Buyers Can't Purchase My Items - Item does not ship to Error Message

[jeans-pants-shorts]

I was just curious is anybody else is having this issue?

Starting a couple hours ago, when a buyer tries to purchase my item, they are receiving a message stating:  "This item does not ship to State Name"

I have had a few potential buyers already reach out and say they are unable to purchase from me because of this issue.  I called eBay to see if they can help and they said they are experiencing a "sitewide issue" only affecting some seller accounts.

I, of course, made sure I had no shipping exclusions on my account.  I do not and this was also confirmed by eBay that I do not.  It's very frustrating as this "sitewide issue" has already cost me over $100+ in revenue (that I'm aware of just from buyers messaging me)....and the eBay customer service rep told me it could take up to 72 hours to fix this issue.

[treasurotica]

@etrusca ugh, this is so frustrating! Still happening for me as well. I'm sorry to hear the size fix didn't work for you. What has been working for me is to just remove the package dimensions all together (leaving those settings blank) for anything with a flat rate - this has made the error go away on those listings for me. This is a really bad "solution" though, as I prefer to have all my packages listed with the correct dimensions. I usually get a reply from eBay on Facebook in a fair amount of time, but so far no one has replied to me. I tested today to see if this issue is resolved - it is not! As soon as I put in a correct dimension size for any flat rate item, the original problem comes back.

[etrusca]

thanks -so my work around for the label system and after speaking to one rep yesterday was the following:

I had already had to switch all my sm flat rate listings to regular priority so flat rate wasnt showing as option

I think i then removed the dimensions in label system and hit show all choices and finally it came up although I could have sworn it didnt when I tried before  or try removing the weight  - so that is where I would fiddle to get it to work or add them its one or the other  -the carrier packaging button did nothing it was blocked 

I am so worn out by this with so few sales I cant remember now exactly how i did it as the manual shipping label override system has also now been removed from sold listings... 

Now that you share this has happened to you before I have no idea if I have been losing sales farther back because of unknown blocks - this is of great concern - here we are trying to be compliant to ebay's guidelines on not overcharging clients in shipping,  offering them the best price possible & thereby improving our standings in search and this has totally backfired - we are doing our part - Ebay needs to do theirs on the site and communicate better and most importantly remove the bug & block

[etrusca]

Hi thanks for your update - I tried again on the listings to remove the dimensions w/ sm flat rate selected

it is still being blocked - when I do it it resets 8 oz to 1 lb default so I give up - I am sticking with my latest workaround of sm flat rate + 2 x 1 x 2 in + 8 oz so that it can show - so I dont have to revert to just Priority with higher ship price for farther distances . I cant waste another 3 hrs on the phone with them - if any of you have energy to contact Brian or other in a post please do so - I just lost a parent and am over the top and cant do Ebays damage control for them 🙂 

[jcmparts]

Having the same issue. 5 messages in 2 days from buyers who only see "free local pickup" on all our items which have Small Flat Rate USPS box as a shipping option. It's costing us sales as buyers move on to other sellers. Have called Ebay and am not pleased with their lukewarm response & no idea when they will fix the issue. It seems to only affect items in our store with this shipping option.

[jcmparts]

Same issue. I send a manual invoice and just add in the cost of the USPS priority mail small flat rate box . The issue is then Ebay wants to add sales tax for the state they are in and I have no idea what that is so I just put 0. This all started when they rolled out the new way they show the shipping page .

[treasurotica]

@etrusca @jcmparts Here's another idea you can try. Since both the the small flat rate box and flat rate padded envelope are only a few cents difference in price, you could temporarily switch all your small flat rate box listings to padded flat rate envelope instead (either with no size listed or below 9x9x3 which seems to work for me)... maybe that will work to get your items showing again (since it's the small box that seems to be causing you both the most trouble), and the difference charged to the customer will be minimal. Again, not a perfect solution but might help in the meantime.

