Community Chat, April 22 @ 1:00 pm PT - General Topics

[tyler@ebay]

Join the Community team here at 1 PM PT on April 22nd 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.

[coffeebean832]

In this post (https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/200-free-listings-through-April-on-non-store-accounts/m-p/3083...) Tyler confirmed that the 200 free listings promo in April had a glitch regarding auction-style listings scheduled to automatically relist 8 times.

"This is a confirmed technical issue: the 8 free relists for auctions should not be pulling from the 200 promo."

Is this glitch going to be repeated in May or has it been fixed for next month? Thanks!

[coffeebean832]

With Doug gone and Alan leaving (congrats on the new gig, Alan!)- who on the Community team will be the point person for platform issues?

The spoiler tag isn't working in FireFox on Mac- this is in relation to reading posts, not composing posts. When I'm reading a post where somebody uses the spoiler tag and I click on it I'm directed back to the top of the page and the tag does not expand. The only way I can see the content is to hit the reply button then the quote button. This has been going on for at least a month- maybe two?

[greg213213]

I have checked UPS, FedEx and DHL and I get the same response about the information being incorrect. I have never seen a number like this: 4207xxxxxxxx

*post edited to remove full tracking number

[alan@ebay]

---

@mam98031 wrote:

Alan,

I just wanted to express one more time that I am very saddened to learn that today is your last day, but I am excited for you and your family on your new adventure.  I hope it is all you desire it to be.  I wish you nothing but good luck, success and for all of you to stay healthy.  I know that is kind of corny but it is true nonetheless. 

You will be missed !!!!!

🍷 

PS.  These emojis are still so small!!!  LOL

---

Hi @mam98031, 

Thank you. I appreciate it. Today is an emotional one for me 😁 I'll miss you!

Keep giving eBay all those valuable insights!

🍷

[go-bad-chicken]

Hello and good afternoon

I wanted to make a suggestion if I could to whichever department that is in charge of sending out emails to sellers alerting them that a sale has been made on eBay. That email is usually titled "Congratulations, your item sold and it’s been paid for." This email already has a good deal of information contained within it.

But it is missing a key element. The seller's "Custom label (sku)" number which sellers like myself assign as an inventory number or a unique identifier for that listing or product, which in this case has just sold.

If that Custom label (sku) number were also included within the sold email that would be very helpful to me as a seller by allowing me to be more efficient with my time, when processing an item post sale. I would not have to necessarily log into eBay on any given device  just to find out what the Custom label (sku) number actually is for that item, that I assigned at the time that I made that listing. I use that number as an inventory number and require it post sale in order to locate that item so that it can then be processed and then shipped. By including this number within the sold email it would remove an unnecessary and time consuming step out of the current post sale work flow, once an item has been sold.

[Anonymous]

---

@gwzcomps wrote:
I understand that eBay currently has no intent to expanding the number of people we can block. That being said why is the number so low considering how many active users there are on the site now? This is one of the most important tools sellers have to try to protect themselves from bad buyers.

---

Hi @gwzcomps, eBay works to identify abusive behavior and will take action to protect our Community. While the option to add members to your blocked buyer/bidder list is available to you, we do not recommend this option as a first response to issues with your customers. There aren't any plans to change the number of members you can block beyond the current limit of 5,000.

[tyler@ebay]

---

@carlqsportscards wrote:

If someone makes an offer on a GTC listing that's "ending" in 2 hours, do I only have 2 hours to respond? Or the full 24 or 48 hours, since the listing doesn't really end.

---

Hi @carlqsportscards - because GTC renewals do not change the item number you would have the full 24 or 48 hours to reply. Thanks!

[gwzcomps]

---

@mam98031 wrote:

---

@gwzcomps wrote:
I understand that eBay currently has no intent to expanding the number of people we can block. That being said why is the number so low considering how many active users there are on the site now? This is one of the most important tools sellers have to try to protect themselves from bad buyers.

---

5,000 is low?  How many do you think you think you need?  I've been here over 20 years and I am no where near 5,000 blocked buyers.

