Not receiving listing and sale notiications by email
Since the recent year-end holidays, email notifications from eBay have been erratic.
I almost missed two sales at the turn of the year because I never received notices about them. One buyer finally contacted me because they hadn't received the item, and while I was attending to that online I discovered the second missed sale. Today a notice about an offer went only to my Messages on eBay and I would have missed it if my phone hadn't alerted me about it.
Last night I listed several books but received a listing notice for only one of them. The others did not appear in my Messages either. This also happened last month when I listed some other items.
I had been getting payment notifications but the most recent one only showed up in my eBay Messages.
I have check my Preferences several times and they seem to be in order. Since I am not a high volume seller I don't automatically log onto eBay every day and it will be a nuisance if I have to start doing that to be sure I don't overlook a sale.
I have been buying and selling on eBay for a long time and have always depended on the communications system, but lately it seems to have gremlins in it.
Has anyone else had this problem recently? Any suggestions will be most appreciated.
ksedar
·3 years agoI found this happened to me today, even tho this topic was started back in March. I didn't receive email notice that I received payment for 2 sales today AND they were listed as "waiting for payment" in the notification area (the bell) dropdown but only when I clicked on "check payment status" on the "you made the sale" email was I taken to the shipping page that said buyer has paid. I had to double check with the payment tab to make sure that there was indeed payment being processed for the items. I rely on the emails and notifications being sent and correct so this is a huge problem. I almost missed a sale because the person paid at like 2am my time so I wasn't to notice any problems. So this just started happening for me today. No mention of this anywhere but this post.
marynoel
OP3 years agoI feel your frustration. The email notices used to be reliable; now they seem non-existent. I haven't received one since last December. Have you gotten any lately?
After posting and reading comments here, I reluctantly, and with much muttering under my breath, have started checking my Orders several times a day so I don't miss a sale. (I usually go to "All Orders" to see if there's something new that I don't recognize.) I know the routine doesn't take that much time but it still is a pain, especially for someone who only averages 4-5 sales per month, and considering that those notices used to be dependable. It's one more case of a former service becoming self-service. 😞
chapeau-noir
·3 years ago@simply-the-best-for-you I meant to say that depending on the system one is on (I am most often on a network and I am not the sysadmin), eBay may be sending those emails out promptly and properly, but they're stumbling on the way - problems with email protocols, etc.
marynoel
OP3 years agoI'm working from home. My only system is my DSL connection to my ISP. I have checked my settings on the ISP server, on my iMac's Apple mail, and on eBay. I can't find anything wrong. Either I'm missing something very small (and/or obvious?) or it really is an eBay problem. I get some emails but not others. It's weird. And as I said earlier, I appreciate all the feedback. Thanks!
duffy4444
·3 years agoI've been on eBay just a couple months shy of 25 years, and I've never had any problems receiving eBay's sale notifications... until last month. It could be eBay, and it could be my internet email service - I can't tell, so I can't pin blame anywhere.
I always make it a habit anyway a few times a day to go to my Seller Hub > Orders > Awaiting Shipment. That's the most reliable place where I catch all my paid and ready-to-ship sales.
Get into the simple habit of adding just a few clicks in your Seller Hub to be sure you're on top of your sales and shipping time frames.
Cheers, Duffy
simply-the-best-for-you
·3 years ago26 years for me & rarely an issue, including the last month. I have rec'd emails regularly all last month, so maybe a setting got reset or maybe your provider, but it still works.
As @chapeau-noir mentioned, there have been times when the emails are delayed a few hours & I recall once where they never did show up, but the difference is that when that happens, it's a site-wide & lots of people are complaining/asking about it. I honestly can't remember the last time it happened, it's been several years from memory. Mine are generally instant, both on my phone & email, though occasionally one will get into a rhythmn where it's a few minutes ahead of the other.
@marynoel OP, forgot to mention where the preferences are. Account Settings>Account Preferences> Communication Preferences>Selling Activity. There's a list of around 10-15 checkboxes for what activities you wish to be notified for, so it's quite granular.
ETA: I would also double check my Personal Info to be sure the email address there is the one I expect to receive notifications at.
marynoel
OP3 years agoThanks for taking the time for additional comments. I found the Communication Preferences a while ago and have checked them numerous times. I even tried changing something I didn't care about, then quitting eBay to try to reset them. It hasn't helped. As for my email address, I do still get some notices but it has been very irregular since the holidays. I will double-check, just to be sure.
As long as we're comparing eBay histories, I've been buying on the site since 1999 but only started selling in 2004. I don't know if that gives me any bragging rights, but I do claim a long history in which I've never had an email problem until the past few months. FWIW ... 😊
simply-the-best-for-you
·3 years agoThere has been no interruption in my emails from eBay. I got several today & the last time I recall an actual interruption, was several years ago. This is a user issue, not a site issue. Check your preferences again &/or your email client. Though I do sign into eBay daily, I use the emails extensively & like I said, last outage was a couple of years ago. It's something with your settings or your email.
