Weekly Chat with the eBay Community Team- 27.11.24 @2pm

[community-team@ebay]

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@ebay and dave@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

[dave@ebay]

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@darth_baggins wrote:

Dave - you've totally missed the point. May I suggest you look at the picture? It says I've qualified for £!

This is at least the fourth time this has happened. Does anybody working for eBay actually check these things before they're sent out?

---

Hi @darth_baggins,

Apologies, I get you now. 

As you know it's not something we have any control over, but would you mind forwarding the email to contactcommunity@ebay.com. I'll find out what team it came and make them aware of the issue. 

Thanks,

Dave

[returns_andexdisplay]

What exactly do ebay understand?

Pretty much sums ebay managment up currently if the plan is to switch sale event and coupons off in mid Jan after peak is over. 

The businesses that want to do well on the site and support feel cut off at the knees presently with the decisions that have been made recently. 

Private sellers who move over to a shop get given a free shop till the end of the year along with free FVF

Private sellers get free everything

All a businesses gets is emails asking for more money to pay for ebay's bonuses from promoted listings.  

Maybe HMRC will come and take a look at ebay and see all the VAT they have missed out on this quarter from the fees businesses should of been paying ebay. 

[dave@ebay]

---

@kempseykate wrote:

Hello!

Why is there so much inconsistency on the 'sell similar' form?
Having removed all my listings while I was away recently, I have finally managed to get them all back on again, using 'sell similar'.
All my listings offer change of mind returns, and none offer 'collection'.

But using 'sell similar', sometimes it reverts to 'postage + collection' and even takes out the returns option on some. What should be a quick and easy task becomes such a chore, because I have to check every little thing to make sure ebay haven't changed something from the original.

And why, oh why, can we not choose our default out of 'post + collection' , 'post only' etc?

---

Hi @kempseykate 

I believe sell similar will use the original version of the listing when it lists. Did you ever offer collection on your items? 

Thanks,

Dave

[cobwebcottage]

To be clear, the stars are missing the t and s.  

[kempseykate]

---

dave@ebay wrote:

---

@kempseykate wrote:

Hello!

Why is there so much inconsistency on the 'sell similar' form?
Having removed all my listings while I was away recently, I have finally managed to get them all back on again, using 'sell similar'.
All my listings offer change of mind returns, and none offer 'collection'.

But using 'sell similar', sometimes it reverts to 'postage + collection' and even takes out the returns option on some. What should be a quick and easy task becomes such a chore, because I have to check every little thing to make sure ebay haven't changed something from the original.

And why, oh why, can we not choose our default out of 'post + collection' , 'post only' etc?

---

Hi @kempseykate 

I believe sell similar will use the original version of the listing when it lists. Did you ever offer collection on your items? 

Thanks,

Dave

---

No, Dave that was my point!
I have never used 'collection' and have always offered returns.

[dave@ebay]

---

@cobwebcottage wrote:

Hello all,

Would you be able to  escalate a report which I submitted, which hasn't been actioned, for a private seller who is really abusing Ebay's policies?

They have over 1600 listings and every photo has contact details for their shop on E**y. Their user name even starts with the word  E**y followed by their shop name ( on the other site).

All of their Ebay listings are also on the other site which they are promoting.

I cannot believe that they were not removed straight away. Happy to give you more details in messages. 

---

Hi @cobwebcottage 

Happy to escalate this for you. Please PM me the userID and Ill have a look into it after the chat. 

Thanks,

Dave

[kat@ebay]

---

@auctiongabble wrote:

Spoken to a few agents past week, those who manage the accounts so quite high up in the support line and it is clear:-

Ebay are not interested in those who are clearly not a private seller but are using a private account. 

Pointed one seller who has 1,240 items listed, 700 of these were brand new items!

Ebay response, they can have a large qty listed but if actual sales per month are low then its not an issue and only when high value per month is made in sales is when it triggers the system.

Raised same issues of problems with searches and how items are being hidden for a number of reasons and how UK site is flooded with oversea sellers items taking priority, even traders on private accounts are shown above mine…

I was basically told by the agent, if I want my items to be seen then pay for promotions.

