"Five years ago all the posts here were complaining just as angrily about managed payments. Four years ago it was seller fees, two years ago it was fee discount weekends and vouchers, now this. I wonder what it will be next year?"
I’ve never complained about ebay before, even though the various things they've done have been irratating, but I’ve just sighed at the ever-worsening service and put up with it. But not this time. Simple Delivery is different.
1. PACKAGING. I’ve no intention of packing up everything in advance so that I can weigh and measure it to suit ebay’s AI system. Not only is it a time-consuming nuisance, but I haven’t the storage space to store packed boxes. And if the item doesn’t sell and I take it down, the time I’ve spent doing that is wasted. Some materials may be wasted as well. I’m not doing it. For me, there is nothing simpler packing the item when sold and taking it to the Post Office for them to weigh/size to their own satisfaction.
2. LABELS. I’ve used an ebay printed label in the past. Once was enough. The label was rejected twice by the Post Office and twice I had to apply for a refund. That was 3 visits to the Post Office and a lot of stress, all because of ebay's own label. I’m not doing that again. For me, there is nothing simpler than the Post Office putting their own label on.
3. COST. I've removed all my listings now, but nearly all my items were low value, so the excess postage cost under Simple Delivery would have shown a disproportionate increase in the cost to the buyer, and that would have been another extra on top of the “Buyers Premium”.
4. ARROGANCE. I very much resent being taken for a fool. They thought that they could launch what seems like the most complicated delivery system ever devised, call it “Simple” and think that if they tell us that it will be easier and beneficial, we will fall for it. If ebay had wanted to introduce a system that was easier and beneficial for the user, they would have asked us what we wanted. No, they've launched it as a money spinner - in the CEO’s words, as a “revenue stream”. And look at how they’re telling us that we can get paid 2 days after delivery, as if that’s a benefit. Again they think we’re so stupid that we won’t remember that we used to get paid within 2 days of the buyer paying. They’ve become ever more arrogant and greedy, so much so that they don’t even realise how they’re coming across. Their customers deserve so much better.
Simple Delivery - final straw.
