eBay

devon@ebay · ‎10-09-2023

Come chat with the eBay Community team this month as the chat will be an open forum for you to ask questions. Get all of your questions ready for the us, so we can make the most out of this month's chat on October 11th at 1:00 pm PT!

Thanks for joining us for the Monthly Chat with the eBay Community team.

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.

As a reminder, we want to be able to get to as many members as possible during the allotted hour, so we have a few things to ask of you:

Keep on topic
Scroll through the list of questions to see what has already been asked to decrease chances of redundancy
Keep the message/question simple and no more than one to two items. If you include multiple questions in a post, please be aware that they may not be addressed during the chat and (specialist name) will do their best to follow-up with it after the chat has closed

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 month!”

Devon,

happythings76 · ‎10-11-2023

Hi! I was hoping to find out how I can sign up for a Growth Advisor. I've not been able to find further info nor get my inquiries responded to. Thank you.

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Edit: A reply to your post can be found here.

hughewilli · ‎10-11-2023

I accidentally shipped the wrong item to a customer. I am shipping another one immediately since they still want the item. How do I send them a return label so they can ship the wrong item back to me?

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Edit: A reply to your post can be found here.

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎10-11-2023

In keeping with long standing Holiday Tradition, I will once again this year request that ebay provide a streamlinied system for sellers to offer gift wrapping as an optional upcharge within each listing. I believe this could lead to an incremental sales increase for ebay. Please pass this suggestion on to the appropriate team.

Assuming that ebay, also in keeping with this tradition, will do no such thing, I'd like to mention that sellers who want to offer gift wrapping might want to consider this workaround, which is to offer it in the Service Category, as mentioned in this week's ebay for business podcast.

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Edit: A reply to your post can be found here.

elizabeth@ebay · ‎10-11-2023

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

In keeping with long standing Holiday Tradition, I will once again this year request that ebay provide a streamlinied system for sellers to offer gift wrapping as an optional upcharge within each listing. I believe this could lead to an incremental sales increase for ebay. Please pass this suggestion on to the appropriate team.

Assuming that ebay, also in keeping with this tradition, will do no such thing, I'd like to mention that sellers who want to offer gift wrapping might want to consider this workaround, which is to offer it in the Service Category, as mentioned in this week's ebay for business podcast.

Thank you @my-cottage-books-and-antiques. We'll be sure to pass these suggestions along!

Elizabeth,

steady2304 · ‎10-11-2023

I am enrolled in the EIS shipping program. I have been trying to migrate all my listings over to EIS. When I set my business policy for shipping I choose No International shipping. I also have no exclusions set. When I view my item the only country that does not appear is the UK. I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. This is just extremely frustrating. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Screen shot of Business Policy

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Edit: A reply to your post can be found here.

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎10-11-2023

ebay stated at ebay Open that the Holiday Season will begin earlier than ever, and this week we know Amazon has basically kicked it off with a Prime Sale, with many other sites following suit to attract buyers to their sites. Etsy, for example, is funding a 10% off purchases of $40 or more for all its sellers, and is heavily advertising this sitewide sale.

So,what is ebay's marketing plan for this Holiday Season?

Details would be nice, but if the Marketing Team can't provide that, could we at least get an answer to this question:

For at least the last two Holiday Seasons, ebay has not run a Holiday Marketing campaign for the site itself. It has run campaigns for various Focus Categories.

Is that the strategy again this year?

Or is ebay actually going to market the site and its wealth of selection beyond the Focus Categories?

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Edit: A reply to your post can be found here.

devon@ebay · ‎10-11-2023

@happythings76 wrote:

Hi! I was hoping to find out how I can sign up for a Growth Advisor. I've not been able to find further info nor get my inquiries responded to. Thank you.

Hey @happythings76! As of right now our Growth Advisor program is invite only but we can be sure to have your seller account shared with that team!

Devon,

postcardcountry · ‎10-11-2023

I discovered on Monday I now face the fact I will need to re-plan how to package 3,685 items currently listed.

Because eBay has said “don’t stock that item anymore” in coupon shipping supplies store.

My shipping coupon loses value again, this time not because of inevitable rising prices but because 1 of the 2 main items I purchase has been discontinued.

Do “they” ever look at seller needs before making a decision?

There no longer is offered a stiffened paperboard mailer that can be used to mail a COMIC BOOK or 8x10 autographed PHOTOGRAPH of a sports personality. To use a polymailer or a bubble envelope requires the addition of a backing, thus increasing the price of shipping and materials. The inserts needed to use these envelopes are not offered – sending me off eBay for a purchase.

Ground shipping criteria for under 1 pound is the same as First Class Parcel was previously. Boxes are boxes. Flat mailers must be stiffened or it gets classified as priority mail.

So….not only more time, but more expense.

I repeat once again my shipping coupon loses value.

On 10/9, there were 44 different items for sale. I base my percentages on that number. I discovered on 10/10 another item was dropped, making it 43. I remember (not so long ago) when there were a lot more choices than 44 items.

37% (more than one third) of the items are tape, tissue paper, stickers or thank you cards)

25% are boxes.

25% are polymailers (with no backing)

10% are padded bubble mailers

.07% are paperboard mailers. Sizes 6X8, 4.5X9.5 (#10), 5X7

I know others have complained on the eBay boards and in Facebook groups about the steadily decreasing value of the shipping supplies coupon. The lack of choice of items and higher prices all contribute to this shrinkage.

