Community Chat, April 15 @ 1:00 pm PT - General Topics

[brian@ebay]

Join the Community team here at 1 PM PT on April 15th for our Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. We don't have a specific topic this week, so please bring any general questions you may have about buying or selling.

The chat will be open for questions from 1-2 pm PT, at which point we'll close thread from additional responses. After this time, we'll continue to work on responding to any queries that might still be unanswered.

If you're new to the chat, welcome! Simply Reply to this post with your question from 1-2 PM Pacific Time and we'll be happy to look into it for you.

[golfingaddict]

---

@maxoptical wrote:

My same day cut off is 11:00 AM .  After this time my listings are telling people to order in the next so many minutes to get same day shipping. 

---

Well, some of mine are saying same day shipping and I have 1 day handling.  

This has been going on for a few months.  I reported it many many many times.

[tyler@ebay]

---

@mam98031 wrote:

---

tyler@ebay wrote:

---

@selsa84 wrote:

Good afternoon. I purchased an item 2 weeks ago and when i recieved it it was not as described. Opened case, shipped back, tracking shows item recieved. Asked for my refund and they wont answer now. Seller has 10 negatives stating that after return process the seller never replys. Ebay case says i am not covered by Money back guar. Why? 

---

Hi @selsa84 - unless this is on a different account I think there may be some misunderstanding. I would check your eBay message center for more detail, as it looks like your return has been replied to. If you need help updating the case with your return shipping information I suggest contacting CS by chat, email or social media. Thanks!

---

Where do we access CS by Chat?

---

Hi @mam98031  & @selsa84 - CS Chat is an option available on certain Help Pages. If you go through the Help & Contact flow and select the option for your reason to contact, it will appear at the bottom of the page if it's a supported chat category. Thanks!

[bimmerpc1]

There seems to be a bug in returns.

A buyer opened a remorse return request in March and was supposed to return the item by March 31.

The status of the return request is still "Waiting for buyer to ship item"

Yet this morning we received and email from eBay stating that the buyer must have shipped the item and we needed to refund them.

This has triggered a "respond to return requests" task on SH, when no response can be made by us (because we don't have the item back yet - in fact the buyer hasn't even attempted to ship it), which is frustrating because we use that notification feature to monitor new return requests.

This seems to be a bug, and if not that, then a way to confuse sellers into refunding buyers who haven't returned the item

[picknparley]

".... we are proactively selecting a limited number of sellers to provide certain types of inventory..."

So, when are legitimate buyers going to be told WHO these sellers are???

[vrykalak]

Many thanks for setting up the "call me" capability for getting customer support. It looks fairly comprehensive.

Alas, the one time I tried to use it, the electronic triage didn't include the option I needed, and there was no "Other (specify)" option.

Could we ask to have that added, please?

[rockytop726-1]

I’m having an issue with a seller that took my money, created a tracking #, then removed the listing, so I never received the item. As a result, I also can’t ask eBay to step in and help because of the “removal”. Should I just place the dispute with my credit card directly?  Seller is non responsive and don’t think they ever intended to sell as advertised. Help!

[alan@ebay]

The thread is closed for new questions as the hour is up. Thank you all for joining us today. We'll see you back here same time next week. 

Stay safe out there. 

[tyler@ebay]

---

@selsa84 wrote:

Recieved the reply from Ebay now saying that a refund will be issued when the item shows delivered. Tracking shows delivered last week on the 10th. I can give you tracking details if youd like.

---

Hi @selsa84 - it looks like things have been taken care of at this point, please tag us to a new thread if there's any other question you have on this!

[tyler@ebay]

---

@bimmerpc1 wrote:

There seems to be a bug in returns.

A buyer opened a remorse return request in March and was supposed to return the item by March 31.

The status of the return request is still "Waiting for buyer to ship item"

Yet this morning we received and email from eBay stating that the buyer must have shipped the item and we needed to refund them.

This has triggered a "respond to return requests" task on SH, when no response can be made by us (because we don't have the item back yet - in fact the buyer hasn't even attempted to ship it), which is frustrating because we use that notification feature to monitor new return requests.

This seems to be a bug, and if not that, then a way to confuse sellers into refunding buyers who haven't returned the item

---

Hi @bimmerpc1 - I'd like to look into this more. Will you please go here and start a new thread with an item number as detail so I can review it further? Once created please also make sure to tag me by typing the '@' symbol and then my handle: tyler@ebay. You should be able to choose my avatar from a drop down list. Once selected it will notify me that you've replied. 

Thanks!

[brian@ebay]

---

@golfingaddict wrote:

A buyer opened an INR case in which the item was delayed due to postal issues/closed sorting centers in Detroit.  I waited until the last minute to refund because I didn't dare get the defect, not knowing how it would affect my account (not this one)

The buyer then said that they would reimburse me but there is no way for me to send an invoice OR pay back the ebay fees.  I've already lost the paypal fees.  