Also, FYI, any eBay reps here have a big banner showing that they are eBay employees.
marynoel
OP3 years agoThank you for your comments. I will check everything again and hope that I find the glitch. Meanwhile I will take everyone's advice and start logging into my account more regularly. All the feedback here has been educational.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoAFAIK, eMail has never been consistent or reliable for everyone - there's no way I would depend on it for anything. It takes a few heartbeats to check seller hub - no more worries about wonky email!
simply-the-best-for-you
·3 years ago@chapeau-noir Actually, it's usually user errors. Other than occasional (meaning once every few years) issues, there are no problems with eBay's emails. I haven't had a missed em from eBay for years. They do occasionally have delays in sending out emails, but again, last one I remember was several years ago. Has always worked like clockwork for me.
While I don't rely on the emails, I use them extensively & have for about 14 years & I have files with all of them, showing that it works just fine.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoOK, only the problems I've heard about have been emails sometimes coming in 12 hours late, which is far too late, and ending up in spam despite being whitelisted. It's just something I wouldn't rely on, but then I don't rely on emails for any site where I sell
marynoel
OP3 years agoThanks for all the quick replies. I should have mentioned that I do all my business on my desktop iMac, not my phone, and I use Apple Mail to retrieve my emails from the host server. I have checked my settings there, too, but can't find any issues.
I hear what everyone is saying about not depending on eBay for notifications, but that is a recent change from the service I have experienced for years. If this is the new normal, I will have to change my record-keeping system as well as make checking eBay part of my daily routine. I will do these things, but I am disappointed in eBay.
I know I'm only a bit of krill in the eBay ocean, but even krill dislike having their routines disrupted. I appreciate having this place to rant. 😊
dhbookds
·3 years agoWe get comments once a wk or so about not receiving emails.........you've been lucky if yours hasn't ever given you a problem before......no proof it's ebay......could be internet problem because of all the weather stuff or just old fashioned glitches any/everywhere........... I can tell you that I've not received emails from friends who have sent them............
marynoel
OP3 years agoI know that technology isn't perfect, but for me this issue does seem to be an eBay problem and a recent one at that, since I've been an eBay user since about 2002 and have always gotten regular communications about sales, payments, etc., up until the last few months.
I haven't experienced other email losses that I'm aware of. Maybe I have just been lucky but this feels like an actual change with eBay, and not one for the better. If the terrible weather in California is involved I look forward to improvement in the future.
BTW when you say "we get comments" do you mean your company or are you an eBay rep? Just curious ...
dhbookds
·3 years agoUnavailable member
·3 years agoI mainly work from a desktop computer as well. I use my iPad for the forum. My iPhone is way too small for my over 60 eyes lol
monica-sells
·3 years agomaybe put the ebay app on your phone. I put it there to not only examine my listings, but i love the little 'cha-ching' that comes with the notifications. It is just another way to be notified (redundance...)....
Also, not to sound 'snitty' but if taking 68 seconds checking the seller hub daily is a nuisance, well, I am not sure what to say.....
marynoel
OP3 years agoI have the app on my phone but I am not one of those with an umbilical cord to it. My phone mostly lives in my purse for when I'm away from home. As I stated earlier, I do my business on my desktop.
Also, it takes more than 68 seconds to log into eBay (at least for me) and having to check there multiple times a day when eBay could just continue to send emails pushes my buttons a bit. As "improvements" take away previous helpful features (and not just on eBay) I'm beginning to feel like the frog in the slowly warming pot.
I realize that this is definitely a first world problem and I sound like an old fogey talking about "the good old days". (I am 75, so I claim the privilege. ) I will adapt but I don't have to like it. 😚
hartungcards
·3 years agoIt takes you more than a minute to log into eBay? Are you by any chance on a dial-up connection?
hartungcards
·3 years agoIf you're selling anything on eBay, you have to learn to live with the "nuisance" of logging in every day. Depending on emails for your notifications is risky business. Next time you log in, check the box that says "keep me signed in" and don't sign out - ever.
Unavailable member
·3 years agoI have email notifications turned off so I don’t have my mobile devices making noise at all hours.
I do check my Seller Hub periodically throughout the day to check if I’ve received sales.
This is more efficient than relying on notifications.
I do have the mobile app but that is also unreliable for notifications as well.
Suggestion for you is to monitor your seller hub for sale’s frequently.
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoI don't depend on email from eBay. I sign into ebay and check my sales at least once a day. It only takes a minute.