Nightmare with postage labels

[cooltide67]

Total nightmare trying to get any sense out of ebay when trying to navigate their obstructive service. Buyer purchases three lots. Ebay no longer offer any choice of delivery service. They have taken cost of delivery from my payment but they can't provide any service, so I have to buy postage direct & then go back to buyer to ask if they will refund my postage costs when they get a refund in 30 days!
Eventually get a call from ebay where they start by thanking me for my 19 years of using their platform, but she then goes on to say that if I wish to step outside their delivery service I will not receive any of the postage payment they have taken from the buyer.
Then when I refer to their delivery service she tells me quite sharply 'we don't have any delivery service'. So when they refer to their label facility it can be called their delivery service but when a seller refers to it as their delivery service they say 'we don't have a delivery service'
Petty in the extreme & zero help to resolve the issue.
Nineteen years of delivering ebay a 100% record with loads of great feedback from very happy buyers but it sadly seems ebay is now committed to treating all sellers as rogues who are looking to rip off buyers.
Prices increased by buyer protection (due to con sellers)  & now delivery dictated solely by ebay without first providing a system capable of delivering a service equal to that which honest sellers have been providing for decades!

[andyf117]

If you haven't yet bought postage and despatched the items, my suggestion would be to cancel the sales, and issue refunds accordingly. Buyer likely won't be happy, but hopefully explaining to them that eBay have created this problem by failing to provide the so-called 'Simple Delivery' service as advertised will turn their frustration onto them.

Lots of issues are arising over this whole debacle, affecting buyers and sellers alike - some of us are making formal complaints to eBay, and escalating to outside agencies, the CMA being the main 'go to' one.

[cooltide67]

Thanks. Unfortunately have purchased a collection/delivery of the three lots combined, so at present have lost £15.52 and have to ask the buyer if they will reimburse when they get their refund in 30 days.
Of course it also means that as ebay no longer seem to offer the 'Add Tracking' as they used to, I will not get paid the £150 from the sale for 30 days either.
All this because ebay opt to treat all sellers as potential rogues rather than just getting rid of the real crooks.

[andyf117]

Fingers crossed that you have an honest and understanding buyer who will actually reimburse you the postage you've paid upfront...

[cooltide67]

Thanks, yes I'm very lucky. I've have just been in touch with him and he is being really great about it. 
Can't mark the packages sent though because they have removed the option to mark despatched haven't they.
Every single little trick to try and force you into using their service so they can control everything.
Thanks to the great ebay dictatorship, the magazines will be there in a few days but neither buyer or myself will get the money we are owed for 30 days 

[department28]

It is ironic that a system they've called 'Simple', is proving to be the exact opposite. Can only hope eBay will be so overwhelmed with complaints like this, that they will rue the day they ever came up with this awful scheme...

[suema_62]

Was the buyer charged 3 x 75p too?

[cooltide67]

ebay charged the buyer £7.20 x3 but the woman reckons they will be refunded that after 30 days if I don't use the labels they issue for printing.
So as far as ebay are concerned if I don't use their label I have to pay out of my own pocket. They just wait 30 days then send what they have taken from buyer back to him.
But these were 3 very heavy bundles of magazines & with ebay no longer giving you any control or choice over the service selected I could well imagine there being a problem with underpayment if I trusted the label they insisted I use.
Plus I needed collection because I no longer have transport and the box is 12kg.
So now ebay are not marking the three lots despatched because I've not used their labels & in their 'improvements'  they have removed the option for the seller to mark items despatched.

I had this recently when the buyer was delighted, left lovely feed back & compliments on the survive but ebay refused to pay me until 30 days because I hadn't used their label. I said to the person I spoke to that the buyer had sent me a lovely message & left great feedback but she said they have no proof it has been delivered.
I know there are dodgy sellers on here but I think they are going the wrong way about cleaning things up.