[treasurotica]

Been going back and forth with eBay on Facebook about this, here's the current solution, which isn't really a solution at all 😞 

"We've reached out to get a little more clarification about what's happening. It seems the updates to dimensional shipping with USPS starting on the 23rd have caused some issues. While our shipping team works to get this fixed, they are suggesting you use the "flat cost" option rather than "calculated" when using any flat rate box or envelope. If you do run into issues later with printing labels for Priority services, be sure to enter small dimensions like 8 x 3 x 1. We're working on a better solution for that as well. If I get a direct update before a fix, I'll share with you here."

She mentioned flat versus calculated, because the way I do my flat rate shipping, is I choose the "flat rate" option so that I can pick the right box or envelope, but then I have eBay calculate the cost rather then put in a flat price. I do it this way (as suggested to me by an eBay employee!), because that way I don't have to change my flat rate price every time eBay or the post office raise their rates. Now they are telling me to do the opposite in order to compensate for their messing up this latest update. I'm not sure if any of you are doing it that way too, but if so, that could be the issue and/or solve your problem, at least until they get this fixed.

[etrusca]

Hi thanks for the relay and insights.

Unfortunately after waiting since midnight last night, the Ebay supervisor just called while I was  on an important family call at dinner time only let it ring for 3 rings and hung up with no message - not helpful - then sent an email with no name and said they are working on "it" with no other info, suggested I update my phone number and then said I can call in with the password system though no choice matches my situation and technical difficulties I had already discovered do not get a password - so besides that unhelpful event

A I dont recommend selecting a padded envelope instead as the code may be different  or dimensional wt eval

and I dont want to have rejected packages, extra billed to client or experience a shortage in $

B The switch to dimensional weight was only supposed to apply to medium > large packages as noted in the original announcement - the whole point is small flat rate dont need to be accessed dimensionally - so they should never have included that in their new update - 

C Obviously, when you use flat rate it requires a number - my issue is that clients on the W Coast for small flat rate pay a higher price than East > East so I dont want to lose money and have to generate a manual bill which also is hard to beat them to in payment and I dont want to have to put an announcement on all my listings that Ebay cant manage their site and has problems and sorry I have to change the shipping cost on you - its not professional nor ethical.

So I am really  miffed that they dont have a strong enough technical team to A design a good code, b. correct it

c apologize & d. give compensation for numerous lost sales

I am sticking to my equation which is working - unless I find that clients arent paying the real full small flat rate amount when the bill gets generated - I think I have beat them at their own error. But I have had no sales, scared them all off despite my correction - who knows how its really showing on the outside anyway. check out some of my smaller silver flatware to see if they are bidable 

 I would add this was a pretty stupid move on their part - usps should provide the software if they are making a change and better partnership needs to be formed - I understand the necessity for best usage of space . Its mostly the large companies &  drop ship that put small things in large boxes and they get special rates so that would be my initial target audience - then you have the issue of the 8-10 ft conveyor belt drop which does literally impact boxes thus some chose larger for this reason - not a perfect process but we cant ship if we dont sell 🙂 

[etrusca]

THIS STILL HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED - please unmark solution check

I called 3 x today waited 1/2 hour each for supervisor or acct specialist- got disconnected 3rd time 

and no one called me back its been 5 1/2 hours

I am very very frustrated and disappointed with Ebay

[ellegere]

I have been having the same issue for a week. This is certainly costing Ebay a lot in revenue as well, so I'm not sure why they are not working harder to fix it. It started when I couldn't print a shipping label because the system said the zip code was wrong. I called customer service because the zip code was obviously right. They walked me through a work around, and told me that they had a glitch in the system affecting some seller accounts. Now, I have buyers messaging me because they can't buy my items. They get a message saying that I don't ship to their location. Is Ebay trying to punish some sellers for some perceived offense? I try to provide excellent customer service to my customers, but there are always some unhappy campers that insist on leaving negative feedback for nothing at all.  If you ask me, the feedback system, and the way we are penalized for seller feedback needs to be fixed, long with this current "glitch". 

