Creating a Modern Retail Marketplace Together in 2018

[alan@ebay]

Thanks for joining.

Today we’re asking sellers to read the latest blog from Bob Kupbens and submit your questions on this thread.

Before you submit your question, we would like to remind users that all posts made in The eBay Community need to be respectful of others. Please keep in mind the Community’s Rules of Engagement when you post. Non-constructive, disrespectful/harassing comments will be removed by our moderation team so that the thread can focus on a productive discussion.

This is an opportunity to connect with Bob about the direction of eBay in 2018, so please keep your comments to that topic.

Here’s how it will work: please submit your comment or question to this thread. At 11 am PST on 2/14 we will close this thread, and Bob will answer a collection of them live via video, starting 12:30 pm PST that same day.

The live video will be shown on this Community thread, so make sure to 'subscribe' to this thread and check back around 12:30 on the 14th to watch live - right here in the Community. 

Thank you for participating!

Here's today's live broadcast with Bob Kupbens & Griff

[tunicaslot]

As much of an Ebay supporter that I am - I don't think any of the ideas are in the sellers best interest. Guarenteed delivery can not be guarenteed and once Ebay loses enough money having to pay for those late returns - it will fall by the wayside. B&M owners should already be advertising themselves that they have a market on Ebay opened 24/7 and I think most do.

A better play would be to create more advertising to show Ebay's diversity - old and new item, small and large sellers, handmade and produced items - Come to Ebay 27/7 for your purchases.

Let's concentrate more on fixing the problems with phone apps, search, delivery times, duplicate listings from overseas sellers, false location information ect..

Buyers are more concerned when they aren't getting the items within Ebay's estimated timeframe - to them it's not an estimate. They are more upset filtering to US only - only to have their items arrive 2 weeks later from China. They are more upset with scrolling through pages of duplicate listings and on top of that fake listings of items from overseas before finding a genuine piece being sold by a US seller.

Sorry Alan - but I can't support these changes when bigger problems need to be addressed. 

[sockmonkeydave]

alan@ebay

Will the link to the video and transcript be pinned to the top of the seller page?

I will be at work also, so I have to catch up later.

[hioctane62]

In an effort to streamline our communications and enable you to have a more predictable workflow, we will consolidate our Seller Updates into three updates over the course of this year. Because when you asked for more notice, we heard you!

Can we also expect to see a continual stream of unannounced, no notice changes through the year such as we've seen in the recent past? Things like:

• Forced best offer into both fixed price and auction listings. Sellers found about this when they woke up to find best offer added to their listings, and then some reported it on the boards. Some even reported having auto accept prices added.
• Severe communications restrictions between buyer and seller in the name of "protection". Sellers found out about this when they received warnings and suspensions, and reported it here on the boards. In many cases, the "ask seller a question" link is removed from listings. I openly invite potential buyers to ask questions in my listings, but lately I'm afraid or unable to effectively answer them for fear of the ebay AI police.
• Promotions banners moved to bottom of listings. Sellers found out about this when they noticed it on the bottom, and it was reported here on the boards. Some thought it had been removed completely. What we were told by ebay was that "initial testing showed an increase in sales when promotional information was moved below the description". This might be true when it is a markdown that is shown in search results, but it made promotions like buy 1 get 1 free or save $15 when you spend $100 or more, useless. The buyer will never know that you offer this unless they scroll all the way to the bottom (which, conveniently, often means scrolling past multiple ads directing them to other items).

Based on the above, I feel little security in the fact that ebay says they will consolidate into 3 updates this year. From what I can tell, the ebay community keeps each other informed of ebay changes better than ebay does.

I do love selling on ebay, and I hope that ebay truly does value our input enough to consider undoing some things that are having adverse effects on our sales. 

[alan@ebay]

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wrote:

alan@ebay

Will the link to the video and transcript be pinned to the top of the seller page?

I will be at work also, so I have to catch up later.

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They will. 

[tealt]

As part of a multi-year journey in streamlining our end-to-end experience, we will begin intermediating payments in 2018. This means shoppers will be able to check out and pay all within eBay. On the seller end, you can expect simplified pricing, centralized sales information, and greater reach. As we make this transition, we will work closely with you to ensure the new payment capabilities reflect your needs.

This scares me.

I've been on eBay for 19 years and on PayPal for 18.

PayPal glitches and botched rollouts have been very, very few and very far between.  EBay, on the other hand, produces a constant stream of  software bugs and missteps that cost sellers time and, in some cases, money (e.g. January 2018 updates to USPS rates and practices).  It's almost as if eBay expects its sellers to be unsuspecting beta testers for changes and new site software. 

And now, eBay is planning to take over payments?

Question:  As eBay begins to "intermediate" payments on the site, are there any plans to improve the quality of software maintenance and roll-outs?

I shudder at the possibility of a glitch-prone payment system along the lines of the current eBay site.

[nawlinsron2]

Speaking of beta...
Does ebay have a beta site? Does it work?
If not, why not...both questions.

[sockmonkeydave]

alan@ebay

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wrote:

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wrote:

alan@ebay

Will the link to the video and transcript be pinned to the top of the seller page?

I will be at work also, so I have to catch up later.

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They will. 

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Cool, I have been to a few of the live chats, But they fly by fast.

Estimated delivery date, ebay says 3 factors go into this.

1.  Stated handle time

2.  Shipping method

3.  Shipping history

I have a problem with 3, for the most part I ship same or the next day.

So I have a history of fast shipping.

I changed my handle time to 4 days for winter

But my buyers will see ebay factoring in my history.

Let us block states where we can't sell items.

Some items can't be sold in some states.

Sellers can't block those states, and get defects for a cancel

If I know an item can't be sold in California, I should have the ability to block that state.

