01-13-2021 01:00 PM
Hi everyone! 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!
01-13-2021 01:49 PM - last edited on 01-13-2021 03:17 PM by brittanie@ebay
brittanie@ebay wrote:
@lmm89 wrote:
Can’t call or email eBay. The only way to contact eBay is requesting they call you. When they do call you back I can never speak to a supervisor. I’ve been told someone will call me back or email me. I’m never available when I get a call back and they never leave a message that they called. When I received an email back it wouldn’t allow me to respond back. eBay is no longer a great company. Basically shutting your customers down and giving the cold shoulder to us. Anyone else have these issues?
im so frustrated.
@lmm89 - That's not the kind of experience we want you to have when trying to get help from customer service. Depending on what your call reason was (such as if you're in managed payments ), there may not be live escalations. If you'll let me know when you had that call and were told this, I'm happy to get this experience reported.
brittanie@ebay slightly on this topic, ebay also desperately needs to add capability for the user to input a telephone extension with the callback number. With the current callback feature, the system ends up talking to our PBX because there's no way to tell ebay that they need to dial a certain extension to reach the responsible person
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Edit: A reply to your post can be found here
01-13-2021 01:50 PM
I musy say it is incredibly disappointing that Ebay has yet to make any progress on the overcharging of sales tax on batteries.
3 weeks and the tech and tax teams still can't even confirm what caused the issue?
I would hope at this point this issue is being escalated and there is some plan being formulated to rectify the situation for affected buyers and sellers.
01-13-2021 01:50 PM
@happyhattermarketplace wrote:Thanks for the response, but...
Despite me having taken video of the unit functioning perfectly before and after the return?
And if the next customer simply loves it, because it's not defective?
What you mean is that the "Seller Protection Policy" is simply window dressing?
You need to read the buyers garantee: You buy selling on ebay agree to it.
As for the video Hmm maybe you fixed it (video or item)... LOL
Look we users know you did not.
eBay can not say it is or is not, even with your video due to reasons above.
Returns like this happen and do cost you money (Shipping, fees etc).
Best just to list it again and find a better customer:
Do not forget to put the user in question on your blocked bidders list. You do not need them purchasing from you again.
01-13-2021 01:51 PM
@mam98031 wrote:
@papermoneyforme wrote:
@golfingaddict wrote:
@papermoneyforme wrote:Wait for the new policy that buyers no longer have to do returns, sellers just have to refund, no questions asked.
Don't be silly, that makes no sense at all.
Walmart and Amazon are looking into it for some products.
I can only speak to Amazon. When they do stuff like this, the money comes out of their pocket, not mine. It is their A-Z program. During the holidays they were guaranteeing certain delivery by dates without regard to what individual sellers [sellers that ship their own stuff] stated shipping. To meet these dates we would have to upgrade our shipping method but Amazon wasn't giving us more money from the buyer or them for that matter to accomplish this. I didn't play the game. I did not upgrade my shipping.
Some buyers did file claims because the items arrived late. Amazon funded those refunds, not me. Even on the ones that received their items but at a later date and they did not require them to return the items.
Its coming, just wait for it.
01-13-2021 01:51 PM
@golfingaddict wrote:Do you have any information about tracking returns (as a seller) when the buyer does not use a label that is generated from ebay?
I had someone that wanted to return an item due to fit. The information in the return process did not show that the return was shipped and then it suddenly appeared in my mailbox!
As a seller that does not receive mail at my residence, I need to know that packages are coming back especially given ebay's stict refund deadline (2 days)
Why can't the buyer input the tracking on the returns when they do not use the ebay provided label?
Thank you
They can add tracking but probably just didn't know how to do so.
Adding tracking to your return
Adding tracking details to your return helps protect against delays or issues in the refund process. If you use an eBay returns label, tracking details are automatically uploaded.
Here’s how to add the tracking information to your return if you’re using your own return shipping label:
Go to the return request in Purchase History.