[heddonpal.llc]

Having the same issue still not fixed as of 9:15 pm central time 6/26 tired of replying to buyers.   This glitch is costing me sales

[etrusca]

please read my work arounds in previous replies -

either change your listings to Reg Priority with correct wt & package dimensions of anticipated flat rate or pick the flat rate box but make much smaller measurements in the dimensions box ie on small I did 2 x 1 x 2 and 8 oz 

If you check each listing under shipping tab it will show if you are still blocked or unblocked - the zip code error is in red if the listing is still blocked - then when you do sell something in the shipping label you will be able to pull up the flat rate box if you remove the dimensions the flat rate box should populate - good luck - if you both are still having trouble just experiment with our various workarounds and you should find one that will be adequate in the meantime - the goal is to make the sale and not lose our buyers ! 🙂 you can always offer to refund the shipping overcharge when you do the final label in flat rate & its successful 

[brettdfw]

I am completely disgusted.

I have been having issues since June 23rd.  I have lost the ability to sell an item twice now.  Called Ebay and was told there was a glitch and would be corrected in 48-72 hours.  Four days later and I have been on the phone with Ebay for 45 minutes and NOTHING has been resolved.  

Buyer told "seller does not ship to your country."

No shipping fee calculates when using USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate packaging in other listings.  

The CSR at Ebay was far more concerned with asking me a series of questions to "verify" my identity than to fix any issues that I may be having.  At one point, I simply refused to continue with his interrogation of questions and asked to speak to a Supervisor.  It took him 20 minutes of my waiting him out for him to even try to begin to help.  He perked up when I told him that there are system-wide issues at Ebay and that I was reading about others in the same mess online.  

The workaround is to list Flat Rate shipping as "flat cost, same to all buyers" instead of "calculated" (which I have done since the beginning of time) and to input my own dollar amount for shipping/handling.  Which means I get to go over to the US Mail website and look these prices up, which is stupid to have to do.

And, get this, the workaround for someone not being able to purchase my Buy It Now item is to ask them to put the item in their shopping cart and then I will send them an invoice.  Gee, I hope I can stay up 24/7 to monitor when someone may want to buy these items and send them invoices.   And, how are buyers supposed to know this?

Oh, and the supervisor I waited to talk to?  They will call me back in 24 hours.  Right.  Maybe when they finally fix their screw up, they will raise the seller fees again to compensate for that I.T. overtime.   Ebay is far too concerned with revenue streams outside of auction listings and forcing "improvements" that are completely unnecessary, like the "New Seller Overview" that I refuse to work with. 

I swear that if ANYBODY would create a viable alternative to Ebay that worked in a fair manner for both buyers and sellers  (like in the early days), I would jump ship so fast.......

[etrusca]

write me personally if you are having trouble with the workarounds I figured out so I can help you unblock your listings - at this point we have to take matters into our own hands - its time better spent salvaging a bad situation that wasting time on the phone as most who I have talked to or tried to talk to have no clue - I have been able to recapture sales as a result take care E

[brettdfw]

I have added text to my listing asking the buyer to contact me as Ebay cannot get their act together. At this point, I would be willing to sell the item through email (off platform) if that's what it takes. How could Ebay possibly fault me for breaking that rule when selling on platform is NOT POSSIBLE at the moment. I knew the moment I heard the offshore accent of the phone CSR, that there would be no help given. In May I went through a horrible issue with PayPal and received zero resolution due to their customer service being offshore as well. I find that American companies who route all customer contact to outside countries are generally horrible to do business with should you ever experience an issue caused by the companies. Sad.

Appreciate your offer to help with workarounds and recovering lost sales. I'm just trying to sell off my remaining inventory so that I can close the book on Ebay and PayPal. I will be a much happier person when I no longer have to deal with either of these companies.