eBay

hairsto2 · ‎04-21-2019

I'm a periodic seller, averaging around $5,000 - $7,000 a year in sales. By no means anything significant for eBay ($500-$700 for them).

I normally sell comic books. And when I do sell, my number one priority is to get the book to the buyer in the exact condition they bought it in.

So, I pack very well. Not excessive, but well enough that I can rest easy that it will arrive with no issues. I also make it a point to ship as quickly as possible, sometimes within an hour of receiving payment.

Recently a buyer left me negative feedback because the postage amount was about $6. I charged $12 for shipping. Unfortunately many buyers don't seem to realize that shipping materials are not free. In my case, the USPS padded envelop and bubble wrap.

This person had two different transactions with me at different times. The total postage he paid was $29. I paid $26 and change to get the two separate shipments out. So I refunded him every penny that made up the difference. And that was before he left negative feedback. This was right after I shipped.

But yet I received negative feedback.

So I called eBay. No help.

So I talked to a supervisor. Not only was this person no help, they were super smug. Their tone almost laughing at me. Like I was fighting an impossible battle.

What is the point in being a seller if we sellers have no backup? No one to come to our defense. Nobody who will look at the facts objectively. And we can't leave buyers anything but positive feedback.

I've been a member since '06, and I think it's time to call it quits. These two transactions dropped me from 100% to 97.7%.

What do you think? Stay or hang up the skates?

city*satins · ‎04-21-2019

You're getting good $ from your sales The neg and neutral are unattractive but not actually hurting your standing with eBay as feedback no longer affects a seller's status, only unresolved cases or delivery performance problems or out-of-stock type cancellations, so you're doing all right.

When problem sales are infrequent they can have a disproportionate impact on a seller's state of mind.

Try to consider that you've actually done really well, better than most during your selling time on eBay.

Stay.

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ajl_ventures · ‎04-21-2019

The buyer is NOT always right and I am sorry you did not receive help and or understanding about the unfair feedback. Try calling again and ask to have your complaint "escalated". Hopefully, with your eBay seniority, an understanding eBay associate will remove the unfair feedback. I hope you blocked the seller.

city*satins · ‎04-21-2019

Having said all that, personally I wouldn't charge $6 for bubble wrap and a padded mailer and I definitely wouldn't buy shipping supplies at the post office where they cost more than just about anywhere else.

Future INFO - don't post a buyer's ID on these boards.

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slippinjimmy · ‎04-21-2019

While I'm a believer in handling charges, they need to be "reasonable" (in the eyes of the buyer).

You say postage was $6 and you charged $12

Buyer says you charged $14 and sent first class which would be less than $6

In either case that's a pretty hefty handling charge given a USPS padded envelope is FREE and a few pieces of bubble wrap cost perhaps 50 cents

Buyer leaves feedback claiming they feel they were overcharged, their feeling is legitimate unless they are lying about the amounts involved.

I have no idea what this has to do with staying or leaving eBay.

slati_2013 · ‎04-21-2019

One, you cannot post the buyer's ID here. Two, you cannot leave positive negative feedback like you did.

If you check the feedback he has left for others, you will see your buyer has done this again and again with many other sellers. I would not quit eBay because of this jerk. And calling eBay up to have negative feedback removed is a waste of time.

As far as eBay is concerned, the buyer is always right and if we do anything to offend them they will stop buying and we sellers will have no buyers.

hairsto2 · ‎04-21-2019

Postage was $5.24. Padded envelope was $2.79. Bubble wrap was $3.29. The way I pack (usually the shipment includes multiple books), I wrap the whole lot in a full roll of bubble wrap, put it in the bubble mailer (which is large) then fold over and excess of the mailer for added cushioning. That way nothing will happen to the books. With comics, the slightest ding can decrease the value. So yeah, gotta make sure it's super secure when shipping.

As for why this is a "stay or go" moment... eBay is so far from the seller's side it's incredible. I pay to get the item there secure. Because nothing is worse than getting an email saying "my item was damaged."

equid0x · ‎04-21-2019

@hairsto2 wrote:
Postage was $5.24. Padded envelope was $2.79. Bubble wrap was $3.29. The way I pack (usually the shipment includes multiple books), I wrap the whole lot in a full roll of bubble wrap, put it in the bubble mailer (which is large) then fold over and excess of the mailer for added cushioning. That way nothing will happen to the books. With comics, the slightest ding can decrease the value. So yeah, gotta make sure it's super secure when shipping.

As for why this is a "stay or go" moment... eBay is so far from the seller's side it's incredible. I pay to get the item there secure. Because nothing is worse than getting an email saying "my item was damaged."

