eBay FAIL: Shipping and Payments tab STILL!!! doesn't calculate quantity shipping...

[obtanium_enterprises]

FAIL: How many MONTHS has it been now???

Entering a quantity on the "Shipping and Payments" tab and then clicking on "Get Rates" refreshes the page back to the "Description" tab, but leaves the entered quantity with the shipping cost for ONE piece on the "Shipping and Payments" tab when the buyer returns to that tab.

Probably for every potential buyer who's been asking me "how much is shipping for X pieces" there've been at least a dozen moving on to other listings offering "free" shipping, which results in them paying a higher price... Which of course is better for eBay all around; more commissions, more sellers forced to offer the "free shipping" gimmick. Even a bumbling fool of a lone programmer could have fixed this trivial bug by now, so why else hasn't it been fixed. Yet another...

eBay-FAIL!

(Yeah, like outta the toilet!)

[dtexley3]

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@obtanium_enterprises wrote:

Actually, all of the shipping calculator issues are likely related/intertwined. "Get Rates" on the Shipping and Payments tab most likely calls shipping calculator code to do its calculations; makes no sense to duplicate the code, although this IS eBay so any moronic dysfunctional/nonfunctional thing is possible. This is "evidenced" by the same miscalculated shipping rates being quoted when "Get Rates" used to work as those actually invoiced to buyers in eBay Checkout. I detailed the colossal moronity of how these rates are being miscalculated in my "hopelessly broken" thread.

That this stupid-code was even rolled out in the first place is HUGE black mark on ALL of eBay, and everyone responsible for its writing and rolling out, plus those responsible for it not yet being fixed, have thereby earned the requirement to become immediately unemployed. Meanwhile, eBay continues on investing its resources into making even more stuff "broken" in one way or another. ZERO responsibility and business accumen. It's beyond pathetic.

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Based on my experience the various calculators may share some base code but they are completely different standups.  Over the last year each calculator has been broken differently and occasionally at the same time.  I don't think eBay believes in resuable code.  Their apparent coding and testing technics are obviously from the dark ages.  They have no effective Q&A policies and what they have do not seem to be enforced.

I'll save the rest of my tirade about their inability to perform even basic updates for some other time.

[dtexley3]

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@toomstoys wrote:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Shipping-amp-Payments-Tab-Get-Rates-calculator-reload...

On 8/13 Tyler did respond that Yes....both were known issues.

He Did not, however, answer my question though.  Read my posted question there. 

"Hi @toomstoys - the issue with the page reloading is a known tech problem and one that has been being worked on and hopefully corrected. 

The quantity issue is something that is also known and still being worked on. I've gone through and gotten m

embers added who have not yet been included on the ticket. 

Thanks for the tag! "

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I agree with you that , at this point, they do hope we will just give up and make everything "free shipping". I won't. 

I have never dealt with a Tech Resolution team that has such low service standards, such poor responses, poor follow-up, all around nonsensical responses, and just generally avoids and deflects all issues back at the users. At a former employer we had a Tech department we called "helpless services". And That was being kind. 

This one goes far beyond that. 

"hey, this is still broke"

let me give you a ticket

6 months later ........"hey this is still broke"

I'm sorry we can't fix that there is no ticket showing that the broken thing is broken

let me get you a ticket ......

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brian@ebay  Any chance this will be addressed before the end of the decade?

[obtanium_enterprises]

NO RESPONSE and NO RESOLUTION from eBay:   eBay Shipping Calculator is hopelessly broken...

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/eBay-Shipping-Calculator-is-hopelessly-broken/m-p/285...

Broken shipping calculator is destroying my sales and business...

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Broken-shipping-calculator-is-destroying-my-sales-and...

Sales record NOT reflecting buyer invoice: SERIOUS PROBLEM!!!

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Sales-record-NOT-reflecting-buyer-invoice-SERIOUS-PRO...

eBay Bulk Shipping Label Printing IS HOPELESSLY BROKEN!!!!

