Community Chat, April 6 @ 1:00 pm PT - General Topics

[tyler@ebay]

Thanks for joining us for the Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. We don't have a specific topic this week, so feel free to share any general buying or selling questions you may have.

The chat thread will remain open until 2 PM PT at which point we'll close it from additional responses. After that time, we'll continue to work on responding to any queries that might still be unanswered.

To post your question, click Reply in the lower right corner of this post, type your question, and hit submit between 1-2 PM Pacific Time. The format of our chat mirrors the format of our Community Discussion Boards, where each post will appear in the thread chronologically. The Community Team will review each question as it comes in, and will quote the original question in our reply. This quote and the reply will appear later in the thread, so just keep scrolling down to see our answers.

Missed the chat? Send your questions to the podcast by calling  888-723-4630 or email us at podcast@ebay.com and maybe your questions will make it on the air! Or listen to past episodes while you wait for next Wednesday! 

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Now that video has been available for a little while, can you check to see if ebay is working on providing a left-side search filter for listings with videos? And also perhaps an icon of some sort on the search results page, so that a buyer scrolling through the search results page could see at a glance that a particular listing has video?

I think if this becomes available, more sellers will use video and more buyers will realize that some listings have video, which (hopefully) will result in increased sales.

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here

[valueaddedresource]

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@mam98031 wrote:

Thank you for that SAD information.

I just can't in all good conscience advise a buyer to contact Ebay for help in these matters that is likely to turn into multiple call and a whole lot of time before anything positive MIGHT happen.

It is far easier for the buyer to just go to their funding source and filing a chargeback.  I personally absolutely hate chargebacks as a seller and I don't give that option to buyers very often, but in these cases it seems to be the most efficient way for a buyer to protect themselves and their money.

How Ebay could allow this to happen in the first place is beyond my ability to understand.  These polices aren't created and implemented by a single person.  They are teams of people working on these and multiple reviews before a policy is released.  How in the world did something this serious get past everyone?  Or did it?

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@mam98031  I agree, it's terrible to have to give them that advice, but for now it seems the best we can do. 

It's obvious that less than honest "sellers" are abusing this loophole and if eBay won't do something about it, buyers need to know what their options are.

All I can think is that even if they *are* able to get refunded through a chargeback....odds of those buyers shopping on eBay ever again are pretty much none after an experience like that. ☹️

[tyler@ebay]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

Now that video has been available for a little while, can you check to see if ebay is working on providing a left-side search filter for listings with videos? And also perhaps an icon of some sort on the search results page, so that a buyer scrolling through the search results page could see at a glance that a particular listing has video?

I think if this becomes available, more sellers will use video and more buyers will realize that some listings have video, which (hopefully) will result in increased sales.

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Hi @my-cottage-books-and-antiques - I'm not privy to future plans for how video will be utilized or referenced in search results, but I think that your idea is spot on. As a buyer I would love a filter for video (bring on those teacup and other collectible videos!). 

I'll get this sent to the right team and if I hear back from them I'll let you know. 🙂

[babclassics]

Follow up: New listing tool

Hi Tyler and Jasmen,

Hope you are doing well.

2 weeks ago I wrote up my concerns about the new listing tool and how unwelcome all the forced pop-up windows are in item specifics. These changes greatly increase the time to create a listing with a larger number of required and recommended specifics.  One forced pop-up interaction to change or enter each and every item specific.  Earlier today a new thread popped up on this subject with some very well written comments from @my-cottage-books-and-antiques and others too many to mention.  But that discussion  referenced below will not be seen by the correct team unless you guys  forward it to them?

One of the main issues in that thread is waisted time. There is a relatively easy way to fix this problem by allowing the item specific field to be manually entered directly on the overall specifics screen instead of opening a "forced tutorial" pop-up that seems more like it should be an optional help screen.  Not a forced main path?

Since you have mentioned in the last 2 weekly chats that my original feedback would be shared with the listing creation team (sp?) it would be great if this new thread could be added to the input they are getting.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Classic-Listing-Form-to-Be-Retired/td-p/32831787

I could have not written a better list of talking points on this matter myself and thank all those who contributed to this selling board thread.

Thanks

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Edit: A reply to your request can be found here. 

[velvet@ebay]

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@babclassics wrote:

Follow up: New listing tool

Hi Tyler and Jasmen,

Hope you are doing well.

2 weeks ago I wrote up my concerns about the new listing tool and how unwelcome all the forced pop-up windows are in item specifics. These changes greatly increase the time to create a listing with a larger number of required and recommended specifics.  One forced pop-up interaction to change or enter each and every item specific.  Earlier today a new thread popped up on this subject with some very well written comments from @my-cottage-books-and-antiques and others too many to mention.  But that discussion  referenced below will not be seen by the correct team unless you guys  forward it to them?

One of the main issues in that thread is waisted time. There is a relatively easy way to fix this problem by allowing the item specific field to be manually entered directly on the overall specifics screen instead of opening a "forced tutorial" pop-up that seems more like it should be an optional help screen.  Not a forced main path?

