eBay

Anonymous · ‎07-16-2019

Join the Community team here at 1 PM PT on July 17th 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 after 1 pm Pacific Time and we'll be happy to look into it with you

nuclearomen · ‎07-17-2019

tyler@ebay wrote:
@nuclearomen wrote:
my question is what is ebay doing to fix all the issues and bugs on the platform - especially the horrid search issues? Many sellers have been concerned to this and ebay certainly has the people to fix these things.
Hi @nuclearomen - our tech teams work hard to correct technical problems, review reports of possible tech issues as well as working with appropriate teams to get your feedback about pain points and suggest future product enhancements. If there's a specific issue you're running into we're happy to help if you'll get us more detail!

i don't think it's to complicated to see that the question was primary aimed at the ebay search engine, people search for items either they don't come up or get things they didn't even want, it come to the point that if you want to search for something on ebay one must turn to google to find results... that would be an issue you take concern about no?

The great truth is there isn't one
And it only gets worse since that conclusion...
...There is something about the rigid posture of a proper, authentic blind
As if extended arms reached to pass his blindness onto others.

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎07-17-2019

Trinton, Anticipation building, along with strong disappointment that we are still waiting to see the tangible benefits that we were promised.....and meanwhile we are stuck under the old rules which even ebay acknowledges aren't very good, or you wouldn't be changing them. I sure hope ebay realizes: the longer the wait, the higher the expectation that there will be significant change, and not just an application of lipstick on a pig.

Anonymous · ‎07-17-2019

@needitlikea0inthehead wrote:

I have two questions and 1 comment

1. Why doesn't Ebay have all the Asian/European sellers use inches and feet in their measurements rather than millimeters and centimeters. They are selling on a US Ebay Site so why are we having to do the conversions that a lot of us do not understand? Many are making mistakes including myself when buying plastic bags.

2. Why is the new Postal Page defaulting to a 7.00+ price for Priority Mail? I can see sellers, including myself, just hitting print one of these days and voila we are now out 4.00 having charged the buyer 3.00 for economy shipping. I read one post where the buyer quit as she thought she had to purchase the Priority price.

3. It feels like the big businesses from overseas have taken over like an invasive species. It would be nice for Ebay to make another site just for mom and pop business and crafters, etc. You know like Ebay used to be.

Hi @needitlikea0inthehead, while eBay.com is generally used by those located in the United States, it is not exclusive to members located in the United States. eBay is a global marketplace and since the vast majority of the world uses the metric system, it is likely you will see those measurements. Conversions only take a few moments online if you do not have the formulas memorized or do not know your measurements within that system. You can also message the seller and ask for measurements in inches/feet, maybe even suggestion they had these to their listing. This is not something eBay requires nor is it something we plan to implement as a requirement.

As for your shipping question, do you have an item number example that I can use to test this out and see what might be going on? If there is an issue present I can get this reported to our tech teams, no problem!

Lastly, eBay began as a marketplace for small sellers to compete with big businesses. On eBay, everyone has the same opportunity for success. The wide range of business models and inventory makes us what we are - a place to be uniquely you. We don't have any plans to split our seller Community up by size and I encourage you to check out some of the tips provided in our Slow Sales Knowledge Base article for tips on how to stay competitive in a changing market

redline_auto_llc · ‎07-17-2019

I'd like to hear some input from the higher ups about the number of posts on the forums since the spring update that discuss how sales are in the toilet. A few isolated incidents could be considered a fluke or bad sellers, but people who have been successful here for decades are watching things fall apart since the update went into effect. I don't think there is any doubt that a significant number of sellers were violently opposed to the changes made, and despite all the assurances that eBay knows our businesses better than we do, we're seeing the negative effects.

I'm down from $5000 on a good week to struggling to break $1000, and there are numerous sellers here who have it worse than me. It's very apparent that whatever eBay is doing, it's not doing anyone any favors except maybe the Chinese sellers and the executives' pockets.

eBay has been making every effort to increase their profit margins at the expense of sellers. Final value fees go up, promoted listings become mandatory. eBay takes fees on shipping costs that are also through the roof. We get pushed into higher fee categories based on return figures that are compared to a completely bogus metric. Seller protection is non-existent from a practical standpoint. Sellers are leaving in droves, and it's clear why.

