eBay

tyler@ebay · ‎12-17-2019

Join the Community team here at 1 PM PT on December 18th for our Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. We don't have a set topic this week, so please bring any general questions you may have on buying or selling.

The chat will be open for questions from 1-2 pm PT, at which point we'll close thread. While no additional questions can be submitted after this time, we'll continue to work on responding to any queries that may 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.

*Please note that we're not able to address account-specific queries. Questions regarding your account should be directed to eBay Customer Service.

Tyler,

brian@ebay · ‎12-18-2019

Happy holidays everyone ❄🎄🎅 The chat is now open for questions 🙂

Brian,
Community Team

gwzcomps · ‎12-18-2019

If eBay isn't going to do anything to prevent fraudulent returns can we at least get a new buyer requirements filter to help? We can block people with 2 unpaid item strikes in 12 months. Maybe give us an option like "can't buy if filed x # of false returns over a period of 12 months".

Also why does the description and communications no longer have any bearing on returns?

monstertoybox · ‎12-18-2019

Hello, I’ve never posted to chat before, but it was suggested by someone on the Community Board that I should, because I do have a concern. I have been a seller on Ebay almost 10 years. I sell mostly toys and collectibles (my store is currently on vacation, sorry my items aren’t visible at the moment). Christmas time has always been our most profitable on Ebay and in the past it has been wonderful.

This year seemed different, our sales numbers were down by 57% compared to last year, that is a huge number for us, so this along with the strange pattern I saw on my sales graph left me wondering if something was actually going on with my account.

What I noticed this Christmas was what seemed to be a definite daily $ ceiling. My sales, while in the past would be good Nov-Dec, this year only started getting better Dec 1st and lasted through Dec 15th. During that 15 days these are the strange numbers I noticed:

7 of those 15 days my totals were $200 (give or take a few dollars)

5 of those days were $100 (give or take a few dollars)

So 12 of those days out of the 15 seemed to have a ceiling of $100 on some days, $200 on the others. It was noticeable because during this time of year my sales do really well, so I managed to hit that ceiling every day and once I made that certain amount, my sales stopped sometimes for almost 24 hours (which had never happened in the past during Christmas).

It would be great if you could explain how my sales managed to get the same totals for so many days (when my prices range from $6-$160). Could I be in some beta test? Is there something technically wrong with my store? I understand the "why" makes no sense, so that is why I think something is wrong.

Since we did so poorly this Christmas, I can’t help but feel we are being put out of business. I work really hard on my listings and my sales numbers keep going down, this Christmas we were hoping to make up for a dismal year, but it ended up being a lot worse than we thought.

Thank you for your time.

Anonymous · ‎12-18-2019

Can ebay recover? Business is sluggish, competition is fierce, poor decisions and initiatives causing seller discontent and defections have been eroding the base, how will this be overcome? What is the plan for 2020? How will you react to the significant Amazon announcements today? When will the relationship with Google be repaired?
The previous CEO was intent on “enhancing shareholder value” with additional seller fees and expansion of the account base with new sellers from China to compete against Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target.
The original vision for ebay has been abandoned. Is it the long range plan to be acquired by Alibaba after the proceeds from spinning off Stub Hub are exhausted?
You can only spin the numbers for so long before it falls apart.
What is the plan?

golfingaddict · ‎12-18-2019

Last week I posted to the thread about Seller protection. I asked for some clarification and information but you guys were not able to answer my post. Did you ever get further information? It seems that the information that I received telling me that their are hidden vetting processes or reviews is something that is not and has not been talked about before. Can you guys confirm or deny this secret process?

Thank you.

mam98031 · ‎12-18-2019

brian@ebay wrote:
Happy holidays everyone ❄🎄🎅 The chat is now open for questions 🙂

Right back at you. Thank you to the entire Chat Team for all the help all year long. I hope your Holidays are fantastic. You all certainly deserve a break for all the issues and problems we raise here on a regular basis.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you." Quote from Edward I Koch

gwzcomps · ‎12-18-2019

@Anonymous wrote:
Can ebay recover? Business is sluggish, competition is fierce, poor decisions and initiatives causing seller discontent and defections have been eroding the base, how will this be overcome? What is the plan for 2020? How will you react to the significant Amazon announcements today? When will the relationship with Google be repaired?
The previous CEO was intent on “enhancing shareholder value” with additional seller fees and expansion of the account base with new sellers from China to compete against Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target.
The original vision for ebay has been abandoned. Is it the long range plan to be acquired by Alibaba after the proceeds from spinning off Stub Hub are exhausted?
You can only spin the numbers for so long before it falls apart.
What is the plan?

