete it. I’ve found it’s best to delete it as soon as you’re able to get it down to 0 active listings.

It is so easy to miss a new policy popping up when in listing mode, I was on my 3rd new listing yesterday before I realised it was happening again. 

[technthread]

You have probably seen this anyway but in case not, the right hand column is the easiest way to find the listings that need to be edited.  

I am in that business policies page more than I’d like because of this issue and also eBay kept turning GSP off in March/April. 

[knit-in-styles]

Yes that is where I go. Select the listings but as I say it will not change them to MY postage policies. They keep jumping back to the new eBay one.

[kaz_bra]

Mine is the same. I try to use one of my current business policies and you can see it physically change on screen to one ebay has made up. Worse thing is when it is finally listed it changes from "free 1 - 2 days postage" to "free next day delivery" keeps changing between the two !!!! Absolute nightmare.

[technthread]

Maybe we do things in a different way. I go from that business policies page (I’m only on there to identify the listings affected) over to the app and edit listings one by one.

I probably can’t help more than that as I haven’t found obstacles to it other than any locked listings that can’t be edited there and then. 

[technthread]

Do you see any changes in the eBay created policy that would explain them forcing the change? I’m thinking for example (I haven’t seen this happen myself), the eBay policy has Europe or NI disabled?

Or just off the top of head, didn’t eBay make some changes to letter/large letter categories recently? Could you be using one of the postage options that was changed in any way?… just guesswork I’m pretty stumped on what you’re seeing. 

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I have a suspicion, that when they won't change, it's because of something like an offer being open.

I've found that the easiest way to change these when it happens, is to simply end/relist the item with correct policy.

Some will change with no issues at all.  But those that do, you end up with more policies.

It's quite annoying and a pain to sort out.  Especially if you have a listing that you don't want to end and lose history.

[padanpcparts]

Happens all the time. I just bulk swap them to another policy, then delete the policy. After a while it stops. Must be something to do with when you edit policies, i.e. yearly price adjustment or whatever. 

[knit-in-styles]

Thanks I keep trying to bulk swap them but it is not working so I cannot delete the policies as they still have a number of listings attached to them. Even when you try to amend a single listing, when you select my own policy say free postage, it jumps right back to the eBay policy.

[kaz_bra]

I’ve ended the ones affected and set up a new policy (as parcels rather than large letter). 
im not sure what but I think  it’s something to do with large letters. 
will have a better look tomorrow 

[padanpcparts]

Yeah, had a few frustrating issues with this over the years. Just got to keep trying and maybe leave it a week. It will keep happening. unfortunately.

[bojangled]

@knit-in-styles 

I fought with this over weekend while refreshing listings, bulk editing.

They all had the red exclamation warning that my policy for letter/large letter had been changed (to whatever eBay call it now).

Managed to apply my policy - eventually from the business policies page.

Jo

[kaz_bra]

yes its certainly something to do with letter/large letter.

Ive now made a new policy with parcels and using that on all my new listings.

fingers crossed this will resolve it

[technthread]

There are a few different issues with letters/large letters at the moment that are carrying over to different things. 

If I buy a Royal Mail 2nd class large letter postage label through eBay, the tracking reference doesn’t apply to the order so I have had to manually add it myself. 

It does add the tracking on the Tracked 48 labels that I buy though so I’m guessing it is only a 1st / 2nd class letter/LL glitch.

[knit-in-styles]

I haven't looked at it today as I am working in my normal job lol however I tried over the weekend from the business policy page, also from some individual listings and also bulk editing the affected listings and not one worked, they all went back to the new eBay introduced ones. Strange though it has even affected some of my listings where I offer free postage as a new policy has been created for that and again I cannot change it to my own free postage policy.

[rainbowtrax]

If your business policies have either 1st or 2nd letter/large letter services then that's probably the reason why listings are being moved from them to new ebay created policies. This is because ebay have recently changed their listed services and what were previously 1st letter/large letter and 2nd letter/large letter have both now been split into two separate services - 1st letter and 1st large letter, and 2nd letter and 2nd large letter. So it's likely that any policies with the old terminology have stopped being useable and have been automatically replaced.

Announcement here: Update to Royal Mail delivery services on eBay - UK eBay Community