So with that said, what plans are in place to improve the situation as it stands? If Wenig can afford to build his dream bar with the money he's wringing from the drying corpse of what eBay used to be, why can't he afford some advertising? Dissent is at the highest level I've ever seen. Something is going to give out, so what is eBay going to do to keep things afloat?

vrykalak · ‎07-17-2019

brian@ebay wrote:
@vrykalak wrote:
I have noticed two cases in the last few weeks where I get notice of an offer...but someone else buys the item--for a really low price in one case--before I can respond to the offer.
The first time, I just figured it was a coincidence, but it happened again Monday.
Hi @vrykalak, a pending offer will not prevent other buyers from purchasing the item before an offer is accepted by the seller. If an offer is accepted then the listing will no longer be available for other buyers to purchase.

I understand that. But twice in two weeks?

And the second time, the purchase price was LESS THAN the offer price, which of course, was less than the listing price.

brian@ebay · ‎07-17-2019

@2013fitzp wrote:

Hello- thank you for taking the time to help us. I have a general question and frustration- when I call into CS, I feel I continually get different advice- simple things- for example, I had a return where the buyer uploaded a false tracking number- I had three different CS reps tell me they would close it out on a certain day, only to call the next day and be told I had to wait. Is there a general issue with training CS?

I never call anymore because of the inconsistency- instead I bother you all here.

Thanks

Hi @2013fitzp, customer service does receive continuous training. We do strive to offer accurate customer service, but there may be occasions were an agent misunderstands a policy or gives incorrect information. Without seeing the return I won't be able to speak specifically to your situation, so I'll provide some general information. Once a return is accepted by the seller, the buyer has 5 business days to shop the item back. This means that return tracking needs to show the item has been received by the shipping carrier within this time frame. If we do not have proof that the buyer shipped it back then we can typically close the return. You are welcome to contact our social media customer support via Facebook or Twitter for additional support. They can assist with returns and help get the situation sorted out.

Brian,
Community Team

tyler@ebay · ‎07-17-2019

@dasarock wrote:

when and why did ebay remove the ability from the manage active listings page to SORT listings by those with or without photos? as far as i know it was the only way and easiest way to locate the listings that ebay has removed all the photos from. and yes, they have removed all photos from some older listings and some newer (as in the past 30-45 days or so).

please have them reset the photos column to sortable again!

without this ability sellers have to view each listing page to find listings without photos (photos that ebay has removed in it's wisdom). but that still doesn't help the listings that ebay removed all but one of the photos from. and yes, ebay does that too.

Hi @dasarock - since all listings require at least one photo, the ability to sort by which listings do and do not have photos isn't something that would be particularly helpful, even for the situations you describe. While there was a technical issue impacting photos last year, there have not been any other issues reported - so if you're coming across recent listings of yours where photos have been removed please contact CS directly so they can investigate to see what may have happened. Thanks!

Tyler,

2013fitzp · ‎07-17-2019

Thank you, yes, as a seller here since 2013, I am aware of that policy- my question is why are 2 CS not? And it's not just that, it seems 80% of the time I call, I feel CS is pacifying me to get off the phone, without a care for accurate info. Just an observation- thank you, I appreciate you guys more and more everyday.

brian@ebay · ‎07-17-2019

@windhaze wrote:

Good afternoon.

I have 2 issues-the first being I bought an item and the Seller never claimed the payment and wouldn't reply to my messages. I ended up cancelling the payment and on PayPal it shows I was fully refunded but on eBay it says I was partially refunded? My CC comfirms they received the refund so I assume it is okay to just put this failed purchase

into 'hidden' as it annoys me to see it on my list of purchases.

Please let me know-thanks.

Hi @windhaze, I'm sorry to hear that the transaction didn't go as planned! If you have confirmed that you've received a full refund then you are OK to hide the order Once an order is hidden you will still have access to it just in case you do need to reference it later, it will just be in the 'hidden' section of the Purchase History.

