Ebay confirms when Simple Delivery will be Mandatory

[wintersdawn1]

Someone else posted this as a reply to an existing thread but thought I would post it separately.  It appears to be taken from one of ebay's terms and conditions pages but I do not have a link.

 

[buffster1963]

I was not implying she never paid the refund, she would have if it was not SD. Just trying to make sense of what happened and if it actually was SD or not. There has been so much confusion lately and i do not think it will get any better soon. 

[poshboutique2]

These weekly chats I don't know how to join. Can some ask about Royal Mail's 'bring my label' option? Currently RM can collect and bring the label to your doorstep but the bring my label option does not appear on simple delivery. It is a vital service for those of us without printers. Will they be adding it to simple delivery?

[buffster1963]

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@poshboutique2 wrote:

These weekly chats I don't know how to join. Can some ask about Royal Mail's 'bring my label' option? Currently RM can collect and bring the label to your doorstep but the bring my label option does not appear on simple delivery. It is a vital service for those of us without printers. Will they be adding it to simple delivery?

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Apparently they are but you have to be able to print the label first to arrange collection as the QR code does not show the information. 

[department28]

It does sound like Simple Delivery was used, but I'm wondering if the items fell into the 100g/£10 or under category? That might explain why you were allowed to have RM 2nd class labels, instead of the Simple Delivery 'tracked only' option?

If they had tried on purpose to make the postage system more complicated, they could not have done a better job...

[cobwebcottage]

@poshboutique2 

Chat with the eBay Community Team - UK eBay Community

Opens at 2pm.

[zillabudgie]

As soon as it becomes mandatory it's bye bye Greedbay. I charge £1.99 postage for CDs and cassettes and most of them only go for 99p. I guess they want rid of pointless sellers like myself...

[reg091]

Yes, I suspect that was the case. Two of the labels had 100g on them (even though a PS5 game and packaging is more like double that - she must have chosen the wrong weight/accepted a default).

A third one had 1g printed on it!! The Post Office refused to take that one! I have no idea how she got 1g as it isn't an option!

I am wondering now if the two non-receipts are held up somewhere as the postage is insufficient? I think though that in that case they make the recipient pay. Both recipients have just said they haven't had them yet.

They were sent about three weeks ago. I have raised them with RM but haven't heard a thing, not even an acknowledgement of the claims.

[buffster1963]

They could well be held up if the postage is insufficient and will still turn up. There have been many posts about the wrong labels being sent. 

[reg091]

Here's some more *bleep* I've just noticed! I have listed an item for auction and set a starting price of £94.99. 

We all know a £x.99 price sounds better to the buyer than (in this case) £95. A bit of simple marketing psychology, can't hurt I aways think.

The listing is now live and the price is shown as something totally stupid like £99.51! Ebay has added a "buyer protection fee"....

I have had to lower the price as £99 looks far too close to £100.

Is there no end to this insanity???

[swillsuk]

In my experience so far, Simple Delivery is anything but. A) it is more expensive than I can get if I go direct to at least 2 (that I have tested) carriers sites*

Notes

*: it is supposedly 20% cheaper... based on an 'average' price, over a set period of time. Well - an 'average' price does not apply to the majority of the items I sell (and eBay does not state what the 'average' they are referring to actually means). Also it ignores the fact that the carriers underlying prices may have changed from the period of time in which they took the 'average'. In my experience to date, this is just misleading. eBay's 'Simple Delivery' prices are simply higher. Furthermore I have experienced issues where the 'suggested' shipping service is not correct (especially in cases where the item hasn't been packaged up prior to listing. Its not alway possible to know when listing an item how big a box you might be able to lay your hands on when it comes to actually shipping). It is then not obvious which shipping option eBay has chosen when you come to pay ie eBay may have 'chosen' an option that is no longer valid for your item... but you have already paid for it... so best get ready to pay again when the carrier refuses to  take your item when you try to drop it off.

This is potentially a deal breaker. 'Vinted' - her I come.

[department28]

This is the trouble with eBay these days - if you don't double-check everything in your listings/postage settings, something will have defaulted, or an option you don't want will have ticked itself. 

Hopefully your items will turn up, eventually! 

[reg091]

@department28 Thanks, but I think it highly unlikely now. Even if they do are the buyers going to contact my wife asking to pay now? I think not!

[dansvan1]

Your wife very likely did everything correct. It's Simple Delivery at fault. I saw a video on YouTube that said a number of people are receiving labels with the incorrect weight on them. Post Office managers have apparently told all staff to accept every parcel that has MARKETPLACE SELLER printed in bold on the label, even when the weight is completely wrong. As a consequence, there are unconfirmed reports of sellers having to pay to make up the difference at Post Office counters, and also that some buyers are receiving "Fee to pay" cards for parcels that are being held with insufficient postage paid. It seems to be a big mess.

It's very possible that this is what has happened to your wife's missing items. Hopefully they will find their way to their buyers soon.

[reg091]

UPDATE: Royal Mail has paid up for one of the missing items, but... they paid in first class stamps!! Eight first class stamps!!! Not really what I call compensation as I can't pay it into the bank!

We haven't heard anything on the first one that we raised though - seems the claim for missing delivery has gone missing...

[dansvan1]

Royal Mail have been compensating people with stamps ever since the strike a few years back. I think if you complain to them (a lot) you can exchange the stamps for a cheque; however, this requires sending the stamps back to them, which strangely seem to go missing in transit.

During the height of compensating customers for the strike, which also coincided with the barcoded stamps swap, they actually ran out of 1st, then second class stamps. One poor person was sent sheets of 2p stamps.

[reg091]

Thanks @dansvan1 I don't think I'll risk sending the stamps back!

[dansvan1]

I would do the same thing in your shoes. The only thing is, if you find yourself talking to their customer service reps regarding the other missing items, you can perhaps request payment by cheque rather than stamps, then. If they pay you in stamps for each item, you're going to be left with a lot of stamps

[philthetaxidermist]

ebay is in trouble - not as much trouble as the mass exit of its sellers