Simple Delivery, just a couple of questions. lol

[neovass0]

Hi,

Reluctantly, I will be ending my listings by the end of the week, but will probably be dragged kicking and screaming into simple delivery. Having created my first simple delivery listing as a test, just a couple of questions. I have thankfully excluded Evri from my listing by using the 'postage preferences' in my account.

Looking at the postage options in the listing once live, available to the buyer are two options, standard tracked and express tracked delivery. It doesn't specify what these are. Other than select parcel size, I was at no point able to select a royal mail postage service like previously. Is it, hopefully due to the compensation level, RM Tracked 48 and Tracked 24 ? Please not second class signed for, lol.

With the international shipping, i have not opted for international postage in the postage options tab, but confusingly the 'excluded locations' tab further down the page is still showing and there are no excluded locations filled in. Furthermore, does anyone know if you can include international postage for some listings, and opt out for others ? Previously, it was either a blanket yes or no.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to reply and feel free to ask any other questions in the thread if you want to. Simple delivery, unfortunately is here.

Thanks

neovass0

[forestfeline62]

Our main postoffice in our town has been rejecting parcels that are the wrong size the staff are like Rottweillers they won't do something they don't want to do ,they have their own rules .I suppose it is because they are PO and not royal mail so they have to work under PO rules 

[dch2112011]

You are right ebay do seem to have a habit of not being completely transparent and open and you end up having to pick through all the various publications to try and piece together what they are introducing hence the discussion

The piece they seem to have pretty much buried is that the buyer purchases the postage on behalf of the seller - so yes the seller is ultimately responsible for delivery, however ebay have added protections for loss or damage when in transit and for correct sizing and weight when estimated by ebay without clarifying what the seller is expected to do or how the added protection works in association with the mbg which is part of it - even as a catalyst it is intertwined.

[1956glyn]

Someone raised that exact point on the chat with the Community Team thread yesterday afternoon.

Marco responded saying that it makes no difference and the items should be accepted and if not then it should be reported to Ebay.   Hmm good luck with that one 😞

[kath3735_wxmjn]

No way are e bay going to be covering losses and damages for very long.  Even from problems reported over the years about non delivery and damaged items we know it is a pretty big problem and usually the seller has had to take the loss.  Fine if you just lose the odd item but if the whole of the seller network comes under e bay to repay and then reclaim from RM then they are not going to be doing it for long!

[theelench]

Exactly, I can see why you quote ebay , but frankly as a private seller I have better things to do with my time than to constantly read and re-read ebays T&Cs + RM /Post Office / Evri exclusion lists.

This sort of thing might be OK for business sellers and part of their full-time job, but not for anyone who just wants to sell a few items a year.

It should be what ebay CLAIMS it is "Simple"  and until it is properly set out in black and white and guaranteed I'd advise all private sellers to stop selling.  You're paying for a rubbish Non-Service based on whatever ebay's thought-up in the past few days. 

[1956glyn]

OK this is something else that has got me thinking ............have Ebay struck a deal with RM and/or Evri in relation to postage?    I know for a fact that a very large company struck a deal with Evri for cheap postage for their items.   I am talking about ridiculously cheap.      There was one condition.........they would NOT pay the company for any lost parcels or damaged in transit items.   That contract did not last long due to the amount of lost and /or damaged parcels 😞

IF they have struck a similar deal then its very risky on Ebays part. Saying that what they gain on postage costs may offset the losses but i honestly doubt it.

[1956glyn]

I agree with what you say in your first paragraph BUT Ebay will just say you should have read them and quote their terms and conditions in relation to using the site back at you.

[theelench]

And got banned from the boards for asking the question!!

[emw-designs]

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@suelel1968 wrote:

"According to this, as long as you get the SD label scanned at the post office when you send it then you are covered.

Whether using SD, RM or exempt ebay labels the item is not scanned into RM networks at the Post Office. The networks are not linked. That is why you need POP.

As far as I am aware all the other carriers I have used are logged into the network at the shop you drop it off at and you get a receipt and a text to say so. 

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The scan at the PO is a scan into the RM network. It shows in the RM tracking almost immediately. You still need the POP if you want to make a claim. This just identifies you as the sender.

[theelench]

Yes, the old "You agreed by continuing to use the site"  routine.

[fallen121]

Fictional example to illustrate a point:

You decide not to opt out of either of the two SD postage options because you don't want your postage costs for the buyer to be higher which is the case if you exclude one or the other.

The buyer chooses the postage option and eBay determines that you send it via Evri. You pack the item (in this example bone china) within an inch of its life to prevent breakage.

The contents of the parcel arrive broken, the buyer complains to eBay. The parcel contents being bone china are not covered by Evri. eBay has to compensate the buyer, so determines that this was YOUR fault due to inadequate packaging, despite loads of evidence to the contrary. So as the seller you have no item, no money and you've also had to stump up to refund the buyer their postage cost. And possibly eBay might have underestimated the amount of packaging required for bone china and underdeclared the parcel weight so you'll have to stump up for that as well. 

Without SD you probably would have sent RM which probably would have got there without the parcel being dumped and/or used as a football and would have been covered for the contents which you would have properly declared and insured. And you would have claimed and received adequate recompense.

Please explain to me how this is "easier", "cheaper", "less hassle" and "stress free" as the seller is having to make good the inability of everyone else to do their bloody job properly?

[neovass0]

  My Post Office is exactly the same with regards to parcel size and the correct postage, they have always been strict. Rejecting parcels unless the postage is correct. I asked them yesterday about simple delivery and they told me it was a nightmare. They are not accepting parcels with incorrect postage, because when it is picked up further down the system, they are the ones held accountable. They told me someone this week tried to drop off a 1.5 kg parcel, with postage for only a 100 g letter paid for, lol.