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/eBay-Bulk-Shipping-Label-Printing-IS-HOPELESSLY-BROKE...

[obtanium_enterprises]

Calculated Shipping Under Charging Customers

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Calculated-Shipping-Under-Charging-Customers/m-p/2893...

[brian@ebay]

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@dtexley3 wrote:

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@toomstoys wrote:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Shipping-amp-Payments-Tab-Get-Rates-calculator-reload...

On 8/13 Tyler did respond that Yes....both were known issues.

He Did not, however, answer my question though.  Read my posted question there. 

"Hi @toomstoys - the issue with the page reloading is a known tech problem and one that has been being worked on and hopefully corrected. 

The quantity issue is something that is also known and still being worked on. I've gone through and gotten m

embers added who have not yet been included on the ticket. 

Thanks for the tag! "

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I agree with you that , at this point, they do hope we will just give up and make everything "free shipping". I won't. 

I have never dealt with a Tech Resolution team that has such low service standards, such poor responses, poor follow-up, all around nonsensical responses, and just generally avoids and deflects all issues back at the users. At a former employer we had a Tech department we called "helpless services". And That was being kind. 

This one goes far beyond that. 

"hey, this is still broke"

let me give you a ticket

6 months later ........"hey this is still broke"

I'm sorry we can't fix that there is no ticket showing that the broken thing is broken

let me get you a ticket ......

---

brian@ebay  Any chance this will be addressed before the end of the decade?

---

Hi @dtexley3, absolutely. As we have discussed, this is being addressed right now. We will provide an update when it is available.

[toomstoys]

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brian@ebay wrote:

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@dtexley3 wrote:

---

@toomstoys wrote:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Shipping-amp-Payments-Tab-Get-Rates-calculator-reload...

On 8/13 Tyler did respond that Yes....both were known issues.

He Did not, however, answer my question though.  Read my posted question there. 

"Hi @toomstoys - the issue with the page reloading is a known tech problem and one that has been being worked on and hopefully corrected. 

The quantity issue is something that is also known and still being worked on. I've gone through and gotten m

embers added who have not yet been included on the ticket. 

Thanks for the tag! "

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I agree with you that , at this point, they do hope we will just give up and make everything "free shipping". I won't. 

I have never dealt with a Tech Resolution team that has such low service standards, such poor responses, poor follow-up, all around nonsensical responses, and just generally avoids and deflects all issues back at the users. At a former employer we had a Tech department we called "helpless services". And That was being kind. 

This one goes far beyond that. 

"hey, this is still broke"

let me give you a ticket

6 months later ........"hey this is still broke"

I'm sorry we can't fix that there is no ticket showing that the broken thing is broken

let me get you a ticket ......

---

brian@ebay  Any chance this will be addressed before the end of the decade?

---

Hi @dtexley3, absolutely. As we have discussed, this is being addressed right now. We will provide an update when it is available.

---

brian@ebay

@obtanium_enterprises

@dtexley3

@babclassics

I just want to say again that when a buyer asks for a quote ( and is understandably annoyed) because they cannot use the " SHIPPING CALCULATOR" to estimate how much postage would be for multiples to their location that is pretty sad. (Why even have the ability to change the quantity there? It doesn't do anything. It is just misleading and causes erroneous expectations of the UI) In the worst case it causes buyers to assume that multiple quantities will ship for the same price as a single unit. 

AND when as the seller of that item .......when I do get a buyer educated enough to know that the system is not working properly and asks "how much for ..." - I myself have to leave the Ebay site to go to USPS.COM ( add the weights by hand on scratch paper) to get the buyer a shipping quote because the calculator is broken and unusable that is just mindboggling & unacceptable. 

AND The fix to this was making it revert back to the shipping tab? That is not a fix that is just making it a "appear" to work - but once again, it is calculating nothing- it is only displaying a rate table based on a quantity of 1 to a keyed zip code. 

THIS glitch was first reported in February of this year - can you understand the frustration of everything I am describing on both sides here?

