If the Post Office is your be-all-and-end-all for selling on Ebay

[aphystykqa]

I fall into the category of Private Ebay sellers who only posts items I have sold to buyers through means of the Post Office. In other words, I parcel up the item, and drive in my car to the Post Office, and then get served at the Post Office counter - and this is indeed a very successful traditional system. I always use the UK Royal Mail and never wish to change that option. It's like when wishing to buy food from a Supermarket. I like to have someone serve me at a checkout, even though (of course) you can use their self-service-points and scan everything yourself, and the other options - is of course to order your food and household products by ordering online.

So, why am I saying this. Well. Basically as years have gone by, Ebay has been trying to persuade it's members to switch from the regular Post Office counter option - and instead use GSP (Global Shipping Programme) - and - online Royal Mail and Other Postage companies with Click and Collect, etc.. etc.. - and (of course) - their new SDP (Simple Delivery Programme)

Now, I understand that Variety is often referred to as 'The Spice Of Life' Lol. Well, Yes I fully understand that there is a variety of different options for posting items to buyers through Ebay, but the most Important things to me, is that the traditional Post Office Royal Mail Counter system remains as an option, regardless of all the other options which Ebay is trying it's hardest to push us towards. Many on Ebay, just like myself wish The Post Office to continue to be our be-all-and-end-all for all time.

So, Ebay sends me an Email message today with the title :- More Protection For Your buyers - with a list of various changes, which have many Pro's and Con's for both the Buyer and the Seller. I am only going to focus on the subject-at-hand which is the part where it says that the Seller gets paid once the Buyer has received the item. So that involves the postal system, naturally.

I have copied-and-pasted the last important paragraph which relates to Ebay's advice in regards to how sellers should now start posting their items to buyers :-

[> Now, to give your buyers even more confidence when shopping, UK-based private sellers will be paid after item delivery, from 4 Feb. Your funds will be available in your eBay balance two days after delivery confirmation.*** We know it's important to get your money fast, so we recommend using a tracked delivery service either through Simple Delivery, or arranging for local collection <]

So, I read through the page about Simple Delivery through this link :- 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/simple-delivery?id=5575

At the bottom it says that you can Opt Out of this system - which I copied and pasted below :-

[> "

Opting out

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.

Keep in mind that if you opt out, you won't benefit from the enhanced cover for loss or damage to the item during transit offered by Simple Delivery "<]

Q;- My Question is, does this Opting out still apply after these new More Protection for your buyers, and all these other new changes come into force in February 2025 ? - and can I still use the Post Office as before.

[stamps.of.lundy]

What some seem to forget is sellers used to buy postage on ebay at around half the actual price. Can't now with all this 're-paid' rubbish. Less profit for sellers, higher prices for buyers. I no longer bother on here, and sellers of UK postage stamps are really going to HURT!

[nipr-2674]

I never bought the ebay prepaid, only by accident i ended up doing SD. A post person told me that stamps are being put up to stop people sending letters, so they want them to phase out. Theres no money in letters but is in parcels. Thats why they want to cut delivery days for letters 🤷‍♂️   

[insidethe93]

Deliberately making stamps too expensive? That'd mean much misery at Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day etc, another instance of "people and quality of life don't matter, only making money".

It'd be sad if overpriced stamps put paid to the pleasure that so many get from receiving physical letters and gifts of greeting cards/photos etc, and the human thoughtfulness & contact involved.

Also, where such items are homemade, the crafters (of all ages from, say, very young children let loose with messy paints to adults in care homes who craft on their own or in a group) enjoy making cards that they know (hope) will be liked. Giftees say a physical gift is far better than an e-card/email/text.

[lucy_farmer]

'That'd mean much misery at Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day etc, another instance of "people and quality of life don't matter, only making money". '

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes.

Human misery (all the way from starvation in poor countries, to no more birthday cards in rich places) will mean absolutely nothing in the hunt for profit.

But, in the case of sending actual, physical cards and letters,  I think the nameless 'post person', mentioned above, has a point.

In about 50 years time, when all us old farts are gone, sending cards for anything just won't happen, so the service to do it won't be missed.

The future's old people will be made of today's young people who are living their whole lives online ; why would they change that as they get older?

[insidethe93]

I don't believe it'll be as bleak as you reckon. Hope not, anyway!

As the busy and popular large crafting section on eBay alone seems to indicate, there's a lot of people out there making things that use stamps to send, from knitting to resin-made. There's also been push-back against "lazy" emails or texts instead of sending a physical card. Making greeting cards, already popular, really took off during Covid, taken up by people of all ages. There are loads of crafting categories that people end up in, again people of all ages, for items that can be posted; in papercrafting you're expected to make 3D items fold flat for posting; i think giftees like opening a flat thing and it becomes 3D.

I suppose I see it because I do crafting and so know people who do it, and online groups seem to be everywhere and thriving. I see it amongst family, friends and colleagues where children and/or adults make things. Like many hobbies, if a parent does it, a child may well do too. Creativity, in whatever form, is irrepressible 🙂

[nipr-2674]

Sadly, companies want to make profits, especially the big ones, for shareholders. Yes it's about greed.
Letter volume is down due to companies encouraging customers to go paperless. Appointments are being done via electrical means ie message or email. Bank statements or bills sent online. Delivering less and less letters is not cost effective, that's why talking about only delivering on every other day
More and more people are using companies like funky pigeon to send cards!! 
Letters are here to stay, can't see it being stopped, with so many elderly people using it but it's getting so costly, it's a luxury now!! We're expected to move with the  times, regardless if we want too!! 🤷‍♂️

Ps phone lines are next for the chop. In 2027 the old copper wire phone line is being shut down and replaced with needing an internet connection. That will cause a massive headache with personal alarms and no other means to make calls. Welcome to the future!! 

