Simple delivery - I was just wondering .........

[magpiecorner1]

Am I right that the introduction of simple delivery for business sellers means that, because the buyer pays the postage to eBay and not to the seller, there will be no fees on postage from now on?

I pay 18% fees on postage, and my postage charges cover fees and postage and packing materials.  I'm more than happy to add a bit the to item price to cover the p&p - or even sell my good boxes separately - if I lose the fees on postage.

Strikes me that this is a very good plus for simple delivery - I appear to be exempt for most of my items as its jewellery, which is a pity - though there doesn't seem to be an exemption for jewellery for private sellers. 

Was wondering as I haven't seen any posts stating simple delivery is a good thing!

[therenewalworkshopltd]

As far as I'm aware, Simple delivery is for private sellers only and not business.

Unless I've missed a major change.

I know that it can be seen as an option, but it's not meant for business.

But if business where to use it, then I would imagine that it would come with the downside as well, such as waiting for payment.....

[sml192]

Simple Delivery is currently only for private sellers. 

[moldosgifts]

yes simple delivery is currently for private sellers only same with the BPF

And love your listings but your 3 ring Celtic brooch how does it attach to clothing? is there an pin not in the  photos? May be interested in it but cant see how it attaches.

[podlingsmum2007]

I am a private seller and have found that I cannot use simple delivery for costume jewellery, a purse, and a bag, even though they are of low value. I would imagine valuable jewellery would be exempt even if simple delivery was offered to business sellers. 

[4_bathrooms]

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@magpiecorner1 wrote:

Am I right that the introduction of simple delivery for business sellers means that, because the buyer pays the postage to eBay and not to the seller, there will be no fees on postage from now on?

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As mentioned; "Simple" Delivery is only intended to be available to private sellers. I doubt it will ever be an optional or compulsory delivery method for business sellers.

However, if eBay ever did introduce SD for business sellers the final value fee is always based on the total amount paid by the buyer (which includes the item price, postage, and any applicable taxes) so it is almost a given that would include any postage charged to the buyer by eBay. As an example the FVF applies to any sales taxes (like EU VAT) that eBay is obliged to charge and remit. 

[magpiecorner1]

It's a scarf brooch.

Doesn't need a pin, the ends if a scarf (think headscarf not Rupert the best scarf) is threaded through the two if the rings and down through the third! 

[magpiecorner1]

I thought it was already an option for business sellers.  

I'd take bets that it's only a matter of time before it comes to business sellers.

[bojangled]

@magpiecorner1 

I don’t see how they can force this on businesses, think World of Books, Music Magpie courier contracts.

Unless of course they will give the big boys special treatment?

Jo

[magpiecorner1]

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@bojangled wrote:

@magpiecorner1 

I don’t see how they can force this on businesses, think World of Books, Music Magpie courier contracts.

Unless of course they will give the big boys special treatment?

Jo

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Have you ever, for even one second, imagined that it is a completely level playing field.

EBay enrol staff who have done the MBAs, degrees any and all of the business qualifications, especially at the prestigious establishments - heck, Jamie Ionnane, CEO,  has a degree from Princeton and an MBA from Stanford - so they completely understand how business, that is business dealing with corporations worth millions, work.  They completely understand that a percentage of business, about 20%, create 80% of their sales.

EBay is very certainly a two tier business, trouble is they don't understand small businesses- because they don't learn about small businesses in Business school (just check a few of the courses available in the US), they don't have any experience or understanding of small businesses, so they just bleed us dry.  And not for a moment do I think the category fees are equally applied to every business on eBay.

There is no concept that, unlike a very large business that can cope with small profit margins - supermarkets make as little as 2% nett, small businesses need decent profit margins to survive.   

World of books  took a good while to become profitable, I think around 8% last time I looked.

O course small businesses cant survive for long on a nett profit of 8%, more especially if that 8% is our wages  - company accounts pay everyone before declaring profits.

So, as simple delivery is an excellent means of making money, and eBay knows how to make money - with profits in the 78% range, they certainly know how to make money, simple delivery will be just too tempting to ignore - especially when it doesn't have to be across the board.  Question is, would it make more than fees?  Or can they do both? 

Just my opinion.  Because it might all change if we lose  private sellers, and that loss results in a significant drop in buyers.

[lucy_farmer]

'Because it might all change if we lose  private sellers, and that loss results in a significant drop in buyers.'

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Well, there's definitely a loss of a certain amount of private sellers. The genuine private sellers who can't deal with the whole pile of 'new rules' , with SD being the final nail.

(People selling off their unwanteds, out-growns, and 'inheriteds' etc....to make money to buy 'treats' with.

In my case, 90% of my 'saved seller' list was business sellers, so, with no money in my 'selling account',  those sellers aren't going to be selling stuff to me. And I'm sure I'm not alone in this)

Ebay appear to have been making statements of intent then making changes that may have completely the opposite effect.

 For example the CEO's previous statement that "sellers who also buy are amongst the most valuable customers of ebay".

The 'sellers who also buy' are much more likely to be private sellers. (Business sellers aren't on ebay on a shopping trip buying treats ; they're at work trying to make money, not spend it.)

So why are they making selling life so difficult for private sellers? They are driving away some of their 'valuable' customers.

The CEO's statement about wanting ebay to become a 'high-end, luxury shopping site' .

So why try to copy V inted? V is a place where stuff is so cheap (a-few-quid second hand clothing) that buyer's aren't too concerned about returns and so on. If it's not as described etc, they're happy just to chuck it in the bin!  Can't get a lot further from high-end luxury than that......

And possibility of S.D. rolling out to business sellers?

Well, I just can't imagine WoB and MusicMagpie doing as they are told ; @bojangled  will be perfectly correct about them having courier contracts. They'd probably lose more in custom (by making the buyer pay ebay's postage rate) than by simply using their own courier- for pennies. And the big boys could walk away quite easily ; huge names with many outlets.

So there would *have* to be a kind of 'cut-off' level depending on seller size for who gets S.D. and who doesn't. (A very definitely not-level playing field!)

Unless ebay *are* chasing the high-end luxury after all..... and want second-hand books and CDs etc  gone?. I can't imagine that, but who knows what on earth to think about ebay's 'thought processes' , currently!

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Where was the statement from the CEO about Ebay becoming a luxury site please?

[lucy_farmer]

Hello renewal,

I can't remember (this is possibly in Jan/Feb?)

@valueaddedresource   found it and put it up.

(value being a genius at finding intelligble and useful nuggets of info hiding in reams of business jargon and bullsh** spin...)