eBay

bigdeals.etc · ‎10-30-2019

After a few times of this, I wonder if I should even entertain these buyer messages/requests anymore.

A buyer bought an item early in the morn, 4am and almost immediately messaged me asking to "change to sona delivery." I was like "what is that?" They said if they can get quicker delivery and asked how much it would be. Now not knowing if ebay has chosen to display Priority Mail and/or Express Mail to this buyer (which I offer in the listing), I just mentioned I can upgrade to Priority Mail. I also mentioned this was all on the listing already along with the price and already sent a Paypal request for it. I told him if he accepts he can just pay the request and I'll send it off today.

The buyer replies that he will agree to pay the amount... but he didn't pay it yet. So I told him to go ahead and pay it. He never paid, and the next day he asks "Okay I'll pay, when will it arrive?" I obviously couldn't give a correct answer because I have no idea when he will pay. I checked the ETAs for his zipcode and see that FC and PM arrival time only differs by 1 day, haha. So in hindsight, had he never messaged me, I would've just sent it FC right away and it would have arrived just as early.

I already sent the item (1 day handling still) but I wonder if the buyer will get upset. As xmas approaches, I wonder if I should just send the orders according to the original s/h service buyers choose and don't even bother with post-sale delivery change requests.

2015mhfashions · ‎10-30-2019

As you said the alternatives are already there for them to choose, why create more work / headaches for yourself, ship with the chosen method paid for.

lamber9347 · ‎10-30-2019

I've never received any requests ever from a buyer to change the method of shipping. Strange that you mention this has happened to you a few times now. I wouldn't change anything and just ship as I have the item listed. Once you start to make changes to an item sold you are running the risk of a case being opened with the buyer claiming the seller made changes- even if the buyer requested it. We all know eBay will side with the buyer on any case. You are creating more work for yourself and opening the door to more potential issues with your sale. Make it easier on yourself and just ship as listed and sold. Best of luck to you....

gracieallen01 · ‎10-30-2019

You should tell the person that 'it will arrive when it gets there'. No matter when the post office or Fedex or ebay or UPS 'says' it will get there - it will get there when it gets there.

I think what many, and others, fail to admit, is that there are also people involved with the movement of an item from point a to point b. Surprisingly as it may seem, not all machines, programs OR people are reliable. (Shhhhhh, don't tell)

Not saying 'NO' doesn't mean 'YES'.

The foolishness of one's actions or words is determined by the number of witnesses.

Perhaps if Brains were described as an APP, many people would use them more often.

Respect, like money, is only of 'worth' when it is earned - with all due respect, it can not be ordained, legislated or coerced. Anonymous

gracieallen01 · ‎10-30-2019

@lamber9347 wrote:
I've never received any requests ever from a buyer to change the method of shipping. Strange that you mention this has happened to you a few times now. I wouldn't change anything and just ship as I have the item listed. Once you start to make changes to an item sold you are running the risk of a case being opened with the buyer claiming the seller made changes- even if the buyer requested it. We all know eBay will side with the buyer on any case. You are creating more work for yourself and opening the door to more potential issues with your sale. Make it easier on yourself and just ship as listed and sold. Best of luck to you....

So far, you've been lucky, then. Hope the streak continues.

Not saying 'NO' doesn't mean 'YES'.

The foolishness of one's actions or words is determined by the number of witnesses.

Perhaps if Brains were described as an APP, many people would use them more often.

Respect, like money, is only of 'worth' when it is earned - with all due respect, it can not be ordained, legislated or coerced. Anonymous

csbbct · ‎10-30-2019

@2015mhfashions wrote:
As you said the alternatives are already there for them to choose, why create more work / headaches for yourself, ship with the chosen method paid for.

@Anonymous In the beginning of October, you and I were going back and forth in a different thread about listings that were not properly showing upgraded Priority Mail shipping options in addition to the first Ground option shown in the listing. I had given you several examples where I had listed those two options but the listing was only showing one. The last thing I heard from you was that you agreed you were seeing a problem and was submitting it for further investigation.

