Latest News About Combined Postage Simply Delivery

[snowylilliput-2]

I had a buyer who won 3 items via auction , I sent her a message asking her to give me time to speak to customer service before making payment. I spoke to the first agent this morning at just after 8am . He confirmed there was a way to combined postage and told me to ask the buyer to make payment and then ring back . So I contacted the buyer who swiftly who paid , I rand CS back as instructed to be told there was no way to combine postage . I was told to use 1 label for a 2kg parcel and just put everything in one box . I refused to do this as I explained two items would not get tracked . I requested to speak someone , when they tried to transfer me we got cut off . I rang in again and got someone from Ireland who did not have a clue . He finally found someone who could help me , I was told you could add one tracking to the other two items which means I finally could box all 3 up together . He explained when the two labels do not get scanned after 7 days the money will get refunded back to the buyer . I was told to enable combined postage the buyer needs to pay for everything from there basket instead off paying one at a time. I sent I really do not know how you are going to educate the buyer to pay all 3 items together . I spent over 2 hours being passed to 4 different CS agents . My final question was why bring something online before it is complete instead off asking sellers to use something which Is not fit for the purpose. I finally got to my local post office and she told yesterday someone went in with 2 labels on one parcel so she was able to put 2 items in one box but was told they could not except the parcel like that . After what happened with me today I have a feeling CS have no idea how our postal service or simply delivery work s. I even got the same old rubbish about how much better it was to what we all have been using over the last few years .

[lolobaby26jm]

Absolutely ridiculous situation, I thought Marco was looking into this some time back.  Obviously still no one knows when this is going to be resolved.

[honeymonster007]

How did you get over the combined postage issue in the end?

[snowylilliput-2]

If you click on the box which says Order Details you should then see the words Add Tracking . I was told you can add the tracking details from which label you are going to use on the outside off the parcel . Because the other two labels are not scanned at the post office they should get refunded back to the buyer , I am afraid I was not told how long that would take . I was told if the buyer pays for everything in one go it via there basket instead paying each item separately it would create one label only for the whole parcel plus they would only pay one lot off protection fee . I am afraid I am not able to tell you how much postage it would charge and what happens if the label was incorrect for the parcel as CS could not tell me . 

[department28]

'I even got the same old rubbish about how much better it was to what we all have been using over the last few years.'

I don't know how eBay have the nerve to keep parroting statements like that, having introduced a system that has completely messed up combined postage...!

Simple Delivery has turned what used to be a straightforward matter of packing & posting items, into a complicated, cumbersome rigmarole. 

They should be apologising for this, not trying to make us believe it's a wonderful improvement...!

[snowylilliput-2]

One off the CS agents even let it drop today all they get is sellers moaning about SD . The only problem is they also do not have a clue how it works so how they are able to advise us all . My guess they have just been given a sheet to read from . It is the people who have developed this rubbish who should man the call desks at the moment and listen to the people who have to use this rubbish . 

[sml192]

This is the current guidance from the Simple Delivery help pages regarding purchasing multiple items:

Posting and tracking your items

Postage will automatically be combined if your buyer purchases multiple items from you and completes checkout in one transaction. 

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

Can I use one label to post multiple items to a buyer?

If your buyer has purchased more than one item from you in a single transaction, you’ll receive one prepaid label for posting your items to them. You can only use the label provided once. 

If your buyer has purchased items from you in different transactions, you’ll receive separate postage labels to post each of the items.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sellercentre/postage/simple-delivery#eligible

[snowylilliput-2]

I'm not sure how that is helpful , off course they will tell you to post each item separately as that is more profit for them . The best solution would be make combined postage possible and easy like on the old system . Ebay also try to tell how to pack a parcel on every sale page correctly now ,  But what they fail to see is sellers are now having to cover the cost off all packing materials at a time when sales and price is dropping . I remember a time when ebay was against sellers over charging for postage , I wonder how much profit they are now making for every parcel which is now being sent they will not be paying the same as they are charging the buyer . 

[xenavsbuffy1]

But remember Combined P&P "vanished" just before Buyers Protection and Ebay are working on the issue as we speak....we now learn that Combined P&P has disappeared cause it would cause so many problems, SD can't even get 1 parcel right much less a number of items Combined so that the Buyer pays less money

[vinylscot]

As usual, eBay hasn't completely thought this through.

If a private seller sold a kettle, a small hi-fi system, a crystal ornament, and a pile of 78rpm records, to a buyer in one transaction. by that guidance, he would only receive one label. So, instead of being able to post these items sensibly, he now has to find ONE box which will accommodate all these disparate items securely and safely. This may be impossible in practice. 

