Simple Delivery

[charlie7226]

Is anyone else fed up with the change to Simple Delivery?  This is not "simple", it is impractical and can end up with either losing out on incorrect postage or if you go up to the next level of postage it could be more than you would have charged had you had the option (as always before) to charge your own amount.  This could lead to buyers giving negative feedback on your postage charges.  Until recently you could go to advanced options and choose your own method of sending but it appears that has now been taken away from us!!  I have found Evri to be unreliable and, if you've seen the videos online, take pride in throwing your parcels from one end of the van to the other (not all employees I hasten to add) and to use Royal Mail I usually have to queue for approximately 30 minutes just to get my proof of postage which is not viable either.  Very disappointed that EBay seem to have changed a process that has worked extremely well for more years than I care to remember.  
There seems to be lots of EBay members unhappy with this change and with all the other recent changes seller control now seems to be eroding.  I realise they have to make their money elsewhere now you can sell for free but I think changes such as simple delivery will lead to members leaving the platform as it is not “Simple” it is restricting. Anyone else agree? 

[tressygirl]

You start with asking....  '  Is anyone else fed up with the change to Simple Delivery?  '

Scroll down the Discussion board to see how many approve / disapprove, 🤔.  Many long threads on the subject.

You are not alone!

@charlie7226 

[charlie7226]

It would appear so, just seen how many appear to agree. However, I fear that EBay won’t take our concerns on board. Such a shame as the loss of control seems to be making sellers move to other platforms according to their posts. ☹️

[sos7784]

Totally agree with you should have left things as they were 

[tressygirl]

'You' ?? 

We are all members here like yourself,  eBay do not come to these boards, more's the pity , but even seeing all the dismay at recent changes,  these decisions are not made without thought and long,  long discussions so very doubtful that disgruntled posters, and I agree there are many more than those coming here saying it works OK for them,  will change eBay's mind about Simple Delivery.

New sellers join daily,  so know no different, and this will be the Norm to them.

@sos7784 

[thepillenwerfer]

Simple Delivery is simple if you take the trouble to learn about it.

If you accept e-Bay's estimate of weight and size when you list they will honour it even if it's too low.  Several Sellers, including me, know this to be true and not just a marketing claim.

Parcels are covered against loss or damage for up to £750 so if Evri (or Royal Mail) loose or damage one it's e-Bay's loss not yours; you keep the money and e-Bay refund the Buyer.  No more having to claim compensation from the carrier, or trying to and being told that the item in question was on a list that's excluded from compensation.

You do have a point about Post Office queues but any place where you drop parcels could be busy.  If you book a collection from Royal Mail via e-Bay you don't have to pay any extra, though obviously not everybody is around to hand parcels over or have a 'safe place' to leave them for collection.

It certainly isn't perfect as not everybody has a local Post Office or Evri Parcel Shop nor can deal with collections but a lot of the problems reported are down to ignorance of it's operation.

[charlie7226]

To be fair, it's not about taking the trouble to learn it, there's not a lot to learn - we have two choices, Evri or Royal Mail.

I have used another courier for years and to date had absolutely no trouble with them, neither have my buyers, but I did with Evri prior to changing, on more than one occasion.  I can be in and out of my current collection point within 1 minute on average and our local Post Office now doubles up as a bank so a wait of 20-30 minutes just to get proof of postage is not unusual - not great when you have other things to deal with on a day to day basis and I'm certainly not able to wait indoors for a collection.

I do get the bit about coverage which is a bonus but my personal feelings are that the old system worked perfectly well for many many years so why change and this seems to be the view of many others.  With respect, my view is not down to ignorance, just down to personal preference.  

[edwardian-dreams]

If you’re near a Sainsbury’s at all they have Royal Mail parcel lockers (like the inpost ones)

open 24/7

[charlie7226]

Thanks very much for the info.  Unfortunately, the Sainsburys near me doesn't have one of those ☹️. Thanks for the tip though.  I will keep my eye out in case they do eventually get one. 

[9097dick]

I cannot agree with your comments. I have been with ebay for many years, trouble free, until now. My problem is there is no option in the drop down menu to post as a Small Letter. If I sell a small item, a birthday card that costs 87p to post, ebay tell me the cost is £2.74 or something daft. I have spoken to them, emailed them and had replies that tell me 'it is the system and cannot be altered'. I cannot believe they have shot themselves in the foot by changing to this crazy new system.

[edwardian-dreams]

Using the app brings up custom postage instantly for me

using the website you have to put the price in first for custom to appear (has to be under £10 though and allowable categories)

if it doesn’t appear 

press enter or toggle between collection only or postage only and it updates it to custom

[xyz307xyz]

If you click View Listings next to my username you should see a birthday card listed (as a test) with custom postage.