[where*you*crowin]

Straight up simple question on intermediate payment.  Will it be administered exactly like or very similar to the way it is on Etsy?  Please do not tell us that you do not know how it is done on Etsy.   Thank you.

[sandmansales]

Why not address some of the larger issues such as...

1. A gross abuse of the MBG by buyers and ebay's unwillingness to address this.

2. An even bigger problem with counterfeits that have flooded this site. You have received countless listing violation reports yet do nothing.

3. Equally the scams, fake emails and resulting lack of seller protection. Again, reported yet the buyers continue to run free to wreak havoc.

4.  The Chinese e-packet agreement signed off by ebay Greater China CEO Jeff Liao. This has not only caused unfair competition for US sellers but it's put the burden of USPS price increases on said sellers resulting in reduced and lost profits.  Lost profits to a communist country no less.

5. Consider your long term 'business partners' and treat them as such. The ones who have been with you from the start on down to a decade or even 5 years. Stop lumping them into the giant pot of newbies. Take a second look at their tenure and consider that before you 'automatically' rule against them within minutes over a 2 day old guest account.

These are real-life issues hurting your business partners. Until you really take them head on, everything else is just window dressing.

So, my question is - Is ebay going to address any of the above? If so, when?

[annindallas]

Hi Alan.

I am encouraged with Jan Pedersen (from Twitter) onboard. I hope he does more than mine data. Chat boxes would be nice.

Please ask Bob what he means by augmented reality. 

Some of the data, specifically what buyers want and how it will propell ebay forward are augmented reality. 

I want a phone app that works. Can Bob give us a ETA on that?

I was on downdetector a few days ago when I couldn't download ebay. The comments, surprisingly weren from sellers, but from buyers. One buyer had been trying to pay for two days. Any ETA on that?

I get emails from ebay pushing chinese items of poor quality. Why is that?

Is that the course ebay has chosen to continue in 2018?

I noticed that the paypal-adyen was scheduled to raise stock just before the phone apps didn't work.

I am waiting for the third shoe to drop. What, when, is it?

[nawlinsron2]

Second the above...seems that time and resources can be found to create new problems,
but not to fix old ones.
Less pixie dust, more duct tape.

[theheadphonecompany]

I just read that blog - and it gives me night terrors.

Any seller who sells "professionally" (either large or small) knows that the things that are in that blog are anti ecommerce, anti seller, and are basically false.

If eBay wants to create a modern marketplace for 2018 - then just "please stop lying to your sellers about every little thing". That and just show all listings 24/7/365 and money grabs, false snads, money holds ect wont be neccessary to increase GVM.

"Putting you, our sellers, at the center of everything we do in 2018" ..... ok - eBays becomming the "merchant of record" and holding our funds and only releasing them when they feel like it - doesnt square with that statement. Its a simple money grab for eBay (they get to control you %101 and make money in the bank off holding your funds), and you as the seller get nothing.

Just ask the TRSP people who lost %10 (for no real reason) .... they know all too well about eBays being/doing whats "best for them".

The blog said "Last year, we acquired Terapeak, a market research tool that helps you determine what to sell, when to sell it, and at what price" ..... Ok and if you look at the data in seller hub (another bad idea by eBay)(I still cant get rid of it on my account) the data is all wrong. 

Not that Im special, but I dont think any of us need eBays "help" in deciding what to sell. 1) we sell things we can get at a good price 2) we use common sense to decide what to get - we wont buy up iPhone 3gs's but we will but iPhone 7's and 3) and we price things based on what the market will bear .... is that "all that hard to do"?

The blog said "We were thrilled to see so many of you at eBay Open" ..... most of us were not there - and under the conditions set forth by eBay, wont be. 1) dont do it in the dead of summer 2) stop charging good sellers who give you hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of business an entrance fee and 3) unless employees there can change policy (like the silly 60 day returns thing) ... the whats the point? (we can read eBays new dictates from the safety of our own homes/businessess)

eBay claims over and over about working with sellers ... the policies they put out are the exact opposite . 😞

[hioctane62]

We've been advised to market our "brand" on social media, such as facebook. There is the ability for us to actually SELL our items on facebook. In marketing our brand on facebook, are we free to actually make sales there, or is ebay advising us to use that platform only to direct traffic to ebay, and ignore the other features offered by the site? 

[terrycanarsky]

Data shows that 75% of buyers check return policies before purchasing*.

The source cited for this is a report online by a site to which you either must be a paying business member -or- pay $499 USD for the report, therefore it is not viewable by the common "business partner", the eBay seller.

Data used by the latest eBay discussions of this nature have been either compiled data from various sources (some with outdated material) or as this.  Is it understandable when sellers do not trust the information eBay appears to be basing many of these changes on which affect them so directly and, in some case, catastrophically?

"Free returns" refers to when the seller pays return shipping no matter the reason for return, with no restocking fee.

This is from the very small print at the bottom of the article.  This policy appears to have caused a considerable upswing in the abuse of the MBG system as well as harming sellers.  Is there viewable data on which the push for "free returns regardless of reason" was based upon as a best business practice?

We the sellers cannot "create a modern retail marketplace together" if we the sellers are simply told the rules have changed to XYZ with no regard to the results realized by real life application.   Collectively, eBay sellers bring eons of experience and first hand knowledge of "best seller practices" to the table - if allowed.

My question(s):

1.  May we have access to at least some of these market trend sources/reports which have been so widely touted as insight to the modern marketplace and thus vital to our wellbeing as sellers? 

2.  May we expect to have any real input into any of the changes which appear to being considered?

~M

[nawlinsron2]

From Bob's blog 11/21...
"Yes, I've read the posts and have taken the comments back to my team. Appreciate the feedback. - Bob"

Based on input to that blog, what improvements/changes have been made? How many are scheduled?