Simple Delivery - Comparing Royal Mail Tracked 48 costs...

[dls-online]

How can ebay get away with this Simple Delivery scam? I've just been comparing prices for the Royal Mail 48hr Tracked service (It's the service I always use), against what Simple Delivery would charge for the exact same Royal Mail Tracked 48 service. Here's the price comparison which seems outrageously unacceptable:

Up to 2KG

Simple Delivery: Buyer Pays = £4.27

Simple Delivery: Seller Pays = £4.46

Direct from Royal Mail = £3.39

Up to 15KG

Simple Delivery: Buyer Pays = £10.55

Simple Delivery: Seller Pays = £12.35

Direct from Royal Mail = £10.55

Up to 20KG

Simple Delivery: Buyer Pays = £10.66

Simple Delivery: Seller Pays = £12.47

Direct from Royal Mail = £10.55

Why are sellers being charged MORE when they cover the P&P costs themselves (i.e. offering Free P&P)? Sorry, I really don't understand the logic in this. I offer free P&P whenever I sell anything to make life as simple and transparent as possible for the buyer. Why would I have to pay higher P&P rates for this!!! Ebay are just overcharging people, reducing the options available, and making the whole process that much more complicated than it need be. All so they can take another slice of income from it all.

Absolute scum!!!! 

[jazzmantom51]

I'm wondering whether the Competition and Markets Authority would be interested in looking at this? Feels like eBay might be exploiting their position as a platform on this and limiting any alternatives for sellers. This feels anti-competitive...

[mod81]

Most like because ebay are forcing all private sellers on simple delivery and then adding a commission on on top of what they pay to the Royal Mail for the label and pocketing the difference for themselves, as they have taken away fees for private sellers so need to claw back that money in other ways while making out that they are doing us a favour.

Not only does it rip off both the buyers and sellers its taking the choice away from seller as to how they want to send the item as not all delivery companies are part of simple delivery and it looks like its going to be impossible to opt out of using it

[andha-21]

I've been saying for over a month here the authorities need to be informed but most only want to vent or waste their time complaining to eBay who don't give a damn what they say.

[bradcesspitt]

I’m unhappy I have used RM myself and they hit 100% delivery success. Now with the buyers fees I’ve offered simple delivery to customers and due to eBay costing RM out all customers choose Evri which is pretty bad tbh. If EBay offered RM at £3.50 small parcel more might choose it 

[iansims]

Turn Evri off in your settings. I refuse to ship with that company. Any Evri label received I will contact the buyer to say that I cannot ship with the provided label and they need to provide another or it will treated as changed their mind.

[downsizingxs]

I agree, especially when eBay keep saying SD will save sellers 20%. Since buyer protection arrived I stopped listing with free delivery to save the buyer money. I will be boycotting eBay until it reverses this madness & look at other platforms (any recommendations?)

All my listing now have this paragraph:

I will be taking down virtually all my listings on the 14th April until eBay sort out the massive problems with their enforced Simple Delivery. Sellers will no longer be able to accurately choose the method of dispatch, price or even size & weight.

[judydoodles]

I'm fairly lucky with my EVRI deliverer but he won't be delivering my sold items; surely the buyer needs to be able to opt out of EVRI if they have misgivings about their local EVRI courier? 

I haven't bought anything with SD yet but where we used to live I could only order fully tracked to ensure my EVRI order arrived. 

There's nothing simple about trying to guess what service you'll recieve if you click Express or standard delivery, particularly if the economy fee suggests a shorter delivery window?  Bonkers!

[sheeramazement]

Have done the same!

[sheeramazement]

Agreed, you have to wonder...

[2gud2betrue]

Simple delivery is an absolute joke!

A buyer just purchased two items from me. Ebay charged me for two parcel labels but will only provide one.

I contacted ebay twice and spent over an hour chatting with them. They said they would get someone from a "special team" to get back to me because they couldn't help. Nobody responded and I ended up having to purchase another label which meant I missed my dispatch date.

Also eBay customer service don't seem to understand that couriers have a maximum parcel size and keep insisting that I can combine two large parcels together. Incredibly frustrating.

[lucy_farmer]

'A buyer just purchased two items from me. Ebay charged me for two parcel labels but will only provide one.'

'Also eBay customer service don't seem to understand that couriers have a maximum parcel size and keep insisting that I can combine two large parcels together. '

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What on earth is happening here?

Every other thread and question about 'combined' Simple Delivery is the inability to combine. 

You don't want to combine and ebay won't let you do it separately, have I got that right?

Everybody else is desperate to combine (and save their buyer postage money) and ebay won't let them!

(By the way, your second unused label  should be refunded to you (in about 30 days) if you're set up as 'seller pays postage'....)

[lucy_farmer]

AH HA!

A very experienced mentor on here @**peaseblossom**  has just spotted something new in ebay's info...

It's on the thread ;

Customer Service Has Just Imformed Me The Combine Postage Via Simply Delivery Has Now Been Solved

So it looks like CS may now be applying the 'new' combining process without any leeway for when it's not needed!

Oh this place is so 'two steps forward and one step back'....

[2gud2betrue]

I have just been chatting with eBay Customer Service and they really don't seem to have a clue how their "Simple Delivery" system works. 

With my buyer they combined the postage for two items and sent me one label. 

Due to the fact that Simple Delivery doesn't know the exact dimensions of my parcels, the label they sent was not adequate for the size of the two parcels together; they had simply added the weights together and charged me more.

Consequently I had to buy another label for the smaller item and send it seperately. Ebay wouldn't cancel their label or I could have sent both parcels together with another courier. 

So instead of paying about £8.50 with another courier I have been charged £9.98 plus other label £4.95. Really not happy having to spend over two hours trying to explain this to them only to be fobbed off and then abruptly disconnected from the chat. 

[2gud2betrue]

That is exactly what is happening. Which idiots have implemented such a change without checking its feasiblility. 

[xyz307xyz]

Were the two items packaged together over the maximum size for Royal Mail or Evri (which you were using)?

• A weight of up to 20kg.
• For an Evri parcel shop drop-off – no side exceeding 120cm in length and a volume of no more than 245cm. To calculate the volume, just add together the two shortest sides and multiply it by two. Then add the length.
• For a Royal Mail parcel shop drop-off or collection – dimensions should be up to 61cm x 46cm x 46cm.
• For locker drop-off – dimensions should not exceed 66cm x 41cm x 38cm.

[wintersdawn1]

I get fed up sometimes of the b/s evasion answer - 'I'll pass that onto our team...'

[2gud2betrue]

I had only selected Royal Mail delivery and yes the two parcels together were over the maximum size for Royal Mail. I contacted eBay three times to tell them this but they were useless. I'm not sure whether they just act dumb or if they genuinely don't know what they are doing.

[2gud2betrue]

I thought it was just me they fobbed off with that one! A member of the team did get back after I sent a screenshot of the overcharged postage...unfortunately it was just to say they're glad they managed to resolve the issue.

Of course nothing has been resolved but it means they can close the case. Official complaint going in soon.