eBay

ms.rodriguez* · ‎05-11-2023

I sell with another ID. Yesterday I got 3 offers on 3 different toy cars. I accepted the first one. Then afterwards I noticed that the buyer was in Canada. I read his other 2 offers. I immediately emailed him and explained that I had just joined the program and that it was impossible to combine shipping. I explained that I would accept his offers. I told him that I had to cancel the sale. End the 2 other listings and quickly re-write the ad for the 3 cars and the new total. He agreed. I told him to check out my other cool cars. In the end, he bought 5 other cars. I ended those listings, added the prices and rewrote the ad again. He bought all of the cars. A total of 8 separate ads combined into 1 listing. He saved a bunch on the shipping. So folks, be ready to rewrite ads if your buyer wants to buy several items. You can NOT combine auctions/ads in the international program. But remember that you have to communicate with them. I know that sometimes there is a language problem. Thankfully, this buyer was fluent in English too.

I don't know if the box is opened when they get to the Ebay International center. I wrapped each car in clear plastic in case they do open the box and match the contents to the photo of the ad. I do not want them unwrapping stuff to verify and then they dump everything in the box. I am hoping that this program works well.

isaiah53-57 · ‎05-11-2023

@ms.rodriguez* wrote:
I sell with another ID. Yesterday I got 3 offers on 3 different toy cars... I noticed that the buyer was in Canada... He bought a total of 8 separate ads combined into 1 listing. He saved a bunch on the shipping. So folks, be ready to rewrite ads if your buyer wants to buy several items. You can NOT combine auctions/ads in the international program.
I don't know if the box is opened when they get to the Ebay International center. I wrapped each car in clear plastic in case they do open the box and match the contents to the photo of the ad. I do not want them unwrapping stuff to verify and then they dump everything in the box. I am hoping that this program works well.

Good advise thanks for posting - I have been doing this for domestic listings for quite some time due to all the combined shipping confusion on this site over the last 10+ years.

I also do something else many sellers might be interested in with regard to people making reasonable offers on your items - If someone makes an offer on my item that I would be willing to sell the item for, I always just lower the price in the original listing rather than send an offer - I let the buyer know thats what I am going to do and tell them to contact me when they are ready to buy - This does a couple things for you - First, it makes the buyer buy it quickly since they feel someone else might grab it first - and second, when they do commit to the purchase, they have to pay for it immediately, which is not the case on "send an offer". Plus you also dont have to worry about the question of whether shipping is, or is not included in the offer price - It has been a fool-proof way to go for me - Sellers should definitely consider this method of accepting reasonable offers on items.

janet9988 · ‎05-11-2023

@cardxcraft wrote:
You can't use EIS with auctions per T&S.

Where does it state the EIS can NOT be used on auction style listings?

Lift your left leg at midnight to start off on the right foot. Happy new Year!

dbfolks166mt · ‎05-11-2023

You can't use EIS with auctions per T&S.

That was originally the case but the policy was updates shortly after it was released and that was removed. Most of my listings ae the auction format and EIS is available for those listings.

ms.rodriguez* · ‎05-12-2023

I almost did but then my photos were clear. The buyer has several thousand feedbacks and he knows exactly what he is buying. I have only used a packing list twice since 1998 and both times I hand printed it and only because the buyer wanted it. That was a long time ago when sellers deleted the photos of a sold item. I wrapped each car in clear plastic and put all of them in a baggie so the chances of them being lost at the Ebay center are very low.

ms.rodriguez* · ‎05-12-2023

Mmm, I don't recall reading that. The system did not tell me to include it. I will have to read up on that.

ms.rodriguez* · ‎05-12-2023

I have no clue what the fees will be In my case, the buyer paid around 16.70 for shipping. 4.99 was my shipping cost. (know this because he told me after I asked him.) The rest goes to ebay to ship to Canada. He was pleased because that was very cheap for him compared to the previous program. The total package weight was 5 ounces. It was a total of 8 buy it nows that I combined. I don't know if using the cart would have worked. It was simpler for me to end the listings and retake the photos. Thankfully , these cars are tiny (1:87 scale) and easy to handle and pack.

ms.rodriguez* · ‎05-12-2023

I know that the logistics of opening packages is going to be expensive but Ebay is guarantees these items to the buyer. How would they know that I put in the cars and not 8 pebbles? That was my concern.

ms.rodriguez* · ‎05-12-2023

I do accept reasonable offers. I don't like to make a buyer feel pressure to buy. I don't want to lower a bunch of prices in the hopes that this buyer feels pressure to act quickly because then I will get another buyer who will want to pay less. In this case, the buyer made 3 offers. I accepted the 1st one and then realized he was in Canada. I told him that I would accept his next 2 offers. I told him to look at all of my other 1:87 scale cars and I would sell them a dollar less.

