About the cart problems

[dhbookds]

@Anonymous

As you have said if one item in the cart as any of the following attributes, the request invoice will not be enabled:

items having an applicable promotion attached;

offering free shipping on the items;

the cart had items from other sellers in it at the time the buyer went to request a total;

the seller had immediate payment required themselves in the listing

The only notification a buyer as to why he can't use the Ask button,  is IF he clicks on the tiny i next to the grayed out box....... states:

You can't request a total because the seller has already offered a discount for these items.

Obviously, that isn't correct in all situations........

Frankly, I had thought it was just IPR and sale items causing the problem, but boy......... I don't know how Ebay can expect the buyer or even the seller to deal with all those caveats................

I was going to suggest that eliminating the "add to cart button" to seller sale and IPR items, but that isn't going to work for the other exceptions..........

Can you see how you can get this info to sellers so that they at least have some knowledge of what kills the Ask for invoice button?

[newview]

The Shopping Cart needs to be revamped from the get-go ... no old code. Redo it from scratch starting from the LISTING that is created by the Seller. No one knows better whether an item can be combined with other items, or not.

1) When creating a listing, there should be a toggle:
a) This item can be combined with other items
b) This item cannot be combined with other items

2) The buyer will see, on the listing, whether the item Can or Cannot be combined, and in the case of items that cannot be combined, THE ADD TO CART BUTTON IS NOT AVAILABLE or even shown AT ALL. Why should an Add to Cart function be enabled on a listing that the seller has already determined Cannot Be Combined? The reason the buyer should see the info that an item "Cannot Be Combined" is to prevent (or at least curtail) those "Can you combine this with other items?" questions from buyers.

3) Sellers should also be able to toggle Immediate Payment Required, OR NOT, depending on how they prefer to handle combined shipping, either an invoice sent after the buyer requests it, or a series of combined shipping rules setup by the seller, similar to how it is now.

4) The Request Invoice option should ALWAYS be available to the buyer whether the seller has set up Immediate Payment Required or not ... whose dumb idea was it to disable that on IPR items? If the buyer clicks the Request Invoice button, it overrides the IPR and allows the buyer to continue on with whatever he was doing, and the Seller gets a notification to send an invoice. The buyer gets a notification that an Invoice is Pending, and must be paid prior to shipment. Also, the seller should be able to be set how long he'll wait ... 24 hrs, 2 days, a week ... whatever ... and no payment results in an immediate cancellation WITH NO DEFECTS TO THE SELLER.

[rw011164]

As I mentioned in your other post, there are other problems with the cart. Our buyers are shown the we do not service their area! Not just in the cart, but also if they purchase it and click to pay. They should be shown to contact seller for shipping options not that we do not service them.

Been reported many, many, many times

[Anonymous]

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@dhbookds wrote:

@Anonymous

As you have said if one item in the cart as any of the following attributes, the request invoice will not be enabled:

items having an applicable promotion attached;

offering free shipping on the items;

the cart had items from other sellers in it at the time the buyer went to request a total;

the seller had immediate payment required themselves in the listing

The only notification a buyer as to why he can't use the Ask button,  is IF he clicks on the tiny i next to the grayed out box....... states:

You can't request a total because the seller has already offered a discount for these items.

Obviously, that isn't correct in all situations........

Frankly, I had thought it was just IPR and sale items causing the problem, but boy......... I don't know how Ebay can expect the buyer or even the seller to deal with all those caveats................

I was going to suggest that eliminating the "add to cart button" to seller sale and IPR items, but that isn't going to work for the other exceptions..........

Can you see how you can get this info to sellers so that they at least have some knowledge of what kills the Ask for invoice button?

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Hey @dhbookds, the message shown in the cart when hovering over the i will change depending on the reason total cannot be requested. If more than one apply, only one will be shown. I grabbed an example of a free shipping message for your reference:

I have also seen a message that indicates the seller requires immediate payment when this is applicable. This being said, I agree that we can do more to put this information in front of buyers and sellers. I am going to make a few suggestions for changes, such as changing the "Request total from seller" button to "Request shipping discount from seller", adding a help page for buyers outlining when discount can be requested and adding a link to the cart that directs a buyer to this page. This would also be available to sellers as a resource to provide to their buyers.

