Having to opt out of Simple Delivery on EVERY LISTING

[zax93]

OK so listing some items tonight

good news first - even though Simple Delivery is now being pushed I can opt out to custom settings and select my standard shipping rates

bad news - I have to opt out of Simple Delivery every time I list even though I am listing similar items. Really? 

This is from ebay itself:  You can opt out of Simple Delivery when you're creating your listing by selecting Custom Postage from the delivery options. If you'd prefer not to use Simple Delivery at all in the future, you'll need to opt out each time this programme is recommended when you're creating listings.

I mean what does that last sentence mean anyway?

[raven-hammer]

Why would it save you money if business sellers were forced to use Simple Delivery? My average buyer would pay 15% more per order if I went from custom delivery to SD on single items and a hell of a lot more if I lost the ability to combine deliveries for different weights. SD adds NOTHING of value for the buyer, all it does is give eBay a small cut of every postage label they sell through the site. It's the same as the Buyer Protection Fee - nothing of value is added, just more profit for eBay at the expense of the buyer.

[techtomic]

Because it's cheaper, especially for click and collect orders, and eBay covers insurance for the full order value too which would save me lots of pounds per order.

The only bit that I would need to accommodate would be second class large letters which I send regularly, so hopefully they build that in soon.

[techtomic]

To your second point that buyer protection fee is just more money to eBay, this is nonsense when it is such a small percentage when compared to eBay final value fees it replaced, and covers credit card processing etc. 

These arguments are getting old quickly. It's much cheaper for private sellers in the new regime and as I say, I hope costs can be reduced for businesses too.

[raven-hammer]

You think the sellers won't adjust their prices to cover the cheaper postage they can offer?

[raven-hammer]

I used to pay 12.8% fee + 36p iirc. Now my customers have to pay 4% + 75p. I'll give you an actual case I had this week. I sell a lot of cheap items, I'll take £4 ones as an example as previously after fees I'd make £3.14 and now if I am to reach the £4 price point I have to list at £3.13. However I often sell three or four £4 items at once. Previously that would cost me £1.90, but now it costs the buyer £2.61. Now let's say two of those are 100g LL and one is a 100g small parcel. Previously I'd charge the buyer £3.50 postage, but now they're being charged £2.70 + £3.35. What was previously a £15.50 order now costs them £18.05.

The loser is the buyer, buyers have been protected to the hilt for as long as I can remember on eBay so nothing new has been added for them - when did you last lose a dispute with a customer? I've had buyers win cases due to complaining of a sun bleached book cover when the photo showed the damage, the title said "damaged cover" and the condition details was "sunbleached cover/spine". I've had a customer message me to say their item arrived but they didn't expect to pay customs tax so are reporting it as lost (eBay said unless I can provide tracking details on the untracked service they won't intervene, despite the literal confession in ebay messages that it had arrived). I've had a customer who reported an item as lost despite it being sent tracked and Royal Mail providing GPS coords on delivery - eBay refunded them within 15mins and I got a default on my account (admittedly I fought it and was reimbursed, but the customer did get their money back). I'm just a casual seller clearing unwanted stuff, I don't believe for one second that as a business account you've not suffered from fraudulent customers or benefited from protection as a buyer.

I do agree with you that business seller fees should be reduced inline with other platforms.

[giant-rider-xtc2]

Ebay are making it so much harder for their older sellers ! 

Why can't they put the option on the listing page,instead of it being hidden. 

I feel like giving up on Ebay,I used to enjoy it. 

[largecust]

I agree I'm moving to marketplace.

[amillionbargains]

I can't opt out at all. Whatever I do, there is no way to opt out. I am giving up on ebay. I don't think they test their own services.

[kmc255]

Send a complaint to the complaints department on ebay ( I did and got a reply!!!) I've said I won't list anything else until they stop it - and I haven't. Everyone needs to complain. If you buy something then you have to pay the extra postage too. Use Vinted instead.
Sent from Outlook for Android<>

[monument]

Now the bugs are getting ironed out it works really well. Cheap postage especially click and collect, fully insured, very low buyer fee and no seller fee. What's not to like?