If I were eBay I would be more worried about Facebook's business market place. I got an invite and it is really tempting. I do wonder what eBay plans on doing to retain sellers. Most of the people I know including myself are slowly working away from the site. It is no longer a good place to sell used goods.

golfingaddict · ‎12-18-2019

I had a seller cancel an order recently. I wanted the items and I did not want the seller to cancel. In fact the seller emailed me and asked me if I wanted to cancel to which I answered, NO I want the items.

but the seller went ahead and cancelled the order and used the reason "buyer requested" which was not an honest reason but as a buyer, there is nothing I can do. On the notices I received it just said the order was cancelled, no way to agree or disagree.. it is just the way it is.

Is it that easy to get around ebay policy and avoid defects?

Anonymous · ‎12-18-2019

@Anonymous wrote:

Can ebay recover? Business is sluggish, competition is fierce, poor decisions and initiatives causing seller discontent and defections have been eroding the base, how will this be overcome? What is the plan for 2020? How will you react to the significant Amazon announcements today? When will the relationship with Google be repaired?
The previous CEO was intent on “enhancing shareholder value” with additional seller fees and expansion of the account base with new sellers from China to compete against Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target.
The original vision for ebay has been abandoned. Is it the long range plan to be acquired by Alibaba after the proceeds from spinning off Stub Hub are exhausted?
You can only spin the numbers for so long before it falls apart.
What is the plan?

Hi @Anonymous, while it isn't within the scope of The Community Team's role to communicate eBay's strategy and long term plans, we can direct you to our Announcements board and www.ebayinc.com for available information on the subjects you have touched on 🙂

mihu-5160 · ‎12-18-2019

At beginning of the month, I discovered I was being charged unusual fees. I went to calculating and since about Nov 29th (the first couple days it only happened on some of the listings, then suddenly all). The final value fees seem to vary between 6.8% and 8%. I didn't calculate them all yet (there are probably 120 single charges so far).

I listed in the Musical Instruments - Guitars and Basses category. The subcategories, actually. Always charged 3.5% as claimed since day one about 2.5 years ago. All of the listings save for one in the last 19 days have been in the Guitars and Basses category. Same as it ever was. As you can see, that category is 3.5% and other related categories are 6.15% or 7.15%.

So my fees doubled. And not consistently.

I called eBay because I know something is calculating wrong. I'm not being charged correctly. I explained the issue and the CSR asked for examples. I gave her a December and November example and she looked them up and confirmed the charge was more than 3.5%. I explained to her this was happening on every transaction since Nov 30th and happened 1-2 days before that. It shouldn't be happening. Her response was that I was listing in the wrong category. I was listing in the Musical Instruments - Guitars and Basses - Parts and Accessories category. I said that's false, it's always been 3.5%. She argued with me. She said she'll pass it to the team and they'll notify me.

So I get a message today from customer service. They again make the claim I am in the wrong category. Big problem, it can be easily verified that a "Guitars and Basses" category that you can click to list does not exist. It pushes you to a sub-category. That's why they're called SUB-categories. You have to list in a sub category.

Another CSR responds, reiterating. I'm in the wrong category. Even though this began only about 19-20 days ago. Again, there's no category they claim. Just sub-categories. And so I contact another ebayer. I ask him, "How much did they charge for this item you sold?" He responds with images, "3.5%". The category? Parts and Accessories subcategory of Guitars and Basses.

Why is no one helping me and why is everyone repeating the same false information? I am being overcharged fees, very clearly. I need a solution to this issue.

Anonymous · ‎12-18-2019

Thank you for your prompt response, however it is in sufficient. I understand that quarterbacking these chats must be like the gopher game at Chuck E. Cheese for you. However, your response makes me feel like a flea that was flicked off the table.

