eBay

Anonymous · ‎01-10-2018

Please join us today at 1 pm Pacific today for our weekly chat with the Community Team. There is no set topic this week, so feel free to ask us any of your eBay buying & selling questions.

The thread will open for replies at 1 pm and will remain open for one hour.

Looking forward to hearing from everyone today!

doug@ebay · ‎01-10-2018

@the_fancy_fox we'll pass this info on to the search team. I know the search team is always working to improve the experience, and feedback is appreciated. Thanks for the product detail as they can take a look into those results.

@the_fancy_fox wrote:

What I would like to know is anyone working on how badly the search function is?

I posted about my experience on the Seller board trying to buy a 9x12 area rug on ebay which turned out to be an impossible task.

Problems encountered:

Totally unrelated products being displayed

Sort lowest price first does NOT work with multi product listings. The program is taking into account all those listings that may have a 9x12 rug within the varitables (even if out of stock) but is displaying the lowest price for the smallest cheapest rug the seller has. The only alternative I had to finding a 9 x 12 rug was to sort through 30K listings and look at each one. Talk about a fustrating buyer experience!

Sort does not work correctly when you chose, lowest price and US only either as sellers from China still pop up.

If you want people to buy the stuff on ebay, they have to be able to find it.

brian@ebay · ‎01-10-2018

@go-bad-chicken wrote:

Hello I reported this issue back on Aug 2nd during Community Chat. Post #38

eBay does not list the "Book Category" or its 12 sub categories on its "ALL CATEGORIES" page.

Which from a buyers perspective when they land on the "ALL CATEGORIES"

page that states "All Ctegories" (on eBay) this looks like eBay is no longer in the book buisness.

People who search eBay on Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. are shown this:

"Categories"

"All Ctegories on eBay - Shop, Explore and Discover from a ...."

https://www.google.com/search?q=eBay&oq=eBay&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i65l2j0l3.3136j0j8&sourceid=chrome&...

As I said back on August 02, 2017 :

"Once again the "Books" category and its 12 sub categories is not listed on eBay.com's newly redisigned "All Categories" page. The exclusion of Books from this page is very disturbing to me as a book seller, since the term that is used is "All Categories". This infers that all of the categories on eBay are shown and represented on this page. As a buyer I might conclude that eBay does not sell books at all. When in fact eBay.com has over 62 MILLION listings within the "Books" category. Furthermore those 62 MILLION book listings represent approxiametly 5.5% of all of eBay.com's listings.

Is this an oversight or is this intentional?

If the exclusion of the "Books" category is intentional, can you provide me with an answer or a reason for the exclusion from the eBay "All Categories" page?"

The Holiday season has already come and gone, with no fix.

Can you give book sellers on eBay like myself an ETA as to when this is going to get fixed?

Hi @go-bad-chicken, I don't have any information to share at the moment, though I will look into this further to see what information I can track down. I'll follow-up with any new details I find.

Brian,
Community Team

Anonymous · ‎01-10-2018

@readabouthorses wrote:

@Anonymous You can see the message that is sent here and have the option of adding a message of your own to the content of the email.

I've looked all over those messages, enlarged them, had a friend look at them and I still do not see any way to add any message of my own to the content of the emails. What am I missing?

I know in the past you could add a brief message to the first email that Ebay sends after the sale but I don't even see that open anymore either.

Am I just looking right at it and not seeing it? Show me the item shipped email opened with the spot where the custom message can go. Thanks.

Hi @readabouthorses, this is what I am seeing when on this page:

When the highlighted link is selected, it takes me to the following page:

I recommend clearing your browser history and trying another browser if you are not seeing the same options. This screenshot was pulled from my view in Mozilla Firefox, for reference.

Anonymous · ‎01-10-2018

@vrykalak wrote:

alan@ebay wrote:

@scga912 wrote:

USPS is dropping the ball with acceptance scans and uploading acceptance information. This isn't an isolated thing either.

Friday morning (1/5/18) I dropped off a package and it was scanned at the counter (10:39 a.m.) and I have the receipt. The only information USPS shows (as well as eBay) is that the package was "accepted" at the sort facility at 1:54 a.m. on Saturday 1/6/2018.