Or will eBay simply add up the dimensions, and say SD doesn't apply, so the seller needs to start at stage one, agreeing postage with the buyer?

[lucy_farmer]

'Postage will automatically be combined if your buyer purchases multiple items from you and completes checkout in one transaction. '

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Does 'one transaction' mean putting them in the 'basket'?

I've never used the basket/shopping trolly icon when buying. (and I'm probably not alone in this!...)

I think ebay should actively mention the basket process; otherwise dimbos like me think 'one transaction' is just buying one item.... so 'how to combine postage' makes no sense..

[snowylilliput-2]

Does anybody know if you win multiple auctions from one seller do they show up in your basket so you can pay in one go . This is what I was told by CS during my phone call yesterday . I would be interested to know or is it just another load rubbish ebay are telling sellers . 

[arnjeir]

I was told by a seller this would be the case, but now after having won 7 items, going to my basket all items show up for me to make a single payment, however there is no combined postage. All items are just listed with the original postage cost from the auction 🤷‍♂️

[edwardian-dreams]

I put three items (dresses) where listings were using SD in my basket 

individually they were 3.44 post each

the total postage was 6.45 (can’t remember exactly to the penny )

Each one was discounted on the shipping, like dress no 1 was 2£ postage etc etc 

the new combined cost might be to do with estimated parcel size/ weight ?

(but how does it know if you could get those 3 dresses in one small parcel or a medium ..it can’t …they may be 3 flimsy ones or 3 thick huge ones )

or maybe it’s not combined shipping but just a discount 🤷🏼‍♀️

only a seller will be able to combine postage correctly imo not a robot 

[snowylilliput-2]

My guess is when you list the item at 1kg it would just times that by how ever amount you buy . The only way the seller could put the true weight on each listing would be pack each item and enter down on the listing for each item . Simply delivery is supposed to make it so much easier for the seller . At the end off the day we all know ebay will not be paying the same price for each parcel as they are charging the buyer . It is another way off taking fees after all before all off these changes Ebay would have taken a fee out off the sellers postage charge . I know this is slightly different if you buy something on vinted you can have your parcel delivered for £2.29 to a parcelshop but if you have it you have it delivered to your home it will cost you £2.99 . 

[edwardian-dreams]

“My guess is when you list the item at 1kg it would just times that by how ever amount you buy”

I think so too but we don’t know

tomorrow is another d day apparently for everything so let’s see 

no doubt , going from their past performance, eBay will just let us muddle our way through all the c rap  with minimal communication 

ps it was 3 of your items I put in my basket just to test it again so sorry about that if you saw a message saying in your basket 🤭🥰

[snowylilliput-2]

Google says this about combined postage . 

Yes, a seller can refund part of the postage if combined shipping through Simple Delivery results in higher costs than expected. The seller can calculate the actual postage cost for the combined package, refund the difference to the buyer, and then purchase a new postage label for the combined package. 

I'm not sure if it works or If this just rubbish like everything Ebay tell you . Would be interested to know if it is correct . Or if I get chance to test it I will let everyone know .

[edwardian-dreams]

Refund the buyer for the difference if incorrectly calculated by eBay but purchase a new label?

makes no sense to me

if you refund the difference you don’t need a new label

? Maybe it’s past my bedtime though

End of the day no one should be refunding and jiggling  around to do this that and the other which used to actually be “simple” just to support robots miscalculations 

streuth 

[lcfcbadger]

This is a shambles of ebays own making, at time of press I have a single buyer from Japan who has bid on and won 2 separate items, and he's paid already, this generates on ebays new wonder postage system 2 potential parcels each with their own tracking number, so I cant now combine them into one package, as I cant attach just a single ebay postage label as the other item will be shown as not sent,  the logical thing to do would be to put them into a single box and combine postage, but of course ebay want their rip off buyer fees or 'buyer protection fees' as ebay likes to call it, for 2 items and not one, hence I have to send 2 items to Japan  in 2 boxes with 2 separate ebay generated postage labels, utter madness! but as long as ebay get 2 lots of fees stuff the inconvenience to the seller and the extra costs to the buyer, make no mistake this is all about ebays profit which is why they've made it impossible to combine postage and whilst I'm raging I cant help but mention the fact that the buyer doesn't get paid for up to a week until the item is confirmed as delivered, can you imagine all the interest ebay is earning on every payment sitting in their bank for a couple of weeks, before being handed to the seller, con con con.