Age verification to send a teacup! Label systems has glitch; customer services unhelpful.

[cumbria.home]

After 23 years selling on eBay, I really am questioning how good eBay is anymore, because...

• I sold a pair of teacups (for £5). I had set the postage as Royal Mail 48-hour tracked, small package, with a post cost of £3.45.
• After the sale, I tried to generate the label only to find I was being forced into using UPS, with age verification (for teacups) at a whopping £10!
• I called customer service; they looked into the issue while I was on the phone.
• They stated there was an issue with their system, and  I would be sent the correct label within 24 hours.
• Label did not arrive; no other communication from eBay.
• So, I've refunded the customer (I'm clearing down my house before moving, so not hanging around or wasting a customer's time!)

[tressygirl]

There have been reports of glitches and issues galore with Simple Delivery, but your example for age verification needed for selling  a tea cup , takes the biscuit.....  sorry no pun intended here !

It's a system me thinks in my humble opinion,  which has been rolled out,  albeit very slowly, but still not ready for use.

@cumbria.home 

[xyz307xyz]

UPS aren't on Simple Delivery - "I was being forced into using UPS" - could you have just bought RM48 from the royal mail site?

[jonatjonatjonat]

Did you set the postage yourself?ie not simple delivery.

I assume something in the listing is making eBay think it’s a bladed article which currently eBay only offer UPS age verification service on their own labels.

[cumbria.home]

please read what I wrote in the first place: I'm not repeating myself,
apart from:

- I called customer service; they looked into the issue while I was on
the phone.
- They stated there was an issue with their system, and I would be
sent the correct label within 24 hours.

I have been an eBay seller for 23 years. I always use Royal Mail, never
UPS, without any issues (I sold around 10 items this week, without any
problems).

[cumbria.home]

please read what I wrote in the first place: I'm not repeating myself, apart from:

• I called customer service; they looked into the issue while I was on the phone.
• They stated there was an issue with their system, and  I would be sent the correct label within 24 hours.

I have been an eBay seller for 23 years. I always use Royal Mail, never UPS, without any issues (I sold around 10 items this week, without any problems).

[cumbria.home]

I agree with you.

After 23 years on eBay, I now consider this new labelling system to be a mess and has not been properly tested.

[jonatjonatjonat]

Sorry for trying to help and offer a suggestion. I know for a fact that UPS age verification was recently brought in as a means to ship bladed items. I know a teacup isn’t a bladed item, but I was merely suggesting something in your listing would lead eBay to assume it was. Not knowing the listing, it would be impossible to say.

its also possible the rep on the phone had no clue as to what they were talking about (I accept what I’m saying could also be rubbish of course)

I am unsure what you are expecting as the outcome of your post?

[cumbria.home]

Thank you for your prompt reply; I am not asking for help.

I am making a statement in the hope that an employee of eBay might take
note of my complaint (which I suspect is one of many regards the new
system), along with highlighting this issue, should any other seller
experience it.

The cups are being taken off sale & going to a charity shop.

[xyz307xyz]

Good luck then.

If I forget  and reply to any further posts/comments you make. Please just ignore them.

Including this one.

[edwardian-dreams]

If it was this item it’s not a samurai sword 

maybe Ai pick on Japanese items lol

item number 226739729715

two flipping cups

if it was me I’d be down ebays throat 

[cumbria.home]

When I have a moment, I'm going to fire off one of my 'exocet' missile
letters to eBay (I'm rather good at writing these)

[edwardian-dreams]

Make sure you address it to ebays ceo

someone here has their email address

make it extra lethal 

[jonatjonatjonat]

great find and yeah, nothing there that stands out as a bladed item!

nice teacups as well. A charity shop will love them.

[infohelps]

Sadly, I don't think they will care. People who still write letters are probably just the people they want to get rid of!  (Not a criticism, I am in that category too - I don't want to spend my life faffing around with printers, QR codes, and emails with pin numbers).  if you get a reply it will be a generic answer as other people have found out.   Astonishingly, they do not have a formal complaints procedure.  Probably because half of their staff would have to redeployed to that department to keep up.     Reporting them to the Competition and Marketing Authority might be a better use of your time.  Nursediesel made a post on the mega thread "No longer selling due to simple delivery" in the last few days outlining what to say in your report (which can be done on line) and another post with links, although it would need tweaking to suit your own situation.  I reported them back in April, along with other people, and a case is opened, so the more people join in the better. 

[cumbria.home]

Many thanks for your informative email.