What does ebay suggest we do to mitigate our damages due to these issues.  Can we request an email address through email.  We used to have that on our paypal accounts but the info disappears immediately.

If the buyer wants to pay shouldn't I be able to have a way to collect and pay ebay at the same time?

---

Hi @golfingaddict, if the item has been paid for then contact information can be shared. In your situation you should be OK to share contact information with the buyer to. Another option would be to have the item redirected back to you if it hasn't been delivered to the buyer yet. The buyer can repurchase it through a new listing at a date determined by the two of you as well. 

Generally speaking, if an item is taking longer than usual to be delivered then sellers can contact customer support to see if placing a hold on the case is an option. If there has been movement in the tracking then a hold is a likely option to give the item more time to process.

[brian@ebay]

---

@vrykalak wrote:

Many thanks for setting up the "call me" capability for getting customer support. It looks fairly comprehensive.

Alas, the one time I tried to use it, the electronic triage didn't include the option I needed, and there was no "Other (specify)" option.

Could we ask to have that added, please?

---

Hi @vrykalak, we're happy that this option is available! I'm happy to pass along your feedback 🙂

[Anonymous]

---

@hermerchantship wrote:

Good afternoon,

I am requesting an update on a category specific field issue: "character" is still coming up in clothing listings.  Every single blue item I list wants to categorize itself as the CHARACTER "Blue".  This is strange and a waste of time to have in the listing flow.  Most "characters", like Batman, have a few hundred to a few thousand listings.  Not incidentally, the "character" blue has over a million, obviously this a problem for a lot of clothing listers.   

---

Hi @hermerchantship, the item specifics that are presented for each category are largely created by our sellers from the listings they have submitted. That being said, we can make adjustments as needed - email the information you have shared here with any relevant examples to sdsupport@eBay.com and our catalog team will take a look, no problem!

[Anonymous]

---

@golfingaddict wrote:

ebay states that they are aware of postal issues and get regular input from the post office but they insist on using "Historical data" for my estimated delivery dates on items sold.  These are causing a host of issues but in light of some of the postal delays that are popping up without clear memos or solid evidence.

I suggest ebay give sellers a little wiggle room  and force buyers to wait a few more days to open INR cases, and if not on all, on those in which the seller has input tracking and shows that they had a scan and movement on the first couple of days.

ebay has increased the return policy days but the delivery dates are just as important.  (at least during this world wide Covid disaster.

I get that buyers are anxious to get their items but there are some buyers that hold fast and strong those estimated delivery dates and as soon as those dates are past  BOOM they open a case despite the seller having no control.

On my last case, the buyer demanded that I make the package move faster (huh? I am not that powerful) and demanded a refund 4 days after the item was shipped on an item that had two day handling and I shipped the same day it was purchased.

\Maybe coding and the process of changing these things are too complicated for ebay but if you were able to adjust the return process, how hard would it be to give sellers a little wiggle room on your hard and fast (short) days to open an INR case.?

---

Hi @golfingaddict, we actually have added time to the estimated delivery dates in most instances to account for delays during these unprecedented times. While we do not have plans to change when a buyer can open an item not received request, we will review the tracking information provided and allow more time for delivery when a package is in transit. Though I know that many sellers feel that they have no control over when their item will be delivered, since the shipping courier and specific service are ultimately the seller's decision, the seller is able to directly influence when an item will arrive to their customer. Widespread service outages from strikes, natural disasters, or weather events are something we understand are outside of the seller's control and we will offer protection in these instances.

This all being said, I know you have been discussing this topic with brian@ebay recently and he has reported examples of incorrect delivery estimates to our tech teams to investigate. While the process of calculating and providing an estimated delivery date can be complex, this doesn't mean we won't review for potential issues to ensure any incorrect info is addressed. 

[Anonymous]

---

@mdw13 wrote:

Can someone please respond to my post (post 11).  Did I reply to the wrong message or something?  I posted at 1:17.  Now its 1:55 and responses from the staff seem to have stopped.

---

Hi @mdw13, as we work to research and reply to each message as it comes in, responses may take longer depending on the question being asked. I've gotten a response to you at this time and if you have follow up questions or concerns, you are welcome to start a thread on the most appropriate board for your topic.

[Anonymous]

---

@picknparley wrote:

".... we are proactively selecting a limited number of sellers to provide certain types of inventory..."

So, when are legitimate buyers going to be told WHO these sellers are???

---

Hi @picknparley, I apologize but I'm not quite certain what your concern is - there are a variety of products listed on eBay that are only available from authorized sellers, and this has been the case even prior to the recent pandemic. A buyer would not need to be notified of this information, as they can purchase anything they find on eBay. Even if a listing is removed after checkout because the seller was not authorized to sell the item, buyers still receive what they ordered in the vast majority of situations, and when this does not occur, the buyer would be protected through our Money Back Guarantee. If you have additional context on your question that I didn't address, feel free to start a thread on the Buying board and @mention me so we can discuss this further.