eBay

Anonymous · ‎07-29-2020

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.

erattix · ‎07-29-2020

Thanks for your reply @mam98031 ! Shockingly, after this INAD claim was made, and I went to review the buyer's feedback profile just to see if I had missed something obvious, I saw that the buyer had transacted with multiple sellers in the previous weeks buying up older versions of the product I sold. I actually contacted one of three separate sellers and specifically inquired if this buyer had purchased the exact item they returned to me.....and the seller replied, "YES, I SOLD THAT ITEM TO THE USER/BUYER YOU MENTIONED." I reported that to eBay and they *STILL* refused to reverse the INAD determination.

brian@ebay · ‎07-29-2020

@vociferous_commenter wrote:

Re: INR's & USPS Delays

It's good that eBay announced 'shipping defect protections' but the volume of issues and complaints about delays and INR's suggest there are a couple gaps that need to be covered by eBay regardless of whether there are out-of-ordinary carrier delays.

In particular, it's unlikely the issues involving USPS are going to be resolved any time soon.

SUGGESTIONS:

Ensure "Seller protections" for both shipping defects as well as negative and neutral feedback when the seller has uploaded tracking on-time when buyer claims INR (whether or not there are 'unusual' carrier delays - the problem is only exacerbated by this).

Implement (via Managed Payments) a mechanism allowing sellers to directly invoice (through eBay) buyer if/when the delivery eventually occurs (often sellers are left to their own devices to figure out what to do after eBay has refunded the buyer for the INR, then the item is later delivered).

Ideally, buyers would be appraised of what will happen if the item shows, and should be prepared to return (or pay for) the item. I don't think it's out-of-bounds to surmise this might also reduce some types of buyer fraud knowing that they can't simply claim INR as soon as possible as a means of getting a free widget.

@vociferous_commenter thanks for the suggestions! I'll pass it along to the right team 🙂

Brian,
Community Team

Anonymous · ‎07-29-2020

Thanks for joining us today everyone! The chat is now closed for further questions and we will work on replying to any else that remains.

Additionally, I wanted to add a final thank you to everyone for a great few years in the Community. As Rebecca announced earlier, today is my last day with the team as I moving to Austin, Texas and transitioning to a new team beginning tomorrow, but I greatly appreciate everyone here and will stop by from time to time to say hi 🙂

tyler@ebay · ‎07-29-2020

@maxoptical wrote:

127 days, this is how long ago I submitted my first detailed report about the bug with handling time Guaranteed Delivery.

I have called at least once a week for updates, there has been none.

In order to test if it has been fixed I need to modify my 4000 listings, wait 24 hours for eBay to re index, test if it works, then when it doesn't I need to change it back to Door to Door and then wait 24 hours to get sales again.

What do I need to do to get an eBay verified bug fixed?

I have invested many many hours on this bug, it has been verified by eBay staff. I pay my thousands of dollars every month In fees, but I can't get a known issue fixed. Heck, I can't even get an actual report if the problem is being looked at.

I am very loyal to eBay but I feel like an employee that never gets a paycheck.

You really should hire me. #Brian Burke #Harry Tempkin

John Norman

Max Optical LLC.

Hi John - that's definitely a long time! I don't have an update for you on this, but will share your frustration and feedback with the appropriate teams.

@maxoptical

Tyler,

mam98031 · ‎07-29-2020

@erattix wrote:
Thanks for your reply @mam98031 ! Shockingly, after this INAD claim was made, and I went to review the buyer's feedback profile just to see if I had missed something obvious, I saw that the buyer had transacted with multiple sellers in the previous weeks buying up older versions of the product I sold. I actually contacted one of three separate sellers and specifically inquired if this buyer had purchased the exact item they returned to me.....and the seller replied, "YES, I SOLD THAT ITEM TO THE USER/BUYER YOU MENTIONED." I reported that to eBay and they *STILL* refused to reverse the INAD determination.

