Community Chat, February 19 @ 1:00 pm PT - General Topics

[tyler@ebay]

Join the Community team here at 1 PM PT on February 19th 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.

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

[tyler@ebay]

---

@gracieallen01 wrote:

Hello Trinton,

If Khoros-associated personnel, besides the moderators, post to the Community forums, will they be identified in any way?

---

Hi @gracieallen01 - yes, if a Khoros moderator posts to the forum they will have a black 'Mod' tag next to their user id. Thanks!

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Thanks Brian---hopefully I'll get to catch it live, but nice to know it will be available on demand for later viewing.

[fineartphotographs]

I HAVE contacted customer service and they don't seem to know. I try to follow the rules but there doesn't seem to be a clear standard at all for me to follow. I see photographs FAR AND AWAY more adult in nature than mine listed in the art categories.  

You are making it impossible to comply despite my best efforts. Can someone with authority please contact me?? When I call I get no answers...

[tyler@ebay]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

What is eBay's position on a Buyer's Revenge Feedback for a refused return and refund?  The buyer's reason was "I didn't like it".

Can the negative feedback be removed under these circumstances?

---

Hi @Anonymous - a comment of that nature wouldn't, in and of itself, qualify the rating for removal. 

It sounds like there's a lot more to the story though, so it may be worth having it reviewed by contacting CS who can take a closer look at the transaction itself. You can also review the situations in which we'll automatically remove feedback here. Thanks!

[quipper100]

Just to be clear, what you mean is this:

So an Ebay employee makes an error that costs me money, and Ebay has no intention of returning the lost money to me.

But as a consolation prize, they will coach their employee not to make the same mistake again.

[nykayde902]

My listings generally show the potential buyer an estimated delivery date beyond what is normally expected for USPS 1st Class, and Priority.

The current estimate for my items is Feb 27th which is not unreasonable, but that same date has been displayed since the evening of Feb 10th.

Every other Monday the delivery estimate is extended by 2 weeks, and remains the same for 2 weeks.  The date starts at 17 days out which is well beyond what would be expected with 3 day handling. Most ship same, or next business day, but the historical shipping data is not even helping to provide an accurate date.

Additionally, shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico displays dates well into next month as an estimated delivery.

Also, a "ship by" date in March was displayed for the sale made on Feb 17th.

[gracieallen01]

---

tyler@ebay wrote:

---

@gracieallen01 wrote:

Hello Trinton,

If Khoros-associated personnel, besides the moderators, post to the Community forums, will they be identified in any way?

---

Hi @gracieallen01 - yes, if a Khoros moderator posts to the forum they will have a black 'Mod' tag next to their user id. Thanks!

---

Yes, I understand that, and that is why I stated, "besides the moderators".  With Lithium's acquisitions, new features are being added to their 'services' which, according to their website, may include 'guiding' or 'contributing' to forums. 

Would Khoros employees, or others associated with Khoros besides the moderators, be identified as such were they to participate in the Community forum(s)?

[brian@ebay]

---

@mam98031 wrote:

A little clarification needed in regards to INRs.

It is the understanding of many that an INR can not be opened by a buyer until the day after the latest ETA on the purchase record.  However I have experienced that buyers have been able to open them prior to that date.  It was further my understanding that they couldn't ask Ebay to close it in their favor until 3 business days AFTER the last ETA date on the Purchase.

What is the actual rule for Ebay.  I could not find it in the policy pages.  If I just missed it, would you please provide a link to the appropriate policy.

Thank you in advance.

---

Hi @mam98031, I'm happy to clarify! A buyer won't be able to open a INR until the latest estimated delivery date has past. Buyers must also wait a full 3 business days after the case is opened before they can ask eBay to step in. With that said, there are times when customer service may open an INR for a buyer prior to the latest estimated delivery date, such as if the seller is no longer a registered user.

[a_c_green]

Hello all,

Can we please have an update on a couple of long-awaited fixes that were last discussed here 2-3 weeks ago?

• Missing transaction data from the emailed Shipping confirmation record (last mentioned here) (May 2019 through Jan. 29)
• "Same Day Shipping" incorrectly shown on items with 1-day Handling time (last mentioned here, here, and also in the Town Hall here) (Nov. 2019 through Feb. 5 & 6)

Thanks.

[tyler@ebay]

---

@gracieallen01 wrote:

---

tyler@ebay wrote:

---

@gracieallen01 wrote:

Hello Trinton,

If Khoros-associated personnel, besides the moderators, post to the Community forums, will they be identified in any way?

---

Hi @gracieallen01 - yes, if a Khoros moderator posts to the forum they will have a black 'Mod' tag next to their user id. Thanks!

---

Yes, I understand that, and that is why I stated, "besides the moderators".  With Lithium's acquisitions, new features are being added to their 'services' which, according to their website, may include 'guiding' or 'contributing' to forums. 

Would Khoros employees, or others associated with Khoros besides the moderators, be identified as such were they to participate in the Community forum(s)?

---

Hi @gracieallen01 - that's correct, their accounts would be denoted. 