As for requiring immediate payment, only 1 bidder since best offer started has failed me to pay after I made an offer and accepted. That happened 2 weeks ago and both of those cars were sold to the buyer in Canada so it worked out for me and this Canadian buyer. I don't like immediate payment because it stops many from looking at my other items.

reallynicestamps · ‎05-13-2023

Plus you also dont have to worry about the question of whether shipping is, or is not included in the offer price

Shipping is never a part of any offer.

But some buyers may not know that.

So when I accept an offer I add in the Notes "Thank you for your offer of $XX plus $5.00 shipping. " I ship from Canada and Canada Post's cheapest tracked service is about $12, so my shipping costs are always high compared to the low fees charged by USPS.

I'm a little surprised that some sellers get so many slow or non-players that it becomes a concern. That hasn't been my experience. YMMV obviously.

reallynicestamps · ‎05-13-2023

@ms.rodriguez*

Because most people are honest and the chances of fraud or error are very very low.

Basically the same reason that eBay is willing to take responsibility for package contents after they arrive at the eIS plant.

They don't take it personally and they have crunched the numbers.

How often do we see a seller here ranting they are leaving this cesspool of criminals, because they have a chargeback on a $5 widget, their first in 50 years of selling?

studiodeflores · ‎05-13-2023

An ebay employee (not the customer support people) told me that packages are sometimes opened and re-packed after they are received in the EIS processing center. This was in response to an unrelated concern that I posted on the ebay for business facebook page after I was converted to EIS. But you're right, it's probably hardly ever done because of the cost involved - the ebay rep didn't explain what circumstances require them to open and repack something.

sin-n-dex · ‎05-13-2023

@reallynicestamps wrote:
I don't know if the box is opened when they get to the Ebay International center.
No.
Think about the logistics.
Opening, inspecting,and repacking every single package would take what ? Ten minutes each?
The minimum wage in Illinois is $13 an hour or 21.6cents a minute.
So it would cost eIS $2.16 to open a package, not counting any further packaging materials.
So.
No.
This is an urban legend promulgated by people with poor thinking skills.

Just make sure the description of the contents is accurate. FWIW the HS code for toys 95030075 .

I believe they don't open every package... but they do open some of them (perhaps the shipping info isn't clear outside for some reason, so they have to open it).

I got a skirt in a priority box that was opened and not resealed. The seller was a member of this forum and she said she closed the box before shipping (and it was obviously closed and reopened, not as though it was never closed).

The other one I got came in a poly bag, and someone at the shipping centre (Kentucky) used a knife to open it. I was terrified my dress was ruined but while they cut the outside bag and inside ziplock with the knife, the dress remained undamaged. I notified the seller this happened so she would be aware this stuff does happen, in the event she has a complaint later from another international customer.

C.

sin-n-dex · ‎05-13-2023

@ms.rodriguez* wrote:
I have no clue what the fees will be In my case, the buyer paid around 16.70 for shipping. 4.99 was my shipping cost. (know this because he told me after I asked him.) The rest goes to ebay to ship to Canada. He was pleased because that was very cheap for him compared to the previous program. The total package weight was 5 ounces. It was a total of 8 buy it nows that I combined. I don't know if using the cart would have worked. It was simpler for me to end the listings and retake the photos. Thankfully , these cars are tiny (1:87 scale) and easy to handle and pack.

You get whatever domestic shipping is on the listing, and the rest goes to eBay. I got one EIS because a Canadian buyer purchased a coin holder (something that is allowed to be shipped with EIS, most of my stuff is not allowed), and I received the 5.15 a domestic buyer would pay, but one of my notifications (phone?) gave a much higher shipping amount so I went into my sales history and checked.

C.