Any suggestions on how to wake up executives and decision makers to the fact AI and a wonder listing tool isn’t going to help with this very basic aspect of selling? And that this part (and the cost savings involved) are part of what makes that AI research possible?

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Edit: A reply to your post can be found here.

clarkphilatelics · ‎10-11-2023

If an insured package is lost or damaged, in DMM 609, the US Postal Service requires “Proof of value” before processing an insurance claim. USPS Ground Advantage, unlike First Class Package that it replaced, includes $100 insurance.

For eBay transactions, the applicable part of Section 3.2 “Proof of Values”:

“f. For Internet transactions conducted through a Web-based payment network

that offers payment services through a stored value account, provide a

computer printout of the online transaction identifying the purchaser and

seller, price paid, date of transaction, description of item purchased, and

assurance that the transaction status is completed. The printout must

clearly identify the Web-based payment network provider through which the

Internet transaction was conducted.”

Is there a single eBay webpage that displays acceptable ”Proof of Value”? Ideally, the page would be entirely visible on one screen, allowing screen capture, or a pdf download.

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Edit: A reply to your post can be found here.

kyle@ebay · ‎10-11-2023

@hughewilli wrote:

I accidentally shipped the wrong item to a customer. I am shipping another one immediately since they still want the item. How do I send them a return label so they can ship the wrong item back to me?

Hey @hughewilli in order to create a return label through eBay, your buyer would need to open a return. However, you are more than welcome to create a separate label for your buyer directly through the carrier of your choice.

Kyle,

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎10-11-2023

The Fall Seller Update announced a new store feature: a store home page tab named "Sales" which , when clicked , will reveal any Coded Coupon offers I have running. According to the "Seller Updates At A Glance", this is to go live in "September 2023".

I created a public coupon when this was first announced and ...no "Sales" tab appeared. I asked about this and was told it was being rolled out in waves, and I should soon have it.

I then asked at ebay open, and was told it is tentatively scheduled to go live in Q1 of 2024 (which contradicts both what I had been told previously and what ebay's own Announcement states.) I was also told it might not meet the tentative Q1 deadline, because it is a complicated change.

Since I'm currently looking at three different time frames, all supplied by ebay, and one of which has already passed, I'd like to get some confirmation on this much at least:

Will this be rolled out before the end of the year (hopefully in time to provide some value for Q4)? Or should we expect that it will be sometime in 2024?

If it is , in fact, scheduled for a 2024 release, will ebay at least revise the "Seller Updates at a Glance" to provide accurate information, or will this continue to display incorrect and confusing information?

(I currently have a coded coupon running, and.....no tab.)

elizabeth@ebay · ‎10-11-2023

@steady2304 wrote:

I am enrolled in the EIS shipping program. I have been trying to migrate all my listings over to EIS. When I set my business policy for shipping I choose No International shipping. I also have no exclusions set. When I view my item the only country that does not appear is the UK. I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. This is just extremely frustrating. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Screen shot of Business Policy

Hi @steady2304. Could you shoot us over this question to askcommunity@ebay.com so we can take a better look at your set up and get it passed along to the proper team for review? Thanks!

Elizabeth,

devon@ebay · ‎10-11-2023

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

ebay stated at ebay Open that the Holiday Season will begin earlier than ever, and this week we know Amazon has basically kicked it off with a Prime Sale, with many other sites following suit to attract buyers to their sites. Etsy, for example, is funding a 10% off purchases of $40 or more for all its sellers, and is heavily advertising this sitewide sale.

So,what is ebay's marketing plan for this Holiday Season?

Details would be nice, but if the Marketing Team can't provide that, could we at least get an answer to this question:

For at least the last two Holiday Seasons, ebay has not run a Holiday Marketing campaign for the site itself. It has run campaigns for various Focus Categories.

Is that the strategy again this year?

Or is ebay actually going to market the site and its wealth of selection beyond the Focus Categories?

Hey @my-cottage-books-and-antiques! Right now we do not have any information to share on the Q4 marketing plans but if there is insight that can be shared at some point we will let you know!

Devon,

shimmer-and-relic · ‎10-11-2023

Hi! Cant find a direct answer anywhere, so….. My question(s) is, I recently formed an LLC & want to upgrade my personal ebay & bank account to a store using the new LLC name/LLC bank account, but I’m not sure which order to do things so I don’t get stuck with a URL that doesn’t reflect the store name or a bank account that gives me an error msg because I didn’t change the name/bank account FIRST. I also can't tell if I should change my decades old username BEFORE opening the store or after as I DO want to keep the limited number of good reviews I have!, but think that I should probably change that old username?! And, should I also change the bank account BEFORE or after subscribing to a store? I would think it should be before so they can withdraw the subscription fee, but then it won’t match my current account name & as I understand it, the name on the bank account HAS to match my account precisely right? (meaning my real name, not the store name? or is it the store name??) Maybe I’m overthinking this, but don’t want to screw it up lol. TIA for any/all responses!, and yes, I know I only have a few listings currently but I intend to change that very soon!

Bonus points if someone can advise/explain the benefits of if my new LLC store name should ALSO be my new username or just the store name (with or w/o the 'LLC') or does it matter? Keeping in mind, I want the LLC busines name to be the URL name. Clear as mud? 😊

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Edit: A reply to your post can be found here.