New policy? What does this mean?
We’re reaching out to let you know that, starting May 15, your listings that display calculated shipping will default to showing eBay Labels discounted shipping rates. The new default rates will apply to all of your active and future listings that offer calculated shipping; listings with free or flat rate shipping won’t be affected.
We’re making this change to help your listings attract more buyers by offering a lower shipping cost. To get the discounted rate that will be displayed on your listing, make sure to purchase your shipping labels through eBay Labels.
---------------
I don't use 'calculated shipping', I do a fixed cost for my small light shipments.
This won't have any effect on me ... right?
So, for you sellers that DO use calculated shipping, they're taking the extra bump out of shipping which, I assume helps to cover the cost of shipping supplies, and your time. That's gone too, now?
ablynetteba
·2 years agoYou are correct. This change appreas to require you to charge and collect actual discounted shipping or full shipping rates and there is no subsidy in shipping to cover their highway robbery fee assessed on shipping charges. This is Ebays way to attempt to boost their commission for more sales by lowering your net on each sale. It is also motivating me to find a new platform even if I have to create my own. We need to form a co-op for selling on line and allow us to keep all the profits.
brought_to_you_buy
·2 years agoTHANK YOU. I've been using USPS Ground Advantage and it has the best calculated rates so far. Very happy to offer better discounted rates information on my listings. Thank you very much.
flextech65
·2 years agoIs there an actual link that was in that email? I haven't gotten it yet but would like to opt out ASAP.
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoYes:
https://www.ebay.com/srv/survey/a/shipping.discount.optout?mkevt=1&mkpid=2&emsid=e99011.m2.l1&mkcid=8&bu=43192124302&osub=3fb406c2cd102a1c4fb522b9af46e26a%257EALL_T&segname=1709638592323EM_ALL_T&crd=20240412000000&ch=osgood
mcgurf
·2 years agoi opted out and ebay let me opt out, but if it’s like ebay internat’l shipping, as my listings renew i’ll have to opt out again and again until the opt out “takesâ€
i miss the days of ebay having an insurance calculator and NOT taking 13% off the top of money i never see (taxes and shipping)
cowpath.pappy
·2 years agoI do not agree with this, like this and will not use this!! BUT I've tried opting out numerous times and every time I get "Session expired - Refresh page and try again". Ebays way to force me into it. Also don't like Ebay telling me what shipping options I can use - I've been selling for 24 years and know what options to use. At this rate, it won't be long before I stop selling on Ebay completely.
volt-tech4555
·2 years agoMy question about this policy is will ebay quit collecting fees on calculated shipping? Right now if ebay collects $10 they get $2 in fees +/-. If ebay charges a buyer $10 for shipping they take their percentage 1st and what ever is left I use for shipping costs.
If all they are doing is collecting shipping costs and they take 20% does that mean we lose 20% on all shipping?
motorcycle-tourer
·2 years agoI simply don't get it. My listings already calculate the eBay discounted shipping, not retail, so what does this notice mean to me? Sure, it passes on my discount to the seller who always hates shipping costs even discounted, but what does this new plan do for me? I still have to pay a percentage to eBay on all monies collected including the discount shipping I already purchase through eBay so?????
Another thing some of you may not be aware of is that a small percentage of shipping costs are cheaper at PirateShip. Your sales can be imported to the site and it automatically updates your eBay account with tracking info. 95% of the time their prices match eBay's but on a few; Pirate Ship is cheaper. You're still going to pay commission on the shipping cost because eBay collected it, but your outlay may be a little less.
I still am confused how this new policy will affect me since I already give calculated discounts and the email said it was changing "your listings". Honestly, I wonder if I should opt out or not because mine already calculate the discounted price. It seems eBay is always finding a way to get more money from sellers and I wonder if this somehow takes yet another cut. Very confused here.