Add the inability to request an invoice (in most cases) on the buyer's side to this mix and the insulting message to the effect that you are unable to because the seller already offers discounts - we all look like cheats and fools now. 

And as long as we are on that topic .....glitches

What happened to transparency and users getting updates on known issues and a proper time frame on repairs? 

[toomstoys]

[video]

[berserkerplanet]

"The connection was reset"

A (Firefox only?) error message that may pop up when an older browser can't negotiate an SSL protocol with a server, or sometimes when the server times out. Can sometimes be a blocked cookie issue too.

I see it all the time trying to do my bidness with Firefox 2.0, 3.6.24, and 31.

[toomstoys]

@berserkerplanet

@obtanium_enterprises

@dtexley3

@babclassics

LOL !!! 

Anyone notice the new behavior.

Try putting a quantity into the shipping tab NOW and click get rates ......

"We looked everywhere.

Looks like this page is missing. If you still need help, visit our help pages."

I don't think WE are the ones that need help.

Get the life boats ready and stop realinging the deck chairs

[berserkerplanet]

I really have to run, but did a quick test on the first multi quantity item with not free shipping I could find. Item from China. Put 4 in the box, and it came back with an international shipping cost for 4. Looks like it might be fixed, but you are seeing a rough spot or an edge case that might need to be looked at.

(The old saw: You might also need to clear cache and cookies - maybe there is a script stuck in your cache or some cookies gumming up the new works).

Will look at it further when I have time.

[obtanium_enterprises]

Works for FLAT RATE shipping; base amount plus so much for each additional.

See any of my listings for calculated rate.

BUT... The tab not working doesn't really matter since the underlying shipping calculator is broken, as I've detailed in other threads.

[berserkerplanet]

I found another seller's listing that uses calculated USPS Parcel Select, selected qty 3, it produced a quote for the 3 without blowing up, and the amount was as correct as it could be.

Zone 8 24lb item Parcel Select
$64.20 for 1 qty and $163.87 for 3 qty.

What the calc apparently did was split it into 2 shipments (24lb and 48lb) because qty 3 = 72lb which exceeds the USPS 70lb maximum. The total amount $163.87 is correct for that split.

I never ran into that pushing USPS service limits before so don't know if the splitting combined weight path the calc took is a new development, but it is the correct approach if seller has specified a "combine by weight" combined shipping rule.


Another example:
Your Agilent U1731B Testers. Ship Weight = 1 lb. Shows $5.15 FCP or $8.45 PM shipping to me in zone 8

When I select qty 3 it comes up with $15.45 for FCP and $17.30 for PM. Both are correct.

Since FCP has a 15.99 oz limit, the calc priced it out as 3 separate FCP pkgs. The PM it combined all 3 into one 3 lb pkg and provide the correct postage for that.


I don't see any problem with that knowing the calcs capabilities, but you are expecting the calc to convert your 3 FCP combined shipment into a PM shipment. It can't do that, never has done that, and probably never will until they scrap the whole thing and start over (as you implied in your other thread)

Of course I'd prefer the calculator be able to shift from FCP to PM , and even deal with dim weight combined issues, with a robust set of settings and rule options, but it wouldn't work.

The complexities of the settings and combined shipping rules would be beyond the abilities of half the users (the ones that can't even get single pkg shipping set up correctly), the estimating calc and/or label flow would have to tell them how they need to pkg and label the shipment since they have no clue about limitations of the services they use (see my first example that needs to be split into 2 shipments due to 70lb PS limit), and it would end up a big mess.

Just be glad this much of it appears to be fixed and working, and it can now provide correct (even though not always optimal) amounts at least for simple multi order shipments.

[obtanium_enterprises]

@berserkerplanet wrote:
Another example:
Your Agilent U1731B Testers. Ship Weight = 1 lb. Shows $5.15 FCP or $8.45 PM shipping to me in zone 8
When I select qty 3 it comes up with $15.45 for FCP and $17.30 for PM. Both are correct.

