2017 Spring Seller Update Reminder

[alan@ebay]

Hello,

Please use this thread if you have any questions or wish to discuss today's announcement. 

Thank you. 

[mam98031]

@vermonter53

Yes I am disagreeing with what you said! First of all Ebay should NOT almost always decide in favor of the buyer. They should make a decision based on the "facts". Unfortunately it seems this is seldom the case in my experience as well as others. 

I think you misunderstand.  If a buyer files a Request for return and the seller takes care of things with this buyer while it is in the Request stage.  It does NOT count against the seller.  Disagreeing with that is your right, but it is a fact and you can see this on your Dashboard.  If a buyer has made a Request for return and the escalate it to Ebay for whatever reason they may have, it becomes a claim.  The FACT is that Ebay usually decides these in the favor of the buyer.  That is a fact, not my opinion.  I never said I agreed with it, I just stated what they usually do, nothing more.  So disagreeing with me on this points serves no purpose.  What Ebay should do and what Ebay does is often the problem.

In reference to "all you need to do is call Ebay"??? That was a joke. I not only pointed them in the right direction but led them there step by step, explaining everything as I went. Had facts, logic or even common sense prevailed, this would have been taken care of but it was not and I did more than what you have mentioned and it did me no good but waste a couple hours of my time.  

I feel your pain.  It takes far too long when trying to get a CSR to respond properly and get a problem taken care of.  It also usually takes multiple phone calls.  Which is why I pick my battles.  I only call if I have no other opportunity to fix whatever I need fixed.  I completely agree with you about the lack of customer service.  One thing you could do that may help is join the Weekly Chat on the Discussion forums.  They are held every Wednesday for one hour between 1 and 2 PM PST.  While you may think they can't or won't help, that is not necessarily the reaction anymore.  Over the past few months they have vastly improved their responses.  Try not to be angry with them as they aren't the ones that caused your problem nor are they at fault for the policies.  They are more apt to want to help you if you approach them respectfully.

If everything you say were actually true, then Ebay would be a much better place to sell.

I don't know what that statement is about.  You clearly misunderstood something that I said.

[sinepuxentsales]

I would like to thank eBay for changing the discount for top rated + from 20% to 10%, As a seller who works by himself, And is away from home several days at a time (getting items to sell on ebay from estate sales) Timing my auctions so I would be home to ship next day (As required to be top rated +) Was a royal pain.  Now the insentive to offer next day shipping on my auctions is not worth the trouble.  Way to go eBay! ... I can provide worse customer service, And the $$ penalty in not too bad.

Thank you.

[vermonter53]

I get so irritated by technology that simply doesn't work as it should GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

I have gotton to the point where I copy every message I write to anyone before I try to post so when (notice I say when not IF) it messes up, I can simply paste it into another one and try again. Funny! it usually works the second time around? 

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mam98031

I need to apologize to  you here. I read one of your posts  (somewhere back a few ) and didn't even look at your ID and incorrectly assumed you were responding from Ebay from the message that seemed to be defending/agreeing with Ebay.

My response was somewhat born from the frustration in dealing with Ebay's lack of logic in many forms and again I incorrectly attributed your responses as Ebay ??????? Sorry if I offended you in any way.

When I said "If everything you say were actually true, then Ebay would be a much better place to sell

I was referring to the comment of "All you need to do is call Ebay"

If there was an error somewhere and we could just call Ebay and get it straightened out (Which I have done before at times) it would be much easier to sell on Ebay.

I'm not angry but sometimes maybe sound that way. I'm sorry if I come across as that. 

I have dealt with ADD my whole life and have many different ways to be more productive in society in general. Because of this, I need things to be logical or it just frustrates me. When Ebay's responses aren't, that is when I go into "lawyer mode" as my late wife  used to say and argue my case like a lawyer. The only problem is, I'm not presenting my case to a jury, only to one or perhaps 2 or 3 people.

I also tend to be long winded 🙂  I guess I'll just shut up now before I dig myself in any deeper. I might try the chat as  you said but, I rarely have the time to set aside for that.

Take care, 

[vermonter53]

That was my second try 🙂 

[hat_trick_fan_gear]

I have been a selling on ebay for around 6 years. I totally understand that the online marketplace is ever evolving and ebay has done good at offering guidance to sellers to stay competitive.. Having said that,  every year the spring seller update has basically turned into a policy change that makes selling on ebay peppered with new hurdles to success , less profitable for sellers and more profitable for ebay on the backs of the people who make ebay a success...essentially Ebay needs to revisit Aesop's fable of the goose that lays the golden eggs.  By consistently taking away the things that help us be profitable.  Making the hoops smaller and higher for the coveted Top rated seller status , cutting the discount in half.. (my guess is next year it will be abolished altogether ...essentially projecting that many will not be able to quailify hence adding to ebay's bottom line)  Essentially you are literally encourging sellers to look at the many other sales channels out there and I will guarantee that ebay will continue to lose market share and sellers will migrate to other channels.because of this lack of vision and leadership.. It pains me because I truly feel a sense of loyalty to this platform I only wish that loyalty was reciprocated...... remember in aesops fable " The goose and the golden eggs"  the farmer got greedy and cut open the goose only to find that he had killed the goose that gave him the gold... this error was made because of his insatiable greed.. .... jus sayin..  