Ebay agents have no concept of business expenses involved outside of ebay

14.9% ebay fees and ebays suggested promotion rate of 10 to 12%

No business will survive with selling costs like that!

Ebay agent also have said they no plans to assist business sellers, they currently see no issues and only if there is noticeable negative feedback or problems reported will something be looked in to.

So, what is coming from these weekly chats, feedback apparently gets taken. 

I see nothing coming of these chats and it seems a pointless task as ebay are not taking any of members points seriously and clearly will not do anything to improve this site and make it a fair place to sell for private and business sellers, Are there any plans to improve the site for business sellers?

---

Hi @auctiongabble ,

We are sharing the feedback raised with the relevant teams. It doesn't mean an immediate change will happen given that there are various processes and departments involved on the eBay platform. 

In terms of what was introduced for business sellers it is the better protection against fraudulent returns and 1-1 seller clinics . We don't have information on further changes as of yet. Once we do we will let the community know.

Adding to the reduction of the listing allowance for private sellers Ebay are now also removing access to the discount tools for private sellers with shop subscriptions.  This is another step towards managing the business accounts trading as private.

Thank you,

Kat

[funkybunnie-direct]

The way to 'manage' the business accounts that are trading as private is to make them trade as a business account! Seems that ebay are happy to allow these sellers to trade against ebay policy, and also against ebay law that states that a business seller has to declare that they are when trading.

So are ebay going to actually 'make' these illegally trading sellers to become legal or just allow them to carry on and just put a few restrictions on the ways that they can allow offers etc?

[bobsbrickstuff]

Hi there, I've been unable to buy Royal Mail international postage labels for small and medium parcels for quite a few weeks. Only UPS and DPD are shown in the single label purchase page, and on the bulk labels page changing the size from letter/large letter to small parcel crashes the page.

Letters and large letters are working fine.

[kat@ebay]

---

@funkybunnie-direct wrote:

That's hardly an answer. Whilst I appreciate the listing number has been reduced, this is only for NEW listings. Why on earth a "Private' seller would need even this number is beyond me. To list 10 items a day takes time. 5,600 items listed from my previous example would cost me an extra £240 a month on top of my £92 subscription - and then have to pay when I sell 

This is becoming a joke. Not wanting to be too aggressive, you can sit fobbing us off with responses that mean nothing and certainly don’t answer our questions. Regardless of the answers you will still get paid the same at the end of the month. And who pays a large portion of you wage – official business sellers. Business seller who are losing money because of allowing this illegal trading. You will be driving these sellers off your site, and who will pay your wages then?

I would happily do ebays job of finding these sellers that are trading for free! But tell us the way to report these sellers - from the sellers I have reported I have only had a response from 2 - and these ebay said were not doing anything wrong. So how do we report that something actually might be actioned?

---

Hi @funkybunnie-direct,

We can do as much as we can on this side which is push feedback that is brought to the chats. With regards to the new reporting system we are currently following this up to get confirmation for the best way to have these accounts reviewed. As soon as we have that detail I will update.

Thank  you,

Kat

[a45heaven]

The Post Offices still provide them.

[auctiongabble]

Hi kat@ebay, you are missing the points here, many users are seeing nothing change and ebay would have the workforce to implement changes quickly if they wanted to.  All ebay want from business sellers is more money to promote items.  Ebay are not resolving the problems with the site and many users have raised and experienced the same problems.   Please message me via messages as after 4 wks i need to talk direct

[bobsbrickstuff]

I know thanks, I'm doing them manually on the Royal Mail site but this is several times slower and I'm running a business 😅

[kat@ebay]

---

@krafty-kreations wrote:

Additionally, private sellers will no longer have access to the Multi-buy discount tool.

Hi Kat, is that all private sellers or just those with shop subscriptions

I am not sure stopping the discount tools is going to rectify the situation in all honesty, that just tells me that actually eBay have no intention of sorting the issue of business sellers on private accounts out at all, you are just penalising genuine private sellers that may use those tools! 

