NO LONGER SELLING DUE TO SIMPLE DELIVERY

[rugbyguy1960]

AS OF 15TH APRIL MY DAYS AS A PRIVATE EBAY SELLER WILL STOP AFTER 19 YEARS.

I AM FED UP OF THE GREED OF EBAY AND I HOPE OTHER EBAY SELLERS DECIDE TO NO LONGER LET THE EBAY CONTROL FREAKS HAVE THIS MUCH CONTROL OVER PRIVATE SELLERS.

[fantailsforme]

Unusual for eBay to make announcements (changes) over a weekend, let alone a bank holiday weekend.

[gmij1961]

Its something anyone can do for whatever reason   To give you a further idea your feedback rating didn't seem to match up with some of the things you were posting, so I just clicked the link out of curiosity . 

I don't normally join this kind of forum but like many I am very unhappy with not only the imposition of SD  but the way Ebay have chosen to manage this which in turn does lead to a degree of mistrust as many feel Ebay can simply not be trusted . 

I totally agree the amount of FB you have has no bearing on the post whatsoever , its not an exclusive club .  

Auto feedback to me is probably not that contentious  but I have seen people have called it out on the post as it could further degrade the relationship between seller and buyer 

However unless someone can correct me Automated Feedback is not live yet as part SD and is not something Ebay currently do  which is why I was curious  as to why  you have got some. 

So I still have a  question  do you know why you have received automated feedback or am I totally mistaken  about automated feedback is not out there already.  I apologise if you have already answered this but there are so many posts to keep up with.

[punzel9072]

Automated feedback is another contentious issue with SD  although its probably not the most talked about 

Feedback is another issue that concerns me - over the last 24 years I have built up my feedback of nearly 6000, all from real people making real comments about my items and service, and it's often very nice to read their appreciation. The thought of automated meaningless feedback will completely devalue all that goodwill.

[superchallenge]

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@gmij1961 wrote:

So I still have a  question  do you know why you have received automated feedback or am I totally mistaken  about automated feedback is not out there already.  I apologise if you have already answered this but there are so many posts to keep up with.

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It was rolled out to a very small batch of users as a test for a short period of time.

[gmij1961]

Thanks for that answer ii is appreciated , and is probably the answer I expected. I didn't really want to cause any stress over this .

My objective is for myself and other sellers like me to return the happy place that Ebay was last summer. To achieve that means people have got to make as much noise as possible and this overall post is playing a  role in that . I think it something that is not lost on Ebay despite their current  PR stance 

What has become apparent as this post progressed this isn't just a simple change it is very much engrained in a long term policy which will probably effect every user of Ebay  on a global scale .  Although Ebay is very focussed on the revenue stream their  strategy can generate , if people are  not happy to trade in that way then killing the trade makes the extra revenue streams  self defeating  . That same sentiment can be applied to other bigger things that are happening on the global  scene , you can't just through a spanner in the works and base the outcome on how trade behaved before  it was broken.

So basically what you did was perform parts of the trials function and I would guess it was done ahead of any launch as Auto FB  is an attribute of  the SD application and can only be tested before SD was initially launched.  However the SD is probably an individual user attribute and can be switched on a per user basis, which probably explains why many still seem to able to use custom postage . Which is a sign what was supposed to happen on the 15th has actually not  happened across the board

Before I got embroiled last night I was going to mention an Ebay survey I got email as a result of buying some super glue from a business seller . Last time I bought these , I got it from a private seller but BPF had priced them out this time.

What was noticeable about the survey was most of the questions were related to how Ebay had posted and packaged the item and not the seller .  My view is Ebay see SD as a way they can mimic Amazon to a point they are the  virtual courier and reap the  significant reward of selling some one else postages.

I am not sure  what the eventual outcome will be but given the risk nature of this project and the revenue already lost , the sensible option  would be to return to last summer for all parties. 

[sinbinthecat_sinbadthecat]

Thanks for that, that's interesting.

Do you know what happens if an item in this exceptions to SD list starts at less than a tenner, and then is bid over?

Does SD kick in? 

So many questions......

[freetraders66]

Agreed but since when did ebay ever do the sensible thing? They think they can just bludgeon members into submission on every demented decision they make.

Every time I see their 'free to sell' TV ad it makes me sick. They must have planned the BPF before they announced no fees for private sellers, knowing the latter would last for only a very short period. Because, and as we are constantly being told by some on here, they are a business and need to make money from every sale.  Anyone who thought otherwise was living in a fool's paradise. Yet the way ebay handled the changes was deceitful in the extreme. Take the fee from one side and stick it on the other side and still pretend you are providing a service for free. Then take away control of delivery and make an extra bundle on that as well.