[nipr-2674]

If sending a gift to a friend or family member, you're in control of the method. If selling on a site, it's up to the site what's available. 
Need to wait and see how it goes on may 20th and see if these exclusions are real. Says if under £10 then still got choice, i'll wait to see if promise kept. Low cost items won't sell with a £2.70 flat rate postal cost!! 
My sales have dried up since i put everything up with tracked 48, so got paid quicker rather than wait 14 days. If you sell volume then can't afford to wait that long for funds!! 🤷‍♂️

[parsley2003]

RM stopped stamps for international postage some time ago i've had to buy labels online as 2 items came back to me. Yes they are phasing stamps out and selling off the Crown Post Offices. After the Horizon scandal who wants a post office in their shop. Parcel boxes and drop off point will become common place and collection already has changed things massively

[nipr-2674]

Since the birth of the internet we've slowly moved our lives online. From buying items to paying bills. Going paperless isn't about saving the planet but a cover for companies to make money.
Yes future generations will be happy to receive a card online rather than a physical card. As you say, won't miss what you never had.
Look at how streaming has shaped how we listen to music and watch films, i prefer physical media, the quality in music isn't same with streaming. Films are available at same rate online though. Because we take music on the move i think they haven't used highest rate possible as space is an issue!! 🤷‍♂️  

[nipr-2674]

Spot on. Everything is streamlined, it doesn't matter if better for everyone, we're expected to tow the line 🤷‍♂️

[insidethe93]

Then I hope that rural internet connections improve. It goes off about 10 times a day at unpredictable times, but usually only for a few minutes, and ours isn't the worst area. You get used to it but it's a pain if it drops out during a financial transaction.

Not just rural: a sister moved from north London, with a major reason being poor internet connection; her business (and much social life) depends on the internet. She wasted £Ks trying to get her set-up improved, kept changing providers/equipment/configuration and having engineers in. A fast turnround of neighbours too, due to internet problems. And a friend who lived in central London also moved, due to dodgy internet connection in her area; she reckons properties should have "internet reliability" ratings to help house buyers (house aspects are rated in all kinds of ways, why not on the area's internet reliability?).

[nipr-2674]

Cable internet should be introduced in areas with troublesome internet connections 🤷‍♂️

[insidethe93]

Thanks. I'm not an expert but I don't know if running the cables would be viable in rural areas due to the distances.

There's a summary in the last paragraph, feel free to skip the rest.

Rural internet's being gradually improved with roll-out being done by (a) national schemes co-ordinated by Building Digital UK aka the goverment e.g. Project Gigabit and the Rural Broadband Initiative or (b) individual firms or (c) a mix of (a)&(b) working together under government contracts. Roll-out feels slow and bogged-down, been going on for years.

In areas where it's commercially viable, broadband companies may upgrade infrastructure without government subsidy, but small rural villages aren't commercially viable (many hamlets have only houses). To get higher up the queue you need "potential economic and social benefits" e.g. rural businesses, schools, healthcare facilities.

The government expects = hopes commercial investment will reach about 80% of UK premises. So the government is allocating public funds on the remaining and harder-to-reach 20%. The government has to use public funds as, left to themselves, commercial firms wouldn't do it at all. Priority's for places accessing speeds about or below 30Mbps-100 Mbps; that's fair but makes the wait longer if you're in the most common "normal" zone of faster speeds and "only" slow and/or dodgy internet.

The more remote and hardest-to-reach locations (that actually means how far places are from telecommunnications infrastructure), are meant to have priority for upgrade. That sounds right, but if you ask around there seems to be no logic applied e.g. a remote village 10 miles from me got ahead in the broadband queue by several villagers forming an action group (included an acquaintance of mine) and that action group also achieves things like road re-surfacing ahead of places that need it more.

SUMMARY: To cut a long story short (too late!), to be upgraded sooner rather than later, be VERY remote, and hope it'll be done by a government/commercial firm combo. Then just wait for their very slow wheels to turn. Internet/phone signal (and reliable electricity supply) are important issues if you live rurally.

[nipr-2674]

Since the home phones lines are being switched off in 2027, maybe internet will improve as that's how you'll do phone calls on landline. My neighbour only has a landline and was told a wifi box will be installed on the pole!! 🤷‍♂️

[insidethe93]

Not sure a wifi box anywhere would provide full cover. I'm in an area on a high electricity tariff because the signal between houses and supplier is too poor or unreliable, and they only do the lowest tariffs for wireless. I've stayed in waiting for the installation engineer whose test led him to say he couldn't install. The last advice was to contact them every 2 years in case my house qualifies, and each time it doesn't.

[nipr-2674]

My neighbour is elderly and that's what she was told. I don't have a phone line so not been contacted and not techy enough to know if would work, maybe more involved to it!! 🤷‍♂️