Believe me I get it. I've had claims where the buyer submitted pics that totally proved that what they said was wrong. I mean they proved it for me and still Ebay would not help. I have a few good horror stories myself. Most buyers just submit issues honestly, but those that don't can cost us real money as Ebay will not help us.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

Anonymous · ‎07-29-2020

@vrykalak wrote:

@vrykalak wrote:

I sold an item (383525754789) to a buyer at an FPO/APO address.

When I tried to create a shipping label, I got weird messages about dutiable items, and asked if had read some rules about international shipping.

When I tried to print the label, it looked really strange, and had printing on both halves of the page...but too small to read on the screen.
How can I find out whether or not it is legal to send the item?

Hi @vrykalak, I think you should contact Customer Service about this kind of account specific issue, as they will be able to help review the message you are seeing and the shipping label you describe. I can suggest that you look into adjusting your screen resolution or enlarging the image so you can better read the text.

As for legalities of shipping a specific item to a certain location, eBay Customer Service may be able to speak to this but the courier would certainly be able to address your concerns in more detail.

----

How exactly do I "contact customer service"?

And there's no way to adjust resolution or enlarge the image of a print preview.

Hi @vrykalak, you can contact Customer Service using the steps we've discussed previously, by going to the Help & Contact pages and searching for the topic that aligns with the question you have. The contact options available to you will be at the bottom of the related help page. I also believe that you have access to concierge support, so should have additional contact options to get in touch directly with Customer Service.

As for adjusting your resolution, you are able to change the resolution of your monitor to increase the display size of programs and images. While I can't walk you through how you might do this on your specific device, you can search for instructions online and find them fairly easily 🙂

brian@ebay · ‎07-29-2020

@vrykalak wrote:

I was talking about the table at the top of that page.

It says Basic Store owners would get additional free listing, but doesn't give numbers for those.

Sorry @vrykalak I'm not sure I understand. If this is the page you are talking about then it does show the numbers for Basic store free listings. Before August 1 2020 Basic stores get 250 free listings. After August 1 2020 Basic stores get 350 free listings. That's 100 additional free listings.

Are you referring to a different page? If so, what is the link? Can you also share a screenshot? Feel free to tag me in another thread if need. Thanks!

Brian,
Community Team

Anonymous · ‎07-29-2020

@papermoneyforme wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@erattix wrote:

TOPIC: eBay Buyers Filing False INAD Claims

Question: What is eBay going to do about rampant theft of goods on the site via false/fraudulent INAD claims? What can sellers do to protect themselves/reduce exposure from false INAD claims being made aside from depending on eBay's appeal process?

Background: I recently stopped selling on eBay because I got burned by an eBay buyer that filed a false INAD claim on an item I sold and shipped. I followed *ALL* of the protocols and procedures listed on eBay as well as PayPal, but, eBay still chose to refund the buyer in full. I appealed the decision, waited endlessly for eBay case resolution to make a determination during the pandemic (March, 2020), and then was told they'd found in favor of the buyer. I uploaded all of the documentation known to man: full police report (in the county I do business in and the NYPD where the buyer resides), photos of the product in its shipping container, photo of the FedEx label, photo of the packaged container and weigh in at FedEx Office, signature verification from FedEx by buyer at shipping destination, and receipts from original purchase of item. Nothing seemed to convince them. eBay says they are Switzerland, and have no way of verifying that what I sent is what I sent. This process is flawed.

Hi @erattix, we have teams working around the clock to identify any red flags or potential abuse of our marketplace. You are welcome to report any concerns you have directly through the return or through the Seller Help section of the site. If you qualify for enhanced protections, you can report any returns you feel are false for us to review and we will take appropriate action to protect you. You can read more about what options are available to you here.

As with any business it isn't possible to completely eliminate losses like what you are describing, a seller can take steps to protect themselves by ensuring detailed and accurate listing details. Many sellers calculate the losses they incur from these types of situations into their overall business model and find that they only need to increase the price of their items by a small amount (I've commonly seen amounts from sellers that are under $0.25) to cover these situations when they arise.

Is that like the Market Place story on all the counterfeits on Ebay and nothing happens yet Ebay swears they do not allow counterfeits but never even check for them.