ONLY the FCP is "correct" for three separate packages, which isn't exactly "combined" or "consolidated" and such function is far-below that of the shipping calculators in even open source e-commerce packages, and since eBay is so much "bigger" there is NO EXCUSE for their shipping calculator to be anything other than top-notch.

The Agilent listing is configured with 10 ounces as the shipping weight, thus 10+10+10 = 30 ounces, which last time I checked was under two pounds, so the correct PM rate would be $12.90, not the $17.30 quoted by the shipping calculator. I detailed in another thread how this becomes grotesquely exascerbated as the number of items increases; the "error" is compounded.

Another issue is that the shipping amount quoted on an item's listing page, at the top in the "Shipping, Delivery, Payments, Returns" section, is ONLY the FCP rate, which WILL, for a large quantity of an item, be FAR IN EXCESS of actual shipping cost, which WILL drive away potential buyers.

To do business correctly is to DO business correctly, and that is for eBay to fix this mess, whether that's fully fixing what exists or replacing it altogether, NOT by coming up with excuses and resignations, which are actually admissions of failure, which predict future performance.

Actual item weight to one decimal place (i.e. 0.1 ounce, or perhaps just use the metric system as the base; calculate in grams and do conversions for us silly non-metrics) and actual item dimensions should be (new) OPTIONS sellers can use to override and refine the default package weight and size, this way existing listings would be unaffected and items not requiring such detail can easily be supported. This stuff ISN'T rocket-science.

[berserkerplanet]

You are correct.

Calc is using shipping tier weights instead of actual, which is wrong (but at least errs in the seller's favor and can issue partial shipping refunds.)

I still stand by my assertion that it won't work. Using a more complex system like the one you propose (and I would like) WOULD be rocket science. If done properly, it would require sellers to configure choices for edge cases ("what do you want me to do when combining N 8-15 oz FCP shipments where separate FCP is cheaper than combined PM for some zones?" or "should I use PM PFRE for FCP combined?", and understand the shipping services they are using (USPS 70# max, balloon, dim weight...) which just isn't going to happen.

I'm not going to debate on eBay's failing here. It is pointless, and your shaming isn't going to nudge them do anything.

We have to work with what there is.

One simple thing they could do is make partial refund FVF credits automatic to mitigate seller shipping partial refunds due to current calculator shortcomings.

Not much to be done about buyers not purchasing due to too high shipping quotes (except to put info in listings explaining how it will work. Not streamlined for non-small sellers, with manual partial refunds and having to basically do the calc legwork themselves in listings with tables and text, but it is what it is.

[toomstoys]

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@berserkerplanet wrote:
You are correct.

Calc is using shipping tier weights instead of actual, which is wrong (but at least errs in the seller's favor and can issue partial shipping refunds.)

I still stand by my assertion that it won't work. Using a more complex system like the one you propose (and I would like) WOULD be rocket science. If done properly, it would require sellers to configure choices for edge cases ("what do you want me to do when combining N 8-15 oz FCP shipments where separate FCP is cheaper than combined PM for some zones?" or "should I use PM PFRE for FCP combined?", and understand the shipping services they are using (USPS 70# max, balloon, dim weight...) which just isn't going to happen.

I'm not going to debate on eBay's failing here. It is pointless, and your shaming isn't going to nudge them do anything.

We have to work with what there is.

One simple thing they could do is make partial refund FVF credits automatic to mitigate seller shipping partial refunds due to current calculator shortcomings.

Not much to be done about buyers not purchasing due to too high shipping quotes (except to put info in listings explaining how it will work. Not streamlined for non-small sellers, with manual partial refunds and having to basically do the calc legwork themselves in listings with tables and text, but it is what it is.

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Want to personally thank for the time (and detailed responses) you put into identifying the issue with the re-direct to the "we looked everywhere" error page.

Even though I'm sure you thought I was just crazy at first.

Your fix seemed quite simple.

How you figured it all out...beyond me.

But it worked.

Sad they've done nothing with it.

Thanks again!