Since I started this thread for general questions, I may as well ask here. I sell books, most are borderline large letter / small parcel once in a mailer.  If after a simple delivery sale, the label generated is for a large letter, but they don't accept it as the width is greater than the allowed 2.5 cm, and it has to go as a parcel, what do I do next ? Just pay again, then and there at the counter for Tracked 48. Is that allowed, I'll have a different tracking number, and will I still get paid if the original label isn't used ? Or will I have to go home and buy another label from ebay ? People in other threads have mentioned this problem. but other than cancelling orders, have not said what action they are actually taking, lol. To people who have actually made simple delivery sales, is it possible to adjust the postage and pay extra, before the initial label is printed out? Or are you locked in to whatever ebay automatically has charged you for ?

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[suelel1968]

I disagree, but thats ok. The tracking number is generated when you purchase the label. The PO copies it via the bar code scan and produce PoP. They are scanned to RM when they are collected and put into RM sysyem. The start date for tracking on ebay is the day you purchase the label. Means nothing other than you bought a label. Have you never had a defect from ebay saying you didn't post on time? The tracking number does not prove you posted on time, just that you bought a label. PoP is not monitored by Ebay, only RM scanning is monitored. 

[wellingnorth]

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@neovass0 wrote:

Since I started this thread for general questions, I may as well ask here. I sell books, most are borderline large letter / small parcel once in a mailer.  If after a simple delivery sale, the label generated is for a large letter, but they don't accept it as the width is greater than the allowed 2.5 cm, and it has to go as a parcel, what do I do next ? Just pay again, then and there at the counter for Tracked 48. Is that allowed, I'll have a different tracking number, and will I still get paid if the original label isn't used ? Or will I have to go home and buy another label from ebay ? People in other threads have mentioned this problem. but other than cancelling orders, have not said what action they are actually taking, lol. To people who have actually made simple delivery sales, is it possible to adjust the postage and pay extra, before the initial label is printed out? Or are you locked in to whatever ebay automatically has charged you for ?

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From what ebay have said so far it sounds like the Post Office are supposed to accept the ebay label even if the size is wrong as long as it is labelled 'marketplace seller'.

(see message 39 of this thread: https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-Central/Post-Office-and-Simple-Delivery/td-p/7817702/page/2 )

Then if ebay have automatically guessed the weight themselves (for example from an existing listing) they will cover any surcharge or if you have set the weight incorrectly yourself they will charge you. How much the charge would be is unclear, whether it's just the difference in price or if there's some penalty element.

So I guess you're right that if you know you have chosen the wrong size / weight band for now your options are either cancel and relist, or go ahead with the wrong label, hope that the post office accept it and then hope that ebay don't charge you too much later! If you buy your only label I'm not sure whether ebay will still charge you for their original label and whether you'll be able to add your own tracking number to the order. In that case you would probably be dealing with Royal Mail directly for any loss / damage.

In time I would hope that ebay would come up with a system where you could change the size / weight band after purchase covering the cost yourself (in the same that you would have before if you had listed with a postage cost to cover large letter but then realised it was a small parcel).

Apparently they intend to get combined postage working again and for that they'll have to work out a similar post order process where you can selected multiple items and specify a new weight band for them grouped together.

[downsizingxs]

My local Post Office does not have a drop off point, all items have to go over the counter. And btw, I used your link to find alternatives and it came up with zero points near me!

[forestfeline62]

It says in one of the ebay threads  that you need to work out the weight & size of Item in packaging before listing it ,so I presume from the 7th ebay will give sellers a box in the listings to add the measurements and then when someone buys the item ebay will send the correct label for size and weight 

[forestfeline62]

Royal mail say they will come to your house and pick parcels up as long as they have the postage label on them and they say don't worry if you won't be in they will collect from your designated place outside your home .

[sml192]

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@emw-designs wrote:

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@suelel1968 wrote:

"According to this, as long as you get the SD label scanned at the post office when you send it then you are covered.

Whether using SD, RM or exempt ebay labels the item is not scanned into RM networks at the Post Office. The networks are not linked. That is why you need POP.

As far as I am aware all the other carriers I have used are logged into the network at the shop you drop it off at and you get a receipt and a text to say so. 

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The scan at the PO is a scan into the RM network. It shows in the RM tracking almost immediately. You still need the POP if you want to make a claim. This just identifies you as the sender.

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With Simple Delivery eBay is the deemed sender as the item is being sent using eBay's Royal Mail business account.   You won't be able to make any direct claims with Royal Mail, therefore, and the only purpose of the POP would be to prove to eBay that you dropped the item off in the event that the item never shows as scanned into the Royal Mail network.  Whether eBay would accept the POP is doubtful though, they don't at present. 

[emw-designs]

Yes, I should have said that for SD, the POP from the post office would be my proof to ebay that I had posted the item in the case of INR. Same as when you post something with a prepaid returns label. The POP is in case the company you're returning the item to claims that they didn't receive it - you have proof that you posted it.

[wellingnorth]

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@forestfeline62 wrote:

It says in one of the ebay threads  that you need to work out the weight & size of Item in packaging before listing it ,so I presume from the 7th ebay will give sellers a box in the listings to add the measurements and then when someone buys the item ebay will send the correct label for size and weight 

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I think it's just what you see on the listing page already under simple delivery > package size.

You should see 6 bands there

Up to 100g 24 x 16.5 x 0.5cm
Up to 750g 35 x 25 x 2.5cm
Up to 61 x 46 x 46cm split into 1 / 2 / 15 / 20kg

For me I see one of them highlighted as 'recommended' (the wrong band in the case I looked at, a large china item described as weighing 1.6kg has a 2kg service recommended!)