Brian,
Community Team

windhaze · ‎07-17-2019

My second issue is more complicated. To sum it up briefly eBay had to step in and issue me the refund the Seller promised and didn't do. It's much more detailed than that but bottom line is while I rceived the refund of the sales tax from eBay I haven't received the refund. I can see that eBay sent it to PayPal but it just sits there.

It has not been applied back to my card and I have heard every excuse in the book the latest being PayPal is waiting for eBay to send the $? I finally talked to an eBay Supervisor who told me to have PayPal do a conference with them to get this resolved-PayPal refused.

I just want my refund and would appreciate any help in getting it. I do have a Reference # for this if needed.

Thank you.

Anonymous · ‎07-17-2019

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
Trinton, Anticipation building, along with strong disappointment that we are still waiting to see the tangible benefits that we were promised.....and meanwhile we are stuck under the old rules which even ebay acknowledges aren't very good, or you wouldn't be changing them. I sure hope ebay realizes: the longer the wait, the higher the expectation that there will be significant change, and not just an application of lipstick on a pig.

Hi @my-cottage-books-and-antiques, I am uncertain why there is disappointment rising - we stated we would make an announcement this summer and summer is not yet over. If any of our sellers are feeling disappointed that they have not yet seen any news, I can only recommend they remain patient as the deadline for updates that we communicated has not yet passed.

windhaze · ‎07-17-2019

brian@ebay wrote:
@windhaze wrote:
Good afternoon.

I have 2 issues-the first being I bought an item and the Seller never claimed the payment and wouldn't reply to my messages. I ended up cancelling the payment and on PayPal it shows I was fully refunded but on eBay it says I was partially refunded? My CC comfirms they received the refund so I assume it is okay to just put this failed purchase
into 'hidden' as it annoys me to see it on my list of purchases.

Please let me know-thanks.
Hi @windhaze, I'm sorry to hear that the transaction didn't go as planned! If you have confirmed that you've received a full refund then you are OK to hide the order Once an order is hidden you will still have access to it just in case you do need to reference it later, it will just be in the 'hidden' section of the Purchase History.

Okay that's what I thought but wanted to be sure-thank you.

2013fitzp · ‎07-17-2019

Last question, sorry. It was stated in the forum that no other eCommerce site punishes sellers for returns like eBay does. My question is why promote returns only to punish us for them? The few times I've purchased something on eBay, I've gotten an email asking if I'd like to return the item- to me, it seems like eBay is encouraging returns. I understand eBay is a for-profit but it seems returns are being advocated for only to punish us financially (5% FVF increase). Have the higher ups heard our battle cries? Do they care? Will there be an end to this, or a plan to make returns more equitable for sellers?

brian@ebay · ‎07-17-2019

@xxlostspiritxx wrote:

Please help. Haven't gotten anywhere for over a year with these problems.

Example of 10 Year Old Part and claiming New!

Hi @xxlostspiritxx, it is not a violation to sell a computer with parts that are several years old. As long as the parts are new (haven't been used previously) then it is not a condition violation. If these parts have not been used before then they are still a new condition and thus should be listed with the new condition.

Brian,
Community Team

tyler@ebay · ‎07-17-2019

@vrykalak wrote:

tyler@ebay wrote:

@vrykalak wrote:

Someone asked me if I could possibly mail an item he wanted to buy...but apparently said Local Pickup only. When I looked at the item on my laptop, I saw the usual three shipping options, as well as Local Pickup.
Where/why was he seeing Local Pickup Only?
...How many potential sales have I lost because people saw Local Pickup as the only shipping option?

Hi @vrykalak - definitely sounds like an unusual one off, and one you can work with CS to report should it happen again. If you have a specific item number example we can take a look we're happy to review if you'll let us know!

383000513582

Hi @vrykalak - thanks for this! In reviewing the item number and other aspects of the potential buyer's communication it seems that there was some confusion about shipping in general. Depending on a number of factors a buyer may not have seen all available shipping methods (for instance, if their default shipping zip or post code was set to an area or country to which you do not ship). I think advising them on how to find shipping costs is the best course of action to take if folks have questions about available shipping methods in the future!

Tyler,