Simple delivery migration of existing free postage listings - very worrying info from ebay staff!!

[infohelps]

I know a lot of private sellers are concerned about this enforced use of simple delivery.  Most of my listings are buy it now & postage free.  The delivery method is down as Royal Mail 2nd class although I have been sending things as 48 hours tracked since February.  I have spoken to two or three people at ebay and this seems to be the consensus of opinion:  There is no longer a postage free option.  Existing listings will be migrated onto simple delivery starting from 7th April.  But here's the shocker:  If like me you have not input the dimensions of your parcel and weight, it seems that a default label of 85p will be issued, and so presumably the buyer will be charged only 85p.  So it appears that the difference in cost will have to be met by you when you take it to the post office!!  It took a while for the member of staff to get what I was saying, but eventually the penny dropped.  The staff member argued with me that I must have already input dimensions etc even for free postage listings, until she tried to go into one of my listings and found that there isn't an option!  This has now been escalated to specialist services.  So my advice would be to close down your sales from 7th April (I am going to put a message on to say I am away for a month) while you investigate what the hell is going on.  If I decide to continue selling with ebay, and that is doubtful, I will input the sizes gradually.  I have changed prices on those items which could not as easily absorb extra tracking costs, but I can't accept buyers paying 85p for small parcels.  Of course, eBay staff may be wrong, but realistically, how can they migrate free postage listings accurately onto simple delivery WITHOUT the correct sizes and weights being input?   I think we really need to make it known what a betrayal this is.  Private sellers were the bedrock of this business and now we are being forced out.  I am going to investigate other platforms.  Enough is enough. 

[moonloop_the_magnificent]

I was wondering exactly that. Not a very reassuring conversation you've had is it..!

I tried an "SD" listing earlier this afternoon to see how messy it was. First observation is that when selecting LL size category and "Buyer Pays", the postage says "From £2.74", so more expensive than the £1.90 I'm currently factoring in - enforced tracking basically.

Looking at the Live listing though, postage shows as £2.28 which is really odd. Looking at the Live listing in my "Active" lists and it shows as "Collection Only"..! I went back in and double-checked everything but still got the same results.

I've put it back to "Freepost" under existing rules but will de-list everything prior to the 7th until they've sorted this sh**show out. 

Quite how a long-standing, multi-million pound organisation have managed to alienate both buyers and sellers alike and seemingly reduced a working (albeit bug-infested) IT system into this unfit-for-purpose disaster of an application is quite staggering. 

[andha-21]

"Quite how a long-standing, multi-million pound organisation have managed to alienate both buyers and sellers alike and seemingly reduced a working (albeit bug-infested) IT system into this unfit-for-purpose disaster of an application is quite staggering. "

That requires a special level of competency few ever reach, let alone aspire to.

[sebastian4ever]

Mmm.  That was all well thought out then,  probably from a boardroom in California somewhere.

Adios Amigos

[rainbowtrax]

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@infohelps wrote:

I have spoken to two or three people at ebay and this seems to be the consensus of opinion:  There is no longer a postage free option.  Existing listings will be migrated onto simple delivery starting from 7th April.  But here's the shocker:  If like me you have not input the dimensions of your parcel and weight, it seems that a default label of 85p will be issued, and so presumably the buyer will be charged only 85p.  So it appears that the difference in cost will have to be met by you when you take it to the post office!! 

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Whoever you spoke to is wrong on both counts I'm afraid. There is still a free postage option. In fact, if your current listings are free postage, then that's what the buyer will still see after they're switched to SD. To list with free postage on SD, you have to select Seller Pays on the SD section of the listing form. You're then charged for the basic (not express) tracked label and the buyer still sees free postage on the listings.

They certainly won't be charging the buyer 85p and giving the seller an 85p label as there's no such price in SD. The lowest price is currently £2.70 which is a tracked label for anything up to 750g large letter size. There's no lightweight letter pricing with SD: Simple Delivery pricing changes from 10 February - UK eBay Community

General SD FAQs are here:  Simple Delivery | UK Seller Centre

[rainbowtrax]

To add, ebay will be automatically selecting a size/weight label price when they switch current listings over so, if you haven't added size/weight to your listings, they'll be taking a guess, presumably based on data they pull in from similar items, so that is surely likely to be wrong. On my private seller account, I'm just going to do a bulk edit of listings in each size/weight band to put them all right once ebay have done their meddling, as you can override ebay's guestimates.

[andha-21]

@rainbowtrax 

Not saying you are wrong but there are posts here that say different, recent ones.

Someone just posted that they set their listings for 2-10kg band, eBay came in afterwards and changed it to 1kg.

Seller spoke with CS, (yes, I know CS talk a load of bs) and they said if the parcel comes in above 1kg the seller could be fined &/or something else (I've forgotten the second part, need to find the post again)

[forestfeline62]

Our local post office told us today that simple delivery has been a nightmare as people have been taking parcels there with a label on as  large letters,where as in reality the parcel was a small parcel so they have been rejecting parcels and people have had to return home to try and sort it out . Ebay are sending out labels based on the weight of the item ,they aren't considering the size when packed . I have never put dimensions in on items in my listings  because using my own postage I knew if a parcel was a large letter ,a small parcel or medium parcel .Now with simple listing it is becoming a nightmare . A friends husband sells caps for chain saws but ebay say he can't send them because they are a bladed item ???? All they are are plastic caps where you put fuel in a chainsaw ,they get broken with use so need replacing ,but ebay keep saying they are bladed items . This is what we are dealing with now with ebay it's bonkers . My partner and I have enrolled with ebid today.They are getting more momentum now because more people are going to them now 

[rainbowtrax]

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@andha-21 wrote:

@rainbowtrax 

Not saying you are wrong but there are posts here that say different, recent ones.