You could take a shot at trying to explain that to your buyer to see if they will revise their feedback.

yuzuha · ‎04-21-2019

... why not just ship them in a box? It would probably cost you less as you wouldn't need an entire roll of bubble wrap, and it would provide significantly more protection.

If I paid that much for shipping I would be expecting to receive my purchase in a box, not a bubble mailer.

hairsto2 · ‎04-21-2019

Box is too big. Too much room to move and bang around.

buyselljack2016 · ‎04-21-2019

@hairsto2 wrote:
Postage was $5.24. Padded envelope was $2.79. Bubble wrap was $3.29. The way I pack (usually the shipment includes multiple books), I wrap the whole lot in a full roll of bubble wrap, put it in the bubble mailer (which is large) then fold over and excess of the mailer for added cushioning. That way nothing will happen to the books. With comics, the slightest ding can decrease the value. So yeah, gotta make sure it's super secure when shipping.

As for why this is a "stay or go" moment... eBay is so far from the seller's side it's incredible. I pay to get the item there secure. Because nothing is worse than getting an email saying "my item was damaged."

As someone else posted, you need to stop buying your mailing supplies at the Post Office.

For $3.29 I can buy 65 feet of bubble wrap.

The $2.79 envelope is a quality item, but as you are not a "one time" shipper you can get 3-4 for that price if you purchase in bulk.

Either way rolling some of that cost into the selling price would make life less stressful. Buyers agreed to the shipping cost before buying, but as you see they are not always happy.

Why is the buyer not getting tracking # ?

My buyers pay more for shipping than what is on the label. They just don't know it as shipping is included in most of my sales.

otterpawtradingco · ‎04-21-2019

eBay has the absolute worst customer service of any business I have dealt with in my 45+ years of life. I've been a buyer/seller here for almost 20 years now and I have never had a resolution to any of my issues and not one employee got back to me when they said they would-NEVER!

eBy used to be a fun place for Mom and Pop to sell their antiques and collectibles to other folks interested in the same. It was equitable for both sides of the deal and eBay tended to stay out of it for the most part. Now it's essentially nothing more than a failed entity trying to compete with the number 1 online retailer by filling itself with cheap imported goods featuring a high profit margin; ie. repeats of the same Chi-Com junk peddled by large to mid-sized faceless companies. But unlike the other retailer, they offer no customer service and almost seem to go out of their way to hurt and insult the sellers.

I've come to the conclusion from my own experiences, the experiences of my peers, and by reading eBay's own corporate policies that they are no longer interested in the smaller independent sellers. By increasing fees, constantly adding to the already oppressive amount of silly policies/regulations, and providing absolutely zero in the way of customer service to it's sellers they've all but told us to take our business elsewhere.

So, I'll be joining the tens of thousands of former eBay sellers that closed their accounts in the last 12 months and will have to figure out another way to survive. I'll be listing all of my remaining items as an auction at $.99 to blow them out and plan on going on government assistance tomorrow AM to pay my bills since eBay has basically taxed and regulated me out of business.

Good riddance I say!

slippinjimmy · ‎04-21-2019

If a neg is causing you to think about leaving what about the previous 3 negs and neutrals you received? It's also ironic that you have left negs for sellers in the past for the exact same reason!

tools* · ‎04-21-2019

@hairsto2 wrote:
Postage was $5.24. Padded envelope was $2.79. Bubble wrap was $3.29. The way I pack (usually the shipment includes multiple books), I wrap the whole lot in a full roll of bubble wrap, put it in the bubble mailer (which is large) then fold over and excess of the mailer for added cushioning. That way nothing will happen to the books. With comics, the slightest ding can decrease the value. So yeah, gotta make sure it's super secure when shipping.

As for why this is a "stay or go" moment... eBay is so far from the seller's side it's incredible. I pay to get the item there secure. Because nothing is worse than getting an email saying "my item was damaged."

Soft materials like padded envelopes and bubble wrap don't protect comic books, magazines, softcover books, or hardcover books from damage.

The way to properly protect a comic book is to put it in a polypropylene bag (10¢) with a pre-cut cardboard backing (10¢), place another piece of pre-cut cardboard over the cover (10¢), and ship it in a rigid chipboard envelope (50¢). The envelope should be oversized (9x12) to protect the corners of the comic book. That's a total of 80¢ in materials plus the cost of shipping.

You can also use a flat corrugated cardboard envelope/box, or a low-profile corrugated cardboard box with the protective pieces listed above and suspension material such as bubble wrap sheets. In this case, the total cost of materials would be closer to $2.50.