[Anonymous]

You misunderstood.  "I didn't like it" was the reason he used for his return request I declined.

My expectation is that a buyer look at the pictures and READ the description before buying.   His negative feedback comment is "The print was way too dark and when I ask for a return only snide remark’s"

Nothing snide about it.  "I didn't like it" is not a reason for a return and refund.  So what we have here is Revenge negative feedback.  Can this feedback be removed?

[mam98031]

---

brian@ebay wrote:

---

@mam98031 wrote:

A little clarification needed in regards to INRs.

It is the understanding of many that an INR can not be opened by a buyer until the day after the latest ETA on the purchase record.  However I have experienced that buyers have been able to open them prior to that date.  It was further my understanding that they couldn't ask Ebay to close it in their favor until 3 business days AFTER the last ETA date on the Purchase.

What is the actual rule for Ebay.  I could not find it in the policy pages.  If I just missed it, would you please provide a link to the appropriate policy.

Thank you in advance.

---

Hi @mam98031, I'm happy to clarify! A buyer won't be able to open a INR until the latest estimated delivery date has past. Buyers must also wait a full 3 business days after the case is opened before they can ask eBay to step in. With that said, there are times when customer service may open an INR for a buyer prior to the latest estimated delivery date, such as if the seller is no longer a registered user.

---

Very interesting.  This is the way I always thought it worked too, until it wasn't.  I'm a seller in good standing with Ebay, yet I've had an INR opened BEFORE the ETA on the purchase.  And I know of other sellers that have had the same experience.  

I 100% support what you have described, but the application of it seems to have different outcomes.  I don't know why and I'm trying to understand.  I don't have a current INR that I can give you to look at, we were just discussing this on another thread.  

[vociferous_commenter]

Hi community team!

ECB apparently scooped the story about eBay's Turbo Lister replacement - a special discounted $14.99/mo subscription for Turbo Lister offer for SixBit's software tool.

If I'm reading this correctly, it seems a significant departure from eBay's long-promised TurboLister functionality built into Seller Hub.

When can sellers expect to see eBay's official announcement on this?

[fineartphotographs]

Seriously guys, I would like something more than a canned answer here. I've been a seller on eBay for a long time and have made eBay a lot of money. Please confirm someone will be speaking with me. 

[Anonymous]

---

@mtss300 wrote:

Good Afternoon Ebay Team,

I have been a small ebay seller for the past five years, selling in a niche market, of mainly high end, descriptive comic books.  I am at the point where I would like to take my store from a hobby to an actual side business, and I am concerned about how to fully connect to not only my current customer base, but my possible customer base, and how to truly develop a side business that fits my lifestyle.  So, my two questions are these:

               Over the last few years as a seller, I have seen little in what seems to be marketing that the corporation is doing to try and bring new buyers to the website.  As a seller I can only market directly to my direct customers, or customers who might follow my account or store.  But when it comes to potential customers who might do searches within my market, or outside of Ebay, I cannot do any marketing to them through Ebay.  So, my question is how does Ebay plan to advertise to get more people to visit the site, and how do you plan to advertise to specific markets within Ebay, like comics, or collectibles?

               My second question is about creating a business plan.  I was listening to your “Selling On Ebay” podcast to try and learn as much as I can.  On episode 78, an employee from Ebay (Michael Robinson) came on and talked about how he is helping sellers look through their business, and helps them increase their sales, contribution margin, etc.  How do we get in touch with someone in Ebay who might be able to help us improve our store?

Thanks in advance for the help!

---

Hi @mtss300, these are great questions and I'm happy to provide some additional resources for you! To start with marketing, I can assure you that we do run traditional ads through television, radio, and other avenues to drive business for our marketplace. We promote transactions via email, ads via social media, and at various in-person events. We work with third party search engines to maximize visibility for our sellers, which is the primary motivation behind our push for sellers to include item specifics in their listings. This ensures that buyers both on and off of eBay are directed to the inventory on our site. 

Beyond that, once we draw in new buyers, we work to create a positive experience and retain those customers through various promotions, deals, site features (such as offers), and by offering delivery and money back guarantees to our customers. 

You as the seller are able to promote your items outside of eBay through social media channels, and can maximize your visibility in third party search engines by providing item specifics in your listings and creating detailed listings with great photos and titles.

Regarding your desire for guidance to build your business, the Community Boards are a great place to ask questions and receive advice from long time veterans of eBay. In addition to our Community Boards, you can contact Customer Service to discuss how you can improve your listings and drive your business forward. Keeping an eye on the content provided by our eBay For Business Facebook page (here), and listening to our podcast (here) can also provide a great deal of advice for various selling topics. We have a dedicated team of Customer Service agents that respond to questions through our eBay For Business Facebook page as well, with many of these individuals having years of experience not only working for eBay, but selling on eBay as well. 

Dedicated support to drive the success of your business is provided with an Anchor Store subscription, or if you are invited to be a part of our Concierge program. Lastly, many resources can be found in Seller Hub, particularly in the Marketing, Performance, and Research tabs 🙂