Select the shipping carrier from the dropdown list. If you select Other, enter the carrier name.
Enter the tracking number.
Select Mark as sent.
If you're returning an item that has a total cost of $750 or more, you'll need to use a tracked service with signature confirmation. Learn more about our signature confirmation requirements.
01-13-2021 01:52 PM
@artemisiaa wrote:How can I increase my selling limits this month? Do I have to subscribe to a eBay store?
As it says on the eBay stores page, subscribing to a store does NOT change your selling limits. Basically, you can't buy higher selling limits, you have to earn them. You do this by completing transactions successfully, without disputes, claims or complaints from buyers.
eBay increases selling limits automatically as you get more experience as a seller, and you can request that your selling limit be increased, using the link below. But if you have done that and they haven't been changed, then you just have to wait, until you have more experience. There's no guarantee they will be increased this month, or next.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/selling-limits?id=4107
01-13-2021 01:52 PM
@papermoneyforme wrote:
Sorry to report, but I have been through the same thing got an email that CS tried to call and no answer.
My phone shows all numbers calling in and I have an answering machine also. No record of any calls from Ebay period.
CS outright lies, even in cases.
To you and others: Check for spam filters on your phone sytem: they can and do block eBay numbers.
Just saying.
01-13-2021 01:55 PM - last edited on 01-13-2021 02:43 PM by brian@ebay
eBay is losing money regarding on the shipping cost portion of final value fees by sellers choosing shipping options for some merchandise not allowed by USPS policy. To wit, coloring books, activity books, puzzle books are prohibited from being shipped at the Media mail rate. Any word on when eBay will prevent these type of listings from displaying the option of Media mail shipping?
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Edit: Reply to this post can be read here
01-13-2021 01:55 PM
@bimmerpc1 wrote:
With UPS shipping on eBay, what UPS surcharges are waived or discounted?
The only reference material on eBay's UPS shipping implementation seems to be the seller central "help" article, an ebayinc.com press release and the 2020 Fall Seller Update. These resources suggest that some surcharges are waived or discounted. What are those waived or discounted surcharges? Reference links:
https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2020-fall/shipping.html
https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/shipping/shipping-services-and-providers.html
Hi @bimmerpc1 - this was a really good question! I had to do some digging for examples of where you're going to see savings on postage and surcharges, but I think I've gotten some basics:
Many industry-wide surcharges from UPS (link here) have been waived for eBay members printing UPS postage through our platform. The most common one I can find reference to is the 'peak surcharge'. We've also been able to arrange that the 2021 rate increase from UPS will not apply to eBay members printing postage through our platform (link here).
Thanks!
01-13-2021 01:55 PM
@papermoneyforme wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@papermoneyforme wrote:
@golfingaddict wrote:
@papermoneyforme wrote:Wait for the new policy that buyers no longer have to do returns, sellers just have to refund, no questions asked.
Don't be silly, that makes no sense at all.
Walmart and Amazon are looking into it for some products.
I can only speak to Amazon. When they do stuff like this, the money comes out of their pocket, not mine. It is their A-Z program. During the holidays they were guaranteeing certain delivery by dates without regard to what individual sellers [sellers that ship their own stuff] stated shipping. To meet these dates we would have to upgrade our shipping method but Amazon wasn't giving us more money from the buyer or them for that matter to accomplish this. I didn't play the game. I did not upgrade my shipping.
Some buyers did file claims because the items arrived late. Amazon funded those refunds, not me. Even on the ones that received their items but at a later date and they did not require them to return the items.
Its coming, just wait for it.
What would the problem be if Ebay is going to foot the bill? Ebay's site, Ebay can set such a rule.
I've got plenty to be concerned about in the here and now. I don't get to involved is expending energy or stress on the What If's in life. To bring on extra stress for no good reason just doesn't seem like a good thing to do, so I choose not to get concerned over this at this point.
01-13-2021 01:56 PM
@happyhattermarketplace wrote:Thanks for the response, but...