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoThe reference to "your listings" was just a generic email text. Since you already are set up to share eBay's discount, the new policy will have no effect on your listings.
redschoolhouse
·2 years agoI use pirate ship too. I have noticed some differences in pricing --sometimes on an item ebay is cheaper sometimes pirate ship so I just choose the cheaper one. But they are usually the same.
lp9999au
·2 years agoOpted out as well. However, the opt out form does not confirm you are opted out, it takes you to a survey. Ebay should not be changing listings in any way without the seller's permission.
lp9999au
·2 years agoYou have to watch Ebay carefully. I recently listed an item for First Class mail. When I went to print the label, first class was grayed out! Buyer bought at the First Class rate, but I was forced to pay for a label for Ground Advantage. Called Ebay, foreign rep had no real answer except that I had added a s/h fee and this should compensate me. This forced up-sell on shipping also happened before with that Post Select (forget the name) being grayed out when it came time to buy the label. Also, Ebay recently forced international sales on sellers which I would not touch with a 10 ft pole, so I opted out. Again, watch Ebay very, very carefully.
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoeBay just doesn't sell postage labels for First Class mail, either letters or flats (AKA Large envelopes). You can mail them at the PO or just put stamps on.
lp9999au
·2 years agoIf Ebay didn't offer First Class Postage, then why was First Class Postage an available option when I listed my item????
steady2304
·2 years ago@lp9999au
Because many sellers use First Class envelope and don't worry about not having a tracking number they just put stamps on it and send it off. That is why you can use it on the listing page. eBay only supplies labels that have tracking. That is why you can't purchase a First Class envelope label.
lp9999au
·2 years agoMakes no sense to offer a service you can't use.
easecart
·2 years agoI didn’t receive this message from eBay and I offer calculated shipping. Is there a location on eBay I should look for this message or does it not apply to every seller offering calculated shipping?
kingdompower2013
·2 years agoI already offer them my discount on calculated shipping. Most of my stuff IS calculated shipping. I add in a handling fee to cover the percentage eBay takes. I am opting out. I do not trust them and don't wanna be surprised with something like "there is no more handling fee" or some crazy crap. LOL
ethereal_spirits
·2 years agoWhat gets me is that if a seller wants to offer the discounted shipping price to buyers, they can already do this. So if we have chosen to not do this, why force us to use this?
And I would really like if they would just confirm that I have opted out after doing whatever that survey was. Because if they don't, I will be forced to end my listings once again. I don't make a profit, I'm just one of the people trying to reduce what they own and get back a few pennies of what they spent. So taking more of my money isn't okay. Plus I don't use their shipping labels for everything, so I will be damned if I am going to pay out even more for shipping plus insurance.
Another round of wasting sellers' time and energy for something that really only bulk sellers want. And eBay will lose money in fees from since sellers will be collecting less for each sale.
I'm angry because once again this stupidity is wasting my time that I could be using to list new items on here.
123sharonb
·2 years agoAfter reading thru all the replies thus far, I am even more confused. It would be most helpful if they added in specific examples of what they're talking about.
I was *hoping* that since I ship almost exclusively USPS Media Mail the inbox message meant that EBAY was going to contract directly with USPS to get the discounted Media Mail rate for commercial shippers which is somewhat cheaper than what I pay individually as I don't due the volume that the commercial media mail requires (but Ebay presumably would). For example, if *I* sell a 1# book and buy/print the label off Ebay, it's $4.13 to ship....for commercial shippers, it's $2.80.
And, since I always buy my labels from Ebay, that is the same thing as "ebay discounted shipping".
At worst I was thinking this change would actually change nothing from my perspective. At best, I was thinking it would save me a chunk and I could lower my prices.
I've used 'calculated shipping' since that first time I got caught with my pants down - USPS raised rates and I had to *manually* go thru each listing to reflect the change <shudder>.
Now, I'm just completely confused.
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoYou're right: It will change nothing for you, because the retail price and the eBay label price for Media Mail are identical. There is no eBay label discount for Media Mail, so this announcement has no effect on the MM prices that buyers will be shown in listings.
ethereal_spirits
·2 years agoOnce again they fail to let people opt in. Instead forcing sellers to contact them, and there is no way for us to change our shipping preferences ourselves. Instead we have to wait to see if eBay will actually do it.