These are serious questions and I find it hard to believe that as an employee you are not in the loop. What is the plan to turn it around? I'm sure all sellers want to know.

tyler@ebay · ‎12-18-2019

@monstertoybox wrote:

Hello, I’ve never posted to chat before, but it was suggested by someone on the Community Board that I should, because I do have a concern. I have been a seller on Ebay almost 10 years. I sell mostly toys and collectibles (my store is currently on vacation, sorry my items aren’t visible at the moment). Christmas time has always been our most profitable on Ebay and in the past it has been wonderful.

This year seemed different, our sales numbers were down by 57% compared to last year, that is a huge number for us, so this along with the strange pattern I saw on my sales graph left me wondering if something was actually going on with my account.

What I noticed this Christmas was what seemed to be a definite daily $ ceiling. My sales, while in the past would be good Nov-Dec, this year only started getting better Dec 1st and lasted through Dec 15th. During that 15 days these are the strange numbers I noticed:

7 of those 15 days my totals were $200 (give or take a few dollars)

5 of those days were $100 (give or take a few dollars)

So 12 of those days out of the 15 seemed to have a ceiling of $100 on some days, $200 on the others. It was noticeable because during this time of year my sales do really well, so I managed to hit that ceiling every day and once I made that certain amount, my sales stopped sometimes for almost 24 hours (which had never happened in the past during Christmas).

It would be great if you could explain how my sales managed to get the same totals for so many days (when my prices range from $6-$160). Could I be in some beta test? Is there something technically wrong with my store? I understand the "why" makes no sense, so that is why I think something is wrong.

Since we did so poorly this Christmas, I can’t help but feel we are being put out of business. I work really hard on my listings and my sales numbers keep going down, this Christmas we were hoping to make up for a dismal year, but it ended up being a lot worse than we thought.

Thank you for your time.

Hi @monstertoybox - welcome to the chat, it's nice to see you here! I'm sorry to hear that sales haven't been as good as you expected and counted on.

While I don't have an answer for why your days' sales ended at such similar amounts, I can tell you that there is not a 'sales ceiling' that would prevent your items from being visible or sold after you sell a certain dollar amount.

I'm not able to do a deep dive on your account, but I'm certain if you contacted CS they could review your traffic with you as well as your listings to see if there are any suggestions you could utilize to improve your visibility. Thanks!

Tyler,

Anonymous · ‎12-18-2019

@mihu-5160 wrote:

At beginning of the month, I discovered I was being charged unusual fees. I went to calculating and since about Nov 29th (the first couple days it only happened on some of the listings, then suddenly all). The final value fees seem to vary between 6.8% and 8%. I didn't calculate them all yet (there are probably 120 single charges so far).

I listed in the Musical Instruments - Guitars and Basses category. The subcategories, actually. Always charged 3.5% as claimed since day one about 2.5 years ago. All of the listings save for one in the last 19 days have been in the Guitars and Basses category. Same as it ever was. As you can see, that category is 3.5% and other related categories are 6.15% or 7.15%.

So my fees doubled. And not consistently.

I called eBay because I know something is calculating wrong. I'm not being charged correctly. I explained the issue and the CSR asked for examples. I gave her a December and November example and she looked them up and confirmed the charge was more than 3.5%. I explained to her this was happening on every transaction since Nov 30th and happened 1-2 days before that. It shouldn't be happening. Her response was that I was listing in the wrong category. I was listing in the Musical Instruments - Guitars and Basses - Parts and Accessories category. I said that's false, it's always been 3.5%. She argued with me. She said she'll pass it to the team and they'll notify me.

So I get a message today from customer service. They again make the claim I am in the wrong category. Big problem, it can be easily verified that a "Guitars and Basses" category that you can click to list does not exist. It pushes you to a sub-category. That's why they're called SUB-categories. You have to list in a sub category.

Another CSR responds, reiterating. I'm in the wrong category. Even though this began only about 19-20 days ago. Again, there's no category they claim. Just sub-categories. And so I contact another ebayer. I ask him, "How much did they charge for this item you sold?" He responds with images, "3.5%". The category? Parts and Accessories subcategory of Guitars and Basses.

Why is no one helping me and why is everyone repeating the same false information? I am being overcharged fees, very clearly. I need a solution to this issue.

Hi @mihu-5160, can you provide an item number example for us to review? We can look at the listing and see what fees were charged to determine if there is an issue we need to pass along to our tech teams. We can ensure appropriate coaching is also provided to Customer Service for any misinformation you were given.