Farce of eBay eBay International Shipping program - Sellers forced to deal with all claims
I'm a 25-year eBay user, and I'm beyond tired of the constant hoop-jumping eBay forces on sellers, with systems and processes constantly changing. Aspects of the platform have improved over time, but always with new complications to handle.
While the description of the International Shipping program sounds great (US seller only needs to verify receipt by the US shipping hub), in practice seems to avoid taking any responsibility and provides no clear process for resolving problems.
Last month I had an item shipped overseas. Whatever service eBay used for the actual delivery showed as delivered. Buyer complains, and I have to go through the process of confirming tracking for the item. Information eBay already has. Case eventually resolves for me, but the next day is appealed by the buyer, and they win. And the money is pulled from MY account, not credited by eBay. I called to complain, and eventually got a concession eBay had responsibility for the final delivery. Got an email stating I would be credited back for this, but it never happened.
Nov. 13 I shipped another International Shipping program package to Illinois. Received and processed through by Nov. 16. Scanning shows it clearing customs and being at the local post office in Canada by Nov. 20. Buyer has received no notice of the package being available, and they have called their local post office and were told they had no package.
Buyer submits an Item Not Received Inquiry, and again it's my responsibility to submit information eBay already has.
After a long process I finally reached eBay "Seller Support" yesterday, and was told the only thing they could tell me was they agreed they package was overly delayed, but that shipping support was a different department and they could not transfer me. I would have to wait for email contact. When I asked how long that would be, I was told they did not know. The buyer really wants this order ($300), not a refund.
To me, it seems these systems are set up in a way that eBay pretends they will take responsibility, but in fact creates a system that makes it very hard to actually hold them to that.
Anyone have a suggestion on how to actually find out why a package is delayed? From my understanding, eBay uses a variety of final mile delivery services, and the initial tracking they provide for sending to the eBay hub isn't of much use for getting in touch with the final mile carriers.
robbie31415
·2 years agoYou just have to wait for eIS team to pickup the case and they handle it.
Ebays system seems the same because they do all the requests, however once it turns into a claim eIS should take care of it.
Regular customer service has no clue about the process, and eIS only pick it up once it turns to a claim from what I've seen.
retro_entertainment_collectibles
·2 years agoI'll chime in... First off, in as far as tracking goes probably two different departments completely disconnected. Leveled Support, Amazon has this. Front end sellers support has no account access to you're account of any depth, yet when Seller-Performance contacts you at Amazon and wants tracking you best provide it, they dont have login to your personal account. Why would you WANT someone in support have access to you're personal data? Privacy laws exist albeit they vary nation to nation and even State to State.
Granted, eIS should have quantified data coming back to the seller since the seller is still considered the shipper not a consignor and I have to think that eBay does send the buyer some sort of tracking and service used.
As to the rest of things of "I'm fed up with" its time for folks to wake up and understand how much has changed in the last 10 years completely beyond eBay's control. I really dont even know where begin from Governments, manufacturers and retailers wanting 99.9% of online third party sellers gone once for all to things like the detailed product information people howled about needing to enter listings... Then of course complain when their views go down yet its not eBay that has anything to do with that Data. External search engines want more quantified data in eCommerce search algorithms. People are so daft with zero engineering experience they think that Google for example has one search algorithm that does it all. NOT IN THE LEAST. They have literally many hundreds of them and even algorithms to select the most appropriate search target algorithms. But, nope eBays fault. That's why I get 1/3rd of all page view external of eBay, maybe I'm a software engineer who knows how target Search Engine algorithms... Could be.
Now lets talk search here, count you're blessings eBay uses a "fuzzy search" mechanism and RELYS on further categorical drilling in both detailed and other related criteria. If they didn't and the searching ALGORITHMS (not singular) were as people think Google is (uhh... One search algorithm) odds of you're stuff due to amounts on the site likely not even get impressions more or less page views.
"AI" is being embraced all over searchable websites because A. People searching for information put in highly variable data and B. Those who create content dont have the skills to learn how to effectively target potential searchers nor do they care to learn...
"Its Googles responsibility to have people find my website or my merchandise." No it's not, its the content creators responsibility to learn and know what they are doing.
I dont see anybody blaming Google for not delivering traffic instead it, "No its eBays responsibility to have Google deliver me traffic even though I've not paid a red cent until whatever item is sold." Right... Right... So, sellers be willing go door to door, house to house, selling some product and only be paid if a sale is made. Gee I believe Kirby Vacuums did that no? But even Kirby requires an education on how to properly present and use the Vacuum cleaners features and such. Aside from all that, eBay has requested sellers fill in detailed listings so THEY CAN better deliver external traffic.
Just as sellers could use Social Media which is by far in the way the #1 advertising mechanism on the web to reach actually people. Every Social Media Entry reaches someone unlike searches where people are trying to find something. Using Social Media requires two things: 1. An effort, 2. Understanding how to effectively use Social Media Marketing. But that's a no go... "I just want things to be like they were, I list, stuff sells, I ship, end of my responsibilities."
Using social media is free, no promoted or any other listing fee's attached but again, its time, its effort and its education. Small business eCommerce online uses social media a TON to get qualified traffic, they do the work and don't expect someone else do it. If they want someone else do it there are plenty companies out there at $25 an hour that will deliver.
"I just want things to be like they were, I list, stuff sells, I ship, end of my responsibilities."
That's no longer the case, things change. The Internet, eCommerce entities have not stood still. They've evolved their business models whilst third party sellers want the above and then blame anyone they can other than self for declines.
How many of us have cellphones?