And now the package is delayed. It took the scenic route from Savannah GA to Jax FL then to NJ to go back to Florida. Expected Delivery Date was Tuesday 1/9/2018.

I'm likely going to be stuck with a late shipment rate showing on my dashboard for a year for something that I didn't earn. It's frustrating

Just sayin...

Hi @scga912,

You should be receiving acceptance scans for your packages. If there are post offices you're having difficulty obtaining acceptance scans from, please email the specific details to griff@ebay.com. He'll follow-up on it.

Also, you can contact eBay Customer Service to have late shipment issues looked into. We can remove defects or manually reinstate you back into Top Rated if an error caused a loss of this status. A receipt from the Post Office would be sufficient documentation to support us protecting your account and Customer Service will be happy to review this.

Thanks.

I was told last week--by eBay CS--that "tracking indicates late delivery" is unappealable, because eBay "can only go by the computer"...specifically, that they don't care if I have a receipt: what the tracking page says, goes.
So, forget the idea that such a ding will be reversed, or that you can get TRS status back if you lose it due to one or more such errors. Ain't gonna happen.

Hi @vrykalak, I want to stress that removing these defects is absolutely a protection that we offer, and I've personally helped sellers on more than one occassion regain their Top Rated status when it has been lost due to late shipments that we had reason to make exceptions for. I apologize that you received some mis-information, but this is a part of the Seller Protection available to you.

Anonymous · ‎01-10-2018

@hidy-hoo wrote:

When a seller decides to refund a buyer that has shipped an item back without using the eBay return flow and it is past the time limit to open a case/request, can the seller refund through PayPal and deduct ALL associated selling costs, including FVFs ?

Hi @hidy-hoo, the actions taken by a seller after the time for an eBay Money Back Guarantee is between them and their Customer, as we will no longer step into the transaction. Be aware that the buyer does have other protection options outside of eBay, so it may be in your best interest to research what expectations PayPal or the financial institutions may have for the return/refund.

brian@ebay · ‎01-10-2018

@mallontown wrote:

I use ebays same day handling. Why is ebay telling me that my shipping is overdue for foreign buyers who buy after my cutoff time .

My cutoff time is 8:15 am EST, If a domestic buyer buys ebay displays (in seller hub manage all orders)the correct date as the next business day. But if a foreign buyer buys an item after 8:15 am EST its shows shipping overdue ship by todays date.

Does ebay have a problem in knowing other countries times in relation to my EST 8:15 cutoff?

If you found my reply useful, please give it a Helpful. If my response assisted in resolving your question, please click "Accept as Solution."

Hi @mallontown, thanks for bringing this to our attention. It sounds like it's not displaying the correct information in Seller Hub, so I'll need to get that reported. I'll send you an email shortly so I can collect some information and send it to the developers.

Brian,
Community Team

Anonymous · ‎01-10-2018

@golfingaddict wrote:

@golfingaddict wrote:

this is working as currently designed and is part of the reason that adjusting handling time is recommended while a seller is on vacation.

I have been using Vacation settings for years. 6-8 times a year at least.

I have never had a buyer purchase while I had the items hidden..

And I have never seen this "recommendation" to change handling time.

Where is this?

There is no recommendation on the vacation settings to change handling time?

I simply do not understand why a seller would need to adjust handling time on vacation settings if the seller says they are away and hides listing.

Where are you getting this information and why are you suggesting that vacation settings (hide listings) do not work?

I have an idea.. Fix it..

If I hide my listings so that no one can purchase my items, that is what I expect to happen.

I don't expect to have to adjust my handling time and deal with sales while I am away.

(this has never happened to me but are you suggeting it could?)

Hi @golfingaddict, I apologize but there was a misunderstanding and I was not as clear as I should have been - while fixed price listings will be hidden and blocked from purchases if the seller selects the "Hide and block purchases from my fixed price listings" option, this would not affect any auction style listings they leave up while away. The original question I responded to did not call out auction style or fixed price listings and I believe I misunderstood, so replied with an answer that was specific to auction style listings. The Help Page for placing your store on vacation calls out specifically that buyers are blocked from purchasing fixed price listings if these are elected to be hidden, so I assumed the question I was being asked was about auction style listings. Looking over it again, I can see I was mistaken.

