Ok so this is partly just a vent and also partly an invitation for people to help me understand what's going on with my listings randomly switching to the Simple Delivery options for the postage details, instead of the old system where you could simply enter the courier and package sizes youself.
I've been using eBay for 15 years, for most of that period when I list items they are all very similar and so I usually just use an existing listing as the template and just change a few variable details such as the title, price, photos, etc.
When an item sells I have used Packlink to send all my items, the process is very quick and since I already preselect Evri as the courier of choice as the delivery option for all my listings, as well as the parcel size which are often the same size, it’s always been very straight forward to buy a postage label.
But two things have changed: Packlink has now been streamlined into eBay’s own label purchase system (which still confusingly uses Packlink) and this is now interlinked with eBay’s new Simple Delivery system, which can be controlled independently via the Postage section of your listings.
The issue is that I’ve discovered a few of my most recent listings have inexplicably changed to this new Simple Delivery system mode without me noticing, which automatically defaults the postage settings to a ‘recommended’ smaller parcel than what I need. I can't even specify the dimensions of my parcel anymore from within the listing settings, all my listings seem to have had this setting removed. Also annoyingly it defaults to the buyer paid shipping option and I’ve always offered free shipping on everything. There’s no way I know of to check this setting without manually going into each listing to double check so that's a massive pain as I have around 100 listings at a time.
Then when I come to buy a Packlink label for an order, eBay have now relocated the old purchase system to a Legacy Tool which seems to be hit and miss nowadays, sometimes when I’ve paid for a label I don’t get the download or email with the QR code attached. The alternative is to use their Simple Delivery purchase system but since this is tied to the settings from your listings, you then have to change it to the correct size manually and potentially pay more than what the buyer paid, admittedly not an issue for me since I’d usually offer it free anyway but still worth mentioning for anyone who doesn’t offer free shipping.
So, my questions:
- What is causing some of my listings to default to Simple Delivery?
- Does it matter if you purchase a shipping label for a service that doesn't match your listing settings?
- How does anyone else find this system?
- Why the need to introduce this new system when the old one worked just fine?
It's possible all of these issues are due to me being so used to the old system and I just didn't see the new settings when I created a recent listing, but that doesn't change the fact I was absolutely fine using the old system and don't remember being informed of this change. I find it confusing that they still offer the Packlink Legacy Tool to be used to purchase labels with no word on when it will presumably be discontinued, but they add the Simple Delivery settings to listings without making it clear what it all means.