[raven-hammer]

It's not cheap postage, most of what I sell has seen the postage increase about 80% with SD. They also have to pay more thanks to the misleadingly named'buyer protection fee'.

[techtomic]

You're saving about 12% seller fees so reduced your price accordingly and it'll be cheaper still.

[edwardian-dreams]

There’s tonnes more “bugs” to iron out!!

and no they’re not all “bugs”

they’re worse 

[mustard_tuxedo]

The butter must be protected at all costs. It's hot out there 😂

Sent from Outlook for Android<>

[pwyl4943]

Yes I added all my items to buy it now as the aggro of relisting if it did not sell, customising the post took all morning on Saturday. Now they just run, but I have to set a high price, as they are not in an auction. But is seems that idea has been screwed. See below

Worse then that I measured all mine and entered correct royal mail prices for small parcels, now the sellers have chosen the price for posting letters so the printed label is well below the postage cost. So they may have to pay more when it arrives or post office may refuse and I will have to pay. Also if I set my own post cost it covers box, tape, bubbles and trip. Is there a risk that Royal Mail will stop receiving under stamped items. Its a nightmare. 

[pwyl4943]

More then a little time consuming took half a Saturday to make the changes, it would have been better to bin all my items and work overtime also the stress level of making the changes blows my gasket. 

[shopping-ferret]

A question.  How can buyers select letter post charges if you have set your item as a parcel and provided the dimensions?  

Most of what I have sold have been collect items only and until a couple of days ago, the items I was posting I was able to override the SD system and provide my own postage.  So for the first time the other day, I sold an item I was posting.  Seems I had failed to change the dimensions when creating my listings from up to 1kg weight - in this case to a medium parcel, so the buyer paid for a small parcel size.  I am new to being a private seller and have traded as a business for 18 years, which of course is different.   Plus now with the enforced SD system, takes some getting used to.  So I rang Ebay and they suggested:

I cancel the transaction and relist it with correct weight etc

I ask the buyer to pay the difference (how am I supposed to go about this?)  And as if they would!

I simply buy my own label (WHAT??!!)  It's not as if what the buyer is charged for postage then diverts into my pocket.

They also pointed out that it stated in the item specifics, the weight was 1.99 kg.  I said, but that was because you had the same item (a kettle) in your item specifics catalogue, which copied over into my listing when I created it, using another similar listing as my template, however advised her that weight was for the unboxed item!!  She even advised just to send it, but I said, it is going to get flagged up, so who pays the underpaid postage or the fine?  She did not seem that knowledgeable tbh.

Just a thought, but is there any option for a large letter  under 100g package size?

[raven-hammer]

"You're saving about 12% seller fees so reduced your price accordingly and it'll be cheaper still."

How do I do that on a £0.99 item? I can't make it cheaper as eBay won't allow it. I can't sell them a couple at a time as I'm rarely likely to have more than one of the item.

I've already reduced my prices to cover the change in fees. What I can't do is reduce my postage costs to make it cheaper for customers - the typical order I get is for three items, I'm not on SD yet but if I was the postage would shoot up from £1.70 for three items to £7+. 

The reason you think SD and BPF are great ideas is because you're bitter about people who aren't businesses (or pretending not to be) selling on eBay with private seller accounts. Claiming it makes eBay a better place for buyers is a joke.

[nursediesel]

Touche!!!!

[micbr_8101]

Reduce prices?  How far do you think we should go?

I have reduced the majorityof my prices by approx 50% and even then, thanks to BPF my prices are way over prices  Businss Sellers (genuine and otherwise) can offer.  Now I'v been moved to SD postage costs for a small letter (which will carry several of my items) goes up from 87p to £2.72!!!

I have tried to adjust to these recent changes, but frankly I'm beginning to feel a bit like King Canute.

Most of my items are now priced at less than £1.50 - adding BPF  of 80p or so plus the excess postage of £1.85 seems little recompense for giving up 12% selling fees.

At the moment all my listings are doing is using up a miniscule portion of Ebay's computing power!