Despite me having taken video of the unit functioning perfectly before and after the return?
And if the next customer simply loves it, because it's not defective?
What you mean is that the "Seller Protection Policy" is simply window dressing?
Video means nothing. Ebay has no way of vetting what you say versus what the buyer says. Your only recourse is if you offer free returns or are eTRS and the buyer returns something that they have damaged - then you can withhold a certain amount of the sale depending on how badly the buyer mangled it. We routinely get buyers who want to "rent" from us to troubleshoot. 99% of the time their "defective" returns come back in the original/working condition that we shipped it in - it's frustrating, but part of doing business here. Resell, sometimes at a higher price.
01-13-2021 01:58 PM - last edited on 01-13-2021 03:06 PM by tyler@ebay
In the spirit of this month's podcast topic "Reflect and Review", reflecting on the past Q4, a suggestion for ebay (and you guys will have the first half of the year to set this up): Many of us are not real good at creating graphics, and, while I can fumble my way through Canva to come up with something, it would be great if ebay created a dedicated page to easily customizable graphics we could use, especially during the Holidays. For example, I saw a number of sellers created their own graphics to send to buyers whose gifts were obviously going to arrive too late for Christmas. The basic idea was a graphic (say, a picture of a stack of Xmas gifts) with a message such as : "Merry Christmas! You'll be getting a carefully chosen gift , but it won't arrive till after Christmas because, well, 2020." And then a photo or photos of the delayed item.
The seller would send this to the buyer, with instructions to print it out and give it to the giftee (assuming the buyer agreed to the idea). Obviously, not all buyers would be satisfied with this, but it seems it was a pro-active way to prevent INRs, bad feedback, and most of all, a way to show the buyer the seller was trying to help them.
I can think of other uses for graphics and other templates, but would really like to see ebay be pro-active on this and have templates ready for us for the next Holiday Season! Maybe we'd reduce the number of really unhappy buyers.
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Edit: a reply to your comment can be found here
01-13-2021 01:59 PM
@artemisiaa wrote:How can I increase my selling limits this month? Do I have to subscribe to a eBay store?
01-13-2021 01:59 PM
@happyhattermarketplace wrote:
Greetings Brian,
I'm a new seller and recently had a frustrating experience with my first return. I thoroughly tested the item before selling, so I knew it was working perfectly (I had owned it almost 15 years).
The buyer claimed it was "defective" and returned it after two weeks, demanding a full refund. Since this was a VCR/DVD recording deck, I suspect he simply dubbed his tapes and falsely claimed it was defective to get a full refund.
However, I didn’t get any support from eBay after following all of the steps I was instructed to perform. I informed them of the situation before, during, and after the return process, but eBay automatically issued a full refund without opening a case despite promising to do so.
How is seller protection supposed to work in these situations?
@happyhattermarketplace I'm sorry to hear this return was a frustrating one. When a buyer opens a return with the Not As Described reason then the seller should approve a return, which is sounds like you did in this situation. Once the item is returned then a refund should be given to the buyer. If the seller has concerns about the buyer then they can report them within the return using the report buyer option. This report is sent to a team within eBay for review. This doesn't change the outcome of the return, but it does help us find buyers that may be abusing the return process so we can take appropriate actions on their account.
You'll find detailed information about seller protections here. You may also want to review the Money Back Guarantee policy here as well.
01-13-2021 01:59 PM
@donsdetour wrote:
@papermoneyforme wrote:
Sorry to report, but I have been through the same thing got an email that CS tried to call and no answer.
My phone shows all numbers calling in and I have an answering machine also. No record of any calls from Ebay period.
CS outright lies, even in cases.
To you and others: Check for spam filters on your phone sytem: they can and do block eBay numbers.
Just saying.
Sorry, I have no filters on my system and at one time when Ebay CS actually worked, I had no problem getting calls.
CS is atrocious and no existent now and has been that way for a long time.