[benjamins718]

I Agree is discourages the will to be top rated. But they are supposed to give us a credit for advertising Promoted listing instead so maybe it will add up

[benjamins718]

Some smaller sellers tend not to care and tend to ship 10 days late so 4%   might put them in line

[vermonter53]

Sure, they give you a credit for promoted listings but promoted listings are an ongoing expense that will continue. It kind of reminds me of all these software "FREE TRIALS" and then when it ends, they just keep charging you unless you specifically tell them to cancel by a certain date. I could be wrong but that's what it sound like to me. IMHO it is a total rip off and the only thing that will add up as you say will be Ebay's pockets!

[benjamins718]

That depends how you look at it. Promoted Listing should be in your plan anyways because it gives this you additional sales and you set the per sale fee. and ebay gives you some credit. Now this is not a trial its just helping you a bit. if your going to use promoted listing do it as part of uoir strategy.

[macemeadowsinn]

HERE'S WHAT MY 'DREAM' EBAY SELLERS ANNOUCEMENT WOULD LOOK LIKE:

• Sellers using online postage calculations will not be charge final value fees on shipping or any amount under $2 for handling fees.
• eBay branded shipping supplies are free (allowance based on volume of shipments past 90 days)
• Sellers who maintain Top Rated Seller status for 12 consecutive months or more receive an additional 1% off final value fees up to 8%.
• eBay has instituted a new feedback category ‘Non-Payment’ that sellers can select on non-paying buyers. Sellers have the ability to cancel any bid or purchase immediately from a buyer with any non-payment feedback marks in the past 12 months.
• eBay is launching a new all media marketing campaign, including tv ads, promoting – and – returning focus to you; our small work from home sellers.
• eBay auctions will now have automatic bid-timer increases, anytime a bid is placed on an auction item in the last 60 seconds of an auction – time will be extended by a minute and a half until the timer runs out without further bids.
• All fixed price items now have the option to add purchase ‘upgrades’ such as; gift-wrap, chains to go with pendants, polishing services, etc…)

Shall I go on….???

[mam98031]

@vermonter53

Not a problem at all.  I've done similar things many times on various threads.

"I also tend to be long winded..."

We are most certainly kindered souls, just ask my husband or my childred!!!!!  LOL

[ronnisnowandthentreasures]

We all work so hard to make a living and we are at the mercy of ebay. The fees are crazy and I agree about the returns, it seems all my items, even brand new ones, have something wrong with them and ebay must see this in their stats. Not being able to leave feedback for buyers is just so wrong on many levels that I cringe until I receive it. I had a customer complain that an item was damaged, she did it herself by putting a dent in a bracelet, and she got free shipping back. I received an empty envelope back and ebay said "oh well, thats the cost of doing business, you have to figure that in.

[springs_2013]

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@ronnisnowandthentreasures wrote:
We all work so hard to make a living and we are at the mercy of ebay. The fees are crazy and I agree about the returns, it seems all my items, even brand new ones, have something wrong with them and ebay must see this in their stats. Not being able to leave feedback for buyers is just so wrong on many levels that I cringe until I receive it. I had a customer complain that an item was damaged, she did it herself by putting a dent in a bracelet, and she got free shipping back. I received an empty envelope back and ebay said "oh well, thats the cost of doing business, you have to figure that in.

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That's like adding salt to the injury in the example you just gave!  I am so dismayed when I read other seller's experience where eBay refund scam buyer who returned empty envelopes at seller's expense.  That is sooooo wrong!

I had my share of scam buyers and I lost money on everyone of them!  eBay need to protect sellers too.  There is no excuse for "that's the cost of doing business."  Small sellers who sells less than 5 items a month cannot take such a lost!  Sells has been slow for a long time.  The cost of the eBay store has put me in the red for just as long.  I made the mistake of commiting to the store for a year.  I cannot believe I am essentially paying eBay and Paypal while working for free.  I wonder how the executives would like to work for free and pay  for the opportunity to work for eBay.

[amysncfinds]

This is has gone back to the money hungry EBAY I so miss the days when I first started 15 years ago it was great, easy, and sales thru the roof. Now I zero out at the end of the year once I put in ebay fees, shipping cost, and pay pal fees. I haven't had to pay taxes on my store for atleast 8 years now because of all the greed. I don't mind paying my share but the CEO needs to get off his butt and do some **bleep** work also he is robbing peter to pay paul. I don't want to help pay for EBAY MOTORS COMMERICALS OR HELP PAY NASCAR FOR THE SPONSORSHIP I don't sale in the category in the end you are taking food off my table for my family to live your comfortable life shame on you shame on you. I hope enough sellers complain about the Top Rated Sellers discount being taken away that they give it back we have earned it. 

[lilannabella]

I love eBay! Such a brilliant paradigm for online selling back in the day.
Over the years the country as a whole has taken a hit so consequently there are FAR fewer people with the funds to spend overall.
I often wonder what goes on in the board meetings.. Do you people realize your cutting your nose off to spite your face?
It would seem you would learn some lessons from bad decisions you've made in the past. Fee increases.. Paypal fees.. shipping fees etc. etc. How many Sellers opted to leave during these changes... you felt you had to implement.
Isn't it possible to just let things stay on an even keel for a time? Why so many changes?
I fear you are going to "change" your way out of business.
I don't exist off my sales.. It is more a hobby. For others, it is their livelihood.
Don't break the spirit of the Sellers on here. It will hurt us all.
Focus on Returning it to the Great Selling/Buying Source it once was!