Only Royal Mail selected as courier for Simple Delivery yet 2 postage options for buyers...

[random_code]

I only have Royal Mail selected as courier in my postage preferences for Simple Delivery as I will not use Evri under any circumstances.

Listings are set as Buyer Pays postage.

I've looked at what a buyer sees as postage options when purchasing an item listed from me as follows:

Estimated delivery: 11 – 16 AprEst. delivery: 11 – 16 Apr
Standard Tracked Delivery
£4.27

Estimated delivery: Tue, 15 AprEstimated delivery: Tue, 15 Apr
Express Tracked Delivery
£4.50

So, two options.

Are these both Royal Mail? When I edit my listing the value shown for postage is £4.27 so relates to the first delivery option.

I'm concerned the other is Evri (despite me deselected them in my postage preferences) or is it just a quicker Royal Mail option?

I've presented this information three time to ebay CS agents and one stated the other (more expensive) option was Evri and raised/escalated the issue, another agent didn't know (!), and the last agent thought the more expensive option was Royal Mail but the cheaper option was Evri (ie, the one that matches what my postage price on my edit listing pages states)!

I'm at a loss, what have others been told? Does anyone know for certain? This is crackers...

[edwardian-dreams]

Surely it’s Royal Mail tracked 48 then Royal Mail tracked 24

?

[wintersdawn1]

Not sure this will help but its the simple delivery prices:

[wintersdawn1]

I believe that the £4.27 is ebay's inflated price for royal mail tracked 48, which, if both couriers are selected is £3.71 and on the royal mail website is now £3.45 (before monday it was £3.39.

I'm not sure but the £4.50 *might* be royal mail tracked 24 which on the rm website is £4.29 but I would have expected it to be higher as only one courier is selected.

[random_code]

@wintersdawn1: Thanks, I have that chart and that's why I was confident in the first listed price (of £4.27) as I could find it on the table like you've shown here. Just wasn't sure about the £4.50 one and the ebay agents made things even more worrying!

@edwardian-dreams: Your guess is as good as mine! One of the agents I talked to said a buyer should only see one postage option available if you've deselected one of the couriers which is why they thought the other was Evri. I'm not really bothered about the number of options (ie, would be fine if they were just different RM services) but I don't want any of them to be Evri!

Again though, yet another example of what a car crash SD is. Even the agents don't know how it works and what sellers should see and what buyers should be able to select and what each option relates to - ie, courier and service delivery combinations.

[random_code]

@wintersdawn1: Thanks for the latest reply too. If only CS Agents could give advice like this!

[wintersdawn1]

Just put in uk delivery and 1-2kg into evri and got the following:

[wintersdawn1]

A poster on here earlier told me that if only one courier is selected for simple delivery there should only be a 'standard' option given to the buyer.  It says this in the ebay simple delivery terms:

In certain cases, if your preferred carrier can't accept your item, we'll provide you with a label for a carrier you've opted out of in your settings. For example, if your parcel exceeds your preferred carrier's size or weight limits, we may send your item with an alternative carrier. For more information about carrier options and postage rates, see our Simple Delivery Seller Centre page.

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

[random_code]

@wintersdawn1: Which would be weird for this item as there's nothing special about it. I think the two options are RM ones though... would you guys agree?

[papso22]

I don't think you can be sure of anything if a price for SD on a listing is not a price for SD according to eBay’s own information on SD prices.

Also, why doesn't that chart show express and standard options, or at least explain that evri is standard and RM is express, if that is what it is?

Trying to relate back to evri's and RM's published prices seems to me to be a pointless exercise when we know ebay gets special rates.

[akemp1]

It's just a completely broken mess I've been trying to make sense of it for a week and they only thing that's clear is that ebay are immensely greedy while also trying to apply punitive pricing for those who do not want to help them push volume to their unreliable friend Evri.

A number of us have filed complaints with the Competition and Market Authority along the lines that the UK's dominant second hand marketplace is using that position to force it's overpriced postage service on consumers causing widespread harm. It's very easy to report and we can only hope they investigate this matter and determine if it's lawful.

Even if ebay don't listen and it is lawful people are leaving for other places now as buying here is way too expensive with all their layers of charges. Ebay are trying to milk users and grow revenues without noticing they are in a fight for survival. They are throwing in fuel while their Rome burns. It's unbelievably stupid of them.

[ruby*ryan]

I don't understand this myth/suggestion/conspiracy theory that Standard will be Evri and Express will be RM?

If that were the case would it not be a choice between Evri & RM?  
Surely in most cases Standard would be Evri standard/RM48 and Express Evri Next Day/RM24.

[papso22]

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@ruby*ryan wrote:

I don't understand this myth/suggestion/conspiracy theory that Standard will be Evri and Express will be RM?

If that were the case would it not be a choice between Evri & RM?  
Surely in most cases Standard would be Evri standard/RM48 and Express Evri Next Day/RM24.

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That would make sense and explain why there are still two options when a seller selects only one courier, but it would be good to have that in the SD guidance.

[akemp1]

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@papso22 wrote:

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That would make sense and explain why there are still two options when a seller selects only one courier, but it would be good to have that in the SD guidance.

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I doubt they would publish or draw attention to the underlying carrier product mappings as then their markups on list price could be easily calculated. Although any volume kickbacks or further discounts they have negotiated would remain a mystery. Clear as mud is just how they want it and they probably hope everyone will eventually stop overthinking and accept this is so hard it's simples!

[random_code]

@ruby*ryan: when 3 of ebay's own CS agents can't consistently confirm what they are and give conflicted information then there's no conspiracy, just a sh*t show.

[ruby*ryan]

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@random_code wrote:

@ruby*ryan: when 3 of ebay's own CS agents can't consistently confirm what they are and give conflicted information ....

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No surprise there!

eBay's CS agents will just either tell you what you want to hear or make stuff up! It's rare you will find 2 that say the same thing.

[geosacha007]

The really crazy thing is that the express delivery gets there on the last day given for the standard delivery.  So standard is given as arriving quicker or at worst the same as than express.