Simple Delivery Price Changes Alert

[mygaras]

Just a heads-up regarding overnight price changes in Simple Delivery. Yesterday, I listed some cassettes for sale. I carefully weighed the tapes and worked out the appropriate parcel size. Although they easily fitted within the Royal Mail Small Parcel dimensions, the only options available were Large Letter or Medium Parcel.

'Up to 2kg Medium Parcel' was duly selected at a cost of £3.44 - 'Seller to Pay' as I offer free postage on all my listings.

However, having just printed the label and checked the order details, I can see that eBay has charged me £5.15 for the postage 🤨  This will be the new rate for 1-2kg Medium Parcels, due to come in on 20th May, with £3.38  being the future charge for 1-2kg Small Parcels, after that date. 

Bit cheeky! I will now have to go through all my listings for the umpteenth time, checking each item for the correct postage. However, having just picked the first item on the list, I can see that the new Small Parcel Rate is not yet available, just Medium Parcel at £3.64 for up to 1kg, or £5.15 up to 2kg. Theses prices do not match the prices listed in the SD help section (nor the prices quoted yesterday when I created the listing), which clearly state that it is £3.44 up to 2kg, until 20th May. And without the option to select Small Parcel, I am being overcharged.

Come on eBay, it's one thing to keep changing the system, but to be overcharging customers in the process (whether they are buyers or sellers) is really underhand. I've contacted CS, but I don't hold out much hope!

[mygaras]

Just started going through my active listings and found that I will end up out of pocket as a result of this issue. As a random example - I have a book listed for £5.03 (net of BPF). It weighs more than 1kg. When listed, I opted for 'Up to 2kg Medium Parcel', (Seller pays postage), which was quoted as being £3.44. Today, that has leapt up to £5.15. By my calculations, I shall be, um, 12p out of pocket. That's before I consider any packaging costs. 

So, do I take down all my listings until this is sorted, or do I change every listing over to 'Buyer pays postage' and look I'm ripping people off?

kat@ebay  or dave@ebay  I think that this needs looking into as a matter of urgency.

[goodibags]

I think it's called 'Dynamic' pricing? Whereby nobody knows the price of anything and how much you pay is determined by the market rate at the point of sale.

All of which may sound like the future but it certainly doesn't make for a pleasant or confident buying experience.

[mygaras]

I sincerely hope that eBay doesn't implement dynamic pricing!! But you never know, if some bright spark suggests it, it could well happen 😆

The good news is that, having just spent the last hour going through all my listings, the postal charges appear to be back to what they were yesterday. I still want my £1.71 back though!

And I've just realised that I'll have to go through the whole process again, if/when the new Small Parcel category/rates are introduced 🙄

[kat@ebay]

Hi @mygaras ,

Thank you for your post.

The new rates are not applying until the 20th. Can you reach out to customer support for this order. They can review the label details on their end and organise a refund.

Thank you,

Kat

[mygaras]

Thanks @katbkat, for confirming the date for the new rates.

I contacted CS earlier regarding a refund and awaiting a response 👍

[mygaras]

Well, this'll make you laugh.

According to CS, the reason I was charged £5.15 postage, and not the £3.44 I should have been charged was because...

"...the postage cost can differ for order due to size of package, weight and dimension, and most importantly distance of buyer's address. You have been charged for postage of £5.15 due to the distance of buyer's address."

Right. OK. Only thing is, the item was sent via Royal Mail who operate under a Universal Service Obligation, which as we all know, means that it is one price, across the network. And in any case, the buyer's address is approximately 15 miles from my address. I dread to think what eBay thinks it can charge customers if they send an item from Land's End to John O'Groats 😂

[goodibags]

It's a good thing the buyer was not 30 miles away. Simple Algorithm-icly could have charged you hundreds of pounds!

[mygaras]

---

@goodibags wrote:

It's a good thing the buyer was not 30 miles away. Simple Algorithm-icly could have charged you hundreds of pounds!

---

😂😂😂

[mygaras]

And the latest excuse for overcharging me on postage is...

"I can assure you that if there were any possibility, we would have already helped you with this. However, as postage cost is charged by Royalmail, there is no option to partially refund the postage cost. We appreciate you letting us know your feedback about our features and services. It appears this will be the new rate for 1-2kg Medium Parcels set by Royalmail. I have filed a complaint against Royalmail on your behalf."

I won't give up on this!!

[mygaras]

And the latest excuse for being overcharged on postage is:

"I would like to inform that recommended postage cost is based on the similar item listed by other sellers on eBay. You had not set "package weight and dimensions" on your listing so that buyer was charged less postage. For this to work properly, it is important that you provide the accurate weight and dimensions in the "package weight and dimensions" section."

OK, but as I am on mandatory Simple Delivery, there is no option to set the package weight and dimensions.

But apparently, the reason I'm not able to set the package weight and dimensions is not because of SD, but because:

"I would like to inform that you are listing from eBay app so that you are not getting an option to input package weight or dimension as eBay app is suitable only for basic selling activities. "

But I never use the app to create a listing. I only ever use the website.

Will try and speak to someone in Dublin tomorrow to get this sorted.

[1902elder]

Have you blocked Evri? I have not yet used SD, but out of interest I applied it to a listing. If I left both RM and Evri as options, postage came up as £3.44, but when I blocked Evri it shot up to £5.15. I did not make the listing with SD, but if I had, and it sold, delivery would almost certainly be by Evri.

[mygaras]

Yes, I have blocked Evri, @1902elder . How curious!

However, after last week's glitch, when all my quoted postage fees shot up to £5.15 for the day, they have all now returned to £3.44. And on subsequent sales, I have been charged the correct amount of £3.44. I think that this is just one of many ongoing issues with Simple Delivery, which for me is mandatory, so I don't even have the option to use custom postage anymore. I can't even override SD on listings which meet the <£10/<100g/letter post criteria 🤷‍

[goodibags]

Well done for persevering. I suspect you may get as many 'answers' as number of calls made to customer services. 

The no weight and no dimensions excuse is an odd one as Ebay have explicitly stated that as long as a seller uses the label supplied to them they will not be asked to pay more. But if the cost is being deducted from sale proceeds the sky's the limit.

Ultimately the postage rates may change from one day to the next and Ebay may (or as it appears may not) notify sellers beforehand when they do.

Simple Delivery seems designed primarily to keep sellers coming back to the site every few hours. Clever.  😉

[mygaras]

Yes, exceedingly clever @goodibags 😂

[dantwocats]

Just tried to revise a free post to buyer pays and its £3.64 and they said we need not update listing ## i not going to over pay for postage and why should a buyer DS did combine three lots last week but over charged the buyer (should be £3.44 but was £5.54 ) ,

[realspark]

This is bonkers.

Only got a few listings on, swapping them back to Custom Postage.

[goodibags]

As kat@ebay explained, the new rates don't start until the 20th May. Except the ones that started on 19th?

I expect Ebay will soon have a very simple and prompt refunding process for any buyers (or sellers) that have been overcharged postage by Ebay?

[realspark]

I hope they haven't got too much on this evening! 😀

What a mess!

[mygaras]

Well, still haven't managed to secure a refund on last week's c*ck up, and now I can see that the much-anticipated inclusion of a Small Parcel rate has not transpired, just an increase in the Medium Parcel rates. What is going on? Glad I've marked myself as away, am considering giving up completely!