Sorry for the confusion! We recommend changing your handling time while on vacation if your auction style listings remain up and will end while you are away or if you do not wish to hide your fixed price listings while away.

Anonymous · ‎01-10-2018

@scga912 wrote:

alan@ebay wrote:

@scga912 wrote:

alan@ebay wrote:

Hi @scga912,

You should be receiving acceptance scans for your packages. If there are post offices you're having difficulty obtaining acceptance scans from, please email the specific details to griff@ebay.com. He'll follow-up on it.

Thanks.

alan@ebay

I got one. The very first picture in my post is of the acceptance scan. That was the point of my post.

Hi @scga912,

If you have an acceptance scan within your handling time, then you have nothing to be worried about. Even if the item is delivered late, we'll credit you as you shipped on-time. '

Thanks.

alan@ebay

That's the problem. The "tracking" info shown on USPS, and thus eBay, doesn't acknowledge the acceptance scan. It only shows accepted at the sort facility early next morning. Look at the pictures in my original post.

As far as eBay knows, it was accepted a day late. They can't see the physical paper receipt in my hands.

The clerk did her job. I did mine. USPS tracking isn't accurate and as a result sellers suffer.

Hi @scga912, the tracking information on eBay is given to us directly from USPS, so if this does not show an acceptance scan at the time you dropped of the item, this would indicate that it was not scanned appropriately by your local Post Office. I suggest you share these concerns with the Post Master at your local branch, email Griff@eBay.com to have this looked into further and call customer service to appeal the defect with the documentation you have shared here.

doug@ebay · ‎01-10-2018

Hi @b86fiero-

Hope I can provide some clarification.

Ideally, helpfuls are used to indicate posts that help solve problems or answer questions, and are “helpful.” Numbers of helpfuls can also indicate how “helpful” a Community member is. Helpfuls and Accepted Solutions can also help indicate posts that might help others answer questions. We encourage users to choose posts they find helpful. From time to time, if a member solicits helpfuls, uses multiple accounts to mark their own posts helpful, or uses helpfuls to push themselves up leaderboards, it can go against the intention of helpfuls reflecting posts that are truly helpful, and in recognizing the valuable contributions of all Community members.

You are encouraged to give helpfuls to posts you consider helpful, and there isn’t a limit. Community Mentors do show high levels of helpfuls as they are very active, but we encourage all members to participate as much and as often as they are comfortable with.

From our guidelines: Do not abuse Helpfuls. This includes soliciting others for helpfuls, giving an excessive number of helpfuls to a specific user or users, using multiple accounts to give yourself or others multiple helpfuls, and marking another member’s posts as helpful to help them get to the top of leaderboards.

I would say baiting could be interpreted as intentionally working to get someone to violate a Community guideline and get reported. This can include arguing, threatening, harassing, and other similar behaviors.

From our guidelines: Be respectful. Content that is harmful, hostile, threatening, abusive, baiting, vulgar, defamatory, harassing, or includes hate or racist speech, name calling or profanity will be edited or removed.

Hope this helps, and thanks for being a part of the Community!

@b86fiero wrote:

Definitely not wanting to create a ruckus or offend anyone. Not my intent at all. Simply would appreciate clarification for myself and others who have asked me about this.

Regarding a post on the Powersellers board:

Board guidelines paragraph titled 'Do Not Abuse Helpfuls'. Guidelines state: This includes soliciting others for Helpfuls, giving an excessive number of Helpfuls to a specific user or users, using multiple accounts to give yourself or others multiple Helpfuls, and marking another member's posts as Helpful to help them get to the top of the leaderboards.

What is considered excessive? Is there a limit as to how many Helpfuls we can give per month?

It is my understanding that we are encouraged to give a Helpful to any and every poster who provides helpful information. Common sense tells me that the community experts will always garner the most Helpfuls and be at the top of the leaderboards as they are there every day answering the most questions and assisting members.

