Coming soon to eBay Mandatory Simple Delivery

[andha-21]

Someone found the dates yesterday and posted them. Just thought it made sense to make it easier to find.

It's in the Help Section under Opt out 

Simple Delivery will be the only listing option as of 15th April and they will start adjusting current listings from the 7th April.

So at least we know where the Iceberg is now. 

[ladyloki1998]

I do exactly the same! It’s when I package, I find the best postage option.

[tabbiecat*]

Is eBay Simple Delivery already having a negative impact?

I thought that sales may be affected by the introduction of Buyer Protection Fee in February, but to be honest that was not the case.

I have, however, seen a dramatic drop in both sales and listing page views since the attempted forced introduction of Simple Delivery (even though I have currently opted out).

It's as if not only is it unwanted by sellers, but it seems to be hitting buyer confidence as well.

Maybe a coincidence?...

[tom-sales-london]

I'm in a similar position to this post. I get my stamps for "free" because I'm on the Royal Mail quality of service panel.

Royal Mail clearly dislike stamp users anyway, given the 50p+ premium to send a parcel and inability to buy "Tracked" services using them.

Now eBay is forcing this and I can't even use them.

Personally I have been just been doing what I've always done with selling. My sales have dropped off a cliff with the buyer fee and I expect will drop further after "simple delivery" because the cost to them will go up. Hey ho.

[andha-21]

Not sure which areas you monitor/are interested in, but the BPF/Withheld funds (could be either, or both) took a sledgehammer to the Warhammer model market here. First few weeks some sellers were getting as low as 50% of what they would have a month or so before.

The Warhammer market is very stable, the vast majority holding or increasing in value. Not many model lines lose.

But I wouldn't be surprised if Simple Delivery kills it. Alot of the big business sellers here rely on private sellers for their stock. They usually poach anything underpriced. If that dries up and it almost certainly will then those business sellers may start rethinking their strategies. Truth is neither of the big 2 need eBay, they have their own sites and global market dominance.

But if they leave eBay then buyers will probably go with them.

In that market the private sellers get seen because everyone comes to look at the whales. 

[a-tin-man]

I honestly don't know who dreams up this stuff. Obviously no one who sells or has any experience of the parcel carriers in the UK.

I use Royal Mail Tracked 48 for 90% of my parcels. I add a signature if the value of the item is over £50.

I only use Evri if i have a long item that is over the other carriers length threshold.

I use UPS for some items in between Royal Mail length dimensions and upto 90cm and have some value.

I use Parcelforce for some large items but as Parcelforce is not Royal Mail it is not included.

The Simple Delivery parcel dimensions are all classed as a Royal Mail medium parcel. Are you telling me that Royal Mail are going to keep accepting parcels at 61cm x 46cm x 46cm for a small parcel price.

When you check Simple Delivery there is a price for a medium size parcel with weights up to 2kg at varying prices. 

The current ebay postage the steps up to  2kg-5kg and the 5kg-10kg etc with reasonable prices. Simple Delivery misses out 5kg and  jumps to 10kg with prices from over £10 so how can anyone use that for heavier parcels.

What if Ebays predicted postage prices and dimensions do not  match your item.

You cannot even see the delivery address of the buyer until you have purchased the label.

What if in the end you are forced to use other carriers so the buyer can pick who they want yet the seller would sooner use a more reliable service who provides a better service.

What if in peak times buyers choose the cheapest carrier but the buyer knows there are serious delays in delivery.

I think ebay has lost its way. Its trying to copy other platforms but will fail as sellers on ebay sell everything with unusual weights and sizes.

[barry.110]

“We’re continuing our mission to provide you with a great selling experience on eBay” You could have fooled me, making us use a service we don’t want.

“Now, we’re improving delivery so it’s faster, easier, and more secure for you to send your items.” It already is faster, easier and more secure with me doing my own postage.

I have been using eBay to sell my stuff for just over 10 years now so I am perfectly capable of purchasing my own postage.

As for more secure I don’t think it will be much more secure than what I do already, unless everything will have to be tracked. In all the years I have sold on here I have only  had  2 or 3  not received cases opened and I immediately refunded them.  It makes me wonder with this Simple Delivery where eBay is meant to be covering any not received cases how long will they make the buyers wait for their refund.

One final thing did eBay actually ask anyone if they wanted this Simple Delivery or if they found organising their own delivery too onerous?  I certainly was never asked as I would have told them I am perfectly happy to continue doing what I have been doing the past 10 years and organising my own postage. This can truly only be that they are doing this because they will profit from it.

[bubble_wrap64]

I just had a chat with the call centre people about this as I made a sale and it came thru with a prepaid postage label - I normally arrange postage thru royal mail and get it collected from my house the next day - that is no longer an option though. As i dont have a printer i would have had to take the item and the QR code to a shop/drop off point, which isn't something i'm able to do. So i have removed all my active listings, such a shame. I have had great feedback on speedy dispatches and excellent packaging - im so annoyed.

[leanderme]

Interesting idea. 

After all, it is at present still up to the seller how they package their items.

If I want to post a watch in a box the size of a shipping container that's my business...

[edwardian-dreams]

EBay have said in their special delivery blurb that home collections are available with Royal Mail 

they also state on their postage preferences page, do not delete RM if you require home collection as evri don’t offer this

was the label Royal Mail or evri?

[agadirram]

I accept that I`m a dinosaur that doesn`t own a printer nor do I know what a QR code does or how to use one but I have provided my buyers with quality, genuine items  together with a top class service, hence my feedback rating.   It seems that the few items I have  to list will be on a "collection only" basis which is unlikely to appeal to all but a very few potential purchasers.  For the foreseeable future, it`s RIP eBay from me.

