mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
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Up until a month ago I was a top rated power seller. Then I started getting marks against my account for "Carrier scan not uploaded".
Were you printing your shipping labels from Ebay? If not, were you entering your tracking number manually on Ebay? The reason suggests Ebay was not getting the tracking numbers uploaded within YOUR stated handling time which is 3 days of the purchase.
There is a report you can generated from your Dashboard in each section of the various stat section to show you exactily which transactions are not getting the tracking numbers uploaded.
I spent over 2 hours getting passed around EBAY CS all over the world in an attempt to resolve this but no luck. Every one I talked to had some different interpretation of Ebay policy.
Contacting the CS department can be more than frustrating the majority of the time. However I'm not sure what you or they feel is open to interpretation. Either you are entering tracking numbers or your not. Or the Ebay system has a glitch and is dropping the tracking numbers you enter.
I went to the post office and had them print out all the carrier scans for the problem transactions. I submitted as proof and they agreed this was sufficient proof but the marks are still against my account and according to one guy at EBAY these marks are "unremovable". Anyone have any experience with this?
That isn't true. These marks can be removed under certain circumstances. But I think we are missing some information from you.
Are you using a different source for your shipping labels other than Ebay or PayPal?
If you are using a different source is that site uploading the tracking to Ebay, are you doing it manually or are you skipping that step?
Give us more details so that we can hopefully help you understand and fix the issue.
@cjbeez wrote:Every seller experiences this problem, eBay knows its unfair, knows it will result in defects on your account, and you (the seller) end up paying more fees to list and sell. The system is rigged, they have designed it against sellers. Ebay knows the seller can't control a third party involved with the transaction (ups.usps.fedex) and they bank on it. They have no direct shipping agreements with usps guarenteeing any delivery date like AMAZON does. Thats why this entire new program "Guarenteed Delivery" is a huge Scam and Fraud.
My best advice is to establish a relationship with your postmaster and demand your items get scanned in.
Broad statements are rarely correct. I've been selling a long time and I've rarely had the problem the OP describes. The exact words the OP used was "Carrier scan not uploaded". Now that could mean that the OP is not uploading their tracking numbers on time, Ebay has a glitch, the carrier is not updating their systems, etc. It certainly can and does happen.
But that doesn't mean the system is "rigged" or there is some conspiracy against sellers. It means there is a problem that certainly requires research to find the source and fix it, whether that is Ebay, the seller or the carrier.
You are correct, Ebay is fully aware that we as sellers have no control over what a carrier actually does. We all know this to include the carriers.
The Guaranteed Delivery program which Ebay is just starting to launch has NOTHING to do with the problem the OP is having. The great thing about this program is that if you don't like it, you DON'T have to participate. It is NOT a manditory thing, so you can choose not to opt into either of the two options if it doesn't work for you or you don't like it. It is a complete non issue for those sellers that do not want to utilize it.
Ebay changed how they determine if a transaction has been delivered on time a couple years ago. ALL sellers now have three ways in which this is determined. Any ONE of the 3 options is enough for Ebay to determine that you have an on time delivery.
1. Tracking number is uploaded to Ebay within your stated handling time and it is validated by the carrier.
OR
2. The delivery scan happens within the stated ETA on the purchase. [So if you actually shipped a little late, but the item still arrived within the ETA window, you have an on time delivery].
OR
3. At the time the buyer leaves FB, they have the option to check a box that says the item was delivered on time. If they check that box, you have an on time delivery.
Ebay is well aware that sellers of items that ship regular FC mail will not have tracking numbers. This has been an issue all along, every since the TRS program started as these sellers can rarely qualify because of it. They are totally dependent on the #3 option above to prove their on time shipping. Just the sheer number of buyers that never leave FB makes that not work well for these types of sellers.
The TRS program does NOT require 1 day shipping. You can be TRS with a 3 day handling time and a 14 day return policy or some other combination of the two. It is TRS Plus that you can only qualify for if you are: 1. Currently have TRS status as a seller, 2. Handling time of 0-1 days and 3. a 30 day return policy. TRS plus is by listing for TRS and allows the seller to receive a 10% discount on the FVF.
You can be TRS without being TRS Plus.
The requirements for being a TRS seller are actually good solid business policies to have. You do not have to work yourself into a frenzy to be TRS. Most of us do it without going crazy as the policies are ones we had in place for ourselves long before the TRS program came along.
Now TRS Plus is more difficult and requires extra work and attention to your selling account. Some do it well, some don't. TRS Plus is not right for everyone, but that does NOT mean they aren't good sellers. It simply means that the requirements to have listings qualify for TRS Plus is just not right for them.
I vaguely remember something about a 45 day return policy, but whatever it was, it was extremely short lived. But what I can say is that I've been TRS since the beginning of the program and I've never had a 45 day return policy.
There was ONE holiday season that Ebay was encouraging sellers to have a 90 day return policy. For those that chose not to participate in it, they would not qualify for TRS plus from November to January. But they still remained TRS with all the benefits afforded to that status. That season I did NOT participate and I retained my TRS. I didn't suffer in sales or lose anything but the discount during the period. Ebay originally was going to have this or a similar program every holiday season, but they have not done it since the one time years ago.
With that all said, those days are gone. It isn't anything that is currently going on here, so I'm unsure as to why you are holding on to your concerns over a return policy timeframe that does NOT currently exist for TRS on Ebay. Certainly things may change in the future, but they are NOT a consideration on the site at this time.
The TRS plus discount may not be right for many sellers now that it is reduced to half what it once was. That is a decision for each seller to make for themselves. There is no right or wrong answer to that. But you originally stated you'd lose TRS as well and that does not have to be true. You can retain TRS without doing the 0-1 day handling time and a 30 day return policy that is required for TRS plus, but NOT for TRS.
You stated "When it was 20% of FVF and included a good shipping discount it made sense." TRS Plus has NOTHING to do with a shipping discount, absolutely NOTHING. There is ONLY ONE thing TRS plus gives you and that is the discount on the FVF. That is the ONLY perk, period. TRS Plus can be some of your listings but does not have to be all.
It is TRS that gives you the discount on some shipping methods and other perks. You do NOT have to have 0-1 day handling and a 30 day return policy to be TRS.
I am not trying to convince you to go after TRS status. I'm merely trying to explain some misunderstanding you have about the program. You have every right to do as you see fit for your business.
"...10% is not enticing. I mean how high do you jump when retailers offer 10% off on goods? not too high I imagine. Well, this is the same thing, but with punishment if you don't jump. " I'm not at all sure I understand this position. If the 10% discount is not important to you, then why would the loss of it be a "punishment"?
"The 45 day mandatory return was the last straw for me, it was cold-hearted evil." There is NO SUCH THING!! I tried to explain that in my earlier post, but obviously I did not do a very good job, sorry! There is no such requirement on Ebay for any seller level. So you are holding something against Ebay that they are NOT doing.
"And yes, there were shipping discounts exclusive to TRS in the beginning." YES you are absolutely correct, in your earlier post you said they were if your listing was TRS Plus and that is incorrect. YES, TRS does get shipping discounts and they STILL DO!
You keep using TRS and TRS Plus as if they were interchangable acronyms and they are NOT! They mean two different things. It appears to me that much of your frustration with Ebay is due to a misunderstanding of how these programs work.