This isn't going to generate more money for eBay or sellers. It a loss for both. And it makes zero sense since many sellers need to be able to chose shipping themselves. I don't always use their labels, and with the fees they charge us on shipping, it means I'm losing even more money.
I've started donating items and throwing them away instead of listing on here. I'm having more sales on specialty selling websites this year than on here. I've been selling on eBay for around 25 years and I will say that eBay is dying.
I have to wonder if that stupid move of Bonanza to force sellers to use only their labels is behind this. Both treat sellers like we are stupid and can't decide for ourselves what shipping we want to use. I removed all my listings from Bonanza, and will have to do it here if eBay doesn't opt me out of this. I see I can do this manually but why should I have to do that work? And it will actually reduce the money I make from selling on here when my prices are already lower than a lot of sellers online.
I'm tired of being forced to pay fees on shipping and sales tax. Both lose money for me. Does eBay let sellers opt out of that? Nope.
myangelandmyprincess
·2 years agoIt is currently set as a default of opted out. It changes to a default of opted in on this date. You should still be able to change it back in your shipping preferences where it is located right now.
iluvrobin
·2 years agoThe email also says "If you want to opt out of this change, just (let us know here link) by May 13 and we won’t make any changes to your current shipping rates." But that link just goes to a survey, not to where you can opt out. Mine had already been changed!
myangelandmyprincess
·2 years agoBut you can change it yourself still.
You can also switch back to showing standard rates at any time after May 15 through your shipping discount settings. If it's set that way now you should be able to change it now as well.
gottalottatoys
·2 years agoThey will probably just opt us back in after enough time goes by. I might just add a handling fee in the shipping polies just to be done with it.
firehawkjeff
·2 years agoAhhh, Ebay is not going to lose money. Right now they make roughly 15% on shipping (final value fee on shipping and transaction fee on shipping). But if you are shipping through Ebay, they are making money on that shipping....a lot of money on it.
High volume shippers get really good negotiated rates with UPS/FedEx. An item with a lot of DIM weight might cost 10% -15% of retail rates. And with Ebay's volume, they are probably getting an even better rate. Especially when they can negotiate UPS against FedEx.
So giving us a 50% discount, they are still making 35% +.
This is just the beginning.
Not to mention that you are paying the shipping up front. Not a week or month later. The more money they hold, the more interest they accrue. i also suspect, but don't know for sure, the more money they have in reserve the more they can lend...look up fractional reserve lending.
6u3_11_5_21y
·2 years agoIt's always " OPT OUT " never " OPT IN " . They know we do not agree with what some new college grad marketing exec new hire that shops only on Amazon comes up with.
toomuchstuffagain35
·2 years agoGuess the push for this back last year when ebay "strongly suggested" we do this didn't get enough takers.
packratville
·2 years agoCurrently in shipping preferences, the choices are 1) eBay discounted rates; 2) Custom discounted rates; and 3) Standard rates without discount.
I've always had eBay discounted rates selected; I ship through Pirate Ship and the postage charged has always been accurate, i.e., matched the postage paid for.
Since eBay discounted rates is an option, it makes no sense to me why eBay has to make this "change" to make it a default that people have to opt out of.
buyselljack2016
·2 years agoSince eBay discounted rates is an option, it makes no sense to me why eBay has to make this "change" to make it a default that people have to opt out of.
-------------------------------------------
Per the message..............
to help your listings attract more buyers by offering a lower shipping cost
toomuchstuffagain35
·2 years agoebay wants to attract more buyers, as long as the sellers pay for it and not ebay.
got it.
loftissm
·2 years agoFor me, the eBay discount on shipping usually covers the final value fee they charge me on the shipping and on sales tax. Might be a few cents off here or there, but it's not usually a huge boost to my profit. Essentially, eBay offers me the discounted postage, which can be "up to 25 percent" on Ground Advantage, then they turn around and charge me 15 percent FVF on that postage, which the buyer would never consider if shown the discounted rate I paid, AND on sales tax. Then they send me a 1099 that includes the sales tax in my sales even though I never see or handle those funds. I use calculated shipping because it seems fair to me and the buyer, and I learned the hard way that free shipping can eat you alive if your buyer happens to be in, say, California. I took enough losses on long distance shipping that I decided just to push through the shipping charge to the buyer. If it's too high because of his or her location, then I might lose the sale. That's ok.
ablynetteba
·2 years agoI learned the hard way to granting free shipping to Hawaii.
gottalottatoys
·2 years agoI think you can add a handling fee if you don't want to opt out.
