eBay

maxvr6 · ‎11-30-2022

Life got crazy and did not have a chance to do additional research into the new Ebay International Shipping. We got "Opted In" by default. However, the minimal reading I did do before it rolled out led me to believe that only GSP listings would be automatically converted. We do not use the GSP currently and only use Ebay International Standard on about 75% of our listings. We have about 25% of our listings where the shipping policy was "NO INTERNATIONAL" for several different reasons (prohibited, oversize, cost vs profit, etc.) Therefore, I believed my listings would stay 'as is' unless I manually changed them. BIG NOPE! The system changed all of our "NO INTERNATIONAL" listings to allow international shipping. I tried everything and Ebay customer service could not give me a solution to change these listings back to "NO INTERNATIONAL". I ended up opting out of the program but am required to fulfill an order that previously had "No international shipping" but was allowed under this program. Not a prohibited item but we will lose money on the shipping. What a unnecessary headache!

If you were invited but did not opt out of this program..check your listings!! You might find that they all have international shipping if they did not before.

firesteel_surplus · ‎05-04-2023

I just jumped on here to rage text about this. I got the message today that ebay automatically enrolled me in their international shipping program and I happily don't have to do a thing!

Well rainbows and butterflies! Isn't that sweet!

HEY EBAY. I DON'T SHIP INTERNATIONALLY!

Not that anyone of them heard that because they are still getting the warm and fuzzy feewings of automatically enrolling us!

Thanks ebay. Not that I already had enough to do today now I have to put my listings in vacation mode until I can get time to cancel their happy little changes.

*(%&*(#*(&*(&#*)**()^*&$ (<<<That sounds as bad as it looks.)

Mike

Firesteel Surplus

firesteel_surplus · ‎05-04-2023

devon@ebay wrote:
@maxvr6 wrote:
Life got crazy and did not have a chance to do additional research into the new Ebay International Shipping. We got "Opted In" by default. However, the minimal reading I did do before it rolled out led me to believe that only GSP listings would be automatically converted. We do not use the GSP currently and only use Ebay International Standard on about 75% of our listings. We have about 25% of our listings where the shipping policy was "NO INTERNATIONAL" for several different reasons (prohibited, oversize, cost vs profit, etc.) Therefore, I believed my listings would stay 'as is' unless I manually changed them. BIG NOPE! The system changed all of our "NO INTERNATIONAL" listings to allow international shipping. I tried everything and Ebay customer service could not give me a solution to change these listings back to "NO INTERNATIONAL". I ended up opting out of the program but am required to fulfill an order that previously had "No international shipping" but was allowed under this program. Not a prohibited item but we will lose money on the shipping. What a unnecessary headache!
If you were invited but did not opt out of this program..check your listings!! You might find that they all have international shipping if they did not before.
Hey @maxvr6! The Shipping Team reached out and wanted to share the following:

"We are sorry about the confusion. When we enroll sellers into eBay International Shipping GSP as well as listings that do not have business policies are automatically migrated. Only listings with international shipping business policies are not auto migrated. One advantage to the new program is we help you determine what is exportable and will automatically display listings that meet export regulations. If you wish not to ship a particular item to a region that can be managed at the listing level in the shipping policies under exclusions. As a seller you are only responsible for the shipping costs to get the item to the domestic shipping hub, the international shipping is charged to the buyer at the time of checkout."

That's all fine and great Devon. But don't you think (and ebay's best interest) to let the seller's DECIDE what to do with their shipping preferences and how they want to manage their stores and sales?

It is NOT ebay's business where I ship or how I want to ship.

Personally I do not trust ebay to do the right thing to stand behind any of us sellers if something goes wrong with a sale overseas. I'm not chancing it.

And holy smokes Batman, I hope some bigwig in their cushy office isn't trying to decide to make it "mandatory" because golly...this is a great idea for everyone! I probably shouldn't give them any ideas....

Mike

Firesteel Surplus

PS...if this text sounds like a rage text...it is.

Mike

firesteel_surplus · ‎05-04-2023

Great...rage texting at a post from Dec 2022...

