Weekly Community Chat, May 31st @ 1pm PT - General Topics

[alan@ebay]

Hi Community 👋

Please join the Community team at 1 pm Pacific today for our weekly chat. We do not have a set topic this week so feel free to ask us your buying or selling questions or share what's on your eBay mind. 

For the last couple of weeks, we've been sharing a link to a survey that we're currently conducting regarding the weekly chat format. If you haven't yet taken the survey, please do so via this link.

Talk to you at 1 pm!

[Anonymous]

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@upscale_shop wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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2) This is a great question and it's feedback we've gathered/sent on. Announcements are generally made when the majority of users are impacted and the issue is a work stoppage. That said, I think this is a great example on ways we can improve communication moving forward. 

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@Anonymous

Nice to see you again. It's been a while.

As to #2 - the TRS+ and the MBG is affecting all sellers I have talked to, so uit is a wide-spread issue. In my opinion, since no buyers see these two crucial identifiers when logged in, it very likely qualifies as a candidate for a site-wide announcement.

Henry

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It has been a while, @upscale_shop! I can completely see what you mean and I'll be sure to pass this along as well.

[mr_lincoln]

@Anonymous Trinton wrote concerning FedEx Overcharges: we don't have an update to provide at the moment but I'll be sure to followup on this. I know this has been a pain point for sellers for some time now and while FedEx is ultimately responsible for any pricing changes they deem necessary (typically due to concerns with dimensional weight) I absolutely understand the desire for clear expectations to be set at the start. If I receive an update, I'll be sure to touch base, no problem.

____________________________________________________________

Thank you Trinton, since its been 5 weeks it would be great to have the update.  I would not doubt that FedEx is taking advantage of the sitaution whereby they simply add the odd fee to the shipping cost like Transportation Fee, Residential delivery charge, etc. As it relates to residential delivery, my guess is that over 95% of all purchases on eBay go to Residential Addresses - eBay should negotiate it the opposite, upcharge to deliver to a business and let residential deliveries be the standard lower cost.  Hope someone or department there is seriously considering challenging FedEx on their costing structure ...

[Anonymous]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hello Community Team!

I have two questions today:

　

1.   When printing using eBay's bulk shipping tool, USPS Priority Mail Express labels cannot be printed with the bulk batch. I always have to remove USPS Express Mail shipments from the bulk batch and print the labels individually. Am I doing something wrong, or has there always been a technical issue preventing Express labels from being printed with a bulk batch?

2.   Last week my seller account was hit with a defect for a Paypal "case closed without seller resolution". This arose from a buyer who started a remorse retun in eBay (hassle-free, automated return) yet did not follow through with that return process and instead escalated the case by opening a Paypal dispute, which was then wrongly escalated before allowing the seller to respond. Paypal agreed to change the case decision to one of no-fault on the seller's part, and the defect has since been removed by eBay. My question is, does eBay have a policy in place to notify sellers as soon as a defect is recorded on the account?

The only reason I found out about the defect is because I happened to check my seller dashboard stats. I normally don't often check that section of my dashboard. I did not receive any email or notification from eBay or Paypal that a defect was recorded. It would be helpful to be notified, so I'm wondering if this should have been done. If not, please consider doing so.

Thank you!

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Hey @Anonymous, happy to address these concerns:

1. I can't think of anything you could be doing wrong with this info, but am happy to look into it with you. I'll email you to gather more details and test this out on my end. It may be a bug we can get reported to our tech teams.

2. While I don't know of any plans to send notifications for PayPal related defects, I can definitely pass this suggestion along to see what we can do about better informing our sellers of impacts to their account.

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I have another question regarding Violet's issue.  This buyer should be sanction for breaking what most sellers would see as a significant breach of Ebay rules.  Buyer's violate policy if they open a claim in Ebay and in PP for the same item.  Or has this changed?

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It actually is not a violation of our policies, simply something that would remove them from protection in our program for that item. A buyer cannot pursue protection through multiple programs, and the consequence is that any claim on eBay is closed. The buyer does have the option to go to another venue such as PayPal or their financial institution if they so choose.