BTW you can clean up your blocked bidder list to free up some space if you need it.  Go to your BBL, scroll down to the end of the list of buyers you have on your BBL.  Any of them with the extension of @wayland_corporation, you could delete as they are NARU'd.

---

It really depends on how aggressively start dealing with blocking.  Electronics is a high scam category so it can get tricky.  Most of the China based buyers I deal with are running 10+ accounts.

[b86fiero]

Hi Guys!

Sorry to see Alan leaving us.  Wishing him a great future where ever he goes!

Shipping question:

I have received numerous orders for puzzle books and adult coloring books over the past month where the buyers wanted them shipped to an inmate in a prison and county jail.  I understand the buyers wanting to provide some respite for the inmates since the no visitors rules went into place.

Two have now come back to me noted as Return To Sender with no explanation other than RTS written on the shipping label.

A third came back Monday same thing,  RTS, but the prison included a rules sheet on what inmates can receive and how.  Rules state:  All books, magazines and newspapers must come directly from the publisher, bookstore, or book distributor, no spiral binding.  No padded, cushioned or bubble envelopes.  Along with myriad other rules.  Being as how I've never been in prison nor a jail I had no idea of the strict rules.

Question ~ Buyers provide the ship to address which contains a person's name followed by a series of numbers or a pod number or group number.  They pretty much all leave off the name of the correctional institution. 

Since the inmate will never receive the item how can I cancel these purchases without getting a defect?  Should I use the "issue with address" as the reason?  Will using that option create a problem for the buyer's home address when they make another purchase?

In other words, most eBay sellers cannot ship items to any inmate          

[carlqsportscards]

While listing the last few days, instead of suggested item specifics that you can click on if correct, it's now adding item specifics automatically and you have to get rid of them if they're wrong.

This is BEYOND annoying. Every time I list a sports card with a piece of a jersey in it, it automatically fills in the country of manufacture as Jersey, and I have to manually get rid of it. EVERY TIME. Sometimes twice during the same listing.

Also, even though the player's name and team are in my title, it never automatically adds those to the item specifics.

Ebay's artificial "intelligence" is dumber than a bag of rocks.

[alan@ebay]

---

@coffeebean832 wrote:

With Doug gone and Alan leaving (congrats on the new gig, Alan!)- who on the Community team will be the point person for platform issues?

The spoiler tag isn't working in FireFox on Mac- this is in relation to reading posts, not composing posts. When I'm reading a post where somebody uses the spoiler tag and I click on it I'm directed back to the top of the page and the tag does not expand. The only way I can see the content is to hit the reply button then the quote button. This has been going on for at least a month- maybe two?

---

Hi @coffeebean832,

Thank you! 🙇🏻‍

Things shouldn't really change day-to-day. The current team (Brian, Trinton & Tyler) will continue to monitor the Community Platform Feedback board and work with Khoros to resolve any platform issues. 

[Anonymous]

---

@vrykalak wrote:

Lost my internet connection for most of 5 days, Friday morning thru Tuesday evening. And, due to the current situation, libraries and other places I might have gone to log in are closed. So
- didn't get notice of a sale on Sunday (still haven't--no emails Sat-Mon)
- couldn't get the info to ship Thursday sales, or print labels
Can I get any relief from the defects caused by the late shipping?

---

Hi @vrykalak, while I can't say definitively what protection options are available for you, I recommend you contact Customer Service with the related item numbers to discuss this further.

[brian@ebay]

---

@glgenterprise wrote:

Is there some option for reporting potential buyers for policy violations?

I had a brand new account user pass on their email address via the eBay message system for additional photos and then they attempted to circumvent eBay via that email.

I know there is a way to report buyers once you are in a transaction with them, I can't find a way to do it outside of that.

---

Hi @glgenterprise, you are correct that a buyer can only be reported if you've had a transaction with them. However, we have processes in place to proactively find members that violate our policy. Based on the details you've shared here it sounds like the buyers message will be reviewed and appropriate action taken. Thanks!

[mcdougle4248]

Do we know yet if the issue that was causing variation quantities to go haywire has been resolved?  

[millcreekrescue909]

920585600012805967