Why is SD still mandatory when eBay said it isn't for <£20?

[clydeandrascal]

Colour me stupid but when eBay emailed to say they'd stopped Stupid Delivery being mandatory for items less than £20, I believed them.  I tried to list one of the few items I haven't simply given away & L0!  ONLY SD is available.  Can anyone provide a clue as to what the hell is going on here?

[**peaseblossom**]

The opt-out is for letter or large letter items under £20/100g (excluding the buyer protection fee) in some categories.

So not all sub-categories are eligible.   In FAQs on here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sellercentre/postage/simple-delivery?targetgroup=C2C
click on "Which listings aren't required to use Simple Delivery?"

[akemp1]

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@clydeandrascal wrote:

Colour me stupid but when eBay emailed to say they'd stopped Stupid Delivery being mandatory for items less than £20, I believed them.  I tried to list one of the few items I haven't simply given away & L0!  ONLY SD is available.  Can anyone provide a clue as to what the hell is going on here?

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Basically the small print of where it would apply didn't match the impression of the email headline.

April Fools Day is celebrated frequently here so be vigilant with those good news emails.

[thepillenwerfer]

They actually said "Simple Delivery: Now optional on more lower-priced items" not on ALL items under £20.  Unfortunately they've also removed the list of categories where the exemption applies so you can only find out by trying to list something.  It's mainly meant for small things that could be sent as standard Letters or Large Letters which is cheaper than with Simple Delivery, albeit untracked and without the other advantages.  Bigger/heavier things are usually marginally cheaper with Simple Delivery anyway.

To get Custom Postage to show up even where it can be used you have to enter a price of less than £20 first.

[style_wise]

You can actually opt out of any weight size as long as you start your listing with Simple Delivery > Large Letter then change to Custom Postage and add any size/weight option.

If the Custom Postage isn't loading try changing the price again (I've seen this glitch today and solved it this way).

[clydeandrascal]

Ah.  Back to the charity shop pile, then.   The SD system is so wide open to abuse - no direct access to the carrier; only covered until delivery is made; higher prices with fewer variants ...   

In the preceding year, I had 2 different sales where carriers said they'd delivered & they had - once to a public footpath & once to the wrong house.  In both case, eBay's SD coverage would be nil yet in both cases I got my money back from Parcel2Go.

Way to go, eBay.

[jonatjonatjonat]

I'm unsure on your point on ebays SD coverage would be nil.

"There are many benefits to using Simple Delivery, including:

• You'll be protected if the item is lost or damaged from the point the item is scanned into the carrier's delivery network and until it's marked as delivered"

[sml192]

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@clydeandrascal wrote

In the preceding year, I had 2 different sales where carriers said they'd delivered & they had - once to a public footpath & once to the wrong house.  In both case, eBay's SD coverage would be nil yet in both cases I got my money back from Parcel2Go.

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If tracking shows as 'Delivered' then you would be protected from an INR claim under the terms of eBay's Money Back Guarantee. 

[thepillenwerfer]

Some prices are higher but most are slightly lower — a 2kg Small Parcel is £3.45 with Royal Mail, £4.79 with Evri of £3.38 with Simple Delivery. In practise you (or your Buyers) are likely to save even more as they often under-estimate the weight/size but will still honour the too-low price.

e-Bay also cover most things against loss or damage up to a value of £750.  If a Simple Delivery parcel is lost or damaged e-Bay refund the Buyer and you keep the money.

If you prefer dealing with couriers direct, paying a bit more and if something goes wrong having to refund your Buyer and then chase the courier for compensation, and probably be told that whatever it was is on their voluminous No Compensation list, you are correct: Simple Delivery is no good to you.