I listed it following the instructions linked below, the only difference is I selected [sub]category:

Home Garden - Celebrations & Occasions - Cards & Invitations

for the birthday card. I created the listing on a web browser.

See https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-Central/Ebay-simple-delivery-opt-out/m-p/7890684#M745612

[edwardian-dreams]

Just read on another thread, something I’d forgotten, if you can find a shop near you that has a post  office counter in it they take parcels until they close 

I don’t know how to search for them , maybe Google post office counters near me or something 

I have a spar open till 10 ish 

@charlie7226 

[mabai_6997]

Most definitely yes, being forced to use “Simple Delivery” is absolutely ridiculous.

I am a private seller, and I am now unable to use the 24 hour tracked service by Royal Mail, which I have always used, and has gained me a lot of good feedback for fast delivery.

Simple Delivery takes no account of packaging material costs, or the time and effort you put into the packing process.
For example, I sell mostly vintage vinyl records, which require careful packaging, and each packing sleeve costs me £1.25, which I buy in packs of 100. I no longer recoup the cost of these items I buy to make sure that my buyers receive their vinyl in the condition that it leaves me.

Other items I have sold require a lot of work to fashion custom packaging, which can take over an hour to create. Again, I cannot factor this into the postage costs.

So I am now left in a position where I am forced to use a slower delivery service, cannot recoup my packing costs, and will no longer sell any rare or valuable items on eBay.

[monkeymafia2010]

Todays (1st) "simple" postage issue:

Buyer wins 3 of my auctions.

Simple postage wont let me combine shipping.

So I have to refund the buyer, 2x out f the 3 shipping cost they've already paid.

Went alright but realised:

I have paid the 1x shipping cost from money ebay hold until 2 days after its been delivered (abroad).

Okay I've had to acept this BS.

But the kick in the teeth is when the postal refund x2 that I've sent the buyer, come out of my funds, and not the pending funds from the actual sale.

So while I wait to be paid for my foreign order, I'm actually out of pocket for the 2x postal costs I've had to refund, until 48 hours after the order arrives.

So I carry the financial burdon of the mistakes of a multinational company ebay, whilst they hold onto the cash from my sale.

When we are forced into this situation, the funds for the refund, should come out of the the pending total, not my cleared funds.

This is simply drop jaw stuff. Ebay could not care less about us sellers, launching this unfinished buggy new system on us is beyond the pale.

Sellers now are just an unavoidable annoyance to ebay, and they treeat us as such.

Remember when altavista used to be the worlds favourite search engine you crooks?

Your time is coming.

[charlie7226]

I couldn’t agree more, bubble wrap, bags, envelopes, tape, specialist tape (ie Fragile), vinyl wraps in your case, all cost money which we can no longer recoup. I do obviously always try to recycle to be environmentally friendly but there are times when this is not possible or feasible. EBay I am sure would argue that we proportionally add the cost to an item but this just wouldn’t work as dearer items wouldn’t interest buyers. Choices for sellers are well and truly eroded and it would appear that there is nothing sellers can do. Can only think that RM and Evri must be making substantive incentive payments to EBay to make them make this change.

[charlie7226]

Thanks very much for the thought but unfortunately the one shop that is near to me that has a PO in it, the PO is only open between 9am-11am!!!   Thanks for the suggestion though 😊

[xyz307xyz]

I have a convenience store near me open to 8pm. They will take RM items with label or with stamps at the shop counter, when the PO counter there is closed. They also give a "proper" PO style receipt for tracked items.

Maybe you've already asked yours and they don't there, apologies; - but others may find this useful.

[markyb1234321]

Don't know how to get heard by Ebay but simple delivery has significantly increased my costs on smaller items. consistently gets bigger items wrong for size/weight without suitable alternatives. And makes it so difficult with new listings as the prices appear so much lower on older listings before simple delivery came in. ABSOLUTELY BEING PUT OFF NEW LISTINGS.

[charlie7226]

Just as a follow on to my initial post and everyone’s apparent total dissatisfaction with Simple Delivery, I sent two items last Monday following sales on Sunday night, both at exactly the same time from exactly the same place, one using the enforced Simple Delivery and the other from an old listing that had maintained my choice of courier with Yodel (who I always used). Yodel was cheaper and lo and behold it arrived over  whole day earlier than the Evri parcel, both similar distances in the UK. More evidence I think that this new SD system is worse than when we had choices, aside from the numerous different problems that sellers appear to be having now. Why won’t EBay eat humble pie and realise they have made a mistake on this occasion and revert back to the right of choice?