---

Hi @krafty-kreations ,

This will be for all private sellers.  I understand on what your advising on not rectifying the situation but its another measure that will help towards these types of accounts.

Thank you,

Kat

[dave@ebay]

---

@treetopsminicottages wrote:

Yes I understand the timescales re IND cases but I met this situation for the first time this week.

Having opened a IND case last weekend I received a returns label  and posted the return yesterday morning (Tuesday). Within a few hours I was notified the seller had asked eBay to escalate the case. So, I am wondering on what grounds, when the return is confirmed as in transit, can a seller  get a case escalated before actually receiving back the return?

---

Hi @treetopsminicottages 

It sounds like you were within the required timeframes so I can't say why in that case the option to escalate was available for the seller. 

It might be worth reaching out to CS they will be able to review the case and tell you what happened.

Thanks,

Dave

[dave@ebay]

---

@kempseykate wrote:

---

dave@ebay wrote:

---

@kempseykate wrote:

Hello!

Why is there so much inconsistency on the 'sell similar' form?
Having removed all my listings while I was away recently, I have finally managed to get them all back on again, using 'sell similar'.
All my listings offer change of mind returns, and none offer 'collection'.

But using 'sell similar', sometimes it reverts to 'postage + collection' and even takes out the returns option on some. What should be a quick and easy task becomes such a chore, because I have to check every little thing to make sure ebay haven't changed something from the original.

And why, oh why, can we not choose our default out of 'post + collection' , 'post only' etc?

---

Hi @kempseykate 

I believe sell similar will use the original version of the listing when it lists. Did you ever offer collection on your items? 

Thanks,

Dave

---

No, Dave that was my point!
I have never used 'collection' and have always offered returns.

---

Hi @kempseykate 

I just wanted to rule that out, it will be the first thing that's checked when I escalate it. If you want to PM me the item numbers of where it was different I can ask the site team to review it and see if I can get an answer for you. 

Thanks,

Dave

[kat@ebay]

---

@bobsbrickstuff wrote:

Hi there, I've been unable to buy Royal Mail international postage labels for small and medium parcels for quite a few weeks. Only UPS and DPD are shown in the single label purchase page, and on the bulk labels page changing the size from letter/large letter to small parcel crashes the page.

Letters and large letters are working fine.

---

Hi @bobsbrickstuff ,

I will check up on the ability to buy the royal mail international labels. For the bulk labels page issue it is open with tech and I will add your account to that ticket.

Thank you,

Kat

[kat@ebay]

---

@returns_andexdisplay wrote:

What exactly do ebay understand?

Pretty much sums ebay managment up currently if the plan is to switch sale event and coupons off in mid Jan after peak is over. 

The businesses that want to do well on the site and support feel cut off at the knees presently with the decisions that have been made recently. 

Private sellers who move over to a shop get given a free shop till the end of the year along with free FVF

Private sellers get free everything

All a businesses gets is emails asking for more money to pay for ebay's bonuses from promoted listings.  

Maybe HMRC will come and take a look at ebay and see all the VAT they have missed out on this quarter from the fees businesses should of been paying ebay. 

---

Hi @returns_andexdisplay ,

I understand where your coming from and get the frustration with the private accounts.  I will share the points you are making as feedback. 

Thank you,

Kat

[kat@ebay]

---

@auctiongabble wrote:

Hi kat@ebay, you are missing the points here, many users are seeing nothing change and ebay would have the workforce to implement changes quickly if they wanted to.  All ebay want from business sellers is more money to promote items.  Ebay are not resolving the problems with the site and many users have raised and experienced the same problems.   Please message me via messages as after 4 wks i need to talk direct

---

Hi @auctiongabble ,

As we have already advised we don't support through private messages here. It is a community platform and it operates with users posting on threads. If you wish to speak to someone you can do so by going through the contact us option on your eBay account.

As a community team we share the points that are being raised as feedback. We cannot control when and how a change is made but we continue to follow up with our teams for future improvements.

Thank you,

Kat