Today I am still seeing most of my listings with only one option, even when I enter CA or TX zip codes that are on the other side of the country and should be showing the faster option available. I'm wondering if this is the problem this seller had and the buyer wanted the seller to upgrade for them but didn't pay the additional cost.

Can you give us an update? Thanks!

brian@ebay · ‎11-01-2019

@csbbct wrote:

@2015mhfashions wrote:

As you said the alternatives are already there for them to choose, why create more work / headaches for yourself, ship with the chosen method paid for.

@Anonymous In the beginning of October, you and I were going back and forth in a different thread about listings that were not properly showing upgraded Priority Mail shipping options in addition to the first Ground option shown in the listing. I had given you several examples where I had listed those two options but the listing was only showing one. The last thing I heard from you was that you agreed you were seeing a problem and was submitting it for further investigation.

Today I am still seeing most of my listings with only one option, even when I enter CA or TX zip codes that are on the other side of the country and should be showing the faster option available. I'm wondering if this is the problem this seller had and the buyer wanted the seller to upgrade for them but didn't pay the additional cost.

Can you give us an update? Thanks!

Hi @csbbct, we don't have an update on this. We're still working on getting more information though!

Brian,
Community Team

ittybitnot · ‎11-01-2019

As you said the alternatives are already there for them to choose, why create more work / headaches for yourself, ship with the chosen method paid for.

That is exactly the problem. The alternatives ARE listed by the seller, and then ebay chooses not to display them. This causes trouble for sellers of electronic components used in manufacturing or other items that may indeed by needed overnight to keep a business running smoothly. The seller can choose to offer that "overnight" option, but ebay elects not to show it.

I would suspect this is going to be a problem for the holiday season as deadlines approach.

Someone suggested that if a seller uses the "express" or "overnight" option FIRST, ebay won't dump it. However, I believe that the first option COST may be what is displayed in the listing which makes it an unsatisfactory option.

csbbct · ‎11-21-2019

brian@ebay wrote:
@csbbct wrote:
@2015mhfashions wrote:
As you said the alternatives are already there for them to choose, why create more work / headaches for yourself, ship with the chosen method paid for.
@Anonymous In the beginning of October, you and I were going back and forth in a different thread about listings that were not properly showing upgraded Priority Mail shipping options in addition to the first Ground option shown in the listing. I had given you several examples where I had listed those two options but the listing was only showing one. The last thing I heard from you was that you agreed you were seeing a problem and was submitting it for further investigation.

Today I am still seeing most of my listings with only one option, even when I enter CA or TX zip codes that are on the other side of the country and should be showing the faster option available. I'm wondering if this is the problem this seller had and the buyer wanted the seller to upgrade for them but didn't pay the additional cost.

Can you give us an update? Thanks!
Hi @csbbct, we don't have an update on this. We're still working on getting more information though!

brian@ebay With the holidays approaching, this is becoming a critical issue! I sold a set of china yesterday and my listing had Retail Ground and Priority options. The buyer sent me a message that she needs the set by Tuesday for Thanksgiving dinner but the Priority option was not available during checkout even though my checkout instructions showed there should be one. She bought multiple sets so was able to use Request Total from Seller so I could send her the Priority shipping rate, but Request Total from Seller is not always available for buyers to choose (a whole other issue that causes distress for both buyers and sellers, by the way). When I sent her the invoice Retail Ground was also showing as the only option even though I had Priority as an option in the listing, so I had to fix that and change it to Priority for her with the Priority rate.

This issue of eBay NOT showing all our shipping options to the buyer, even when it's a different shipping priority, has been raised for months now. With the Christmas holiday fast approaching, this is going to be frustrating for the buyer and a unnecessary burden for the sellers to have to work around and maybe send Paypal invoices to collect the additional cost for Priority. I don't understand what is taking the technical team so long to fix this problem that was never a problem until eBay decided to "enhance" the system by restricting the shipping options available to the buyer regardless of what the seller is offering.