No one will hear you scream on the ebay forums.

A mod will be by soon to lock an old thread.

I'm going back to work...

Mike

Firesteel Surplus

4winds · ‎05-04-2023

Just received the message today! Quit shocked that ebay would just DO this without even asking permission. If I wanted to sell international I would take the steps myself. BUT I do not! Nice little trap if you weren't checking message!! 😎 Shadyyyyy

buyselljack2016 · ‎05-04-2023

@firesteel_surplus

I found that I was opted in. Not a big deal

Takes about a minute to "opt out" in shipping preferences, and then you can relax.

I understand that it is annoying just to be opted in 🙂

firesteel_surplus · ‎05-04-2023

@buyselljack2016 wrote:
@firesteel_surplus

I found that I was opted in. Not a big deal

Takes about a minute to "opt out" in shipping preferences, and then you can relax.

I understand that it is annoying just to be opted in 🙂

And it takes up to 24 hours to get opted out.

But you get opted in immediately.

I have my sales in vacation mode until I am opted out...hopefully tomorrow and I can go in and see if ebay changed any of my sales to be "helpful."

Mike

Firesteel Surplus

Mike

Firesteel Surplus

firesteel_surplus · ‎05-04-2023

@4winds wrote:
Just received the message today! Quit shocked that ebay would just DO this without even asking permission. If I wanted to sell international I would take the steps myself. BUT I do not! Nice little trap if you weren't checking message!! 😎 Shadyyyyy

That's how I caught it today. Luckily I was messaging a seller here about an item and I've been in messaging quite a bit. That's when I caught "automatically opted in."

And that's when my fuse blew.

Mike

Firesteel Surplus

buyselljack2016 · ‎05-04-2023

I didn't opt out.

claim is they will respect the excluded countries that a seller has chosen.

I have 214 excluded. Don't think anything is going to be purchased to be sent by EIS 🙂

If oddly, something sells, so be it. EIS is responsible after it gets to the eBay location.

With that said, I respect your choice to do as you desire.

melanitomme_0 · ‎05-04-2023

I was automatically "opted in" even though I only ship to US and it's territories in my shipping profile. I had to manually "opt out". This was wrong for ebay to just automatically opt in every single seller into international. Thankfully I was able to opt out within an hour of getting the email, so none of my listings were affected. Shipping international, in my opinion and on the scale of business that I do here, is not practical for me, and I won't do it. Good luck to anyone who decides to try it.

firesteel_surplus · ‎05-05-2023

@buyselljack2016 wrote:
I didn't opt out.

claim is they will respect the excluded countries that a seller has chosen.

I have 214 excluded. Don't think anything is going to be purchased to be sent by EIS 🙂

If oddly, something sells, so be it. EIS is responsible after it gets to the eBay location.

With that said, I respect your choice to do as you desire.

LOL. I think our sales are about set up the same. I think I have about that same number excluded (nope..just looked...221)

I've seen ebay's changes override our settings before...that is what got me at the keyboard rage texting.

I'll go in today or tomorrow and see what they fiddled with if anything. I don't trust them or their computer changes anymore. But yet I still sell....honestly it's still the best place...

Mike

Firesteel Surplus

buyselljack2016 · ‎05-05-2023

Wow !!! Didn't know there were 221.

I leave Guam, PR, and U.S. Virgin Islands open on the international, as it seems to monkey up the domestic USPS shipping if blocked. I don't mind shipping to those locations.

I have had no interest in international shipping because of the pitfalls for sellers when doing so, but I will remain opted in (enrolled silently by eBay with no message) but leave the blocked as they are. I would not be opposed to the shipping under the new EIS program.

I do get the occasional FF purchases, (with no issues) but as there is no advantage that I know of for them to do that I really don't expect those buyers to switch, although I suppose there are many that do buy directly from a seller without the middleman shipper.

Not much call for what I sell to go international, so for me, I see no harm in letting it ride the way it is. I may even open up some destinations. Probably no harm in opening them all to EIS, but time will tell on that, and I don't want to be one of the lab rats for it to be tested on full bore this soon.