6th August

[sellingmystuff642]

So 6th August is when everything is supposed to switch to Simple Delivery, even existing listings. Not sure how that will work because I don't have dimensions or weights listed for any of my items. It will also be the day I take down my listings if it becomes mandatory and I can see myself buying very little in the future on ebay becuse the funds won't be there from sales. How to ruin a decent selling platform...

[department28]

'Now all I need is a sale to test if they default to SD at the point of sale.'

Yes, please make a sale, so we know what will happen... 😄

So far, if you don't touch your listings, they do seem to carry on auto-relisting with their original Custom postage... but since Aug 6th, they may well start being switched to SD at the checkout, which could cause all sorts of problems... 😧

[edwardian-dreams]

I game to test it 

check your notifications 🤣

[edwardian-dreams]

Seems it went ok with normal custom postage 

I’m happy to buy it too

[fantailsforme]

Today I found that about 2 dozen of my 'Good Till Cancelled' listings have changed to SD.

I have not checked all of them but I found that two on my  'Active Listings' page was being charged as a flat rate and yet when I dived into the listing itself it still stated that it was custom postage!!!

On one of them, the public listing page stated Standard Delivery was Monday 11th and Thursday 14th at £3.38 and the Express Delivery was Monday 11th and Thursday 14th at £4 - crazy or what.

[3942rick2005]

Is that flat rate under a postage policy - as flat rates have appeared for me as I have been playing with my latest workaround. Check your postage policies as I had several appear that I didn't know that I had! ( hidden in business policies, fourth tab )

[goodibags]

"I found that two on my  'Active Listings' page was being charged as a flat rate and yet when I dived into the listing itself it still stated that it was custom postage!!!"

That's weird. You have no idea whether the original custom postage will be honoured when they sell or whether you'll end up with a SD postage label.

Worst case scenario may be if the buyer is charged for a stamp or 2 (custom) but you'll have SD postage deducted from your item price.

It's worth keeping an eye on just to see what happens.

Please let us know if an item sells. That's IF you're keeping them up for sale.

[fantailsforme]

Rick - I think I am lucky as I don't getting any of these 'Manage Your Business Policies' - thats all new to me.

Goodibags - Will do but one I have removed and the second one I shall wait and see what happens but I don't expect to sell anything soon as I have only sold two things in a month - its slim pickings this year.

[3942rick2005]

I never had them before the 6th, I wonder what other surprises are in store.

[goodibags]

If you do a general search for the item title does it still show your item to buyers with your original custom postage or something odd and SD-like?

[fantailsforme]

Nooooo, not another new thing.

A bit off topic (sorry) but I have noticed another thing thats been going on for me for about 6 months - feedback.  I only leave feedback when a buyer has left me feedback, otherwise there is not much to say.  But for the last 6 months odd, I have noticed that my feedback score will climb by one and yet when I go to leave feedback there is not any new feedback from a buyer.  However, a month will go by and I will find the buyer's feedback has been left but I cannot reply as time has run out.

[cwhite_5354]

i agree with you 100% but where else would you go ebay has the platform. And athough there profits and customers may have reduced. the same old problems exists lack of competition . anyone who deludes there self that etsy. vinted etc are any alternative to ebay is just deluded. my main problem was time scale of payouts so moved over to a business  account on ebay to avoid the restrictions on private account while there are selling fees it,s so much better to me than private having to wait then on top not being able to change postage option if needed 

[fantailsforme]

I did a general search like you suggested and its coming up with a postal charge of £3.38 - that is not my CD its SD but when I went in to revise its my CD.  

[edwardian-dreams]

Etsy have horrendous fees

i sold something and paid like nearly 30% , part of that was some fees for advertising outside Etsy which I didn’t know about , anyway 

 Closed my account 

 Vinted is ok  though you do better with lower asking prices 

they started as a used clothes business , restricted lot of items, but now allow alot more 

They have managed postage too  but it’s not as restrictive or as surreptitious/hidden for buyers and sellers and v competitive rates (rm is the normal 3.45 or so though)

anyway they’re not perfect either but don’t have the heap of problems and headaches you get in here 

the great thing about vinted is you list something you get views at least

here they’re restricted by some algorithm 

[goodibags]

The reason I ask is because that'll be what a buyer sees too. So even if you think you have custom postage specified on the listing it looks as though the buyer will be charged for SD anyway.

If you click on the item to browse rather than to revise it does it still show the SD rate?

[sunflowers4me59]

Are you sure it isn't "eBay automated feedback", when a buyer doesn't leave feedback, Ebay will do a generic one. You can tell if you have got any on your feedback page.

[fantailsforme]

Yes it does show the SD rate when browsing.

Its an LP and SD does not cover the special mailer that it needs.  I also send it 'Signed For' so that I can use up my stamps.  Looks like I might have to send it free post and load it on to the asking price which  means it will never sell.

Footnote for anyone who has to make a claim from Royal Mail - Don't let them compensate you with stamps - ebay have made them practically worthless.

[fantailsforme]

No, I have no generic feedback.  All of them are nice personal notes.

[cwhite_5354]

thats very true. i did find with my private account that sales dipped so bad after managed payments then with the simple delivery they went even worse, as soon as i opened a business account my sales shot right back up not to what they was three years ago as still trying to recover when you buy and sell to support your own hobbies those ebay changes can make a huge impact. maybe i am judging vinted unfairly but there does not seem to be the markets for what i am into on there supplying second hand consoles and parts with full health checkups  to  support my own hobbies of tamiya and lima. here i can get everything i am into tamiya and lima marble eggs etc jem stones. i do hope ebay changes again  for the better though 

[department28]

'That's weird. You have no idea whether the original custom postage will be honoured when they sell or whether you'll end up with a SD postage label.'

Yes - unless you decide to 'fall on your sword', and update your listings to allow SD to take over, any remaining custom listings could be switched to SD at any time. It's going to be very confusing if a buyer sees custom postage one minute, & then it suddenly switches to SD at the checkout...😕

[goodibags]

That's a shame. Looks like the item is SD after all. I'm not sure how to get custom back, aside from picking a record that has custom postage and trying 'sell similar'? Otherwise, you're stuck with SD and will have to add the mailer cost to the item price.

For me, it's probably better to avoid freepost for 2 reasons:-

First, it means additional buyer fees on the postage for the buyer to pay. That'll make an item even harder to sell.

Second, the SD rates can and will change in future. You may get a bigger deduction from your item price than you expected.

And I'm lumbered with stamps too. Will probably have to sell on most of them.