[Anonymous]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@Anonymous Trinton wrote concerning FedEx Overcharges: we don't have an update to provide at the moment but I'll be sure to followup on this. I know this has been a pain point for sellers for some time now and while FedEx is ultimately responsible for any pricing changes they deem necessary (typically due to concerns with dimensional weight) I absolutely understand the desire for clear expectations to be set at the start. If I receive an update, I'll be sure to touch base, no problem.

____________________________________________________________

Thank you Trinton, since its been 5 weeks it would be great to have the update.  I would not doubt that FedEx is taking advantage of the sitaution whereby they simply add the odd fee to the shipping cost like Transportation Fee, Residential delivery charge, etc. As it relates to residential delivery, my guess is that over 95% of all purchases on eBay go to Residential Addresses - eBay should negotiate it the opposite, upcharge to deliver to a business and let residential deliveries be the standard lower cost.  Hope someone or department there is seriously considering challenging FedEx on their costing structure ...

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Definitely will get this escalated up for review!

[labs118]

Hi All
Seller announcements 
Why doesn't ebay think it should announce to the sellers when changes such as the recent Best Offers happen?
I understand from a post on the sellers board it is up to 10 in certain categories & 5 in others.
This may very well change the way a lot of sellers list.
Any idea why something like this would roll out without an announcement?

[mam98031]

Here's another one for you.  It is also from an article on Eccomercebytes.  Some sellers are reporting to see a $$ value stated in the Request for return form in the resolution center for a Handling Fee!!  What the heck is that?  How does Ebay know what the seller's handling fee is?  There were at least 2 or 3 different posters stating they are seeing this during the Request for return process.

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/comments/2017/5/1495764858.html/3/40#comments

[vrykalak]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

FedEx Over charge issues

Good afternoon Alan and any other Ebay Team members present today,

I posted a lengthy issue on the Weekly Chat of April 20th, it was removed and sent elsewhere for Admin review. Would someone kindly be able to provide an update on the investigation into FedEx shipping costs, over charges and the possible simplification of the calculator so that both Buyer and Seller know what the real charges are at the time of purchase AND in setting up the listing and having costs displayed accurately?

Thank you,

Mr. L

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Hey Mr. L, we don't have an update to provide at the moment but I'll be sure to followup on this. I know this has been a pain point for sellers for some time now and while FedEx is ultimately responsible for any pricing changes they deem necessary (typically due to concerns with dimensional weight) I absolutely understand the desire for clear expectations to be set at the start. If I receive an update, I'll be sure to touch base, no problem.

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This is really important.

Buyers choose FedEx because it SEEMS to be cheaper than other other shipping modes...but then FedEx charges more, and the seller loses.

You say "concern about dimensional weight" is the issue. Why? eBay knows the dimensions and weight of the package when it computes the expected shipping cost. Why isn't that taken into consideration?

[dazzlecity]

I proceed according to the ebay reps instructions - I asked for a feedback revision but held out little hope since the buyer never contacted me before leaving the negative. Had they taken the appropriate path which ebay tells them to do I would have taken the item back in a heartbeat but this buyer was bent on destroying my good reputation

[Anonymous]

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@labs118 wrote:

Hi All
Seller announcements 
Why doesn't ebay think it should announce to the sellers when changes such as the recent Best Offers happen?
I understand from a post on the sellers board it is up to 10 in certain categories & 5 in others.
This may very well change the way a lot of sellers list.
Any idea why something like this would roll out without an announcement?

---

This is something we've heard a lot of feedback about and I assure you, we are discussing how we present these changes. I can see how this could certainly be impactful for sellers and it is not our intention to surprise our community with new processes. I can't say specifically why this was not a part of a formal announcement, but can say we are working on improving communication going forward.

[mg152]

Here's the buyer post I referenced last week. Everyone should read it.
http://community.ebay.com/t5/My-Account/gratitude/qaq-p/27002731/jump-to/first-unread-message

Hopefuly the link works now.

Just in case here's the post

"Many appreciations to all sellers over several recent months , both the nicely saged , and the newly started ! All purchases and processing and packaging and posts have been quality , excellent , fast , 5* , and I just want everyone to know I notice the effort and attention taken Woman Happy -hoping somehow an admin can pass along a thank you note to those taking the time to take care of us shoppers! Happy , safe , 2o17 Memorial Day , and God bless us one and all ~ `.sheila ♥ "

I barely made it today. MIL is at the end of her fight for life so I just popped in. I'll see you all soon. Thank you for all your support & prayers! ❤️❤️❤️

[Anonymous]

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@vrykalak wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

FedEx Over charge issues

Good afternoon Alan and any other Ebay Team members present today,

I posted a lengthy issue on the Weekly Chat of April 20th, it was removed and sent elsewhere for Admin review. Would someone kindly be able to provide an update on the investigation into FedEx shipping costs, over charges and the possible simplification of the calculator so that both Buyer and Seller know what the real charges are at the time of purchase AND in setting up the listing and having costs displayed accurately?