Also, on the Dec 27 chat in message #3 a reference was made to "baiting" on the boards. What exactly does this word mean in regard to the community forums?

My daughter who teaches fifth grade says it's a form of bullying. Is this correct? She also told me that baiting in public forums can often be person #1 attempting to discredit person #2 by misconstruing what person #2 stated in a post trying to get person #2 to respond to the falsehood.

Words are subjective and open to interpretation. Many posts can be taken in various ways depending upon who's reading the words.

Will someone please give me an example of baiting?

Anonymous · ‎01-10-2018

@goodluckselling wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@goodluckselling wrote:

I am looking for some info on how eBay sends messages to buyers. I have a few questions and they all relate to the same areas, so I will ask them here. I am Okay with whatever the process is, I am just trying to understand the working of eBay better.

Does eBay send the buyer a "Your item has shipped" message the instant the seller marks the transaction as shipped? If not then a delay happens and

I am wondering how long a general delay is?

and does eBay just bundles lots of shipped messages from different sellers and bulk sends out these message?

I also want to understand what eBay considers shipped? Does shipped mean the item is shipped once a seller purchase a shipping label on eBay or marks the transaction as shipped manually?

Does eBay see an increase in buyers contacting customer service because they thought when they got the shipped message that means the seller has released the package to the carrier?

Is it possible for buyers to opt out of receiving any kind of message from eBay or the seller about "Your item Shipped"?

I think I saw in the site preferences that a seller can opt out of sending this message to buyers and I am wondering if this is still an active options and when this happens does that also mean that eBay will not be sending a buyer this message as well?

I am sorry for all the questions in one post but I did not see any disclaimer in the opening remarks from the community team. I do not know what current options are as I rarely have time to attend this chat session. If you can only answer one question could someone PM me the other answers? I do not have the time to stick around for any replies but look forward to your answers.

Thanks

Hi @goodluckselling, when a label is purchased on eBay or the item is marked as shipped, the buyer is notified that "Your item has shipped". We've gathered some feedback over the last few weeks on this notification and are working on potential changes - something along the lines of "A shipping label has been printed," or "Your item has been marked as shipped" both with context to allow time for tracking to update if it is available. Buyers can turn off emails within their site preferences, but I haven't found an option in the seller's account to turn off shipping information updates. You can see the message that is sent here and have the option of adding a message of your own to the content of the email.

This is definitely something we are looking into based on recent feedback. Keep an eye out for possible enhancements in the future!

Thanks for your reply. I am really interested in if the "your item shipped" message is immediate when it is marked shipped or if there is a delay and about how long that delay might be? Here is a screen shot of the shipping message option sellers have in the site preferences / shipping preferences

Hi @goodluckselling, just wanted to update you that I tested this out and the option to send buyer an email with shipping information does not affect the automated email we send when a label is printed on eBay or the item is marked as shipped. This option would simply provide tracking information to the buyer if it is available.

doug@ebay · ‎01-22-2018

Hi @gramophone-georg, apologies for the delay.

I was advised to tell you that you should send a message to the seller to see if they would offer a structure discount rule for combining shipping. Not through request total.

Hope this helps.

@gramophone-georg wrote:

I habitually buy multiple items from the same seller- sometimes as many as 20 at a time. For the last few months, I have constantly run into the brick wall of ebay forced IPR... which means I have to buy each item individually INCLUDING FULL SHIPPING COST.

Loading them in the cart and then requesting a total gives me a "this seller does not offer combined shipping" message 100% of the time... even when the sellers listing says they DO combine!

Not only is this incredibly and needlessly inconvenient for the buyer, the only workaround for the seller is to refund the excess postage with PayPal which, it seems, *may* or *may not* trigger an out of stock defect, but most certainly guarantees that the seller will be forced to pay FVFs on the entire shipping amount which winds up being quite ludicrous.

Twice just in the last week I've walked away from big buys for my record collection simply because I'm not willing to pay for each item individually and endure the hassles, and possibly be forced to wildly overspend on shipping by eBay as a reward for all the time I've wasted going click click click click click click trying to make what should be a simple multiple item purchase.

Could someone fix this, please? Thanks.