@newview, the cart button is not solely for requesting a combined invoice; some buyers shop for multiple items and complete checkout all together, with many items from various sellers. While requesting a total to get a shipping discount is something buyers do from the cart, it is not the only function of the cart. As for your comments about immediate payment, this is a change eBay has made to minimize the number of unpaid item cases. While this is still an option for a seller to request a listing fee credit and to report concerns to us, we find that the experience of an unpaid item case leads to buyers not returning to the site, which negatively impacts sales for everyone. By preventing the situation from happening more often, we create more successful sales for our community. As such, sellers would only have the option of opting in or out of immediate payment for listings that do not fall within our eligibility guidelines. I will pass along your suggestions and feedback on these topics and definitely see the value in providing more options to our members.

@rw011164, the error you are describing is most likely linked to your buyer having a 9 digit zip code on file. I recommend you suggest they check their addresses and change this to a 5 digit zip code. If they are still having trouble, either you or your buyer can contact customer service to see what might be going on!

[tree*fern]

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@Anonymous wrote:

@rw011164, the error you are describing is most likely linked to your buyer having a 9 digit zip code on file. I recommend you suggest they check their addresses and change this to a 5 digit zip code. If they are still having trouble, either you or your buyer can contact customer service to see what might be going on!

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Hi @Anonymous, is eBay going to fix this problem?  If a 9-digit zip code is causing this error, then eBay needs to fix the problem, please.

If the system can't process/doesn't allow complete  U.S. zip codes, then either fix the error, or modify the zip code field for U.S. addresses to allow users to enter ONLY 5 digits.  

(BTW, note that a complete U.S. zip code is 10 characters long and includes a hyphen: 5 digits-4 digits.)

How could anyone - buyers and sellers - possibly guess that entering a complete U.S. zip code causes an error like this, especially if the field allows that many characters?  And please keep in mind that not all buyers are going to contact the seller about it. They'll just move on.

[do.you.read.me]

Yep, fix the cart and forced IPR then my items will be listed on eBay again.

Otherwise, forget it.

[sharingtheland]

@rw011164, the error you are describing is most likely linked to your buyer having a 9 digit zip code on file. I recommend you suggest they check their addresses and change this to a 5 digit zip code. If they are still having trouble, either you or your buyer can contact customer service to see what might be going on!

This is ... every word I start to use I realize will get me in trouble.   This is a problem that ebay, and only ebay, should fix.   And this can't be the reason why there are so many problems with the cart.  It has never worked properly.

The chances of a buyer hanging in there with me while I patiently explain the buyer, who has already received "you can't buy this" warnings from ebay, has to change her/his zip code are slim.  And sometimes USPS adds those 9-digit codes automatically.

What happens if there are several messages between seller and buyer about an address?  Won't that get the seller in trouble for an "off-ebay transaction?" 

[newview]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@newview, the cart button is not solely for requesting a combined invoice; some buyers shop for multiple items and complete checkout all together, with many items from various sellers. While requesting a total to get a shipping discount is something buyers do from the cart, it is not the only function of the cart. As for your comments about immediate payment, this is a change eBay has made to minimize the number of unpaid item cases. While this is still an option for a seller to request a listing fee credit and to report concerns to us, we find that the experience of an unpaid item case leads to buyers not returning to the site, which negatively impacts sales for everyone. By preventing the situation from happening more often, we create more successful sales for our community. As such, sellers would only have the option of opting in or out of immediate payment for listings that do not fall within our eligibility guidelines. I will pass along your suggestions and feedback on these topics and definitely see the value in providing more options to our members.

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Understood, but as I indicated earlier ... Nobody knows better than the Seller which items can or should be combined, and not having a method to exclude items from being combined by the Buyer opens me up to situations where I'm being asked to ship a Faberge Egg with a Cast Iron Dwarf Gnome.