Thank you,

Mr. L

---

Hey Mr. L, we don't have an update to provide at the moment but I'll be sure to followup on this. I know this has been a pain point for sellers for some time now and while FedEx is ultimately responsible for any pricing changes they deem necessary (typically due to concerns with dimensional weight) I absolutely understand the desire for clear expectations to be set at the start. If I receive an update, I'll be sure to touch base, no problem.

---

This is really important.

Buyers choose FedEx because it SEEMS to be cheaper than other other shipping modes...but then FedEx charges more, and the seller loses.

You say "concern about dimensional weight" is the issue. Why? eBay knows the dimensions and weight of the package when it computes the expected shipping cost. Why isn't that taken into consideration?

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Typically when I hear that FedEx has increased the charges from what was initially presented, it is due to a dimensional weight issue. This would not be on eBay's end, but would be determined by FedEx after they had decided the dimensions provided were not accurate. These kinds of concerns would need to be addressed by FedEx, but eBay can reach out if corrections are not made to help ensure the appropriate shipping charge is applied.

[fern*wood]

I am wondering if the mobile friendly checker tool is supposed to be available to everyone?  I have been using it for some time on my store ID.  My other ID just recently got switched to the new advanced listing tool, but  I wonder why the mobile friendly tool is not on it?

[Anonymous]

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@mam98031 wrote:

Here's another one for you.  It is also from an article on Eccomercebytes.  Some sellers are reporting to see a $$ value stated in the Request for return form in the resolution center for a Handling Fee!!  What the heck is that?  How does Ebay know what the seller's handling fee is?  There were at least 2 or 3 different posters stating they are seeing this during the Request for return process.

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/comments/2017/5/1495764858.html/3/40#comments

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Hi @mam98031 - As far as I'm aware, refunds always include the full amount paid by the buyer unless a restocking fee is charged. That said, I'm not sure the way this is being displayed has changed or if the refund process itself has changed. Regardless, I'll reach out to the teams who work on this process and update the thread once I know more. 

[mr_lincoln]

@Anonymous

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@labs118 wrote:

Hi All
Seller announcements 
Why doesn't ebay think it should announce to the sellers when changes such as the recent Best Offers happen?
I understand from a post on the sellers board it is up to 10 in certain categories & 5 in others.
This may very well change the way a lot of sellers list.
Any idea why something like this would roll out without an announcement?

---

This is something we've heard a lot of feedback about and I assure you, we are discussing how we present these changes. I can see how this could certainly be impactful for sellers and it is not our intention to surprise our community with new processes. I can't say specifically why this was not a part of a formal announcement, but can say we are working on improving communication going forward.

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I think one answer is simple ... use eBay Messaging and systematically send it out to all members.  That is the tool currently use to send Sellers offers, Promos and ... their monthly Invoice notification so there is already a tool in place to do this. 

[Anonymous]

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@mg152 wrote:

Here's the buyer post I referenced last week. Everyone should read it.
http://community.ebay.com/t5/My-Account/gratitude/qaq-p/27002731/jump-to/first-unread-message

Hopefuly the link works now.

Just in case here's the post

"Many appreciations to all sellers over several recent months , both the nicely saged , and the newly started ! All purchases and processing and packaging and posts have been quality , excellent , fast , 5* , and I just want everyone to know I notice the effort and attention taken Woman Happy -hoping somehow an admin can pass along a thank you note to those taking the time to take care of us shoppers! Happy , safe , 2o17 Memorial Day , and God bless us one and all ~ `.sheila ♥ "

I barely made it today. MIL is at the end of her fight for life so I just popped in. I'll see you all soon. Thank you for all your support & prayers! ❤️❤️❤️

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Thanks for sharing such a sweet story! You and your loved ones are in my thoughts today ❤️ Let us know if you need anything.