Hi @papermoneyforme, I definitely want to clear up any misunderstandings on how we address the issue of counterfeit items on our platform. These items are absolutely not allowed and something we take very seriously. We have teams working around the clock every day of the year to remove listings that we have reason to believe are not authentic. We are constantly working to improve our automatic filters that scan the site for potential violations, we review reports from members of our Community that raise these kinds of concerns, and we proactively search on the site for possible red flags. We invest heavily in ensuring eBay is a safe place to buy and sell and while there may be listings that slip through the cracks considering the sheer volume of new items posted daily and the continuous innovation of those who seek to circumvent our site policies, we work very hard to catch as many of these instances as possible. If you see anything that raises concerns, don't hesitate to report it to us directly through the listing.

Anonymous · ‎07-29-2020

@mam98031 wrote:

On a lighter note. Are we ever going to get larger emojis. I've brought this up a few times. The microscopic size makes it sometimes hard to determine what it even is. Well at least for these old eyes.

😀 😍

Hi @mam98031, while we are working on some more disruptive technical issues at the moment and may not get to the emojis right away, I can assure you that this is on our radar 🙂

Anonymous · ‎07-29-2020

@papermoneyforme wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@glgenterprise wrote:

But the customer is under absolutely NO obligation to repay. We have NO recourse over something TOTALLY beyond our control.

I have one right now that I upgraded to priority at my expense that last scanned July 18 - the day I dropped it off at the PO. It went to the sort center on the 18th, but crickets since then. It is a $150 item. If the buyer contacts me and says they don't want it any longer due to the delay - that is fine, I'll happily take a return. But to force me to be out $150 and the item due to PO issues is a systemic failure on the part of eBay. If this happens, eBay should be issuing courtesy refunds to the sellers who eBay allowed the buyer to steal from.

It really isn't apples to oranges. Outside of the ridiculous 30 day window after acceptance of the return and issuing the label to even send it back, eBay THEN allows the buyer a 14 day window to account for shipper delays? We as sellers don't get the same consideration?

Hi @glgenterprise, I want to clarify that the 10-day period you are referencing is specifically applicable to international shipments where there has been no update to the tracking for 10 days or more, and the buyer has opened an item not received request. Domestic transactions would look to see if there has been an update to the tracking within the last 7-days if an item not received request is opened and we are asked to step in. Since the buyer cannot open an item not received request until after the latest estimated delivery date, and they cannot ask eBay to step in for an additional 3 full business days after the item not received request has been opened, more than a flat 10-day period is allowed for a tracking update in most situations.

Though eBay won't be able to force a buyer to pay for an item that is delivered after a decision has been made in a Money Back Guarantee case, we do see that the vast majority of buyers are happy to work with a seller for repayment or a return of the shipment once it is received. I can only reiterate that you will need to work with your customer to arrange a resolution in these situations.

If that is the case, why does Ebay not refund the buyer and work with the buyer to get their money back?

Hi @papermoneyforme, while I'm not sure precisely what your comment is in response to since the post you are replying to contains multiple points, I can provide the additional context that our response in handling these situations is in an effort to resolve a poor experience for a buyer based on the expectations set by their seller. If a seller is experiencing a high number of delays leading to packages appearing to be lost and then resurfacing later, they can address this by working with their customer directly or considering other shipping options.

brian@ebay · ‎08-04-2020

brian@ebay wrote:

@midwestmotoring wrote:

Hey guys, you just announced Monday that you were extending shipping-related defects due to carrier delays. Obviously, everyone knows USPS (due to COVID, staffing shortages, etc.) has been really slow the last month or two.

However, do these protections announced Monday also protect service metrics for item not received cases? The COVID protections that originally ended June 30 were protecting these, as well. I believe they were de-scoring INR defects on service metrics as long as the item was shipped on time and scanned delivered within 30 days of the INR being opened. Lots of these are opened because an item is arriving late and then gets closed out in seller's favor once it was delivered.

@midwestmotoring I'm not sure on that so I'll double check! I'll update you when I get an answer 🙂