Sellers need to be able to exclude items from being combined with other items at the point of initial listing creation.

[dhbookds]

@Anonymous

I just went to this page

primary shipping address:

Your main shipping address for purchase

Erased the last 4 digits and clicked update......all 9 digits show

Erased the whole zip code and put in the 5 digits.......clicked up date. all 9 digits show.......

So I don't see a way to get rid of the extra 4 digits?  I did not put them in.........lol, I have/had no idea what they are.....

[rw011164]

With buyers who purchase the item and then encounter the message telling them we do not service their area, it was a normal 5 digit zip code, at least from my view of the sale. With one of those buyers, I almost lost the sale since she was sceptical about me telling her something opposite of what ebay was saying, I did salvage that sale though.

With an item in someone's caetc, we would never see it unless the buyer contacted us (that is the only way we ever knew of the problem), most buyers seeing a message like that will just move on...sale lost.

The problem you describe should never be sent, it should say "please contact seller regarding shipping options" which is what it always used to say.

Trinton@ebay

[Anonymous]

Hey @newview, I see what you are saying now; I initially thought you were suggesting a feature to prevent an item from sent to the cart with other seller's items, but now I understand with the example you provided (also, great visual contrast of a jeweled egg and cast iron).

I will submit this for consideration and in the meantime for items that will not be shipped together, feel free to make no adjustments to the invoice and communicate with the buyer.

trinton@ebay wrote:

 

@newview, the cart button is not solely for requesting a combined invoice; some buyers shop for multiple items and complete checkout all together, with many items from various sellers. While requesting a total to get a shipping discount is something buyers do from the cart, it is not the only function of the cart. As for your comments about immediate payment, this is a change eBay has made to minimize the number of unpaid item cases. While this is still an option for a seller to request a listing fee credit and to report concerns to us, we find that the experience of an unpaid item case leads to buyers not returning to the site, which negatively impacts sales for everyone. By preventing the situation from happening more often, we create more successful sales for our community. As such, sellers would only have the option of opting in or out of immediate payment for listings that do not fall within our eligibility guidelines. I will pass along your suggestions and feedback on these topics and definitely see the value in providing more options to our members.

Understood, but as I indicated earlier ... Nobody knows better than the Seller which items can or should be combined, and not having a method to exclude items from being combined by the Buyer opens me up to situations where I'm being asked to ship a Faberge Egg with a Cast Iron Dwarf Gnome.

Sellers need to be able to exclude items from being combined with other items at the point of initial listing creation

[dhbookds]

Forgive the repetition from another thread..........

I did go in and put in a new address with only 5 digits.  FYI, I could not EDIT the address from  9 to 5............

But I'm still  not seeing the shipping charges,  even with the 5 digits showing:

Subtotal (1 item):

$24.95

Shipping to 17983:

--

 

Total:

$24.95

 

[sg51]

@Anonymous, you might give this a try.

I cannot change my address from ZIP-9 to ZIP-5.

It changes immediately back to ZIP-9.

New address does the same.

[sharingtheland]

Seriously, truly, really, I don't think the cart problems will be solved by changing the number of digits in a zip code.    

[sharingtheland]

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@dhbookds wrote:

Forgive the repetition from another thread..........

I did go in and put in a new address with only 5 digits.  FYI, I could not EDIT the address from  9 to 5............

But I'm still  not seeing the shipping charges,  even with the 5 digits showing:

Subtotal (1 item):

$24.95

Shipping to 17983:

--

 

Total:

$24.95

 

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I'm still periodically getting the "you sold something" emails from paypal that show $0.00 for shipping paid, even though when I go to print a label and/or look at the item in Solds, it does show that the buyer paid shipping.

I do get concerned every time that happens, though, because one of these days the buyer really will pay $0.00, when I have charged $24.40.

My luddite brain would say there seems to be a shipping totals glitch somewhere ...