Please update us if you can, Brian, on the expected ETA to fix this problem. We all appreciate your help with this. I reported this months ago to CS and nothing has been done. Thank you.

ittybitnot · ‎11-21-2019

Please update us if you can, Brian, on the expected ETA to fix this problem.

eBay does not see this as a "problem". It was said that this 'intended change/enhancement' was enacted because buyers were confused by too many shipping choices. Go figure.

Anonymous · ‎11-21-2019

@csbbct wrote:

brian@ebay wrote:

@csbbct wrote:

@2015mhfashions wrote:

As you said the alternatives are already there for them to choose, why create more work / headaches for yourself, ship with the chosen method paid for.

@Anonymous In the beginning of October, you and I were going back and forth in a different thread about listings that were not properly showing upgraded Priority Mail shipping options in addition to the first Ground option shown in the listing. I had given you several examples where I had listed those two options but the listing was only showing one. The last thing I heard from you was that you agreed you were seeing a problem and was submitting it for further investigation.

Today I am still seeing most of my listings with only one option, even when I enter CA or TX zip codes that are on the other side of the country and should be showing the faster option available. I'm wondering if this is the problem this seller had and the buyer wanted the seller to upgrade for them but didn't pay the additional cost.

Can you give us an update? Thanks!

Hi @csbbct, we don't have an update on this. We're still working on getting more information though!

brian@ebay With the holidays approaching, this is becoming a critical issue! I sold a set of china yesterday and my listing had Retail Ground and Priority options. The buyer sent me a message that she needs the set by Tuesday for Thanksgiving dinner but the Priority option was not available during checkout even though my checkout instructions showed there should be one. She bought multiple sets so was able to use Request Total from Seller so I could send her the Priority shipping rate, but Request Total from Seller is not always available for buyers to choose (a whole other issue that causes distress for both buyers and sellers, by the way). When I sent her the invoice Retail Ground was also showing as the only option even though I had Priority as an option in the listing, so I had to fix that and change it to Priority for her with the Priority rate.

This issue of eBay NOT showing all our shipping options to the buyer, even when it's a different shipping priority, has been raised for months now. With the Christmas holiday fast approaching, this is going to be frustrating for the buyer and a unnecessary burden for the sellers to have to work around and maybe send Paypal invoices to collect the additional cost for Priority. I don't understand what is taking the technical team so long to fix this problem that was never a problem until eBay decided to "enhance" the system by restricting the shipping options available to the buyer regardless of what the seller is offering.

Please update us if you can, Brian, on the expected ETA to fix this problem. We all appreciate your help with this. I reported this months ago to CS and nothing has been done. Thank you.

Hi @csbbct, thanks for the new example! I'm still working on this with the appropriate teams to investigate. I will be happy to provide an update when it becomes available.

Anonymous · ‎11-21-2019

@csbbct wrote:

brian@ebay wrote:

@csbbct wrote:

@2015mhfashions wrote:

As you said the alternatives are already there for them to choose, why create more work / headaches for yourself, ship with the chosen method paid for.

@Anonymous In the beginning of October, you and I were going back and forth in a different thread about listings that were not properly showing upgraded Priority Mail shipping options in addition to the first Ground option shown in the listing. I had given you several examples where I had listed those two options but the listing was only showing one. The last thing I heard from you was that you agreed you were seeing a problem and was submitting it for further investigation.

Today I am still seeing most of my listings with only one option, even when I enter CA or TX zip codes that are on the other side of the country and should be showing the faster option available. I'm wondering if this is the problem this seller had and the buyer wanted the seller to upgrade for them but didn't pay the additional cost.

Can you give us an update? Thanks!

Hi @csbbct, we don't have an update on this. We're still working on getting more information though!

brian@ebay With the holidays approaching, this is becoming a critical issue! I sold a set of china yesterday and my listing had Retail Ground and Priority options. The buyer sent me a message that she needs the set by Tuesday for Thanksgiving dinner but the Priority option was not available during checkout even though my checkout instructions showed there should be one. She bought multiple sets so was able to use Request Total from Seller so I could send her the Priority shipping rate, but Request Total from Seller is not always available for buyers to choose (a whole other issue that causes distress for both buyers and sellers, by the way). When I sent her the invoice Retail Ground was also showing as the only option even though I had Priority as an option in the listing, so I had to fix that and change it to Priority for her with the Priority rate.

