URGENT ebay Simple Delivery is missing the 'small parcel' size, the most used size for clothing

[angelline-kimono]

I truly hope eBay look at these posts and can fix this very basic and I believe major problem. The simple delivery size and weight options are missing the size of Royal Mail small packet which is the most used size of packet clothing and small goods.

Royal Mail, small packet is size 45x35x16 and with Tracked 48 mail it goes up to 2kg and costs £3.39.

SURELY YOU MUST INCLUDE THIS OPTION, AS IT THE MOST USED PACKET SIZE FOR CLOTHING!!!!

I have used this size packet for pretty much all of sales of clothing over the last few years.

Now the only size, I can chose for my clothing sales is "up to 1kg, 61x45x45"  or up to "2kg, 61x45 x45". This equates to Royal Mail medium packet and costs £3.74.

Why do I need to send my small packets as medium packets at extra cost to myself and my customers?

The simple delivery options need to include the small packet size "1kg 45x35x16" and "2kg 45 x35 x16". 

I saw this morning that the new simple delivery  format is becoming mandatory on 15th April so this needs fixing URGENTLY. 

Surely it is untenable for ebay to make it mandatory for sellers and customers to pay more for bigger parcels than they are actually using?

PLEASE PLEASE FIX THIS. THANK YOU.

[millymolly399]

I hope their systems catch up soon. I just went to do a listing and the only options were 0-1KG, 1-2KG, and up to 15Kg.

.. missing the 2-10KG option altogether 

I have both EVRI & RM selected. 
These forums are great. Thanks everyone.

[brainuk]

What I also added is the fact that this £3.44 up to 2kg not includes the medium parcel size so you can post for £3.44 anything up to 64xm x 45cm x 45cm.

[drag0n_fire]

It is a mystery as to why ebay have omitted RM Small Parcels in SD and now using Medium Parcels for what used to be Small Parcels. However they are charging the buyer £3.44 for a Medium Parcel postage label which is the same price as a Small Parcel. I've had a chat with my friendly Post Office re the incorrect labels being produced by ebay. He said Royal Mail had instructed the Post Office to accept all Ebay parcels irrespective of whether the package size is incorrect. Not sure where it gets sorted out but my parcels are getting through ok. I suspect that Royal Mail have waived postage errors for a while given the £millions of income that Ebay are generating for Royal Mail. If this is the case Royal Mail won't allow ebay to continue with their incorrect ppstage labels indefintely. I've also noticed ebay are charging the buyer VAT on postage but according to HMRC there is not VAT payable on postage stamps. Ebay Customer Services informed me that Small Parcels will be reintroduced on 24 April but don't hold your breath. What a mess, and yet another example where ebay implement system changes without testing them in a test environment.

[lavenderdogblue]

I could not agree more,  I have a package of just over two kg but only just over and it’s going to cost just £10.55 to post it, I was only going to sell it for 10.00 so clearly I cant absorb the postage and offer free postage I would be costing me 55p to sell it for nothing . Come on eBay let’s have some common sense , cater for medium  size parcels of up to 5 kg weight 

[drag0n_fire]

You may already be aware of this but due to the Simple Delivery Postage label issues my Post Office have advised me that Royal Mail have instructed the Post Office to accept all Ebay Simple Delivery parcels irrespective of whether the Simple Delivery Postage labels are correct or not. Two people in front of me today at the Post Office had ebay parcels with incorrect postage labels and they were accepted without issue. Ebay have also told me this. You may want to check with your local Post Office though in case the info has not been relayed to all Post Offices. Not sure how long Royal Mail will accept incorrect postage though. I guess that ebay are compensating Royal Mail in some form.

[brainuk]

Yes, they will get their money back - by deducting the extra amount from sellers Ebay Balance.

[sml192]

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@brainuk wrote:
Yes, they will get their money back - by deducting the extra amount from sellers Ebay Balance.

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Sellers will only be charged for any size discrepancy if they don't select the label size recommended by eBay when creating the listing. 

[angelline-kimono]

Hi I just had to phone ebay about a postal issue and was asking about this sort of thing.

