Does Simple Delivery assume that all private sellers have a printer?

[wintersdawn1]

When simple delivery is made mandatory for private sellers will the process be as follows:

* Purchasing buyer chooses the postage option they want i.e. Royal Mail or EVRI

* Buyer completes checkout, buying the postage from ebay

* Ebay sends the postage label to the private seller

What if a private seller does not have a printer to print the label that ebay sends them?

[blackdahlia63]

I think eBay are also assuming that all private sellers are within easy distance of an Evri parcel shop. I used to be, but my nearest Evri shop is now not on a public transport route and I don't drive. Not sure how this helps to "streamline every step of the delivery process", but there are other platforms I can sell my items on that don't make their sellers jump through hoops like this...

[dene567]

I like to choose for myself when it comes to posting items. Ebay is now saying, "It's my way or the highway".  This may come back and bite ebay on the bum, we will have to wait and see.

[blackdahlia63]

I agree. I actively avoid buying from sellers or businesses who use Evri, so why would I want to use them as a seller? Have read on several message boards that even if you disable Evri as an option, eBay can now force them on you!

[incredible_how]

you can opt out of evri - I have; my experience has been good with evri but a 16 mile round trip to drop off (and I don't drive) is not viable. but it puts up the cost to your buyer. go via postage preferences

[blackdahlia63]

Unless I am mistaken - I'm sure someone will let me know if I am, lol - there is a sentence in the article about Simple Delivery which states that while you can opt out of Evri, eBay may still allow someone to request that method of delivery?

[eastern-lights]

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@blackdahlia63 wrote:

Unless I am mistaken - I'm sure someone will let me know if I am, lol - there is a sentence in the article about Simple Delivery which states that while you can opt out of Evri, eBay may still allow someone to request that method of delivery?

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Hmm.

Seller does not offer Evri.

Buyer demands and gets Evri.

Seller cancels order.

Buyer leaves negative feedback.

Seller gets feedback removed on grounds that buyer is complaining about something that was not offered.

Wonder if it would play out like that?

[blackdahlia63]

Found it! eBay says, and I quote, "If your preferred carrier can't accept your item, we'll provide you with a label for a carrier you've opted out of."

[incredible_how]

yes there is. The customer support person couldn't quite get his head round what I was asking - he also didn't know that if you opt out of Evri it gets a lot more expensive - he seemed to imply it would be ok to cancel an order if they swapped it to evri and I couldn't take it the 8 miles to the drop off, but he didn't think they would if all the sizes and weights worked for RM... Of course if a particular item kept switching to Evri I'd not be able to sell it. So at the moment I won't be listing medium parcel.

And I will send more single question emails to ebay help...

[sml192]

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@eastern-lights wrote:

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@blackdahlia63 wrote:

Unless I am mistaken - I'm sure someone will let me know if I am, lol - there is a sentence in the article about Simple Delivery which states that while you can opt out of Evri, eBay may still allow someone to request that method of delivery?

---

Hmm.

Seller does not offer Evri.

Buyer demands and gets Evri

Seller cancels order.

Buyer leaves negative feedback.

Seller gets feedback removed on grounds that buyer is complaining about something that was not offered.

Wonder if it would play out like that?

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The buyer doesn't get to choose the carrier, not currently anyway. 

[dantwocats]

Anyone tried asking the  automated assistant for help ! sorry i have a odd sense of humour ? or i would cry  

[nworrel_0]

Exactly, I don't have a printer or a smart phone and refuse to be bullied into getting either. So it looks like I willl no longer be selling on Ebay. Another seller lost and about £5000.00 worth of sales a year Ebay will not get.

This is the last straw after a calalogue stupid policies one after another,. I can only assume Ebay don't want private sellers.

[dch2112011]

Another way of looking at it is £5000 worth of sales lost to the seller - a much smaller amount to ebay in terms of fees, the ebay buyers may just find another seller with whom to spend their money and ebay will retain their fees making the only loser the seller !

It all depends on which way you look at it !

[vinylscot]

It's been remarked on in many of these threads, that many of the sellers who are taking the huff and leaving, are business sellers misrepresenting themselves as private. eBay would probably prefer they converted to a business account, and operated legally going forward, but if sellers like this leave, they really won't be missed.

I would hope they could do something to placate the genuine private sellers, who just don't want the hassle. I can understand them not being keen, but I do think many of them are over-reacting, and I suspect most of them will be back. (I also have a private account, selling my unwanted personal possessions.)

[eastern-lights]

One thing I do feel is that Ebay may struggle to get new private sellers. Once they get beyond the hype and try to work out what is going on I can see them walking away at the complexity of it all.

I have in the past talked a few friends through starting to sell on Ebay. I really can't imagine doing it now. ("Ah yes, if you want the buyer to see a starting price of £4.99 you put a starting price of £4.10. And no, you can't support your local sub post office by buying your postage there. When will you get paid? A couple of days after it was delivered. Perhaps. At best. What if someone buys two items from you? Oh don't! Let's not go there.")

[dch2112011]

A thought provoking statistic is USA has 31% of sellers and the UK 29% of sellers , The USA has a population of  circa 350 million and the UK  circa 70 million . ebay report they have 18.1 million total sellers  - this equates to 5.25 million UK sellers and 5.6million USA sellers 

You might conclude that the UK has no shortage of sellers  and losing a few would be no bad thing !

[eastern-lights]

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@dch2112011 wrote:

losing a few would be no bad thing !

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It has occurred to me that the cost (computer time) to Ebay of all listings is the same, whether the item sells for 99p or £99.99. And it has been commented that it does seem that sellers of low price items who rely on multiple sales and combined shipping are hardest hit by recent changes ... 🤔

[dch2112011]

Indeed low priced items are of no interest to ebay -  for the very reason you surmise, it was 6 years ago that ebay advised us as business sellers to increase our order values.

At this time we were turning over approx 500k per annum, it was made very clear to us that the direction ebay were moving in would make low cost items unviable for growth. 

This is not the first move across ebay that makes selling low cost items difficult but it is the first obvious move that spells it out, no doubt changes will come for business sellers but they are by far the biggest majority of sellers and provide the largest part of seller income so it has been introduced by stealth over the last few years before the final changes are possibly introduced. 

[edwardian-dreams]

British airways tried this

they focussed on business class and top end 

they pi ssed off a lot of customers

Their brand has been shot to bits

ryanair did well after that

never forget where you came  from is a good sayin 

[dch2112011]

Or they could grow as the second hand booksellers have to the biggest business market place in the world and introduce Alexa to listen to your conversation to personalise offers !

[edwardian-dreams]

People are inundated with notifications on their phones ads on websites offers here and there , if Alexa comes and has her say who gives a monkeys she’s just a piece of metal 

end of the day people control what happens 

they buy or don’t buy (and buying stuff is on its way out as people woke up covid helped to the senselessness of much of it)

best not to have business practices that impede buying and selling if that’s your goal in life to make money off of it 

It’s late  I’ve had a couple Friday night jars and probably got wrong end of the stick of your post anyways