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.

[punzel9072]

It would be too stressful to find the right sized packaging when an item sells. I find it much easier to loosely pack things as when listing them and so when something sells then it just needs sealing and a label adding.

For me it would be more stressful to find the right sized packaging for every item I list knowing that many of the items probably won't sell. If I had to package up all 150 plus items that I have listed on eBay and store them, along with the other 200 or so items that aren't yet listed, they would take up an awful lot more space than they do at present, not to mention all the wasted packing materials that would be needed given that so little sells these days.

Still even if you don't pre-pack an item surely you know what the box and total weight it will end up being? And if you don't have a box that's the right size then wouldn't you rather cut it a bigger one down to size than pay a higher postage rate?

No I don't know what the exact final weight will be until an item is packed - all depends on the size of the box and what packing materials will be used. Using a larger box doesn't mean it will cost more to send if it's in the same band. I will have estimated the weight when I listed the item and that's good enough.

[punzel9072]

It's simpler but buying postage in branch is crazy expensive.

I was charged £4.05 (eek!) for small parcel Tracked 48 this week for an item I was sending a friend.

You should have paid for the package online where it's a lot cheaper, but you knew that and didn't...?

[sunflowers4me59]

Some people have weight issues and won't have bathroom scales in the house. Same as some people won't have mirrors in the house due to body issues.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

or of course there are those of us who do not vary much and are not actually interested in their weight!  I know when i have put on a few pounds and either cut down on the sweets or suck it up!!! 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

Most of my 100+ items i had listed were clothes, all nicely laundered, hanging on two rails (covered to prevent any dust).   I regularly have a sort through and take off some and take to car boot, why on earth would i want to pack them first?  I also waste money by using tissue paper and a clean bag to pack them, my goods my choice.   I received a blouse a few weeks ago that was badly wrapped in an old black bin bag (old because the bag had been screwed up previously).  I prefer to send my stuff out in good manner and as i am not in this to make money i will continue to keep on having standards.

[blacksea213]

👍

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"I couldn't live like that, it would be too stressful to find the right sized packaging when an item sells"

"For me it would be more stressful to find the right sized packaging for every item I list"

And Vive La Différence!  Which is why SD which wants to force everybody into a straightjacket is so unpopular with a great many people.

[gmij1961]

This simple would/should  not happen if the AI tool was fed with relevant size and weight .   The AI technology is more than capable of processing the data and the giving an accurate result but if kept in the dark and denied that data which is precisely what Ebay are doing it becomes pretty ignorant 

I find that totally unbelievable that Ebay and their highly paid consultants etc did not think this would cause no end of problems and ultimately damage their business as a result 

This gross negligence on Ebay's behalf and those responsible should be treated accordingly 

[stamp_hammer]

Maybe I've been lucky but I've had zero issues with SD. In fact many parcels that the AI got the weight wrong on have actually been cheaper for me to send then if I just used packlink/post office.

The vast majority of private sellers don't have thousands and thousands of listings, so not a problem for them to check the updated SD prices like it is for you.

[stamp_hammer]

So you estimated the postage and covered any difference in cost yourself if wrong?

eBay's AI estimates the postage and covers any difference in cost if wrong.

You won't get a refund for overcharged postage,  but equally you won't be charged again for underpaid postage.

[dougbat20]

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@stamp_hammer wrote:

Maybe I've been lucky but I've had zero issues with SD. In fact many parcels that the AI got the weight wrong on have actually been cheaper for me to send then if I just used packlink/post office.

The vast majority of private sellers don't have thousands and thousands of listings, so not a problem for them to check the updated SD prices like it is for you.

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This would be because eBay have such a good deal with RM and Evri, that they probably have cheaper rates that either allow for heavier weights, or just take the average of each item, etc. Or they have such a good deal that eBay can pay the couriers any excess and it won't hurt their bottom line.

This is also why eBay are making it such hard work to try and list something without using Simple Delivery. The workaround was originally very straightforward, but now it's way more complicated and also pot luck as to whether it actually works properly now!

Oh, but if Simple Delivery was made optional, it would hurt eBay's bottom line because they wouldn't be able to push through the incredible discounts they get from the couriers due to the amount of parcels they are sending through...

[gmij1961]

The big thing Ebay seem to have knocked on the head is oversizing of RM parcels I.E being able to send items as medium parcels at small parcels rate .  This change was probably more driven by RM as much of customers . For Medium parcels RM do look they have give a bit more of a discount . 

However this is quite a big change as SD was "designed" to work with a far simpler algorithm were basically everything could be sent as medium parcel size .   Large letters are another issue

The problem this is now creating and many may not even realise it that SD AI gets it wrong and it selects a medium parcels , then for the selection of RM is being regularly overcharged .  For those sellers and buyers this is an unfair deterrent  but also loses RM a lot of business .  Without playing around with listing it's difficult to gauge the scale of the issue but it could easily be more than 50% are being wrongly quoted .

AI can also get the weight wrong but this more likely to impact Evri, but as Evri are given a higher share by the way SD works they probably don't worry too much and may just let it go or  just a small surcharge which they round of each month along with lose compensation etc

For sellers that sell items that are regular size and a regular weight  DVD 's etc then AI is most likely to get these right but for those that sell where this can vary and this is a real issue exist and as Ebay is marketed as  sell anything platform 

The AI weight guessing really cannot handle complication such as this and the more changes Ebay are obliged to add the less reliable it becomes .  I would say it already broken to a point that is causing a major delay to  further SD rollout and global domination 🙂

If Ebay cannot get their AI to work to an acceptable accuracy then SD is effectively doomed . The problem is may too deeply embedded into the Ebay. 

It is not the only problem with SD by any means but it is thing that is most likely to kill SD