I hope everyone here has signed the petition against these dastardly developments although I have to ask do we want to stay with an organisation who doesn't want us any more? 

[aymanalvi]

Just made an offer on an item £18 and seller does not know Ebay have added buyer protection. Seller gets £16 and good chance seller will decline. Seller would accept £18 but ebay taking there chunk.

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"What was noticeable about the survey was most of the questions were related to how Ebay had posted and packaged the item and not the seller . My view is Ebay see SD as a way they can mimic Amazon to a point they are the virtual courier and reap the significant reward of selling some one else postages."

Ebay is copying Amazon now with regard to feedback because instead of asking buyers to comment on the seller, buyers are asked to comment on the item - quality, condition, value, appearance.   If I want product reviews, I can look elsewhere.  As a buyer on ebay, what I want to know is whether the seller is trustworthy - eg the goods match the description, they're appropriately packaged and posted promptly.  Ebay doesn't want us to report on that now, making the feedback system worthless as far as I'm concerned.

Buyers currently have up to 60 days to give feedback.  I believe the new system will be auto positive feedback upon delivery, which the buyer can override if they give feedback within 7 days.  I probably catch up with a batch of feedbacks every couple of weeks or so.   Ebay will know the average length of time that buyers wait before giving feedback, and call me cynical but I bet it's longer than 7 days. 

Ebay want buyers to see only (or at least mostly) positive feedbacks, and they already skew the feedbacks that buyers see.  I commented on a different thread about how  negative feedbacks were being hidden but I can't remember which thread.

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"Do you know what happens if an item in this exceptions to SD list starts at less than a tenner, and then is bid over?"

Yes, I'm pretty certain I've seen CS confirm that that's the case.

[sinbinthecat_sinbadthecat]

Sorry, might be being thick here, but what excatly have CS confirmed happens?

Many thanks! 

[wellingnorth]

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@moonlight-rhapsody wrote:

"Do you know what happens if an item in this exceptions to SD list starts at less than a tenner, and then is bid over?"

Yes, I'm pretty certain I've seen CS confirm that that's the case.

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I think I saw ebay's Dave say this in the chat, but how will it work if the postage amounts are different - won't the buyer see one amount when they place the bid and then a different one if the bidding finishes over £10?

[technthread]

When I raised this on the weekly chat, another user made the point about what happens when a bid goes over £100? Does the postage cost then increase on the buyer?

Nothing has been answered as far as I can see. Auctions seem to be an afterthought on here in general. I still can’t get over one I did recently that got 0 views in 7 days and then over 20 views in a couple of days after being re-listed as a BIN. 

[wellingnorth]

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@technthread wrote:

When I raised this on the weekly chat, another user made the point about what happens when a bid goes over £100? Does the postage cost then increase on the buyer?

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And simple delivery doesn't apply over £750 does it, so if you start an auction at £500 with simple delivery then it goes over £750 I wonder what would show as you wouldn't even have custom delivery rates set.

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"Sorry, might be being thick here, but what excatly have CS confirmed happens?"

My fault, when I copied what you said previously, I missed copying the bit where you'd asked "Does SD kick in? ".  So yes, CS have confirmed that SD will be applied if the item if bid goes over £10.

[technthread]

Yeah that’s a good point too.

I’m not even a private seller but as a buyer on my other account it puts me off not knowing where I would stand. Surely eBay should put out some information soon.

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"I think I saw ebay's Dave say this in the chat, but how will it work if the postage amounts are different - won't the buyer see one amount when they place the bid and then a different one if the bidding finishes over £10?"

I'll leave that one for someone to ask ebay to answer!

[bertiedog4]

I list the occasional postcard that usually is sold to someone in the US. What happens then if the winning bid comes to over £10?  I understand that SD only applies to the UK. Can I still send my item with my custom postage?

[wellingnorth]

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@technthread wrote:

Yeah that’s a good point too.

I’m not even a private seller but as a buyer on my other account it puts me off not knowing where I would stand. Surely eBay should put out some information soon.

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Yes, for me that's what's bad about the BPF and simple delivery, they're making the platform as a whole more confusing whether because of bugs or odd design choices.

If I were just going by the wording on the policy page I would have assumed that an auction starting under £10 could remain outside of SD whatever the final price (as you would have opted out when listing) and that an auction starting under £750 would remain in SD (as it specifically states SD applies with an 'auction starting price' below £750 ) but as it's been stated otherwise then maybe not.

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

[edwardian-dreams]

I believe if you have gsp turned OFF it will allow custom postage to remain