The cellphone is the #1 shopping mechanism in the world now. That yields VERY limited real-estate on the screens and there are only so many ways adjust to that especially for a monster site with a billion++ listings. eBay could go way of Amazon, one listing, many offers, price competitive and boy howdy people be screaming up a storm. eBay did it, was called Half.com and sellers didn't support it basically GIFTING Amazon the #1 spot in ecommerce globally. That eBay's fault too? So if you have a cellphone as a seller you've contributed to you're own demise. Stupid right? But really its true. I didn't say if none of us had cellphones that'd change the fact its how the rest of people shop online now.
I'm not a "righteous" defender of all things eBay. I've many a time put forth ideas, I've criticized that I believe Promoted Listings are eventually a zero based return wall for the company and sellers using my brain not my emotions.
Yet, the continual eBay this and eBay that welp, sellers are placing onus in all the wrong places more often than not. There are very many things destructive to the eBay environment some of these include counterfeits, sellers selling garbage, sellers using online arbitrage... I'm gonna buy these at Temu and sell them for profit on eBay. I'm going to shop Macys and Kohls continual year round online sales and then list things here for twice the money or more. That's destructive as consumers are not stupid for the most part and actually empowers the retailers to embrace even more of Walmarts treasure model that is a HUGE impactor on all online commerce. Walmart online is literally THE BIGGEST impactor on online sales since the Amazon Reverse Price engine (one listing many offers) came forth and gained its traction. Don't believe it, look at the numbers. They'd blown past eBay whether its eBay now, eBay 10 years ago or eBay 20 years ago. Walmarts sucking in consumer dollars that literally ONLY Amazon is in compare to and those dollars are not dollars then being shopped with HERE.
But hey, this is America and we've huge swaths of the public that just care to believe any narrative true or false and own it until of course proven wrong. Then they simply deflect and attempt put blame elsewhere and the result is the dissolution of the nation. I wonder how Americans will feel when America is run like a business... We don't have to wait, we ask the folks in China.
sirmixpix651
·2 years agoAs soon as I saw they had this new 'program' for international shipping, I immediately knew I needed to opt out because ebay would f' it up completely.
International shipping can be complicated on the best of days and I refuse to be their guinea pig test subject or on the hook for cross boarders shipping issues and charges.
Ebay has gone downhill, from exorbitant fees, to listings not showing up on the search.
I'm a smaller seller, but I think it may be time for a new platform.
Hope you get your money back....
a_c_green
·2 years agoIt looks like DHL gets a lot of eBay shipments for overseas. Try plugging in your original tracking number on the ParcelsApp site (https://parcelsapp.com/) and you should see its handoff to the international carrier noted there, along with the ID of that carrier and their own tracking number for that package. That site seems pretty good at following handoffs from one carrier to another, and on to its final destination. (Your first tracking number will show as Delivered to the eBay IS consolidation center. It should then be linked to another tracking number for the international travel and delivery.)
I have only had a few EIS shipments myself so far, but the biggest bottleneck seems to be when USPS delivers the page to the eBay consolidation center (mine goes to the Chicago location). eBay's handover to the international carrier seems to move at a glacial rate, measured in days, before tracking shows the package actually getting on a plane.
dollocity
·2 years agoThat's STRESSFUL! good luck.
I made one sale- altho mine went well-
I was so stressed... worrying about it. opted out.
inhawaii
·2 years agoYou made one sale that went well, then you opted out because you're worried about what MIGHT happen in the future?
poptoys
OP2 years agoThanks for the parcelapp reference. I had checked there, but it seems I'd missed the updated tracking number amid the many updates. I see it now.
Not that it tells me much different, but it's something I can provide to the buyer that will actually work as a postal tracking number.
I got a response from an eBay shipping contact (a generic email, so nothing that will help me actually contact someone back). Rather than providing any guidance on why this package is stalled, they just told me to follow the standard process of allowing item not received claim to wait a few days, and then escalate it for resolution. But the verbiage is very much along the lines of "do what you can to work this out with the buyer."
a_c_green
·2 years agoRight, that is the number to follow from here on (i.e. DHL's own tracking number, or whichever other carrier is doing the international shipping), until it's delivered. I would make your buyer aware of that tracking number, perhaps by sending him a link to the ParcelsApp tracking page for that item. Even if it's moving slowly, the updated info you can provide may relieve the tension a bit.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoI have always found it to be sheer lunacy that eBay request the seller to provide tracking information that they already have access to but are too inept or lazy to check. That being said I expected the EIS program to go through some growing pains as eBay now had to start dealing with all the INR's, NAD's, Chargebacks, return requests, scammers....... that sellers have been complaining about for years but eBay seemed to think was not that big of a problem.
The intent of the EIS program was to relieve the seller of any responsibility, in most cases, once the item had reached the EIS hub. Based on most postings that seems to be going pretty well except for some cases of protracted delivery such as yours. Since I am not on the flip side as an international buyer I have no idea how eBay is responding to INR, NAD...... type issues or if they are providing the buyer with a means to contact the EIS center regarding shipments.
Customer support is pretty much useless these days and there seems to be somewhat of a lack of understanding from all levels of support, as evidenced by your problem, with even knowing what the EIS program is, how it works or who to contact. Sadly the seller should not have to run down and respond to buyer issues that the EIS program is supposed to be dealing with. I am not even sure the seller can retrieve the tracking information for the foreign shipment once it leaves the EIS hub.
The best you can do is to let your buyer know what you have found out and that you are doing what you can do but they need to continue to contact eBay and/or EIS, if they can get direct contact information with regards to the status of their order.