Since you have mentioned in the last 2 weekly chats that my original feedback would be shared with the listing creation team (sp?) it would be great if this new thread could be added to the input they are getting.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Classic-Listing-Form-to-Be-Retired/td-p/32831787

I could have not written a better list of talking points on this matter myself and thank all those who contributed to this selling board thread.

Thanks

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Hi @babclassics! We did get that feedback and already passed it along. We've come across other threads since and will send this one along as well. We always appreciate the feedback, so thank you for making us aware!  

[mam98031]

It is hard not to agree with you about these buyers ever returning to Ebay.  I've had this happen TWICE to me on Ebay.  Neither product was in the two categories in which we are discussing.  One was in Office supplies and the other was in first aid supplies.

I don't think reporting these sellers does much good either as in both of my cases nothing was done at all to either seller.  One seller I posted a negative FB on and it was removed.  I assure you that nothing in what I said broke any of the feedback rules.  But yet in literally less than about 2 minutes, that seller had my FB removed.

While in my categories I was able to use the MBG to protect my money, it was no less annoying that it happened and even more annoying when to date these sellers are still functioning.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

tyler@ebay  Thanks. I really think it would be a plus for sellers and buyers!

[clarkphilatelics]

How will the German packaging regulations announced today affect US sellers? Do they apply only to sellers on eBay.de?

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here. 

[jasmen@ebay]

Hey @my-cottage-books-and-antiques there's no way to distinguish them currently but I have reached out to those over the program to see if that's something we can do or if there's a workaround! 

[valueaddedresource]

velvet@ebay  - I know you were looking into this and said you'd respond "if" you heard something back but I'd like to respectfully ask you and tyler@ebay to push for an answer, not just wait to possibly hear something back.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/About-the-30c-fee/m-p/32832627#M1975953 

The issue of the $0.30 fee refund only being applied to cancellations in the first hour through the drop down request function (not a message) ruffled a lot of feathers here in the community (rightfully so) because what we were told in the chat and in that thread didn't match with the wording or spirt of the Winter Update announcement.

Now some of us are experiencing that we are getting the fee refunded even for cancellations through messages outside of that hour timeframe *and* support is in fact telling people when they call that is what should happen, but it may take a week for the credit to appear.

It's great to be getting those credits, but sellers shouldn't be left wondering if it is a fluke or mistake that might go away at any time or if in fact that's how it's supposed to be working and we can consistently count on it.

Since the confusion and concern about this issue was mostly brought on by information shared by the community team, I believe there is a responsibility for you to push back and get real, reliable answers that you can share here - not just wait to see if someone internally responds, but leave it ambiguous if they don't.

Please escalate this to get a definitive answer for us & if you need help knocking on those doors - I'm sure many of us here in the community would be glad to do it. 😉

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Edit: A reply to your comment can be found here 

[clarkphilatelics]

I was able to access my first eBay Financial Statement ending on a month boundary. What happened to gross sales? Cash flow is posted and fees are nicely summarized. The 1099-K form lists monthly gross sales. Why not here?

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here. 

[clarkphilatelics]

The eBay QuickBooks Online offer suggests that Managed Payments transactions can be imported. Is the import free with QuickBooks?

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here. 

[mr_lincoln]

Good afternoon eBay Support Team!

New USPS Fees:

I am curious about how some of the shipping weight and dimensions work with regard to the recent AND any other USPS rate increases.  Are there scenarios where a transaction starts before the fee increase date but the purchase phase is completed right after that date?  examples would be:

1. An Auction ends the day before the rate increase, Seller sends an invoice with PRE rate increase shipping costs.  Buyer does not pay until one day AFTER the rate increase:

-This assumes the Buyer pays the PRE rate increase shipping cost as invoiced

-Will the Seller be forced to pay the new increased rates when they purchase their label?

2. Same scenario for an Accepted Best Offer - meaning the Offer is sent Prior to the rate increase but is Accepted AFTER the rate increase ... does the Buyer pay the Pre rate increase shipping but the Seller has to pay the increase shipping rates when they print the label?

Is there any cause for concern on higher return label costs such as:

3. Returns:  Are Sellers charged the new shipping rates on a return where the original sale and subsequent shipping cost occurred BEFORE a rate increase?  I believe eBay has negotiated lower shipping costs for return labels ... with regard to the April 3 rate increases would those lower negotiated rates apply or will the Seller be paying more than the original paid shipping label cost on a return?

Regards,

Mr. L

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here. 

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Thanks jasmen@ebay 

[clarkphilatelics]

Are sellers expected to work seven days a week?

Why do Best offers expire after twenty-four hours, especially on a weekend? When did eBay shorten the time to respond to Best Offers? It is difficult enough to respond to Best Offers on consigned items during the week. What happens when sellers take the weekend off or consignors are not available outside of normal work hours? Why not make Best Offers remain open until the end of the next business day?

Any updates???

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here.