If you go onto your listing and got down to where it shows 'simple delivery'. Just below it says 'switch to advanced options'. I have attached a photo.

This opens a window and you choose again 'switch to advanced options'.

Then you should be able to choose whatever postage you want to use and the price you want to charge.

I understand this option may not be available on every listing but it appears on all of mine at present. 

I hope this helps.

[andrew713_buckle713]

Yes, you can still switch to advanced options ... that feature is being removed, it is all going to be simple delivery - they are going through their system now and it is being updated. You may find in a week that you cannot see that option ! 

[angelline-kimono]

I really hope they don't remove the custom options. I just spoke to customer services today about this sort of issue and the agent did not indicate that this would be the case even when I asked him specifically if they would be removed. 

If they remove the custom delivery, this  again is going to be a big problem.

Just today I had a typical issue. A buyer buys the item and then asks me if I can send it by a faster delivery service. With simple delivery there is no possibility of this.  

Previously I would have had a number of postal options available at checkout. Or I would have paid to upgrade to a 24 hour tracked or special delivery label and sorted out the extra cost with the buyer. 

Now, even if I cancel the existing order and relist the item afresh,  there doesn't seem to be any way to put special delivery or 24 hour tracked on the listing instead of the 48 hour tracked that is used in simple delivery. This seems to be only one option offered.

Sometimes buyers need the item in a hurry. They must surely cater for this!!!!

[edwardian-dreams]

Your buyer would be able to chose express (24 hour tracked) if you listed again 

[angelline-kimono]

I only seem to get offered 48 hour tracked postage on the 1kg size packet on simple delivery. I don't know where you would be able to 24 hour tracked on the  simple delivery.

If  you choose the customs options, sure you can get what you want.... but if they are going to remove custom options as others have said,  then where would you get the 24 hour tracked from?

[edwardian-dreams]

Buyers at checkout are shown standard postage and express postage so they can chose

you don’t have to put it in 

You just chose the size and weight and they’ll get offered your preferred courier with prices if you have one of them switched off 

if not they’ll see both RM and Evris options 

[angelline-kimono]

Ok thanks, I have checked this out and can now see  what the buyer can see at checkout. 

If you look at the screen shot below you will see that it shows two options on the simple delivery checkout for an item of 1kg.

Standard tracked delivery £3.45 (seems to have gone up by 1p since yesterday). delivery 28-30 apr.

and Express Tracked delivery £4.25. delivery in 3 days, estimated delivery 29Apr. 

For the buyer this is not very clear at all.  My buyer yesterday , after purchasing, asked me if he could upgrade to 48 hour tracked even though he had already paid for that because he did not know what he had paid for. 

Would it not be better and much, much clearer to the buyer if it said 48 hour tracked and 24 hour tracked at the checkout?

Then the buyer would know what they are getting and what they are paying for and could make a choice if they wanted the faster shipping

Clarity is so much better for everyone !!!

[mrstonehead]

It doesn’t make sense to not have a middle weight between 2 and five kilos. The post charge on the customer gets higher. So I have to offer free post and put up the prices on my items. Because it s now £7.19 to post a parcel at 2.5 kilo. 

[angelline-kimono]

They are re-doing the categories and prices on the 20th May. Let's see what they come up with now.

The email about this says 'they have listened to feedback' and are adding the small packet size. 

Well I don't know about that.

I suspect they have just realised that they made a error on the present settings.

Originally when 'simple delivery' started, they were only offering the 1kg and 2kg packet in the Royal Mail 'medium packet' size at the medium packet price.  That was when I started the thread and complained about them not having the small packet size and having to pay medium packet prices for small packet sizes.

They then brought the price down to  £3.44 for it, which is the 'small packet' price. So I was ok with that, I had a bigger packet size for the same price as the small packet. 

I suspect that ebay have now realised that they have inadvertently undercharged for the medium packet sized parcels.  So by introducing the small packet now, they can now charge the correct price for a small packet and I suspect raise the price to the correct price for the medium packet. Lets wait and see!

Maybe they will correct other things also, we can only hope!