This issue of eBay NOT showing all our shipping options to the buyer, even when it's a different shipping priority, has been raised for months now. With the Christmas holiday fast approaching, this is going to be frustrating for the buyer and a unnecessary burden for the sellers to have to work around and maybe send Paypal invoices to collect the additional cost for Priority. I don't understand what is taking the technical team so long to fix this problem that was never a problem until eBay decided to "enhance" the system by restricting the shipping options available to the buyer regardless of what the seller is offering.

Please update us if you can, Brian, on the expected ETA to fix this problem. We all appreciate your help with this. I reported this months ago to CS and nothing has been done. Thank you.

Hi @csbbct, I just wanted to provide an update on your example; it looks like you've got dimensions for this item that do not qualify for the package type you have selected. When we tested this out and changed the package type to "Large package" instead of "Package (or thick envelope)", the options both USPS Retail Ground and USPS Priority Mail were both available in the invoice process. If any package dimensions exceed 12", you will need to use the "Large Package" option for package type.

wastingtime101 · ‎11-21-2019

@Anonymous wrote:
Hi @csbbct, I just wanted to provide an update on your example; it looks like you've got dimensions for this item that do not qualify for the package type you have selected. When we tested this out and changed the package type to "Large package" instead of "Package (or thick envelope)", the options both USPS Retail Ground and USPS Priority Mail were both available in the invoice process. If any package dimensions exceed 12", you will need to use the "Large Package" option for package type.

That doesn't make sense. You can have 2 dimensions that exceed 12" and still qualify for a "package (or thick envelope)" as long as the 3rd dimension keeps the package under 1 cubic foot.

Changing to "large package" just because one dimension exceeds 12" is not correct unless the cubic footage meets the large package requirement.

If eBay is requiring sellers to use "large package" on items that are not large packages to show all available shipping options - just because one side exceeds 12" - then that's a system error that needs to be addressed and fixed.

Did you intend to say that the package dimensions exceeded one cubic foot and that's why the seller should choose a different package type for their shipping options to show?

Walk without rhythm, it won't attract the worm.

dtexley3 · ‎11-21-2019

@Anonymous wrote:
help with this. I reported this months ago to CS and nothing has been done. Thank you.
Hi @csbbct, I just wanted to provide an update on your example; it looks like you've got dimensions for this item that do not qualify for the package type you have selected. When we tested this out and changed the package type to "Large package" instead of "Package (or thick envelope)", the options both USPS Retail Ground and USPS Priority Mail were both available in the invoice process. If any package dimensions exceed 12", you will need to use the "Large Package" option for package type.

@Anonymous Hi, I've NEVER used the large package setting for boxes with one dimension over 12". Here is the definition FROM EBAY's help page and 12" is not part of the definition. This sounds like an error in how the selection is coded.

A large package is a parcel (or box) whose length plus girth is over 84 inches and less than or equal to 165 inches. Length is the longest side of a package. Girth is the distance around the 2 smaller sides of a package.

www.ebay.com › help › pay › package-sizes

Member of the Grumpy Old Man crew

csbbct · ‎11-21-2019

@Anonymous wrote:
Hi @csbbct, I just wanted to provide an update on your example; it looks like you've got dimensions for this item that do not qualify for the package type you have selected. When we tested this out and changed the package type to "Large package" instead of "Package (or thick envelope)", the options both USPS Retail Ground and USPS Priority Mail were both available in the invoice process. If any package dimensions exceed 12", you will need to use the "Large Package" option for package type.

@Anonymous Thanks for checking into this. Maybe that explains that one listing example, but it doesn't explain all the other listings that are not large packages but will only display the first shipping option and not the upgrade for Priority Mail. Except for maybe a few exceptions, all my listings give Retail Ground and Priority shipping options but Priority is not displaying to buyers.