Shipping supplies cost me anywhere from $2.00 to $3.00 per item. I like to be able to get new boxes and supplies for free, but it's not likely to happen. I guess I could remove the thank you card, the tissue paper, and buy thinner boxes to save money.
solidguitar1961
·2 years agoI have not received that email yet.
photto
·2 years agoIt means that they want you to charge the buyers the exact cost of the label. The fee that they slap on top of that - that will be for you to cover.
freebirdtim
·2 years agobuyselljack2016
·2 years agoepic fail on eBay's part
who comes up with these "less than positive" ideas?
What's next? Telling us how much we should sell our items for by making automatic price adjustments to our listing prices?
toomuchstuffagain35
·2 years agoMost likely - probably will try to follow Amazon's Fair Pricing policy.
myangelandmyprincess
·2 years agoThey actually had this in the fall update they would be doing this. I thought it was going to be randomly kind of like offers requiring payment suddenly happening to some..slow roll out. At least a set date with a warning gives a change to turn it off.
lakeland_music
·2 years agoOh, I wouldn't be surprised if that ends up happening. I can imagine eBay taking a total average sale price based on the closest thing to your listing title the algorithm can find, (including auction sale prices), and forcing that price on us "to attract more buyers to your listing". This forced shipping adjustment train wreck is an abomination, and probably only the tip of the iceberg.
dhbookds
·2 years agoAh.........in a message and I note.........
Please note that this change will only apply to sellers receiving this email.
If anyone offers calculated shipping and DOESN'T get the message, I'd be curious to know.........is this a test or is it for everyone.
I also opted out........
geo2061
·2 years agoi opted out within 30 seconds of seeing this eBay solution to slow sales .. when i do a calculated shipping cost i am low-balling the weight on my side (i.e.- an 8 to 12 ounce package listed under calculated shipping as 4 ounces - ships within a tiny % of true cost either way -for buyer or for seller) This allows my items to show lower or competitive shipping costs for my calculated shipping listings.
For eBay to push such a program on Sellers will only upset the sellers that did not read the communication, and they will inevitably come to the boards with lengthy complaints and tales of eBay glitches, IMO.
toomuchstuffagain35
·2 years agoI'll be opting out as well.
dollocity
·2 years agoIt's getting to be a ton of work just trying to opt out of these schemes. Or find where it is. I'll just come here and ask.
sith-lord-of-the-rings
·2 years agoI have to say this just feels like another attack on sellers to again pander to the buyer. I thought buyers having the ability to leave negative feedback on items politely cancelled and refunded was bad. I mean, forbid someone makes a honest mistake. This is just absurd. Nickel dining sellers to death and sellers at the end of the day keep the tent up just as much or more than buyers. Enough with the lopsided changes in policy. I’m ranting a bit, sorry. Haven’t had my AM coffee yet ðŸ˜
dhbookds
·2 years agoWhere are you seeing this?????
warrencounty
·2 years agoOn your ebay messages. They sent this in the morning to every ebay sellers.
ethereal_spirits
·2 years agoeBay sent an email today.
itsjustasprain
·2 years agoRight. The 'flat rate' they are talking about is the fixed cost you are talking about. That is not referring to Priority Mail Flat Rate postage.
From what I read it looks like they are changing the default price shown from retail to on-line (discount) pricing. You can change the default setting back to displaying retail if you want.
splendidthreads
·2 years agoIt will be starting in May, unless the seller opts out.
toomuchstuffagain35
·2 years agoIt looks like you can't opt OUT until after they opt you IN.
This will also affect sellers who changed to calculated for lighter parcels when FCP brought in zoned shipping.