[cheekygerman1]

That's the end to my sales and time on eBay then. 19 years! I'm already losing sales since the last changes have been implemented, and am constantly chasing my money being paid out as tracking from carriers isn't pulling through to the eBay tracking.  I'm not going to accept being forced to have my postage purchased via Ebay (and them getting a lovely cut) when I can get much cheaper postage options via using cashback sites. I'm so disappointed about this.

[diesel.uk]

You need a printer to use Royal Mail's home collection with eBay postage.

To use Royal Mail's Bring Your Own Label service you need to pay for postage through RM direct.

[edwardian-dreams]

Oh I didn’t know that 

I looked it up online just now and maybe using the Royal Mail app it might be possible

they say already bought a label or got a prepaid returns label? Book a collection  through  the app

I’ll  have to have a better read 

[harami2000]

Oh, and another one that eBay hasn't thought through fully, I suspect.

Where is the option to send items as *multiple packages* using so-called "Simple" Delivery?

Often I've split packages due to insurance coverage, weight limits, etc. How on earth is a seller meant to know what the buyer is seeing for options in each country (+ UK) for p&p unless they check everything manually?

examples: RPG books sold at £375, split into two £250 insured packages to the USA: using discount postage the total was under £25 charged to the buyer -- this would be a nightmare now as "over £250" = "NO CAN DO!" under simple shipping via Royal Mail, I presume, therefore only *hugely* expensive options available.

Items weighing over 2kg: no problem for international but if the buyer is in Canada, tough, as the limit is 2kg. Again, easy for Joe Public to split the package but a nightmare in costs if using Simple Delivery, I presume.

Good luck if you put "seller pays" for either of those scenarios!

[lucy_farmer]

'I have, however, seen a dramatic drop in both sales and listing page views since the attempted forced introduction of Simple Delivery (even though I have currently opted out).

It's as if not only is it unwanted by sellers, but it seems to be hitting buyer confidence as well'

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I think the commotion on all Social Media sites about this is making a bit of a difference to the general perception by the  public, of ebay.

Ebay used to be just sort of there ,in the background, as a place where you could buy things if you wanted to, but not really at the forefront of the general public's mind!

Now it's looking like a complicated mess with a lot of unhappy sellers on it , and that may be putting buyers off coming here.

Up until now, I'm pretty sure the only really 'unhappy-with-ebay people' could be found here, on these boards. And it's only a very small proportion of ebay users find these boards. We were all preaching to the choir, and nobody 'out there' really knew about or cared about the problems on here......

But right now there's a bit of social media bother being kicked up about this; even my husband's staid and slightly scholarly coin-collecting forum is a little gobsmacked at the current mess!

[sml192]

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@harami2000 wrote:

Oh, and another one that eBay hasn't thought through fully, I suspect.

Where is the option to send items as *multiple packages* using so-called "Simple" Delivery?

Often I've split packages due to insurance coverage, weight limits, etc. How on earth is a seller meant to know what the buyer is seeing for options in each country (+ UK) for p&p unless they check everything manually?

examples: RPG books sold at £375, split into two £250 insured packages to the USA: using discount postage the total was under £25 charged to the buyer -- this would be a nightmare now as "over £250" = "NO CAN DO!" under simple shipping via Royal Mail, I presume, therefore only *hugely* expensive options available.

Items weighing over 2kg: no problem for international but if the buyer is in Canada, tough, as the limit is 2kg. Again, easy for Joe Public to split the package but a nightmare in costs if using Simple Delivery, I presume.

Good luck if you put "seller pays" for either of those scenarios!

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Simple Delivery only applies to items delivered within the UK.  It doesn't apply to items sent internationally except for those sent using the GSP where it will apply to the UK leg of the journey. 

[waytogo2]

20+ years Ebayer here on this and another account (my large 1990s memorabilia collection is on my other one) and this just looks like it may be another way of Ebay reducing our payments or charging buyers more. I have already switched off the Evri option (absolute joke that that they have a partnership with that company) and to be honest I don't know what is going to happen as it is all pretty vague with contradicting info on the info page. One part (under Eligibility) says existing listings won't be affected and another part (under FAQs - About Simple Delivery) states they will be affected from 7th April. Doesn't anyone proof read this stuff?!

I often use recycled packaging which I pick up as and when my items sell so there is going to be no way of me stating dimensions/weights on some of my bits when listing.

My sales are already down on my other account since the new buyer fees were introduced so I've been thinking it may not be worth my time now anyway with another few boxes of memorabilia still to list.

I will be keeping a close eye on it around the 7th, but to be honest, I think this will probably be the end of my relationship with Ebay and I'll be doing a charity shop drop and feeding my recycling bin with the memorabilia or sticking it back in storage until a new opportunity comes up.

It may actually make me feel better to get the office cleared 🙂

[dottysdaug80]

This was my point exactly with 3,000 items listed and 80% of my items selling for around £5 with an 85p 2nd class stamp postage charge. (Also today just bought £140 of stamps too before the price rise next Monday argggggggggggg). (I also have 2 business accounts before I get shouted at). So now my buyers instead of paying 85p for a simple 12g item will be charged £2.70? Just like someone buying something weighing 750g how the truck is that fair??????????

[dottysdaug80]

Except for business fees

[leanderme]

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@waytogo2 wrote:

One part (under Eligibility) says existing listings won't be affected and another part (under FAQs - About Simple Delivery) states they will be affected from 7th April. Doesn't anyone proof read this stuff?!

You raise an important question @waytogo2. 

I only wish I knew which statement was correct. 

If existing listings won't be affected I'll list everything I've got over the next few days before 'Simple Delivery' descends upon us.

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