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.

[goodibags]

"Can I ask, is this the biggest post ever?"

Apparently, it's here to stay. And since SD is too it's probably fair to assume that people will continue to not sell due to it. 

[lucy_farmer]

Yes,  and No...... 😆

[4minutemile]

Just noticed something interesting.

A seller is not using the labels generated by Simple Delivery that have been paid for by the buyers.

I bought some items from him. After a few weeks eBay is refunding the SD postage cost to the buyer.

How does that work exactly?

If we refuse to use the SD labels are our buyers automatically refunded? If we were going to pay for the postage ourselves are we as sellers refunded for not using the SD labels.

This sounds too good to be true. If we simply ignore SD does the SD problem go away?

[4minutemile]

Just asked perplexity.ai.

This is the answer that I got:

"If you do not use the postage label generated by eBay Simple Delivery, the refund process depends on who paid for the label:

• If the buyer paid for the label: The buyer is automatically refunded for the unused label after 30 days. No action is needed from either party, the refund happens automatically.

• If the seller paid for the label (i.e. offered free postage): The seller must actively submit a refund request via the “Request a refund for Simple Delivery” form within 14 days of the item being sold. This process is not automatic; if you miss the 14-day window or do not submit the form, you will not be refunded. eBay will verify that the label was unused and that the item was delivered via another method before processing the refund.

There is no automatic refund for sellers in the “seller pays” scenario; you must act within the specified time frame. If the “buyer pays,” refunds are automatic after 30 days."

[4minutemile]

But then ... if you apply postage stamps instead of the label ... how do you get paid for the postage stamps, the envelope and any other associated p&p costs?

Probably a blind alley.

[goodibags]

This is true. If a seller doesn't use the SD label provided to them they'll have to jump through hoops and over hurdles making a claim to have the cost refunded to them by Ebay. In practice this has meant many sellers have lost out or are still waiting for a possible refund. And where Ebay keeps the postage monies, SD will be working even better than expected. They may or may not be splitting the extra 'donation' with the courier companies.

Apparently, the imposed 'difficulty' is to coerce sellers into using the SD label provided. No more combining multiple buys and passing on postage savings, no more upgrading of valuable items to Special Delivery or other verified signature service. And definitely no more using postage stamps! Stamps are for low value letter items only, so the only ones you'll need are the green 87p ones. Unless SD becomes reasonable in future?

Packaging and associated costs now have to be added in with the item price.

[department28]

'And definitely no more using postage stamps! Stamps are for low value letter items only, so the only ones you'll need are the green 87p ones.

Yes, eBay will only refund you for an unused SD label, if you have used a tracked service. SD insists on everything being sent tracked... or you won't be covered if that £2.99 cardigan goes missing... 😁

[podlingsmum2007]

You would need to add your posting costs to the item price, setting the simple delivery postage as 'buyer pays'. They get that refunded although they won't know that for 30 days. The item will look more expensive to buy.

[podlingsmum2007]

How can we really trust that buyers get refunded unused labels they paid for in 30 days? Can it be proven? Buyers effectively giving a loan to ebay without earning interest on it.

[goodibags]

I've often wondered that too. @4minutemile may have had their postage refunded, but is that the norm or a rare occurrence? After all, not many buyers will be expecting any postage costs to be refunded to them. Definitely not 30 days after buying.

Perhaps, like a lot of SD, it's 'being tested'?

[podlingsmum2007]

If sellers send items with stamps, and buyers don't leave feedback, perhaps ebays revenge will be automatically refunding the buyer from the sellers bank account.

[goodibags]

You can use stamps to buy Special Delivery postage over the PO counter. That's fully tracked.

But I meant in cases where the buyer has received the item and hopefully is happy with it. They may not be expecting the postage they paid (for an unused SD label) to be refunded to them.

Under these circumstances isn't it just possible that Ebay may be tempted to keep the money?

We'd need someone (not me) to buy something AND for the seller to use alternative postage to find out... 😉

[infohelps]

A friend of mine has just received a refund for SD postage as a buyer, although not quite the situation you were referring to. 

She ordered the same thing from different sellers (specific packs of playing cards she was using for an art project).  She knew she had ordered 5 packs from different private and business sellers but after a couple of weeks ended up with only 4.  She didn't really know whose she had received as she hadn't saved the packaging, but there was one showing as 'non dispatched' from a private seller.   Then she realised that she had incorrectly left positive feedback for this particular seller and so didn't feel she could open a case under the circumstances, and anyway, the whole sale was under £5 so she felt it wasn't worth the hassle. 

A couple of weeks later she says she was surprised to see that she had been given a refund for £2.94 for the postage.  Clearly the seller never got around to posting, and so she was refunded directly for the unused SD postage.  So this is an item where no case has been opened and positive feedback had been left (albeit incorrectly).   I think that the refund must be some sort of AI automated system. 

[department28]

Yes - it would be nice to know if buyers are definitely getting these postage refunds.

I would think with it all being so automated now, that the system would have to automatically release the refund for the unused label. Or maybe it's not that simple...? SD might be siphoning off the refund money to spend on enhancing itself... 👾

Considering how many sellers have ended up buying their own postage - maybe because they didn't realise they had been given a SD label - or because the label was thought to be incorrect etc - there must be a lot of buyers receiving surprise postage refunds, without knowing why..!

[treemas]

Apparently if buyer pays for a postage label and it is not used then the buyer automatically gets a refund.

If seller pays for postage label and does not use it the seller has to claim the postage back from ebay.

[theelench]

Do you know that for a fact? 

Have you actually received an automatic refund as a buyer?

I wouldn't trust anything ebay says,  what it says in relation to SD (It's latest scheme to extract more money from EVERY transaction) must be suspect, especially as what it says changes from one day to the next.

Automatic Refunds ??  I wouldn't believe that until I saw the money in MY bank account,, whether as a buyer or a seller.

As a seller they'd probably slap a 28 day hold on it anyway.

[goodibags]

"A couple of weeks later she says she was surprised to see that she had been given a refund for £2.94 for the postage.  Clearly the seller never got around to posting, and so she was refunded directly for the unused SD postage.  So this is an item where no case has been opened and positive feedback had been left (albeit incorrectly).   I think that the refund must be some sort of AI automated system."

As you say, that case is a bit unusual. It's odd that she received a refund for the postage but not for the item she bought? Unless Ebay's AI thought the reason the item was never posted was because it had been collected (as per the feedback)?

[goodibags]

Yes, on the one hand Ebay are not too keen on sellers failing to 'work with' their SD system by going and doing their own postage thing. It's a no-no.

On the other hand, a buyer has already agreed and paid for the postage, so in their mind the transaction would probably be complete and no refund is expected.

No reason for Ebay to be dashing to refund either the sellers or buyers in these cases. Luckily, the 'no effort' approach is often the most profitable one too?

[theelench]

Luckily I've taken the "no effort" approach to extremes.

I haven't made the slightest effort to list anything on ebay for months.

Exactly the same amount of effort ebay would make to sell my stuff, if I did list anything, unless I "volunteered" to hand over 25% of the selling price as "promo. fees".

The ONLY thing that ebay does with my ads. is to hide them until (it hopes) I pay up.

No chance ebay, go suck some business seller's blood instead.

[1956glyn]

I must admit i was very anti simple delivery.....mainly because having to post within just a couple of days rather than our usual 5 days.      For many months that would never work for us.

Now things have calmed down a bit in real life and we are not having to be here there and everywhere at short notice  i have recently tried it..........so far so good 🙂   I only ship by RM.

We are , however, still being very selective on what we list.