Someone just posted that they set their listings for 2-10kg band, eBay came in afterwards and changed it to 1kg.

Seller spoke with CS, (yes, I know CS talk a load of bs) and they said if the parcel comes in above 1kg the seller could be fined &/or something else (I've forgotten the second part, need to find the post again)

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That doesn't surprise me given the sheer volume of posts. I guess the only way to be sure is to test it out for yourself. I tried it out last night and my selections stuck ok but I certainly wouldn't trust ebay to guess it correctly in the first place.

Incidentally, this is their official line from their FAQs:

"Can I adjust the size and weight details of my item?

If we're unable to determine the size and weight of your item accurately, you'll be asked to specify these details when you list it. This ensures you receive a suitable postage label when your item sells. You may also choose to update the size and weight if you believe our estimate is incorrect. Just make sure to report accurate measurements to avoid additional charges."

"What if the label provided is not appropriate for my item?

If your parcel exceeds the maximum size and weight of the label, and you listed using our recommended size and weight for your item, you won't have to pay any additional costs. Just go ahead and use the Simple Delivery postage label, as we’ve made sure the carrier will accept your package for delivery.

If you provided the size and weight of the item yourself, and these happen to be inaccurate, you’ll be responsible for covering any additional costs."

My bold above - but how well that works remains to be seen!

Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan. It's unnecessary, ill-planned interference but my main concern is for those sellers (likely to be the more elderly ebay members) who have neither a printer nor a smartphone. We're still waiting to hear how they can be catered for in this mess.

[andha-21]

@rainbowtrax 

Message 144 @penguinjeff

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-Central/Simple-Delivery/m-p/7816503#M718864

[rainbowtrax]

Yep, like I say, I'm not going to defend ebay. With the current mess, anything's possible. If that is what happened then the seller needs to quote that FAQ back at ebay. Looking at the three listings, no revisions are showing on any of them so it looks like ebay overrode the seller's postage at the listing stage - not that that's any help to the seller now as postage can't be revised once bids have been placed. All three had bids placed on 28th so the current postage must have been on the listing before that.

[saintetienne]

Here's a thought/musing if you're offering free delivery...

Choose 'Simple Delivery' and let eBay have their wicked way with their 85p label (paid for by the buyer). Use the Simple Delivery label to send the item invoice (this forms part of the actual sale right?).

With the item you've sold, send this separately (at the same time as the invoice; at your cost obviously with tracking so you're covered) and message the buyer with the actual 'package' tracking information.

I'll now await eBay fining me for my suggestion 😆

[brookheather]

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@saintetienne wrote:

Choose 'Simple Delivery' and let eBay have their wicked way with their 85p label (paid for by the buyer).

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But the cheapest Simple Delivery option for a 100g letter is showing as £2.70 not 85p?

[seejaybitsnbobs]

Now we know where all the Fujitsu IT staff that worked on the Post Office system moved to.

[saintetienne]

Yeah, I saw that after I'd posted when I did a test sale - although £2.70 isn't far away what it costs for a letter these days.

I'm a little worried with these weights/dimension categories you can choose though.

I remember a while ago quoting for something I sold on here and followed the letter (Royal Mail's website) with service type, weight, dimensions etc - got to the Post Office later that day and it ended up costing more than the advertised cost!

With what I said originally at least you don't end up looking a plonker with a 'Simple Delivery' label that's next to useless - I guess we'll see what happens after the 7th!

[magpie5774]

I had the bladed issue reminder on some plastic tool accessories I was selling until I happened to edit a couple of my listings and saw they were actually listed in a category that contained the word 'bladed'. If you open and edit the listings, and check the categories you may find a solution by changing the last part of the category it's listed in. Fingers crossed for you.

[infohelps]

I am at my wit's end with eBay.  You phone them to get clarification and come away even more confused.  A guy in Ireland I spoke to told me that they didn't know the emails were going out until they started getting the calls! It seems the only brief the staff have had is the information we can all read on line which is contradictory and vague. But I have spoken to three people since the dreaded email, and they all told me the same thing, so what are you supposed to do?  I think I am just going to wait until the 15th and see what is happening.  

[infohelps]

Yeah, today is a new day! I think that I have worked out what they meant when they said there won't be a free postage option.  They meant that you can offer free postage but the seller won't be able to take control of the postage themselves.   I was discussing with CS the fact that I have not input dimensions/weights and therefore how can they migrate listings accurately.   I advised that currently if I click on get postage label, (which I do as a quick way to get to the address which I write out manually and stick on the parcel!), it wants to print off an 85p label.  I said to the staff members that this was because I had not input dimensions, and so surely Simple Delivery would have the same problem.  After arguing with me that I must have input the dimensions in my sleep and not realised (sorry for the sarcasm but I'm all ebayed out) they found that there was no option to do this.  They then agreed with me that the 85p label would be issued under Simple Delivery which is why they said they would escalate it to their Specialist Services.  What a nightmare.  eBid here I come. 

[sharpasasackofwetmice]

Completely agree - this new system has obviously been devised and rolled out without any grown ups present and the consequent omnishambles now unfolding will force many of us private sellers to leave / jack it in (is this the intention behind all this nonsense?) until someone more responsible enters the room and reinstates a workable system once again. I've cancelled my remaining listings to avoid any more fresh hell and will not put anything further up until sanity and fairness breaks out again, but I'm not holding my breath. Vinted or some other online selling platform may be the answer as it certainly isn't ebay now. Congratulations ebay - you've possibly just alienated more people than the Orange Golfer...