Any options for sending custom messages to buyers?

[porschepeople]

Got a message from a seller we bought something from the other day like this:

New message from: xxxxxxx

Thanks for your purchase and prompt payment.
We have shipped the item to you today, tracking No. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Usually, It takes 3-5 days on the way.
Once the item arrives in satisfactory condition, please leave good feedback for us, your recognition is our power to move forward.
Considering that we always ship item within 1 day after receiving your payment, we sincerely hope you could rate our Shipping Time by 5’s in Detailed Seller Score.
Thanks for your supports and understanding. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Sincerely,

xxxxxxx

Near as I can tell ebay disabled the ability to customize messages for sellers in the US pretty recently

but I thought I'd ask if there are any other solutions?  Our volume is such that we can't

manually send a little note like that to every buyer and we don't want to just send an outside email.

I'm assuming there is not but thought I'd ask.  The seller we got this message from above was based

in China btw.

[mam98031]

That looks like a standard message that seller sends their buyers.  

IDK why you think we can't write our own messages as sellers or even buyers anytime we want.  If you are having problems sending another member an email, I don't know what is happening for you.  But it is pretty easy to do.

Now there are limits.  I think it is 10 or 20 emails in a 24 hour period.

[iamcara]

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Our volume is such that we can't

manually send a little note like that to every buyer and we don't want to just send an outside email.

I'm assuming there is not but thought I'd ask.  The seller we got this message from above was based

in China btw.

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[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@porschepeople  I sometimes send messages to buyers after I ship. I go to Seller Hub>Orders>Paid and Shipped. ebay has been making changes to Seller Hub and has been rolling them out gradually, so I'm not sure what you are seeing on that page.

I have the new layout.

In the left column, there's a "View Order Details" button, and next to it is a button with 3 dots in  a vertical row. Click that button. You will see a drop down with "contact buyer" Click that and you will be taken to Messages, and will be able to send a message. I have several message templates saved in Google Notes, which I copy and paste and revise as necessary.

I'm sure there are other ways to access this as well.

But....is your question really about sending messages, or are you asking about sending some sort of automated message?

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@porschepeople  If you are looking to automate a message similar to the one you received, I believe you can probably do it through third party mailing and/or listing apps. I don't believe ebay is set up for automated emails like the one you describe. Have you looked closely at the message you received? It might indicate it was prepared with certain software. 

ebay automatically sends certain messages to your buyer, including shipping and tracking (if you've provided it, I assume). So, I'd be careful about sending duplicative messages. I usually send a message if I provide a complimentary shipping upgrade, or something like that, but I don't send a regular dispatch notice for every package, since ebay has that covered.

Edited to add: I'm pretty sure SixBit is one such third party listing tool that allows you to send automated messages. Also, if you yourself (or an employee/contractor) joins the ebay developer program, I think you could set this up through ebay's API.

[bashort]

I do not want any extra unnecessary communication with someone who I bought something from.

I just want to buy my widget, get it delivered as described in timely fashion.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@bashort @porschepeople 

 I do agree with @bashort as far as unnecessary communications go. I've given you some ideas about HOW to do this, but do keep in mind that sending what amounts to a duplicate of the automated message ebay sends out is probably not a good idea. As I mentioned, I send messages when it is something other than strictly routine, such as when I provide a complimentary shipping upgrade, or if the buyer and I for any reason have had some ongoing back and forth. 

[fern*wood]

I'm assuming you want something that goes out automatically or a one click option where you don't have to type it out each time.  What cottage wrote sounds like it might help, but honestly I wouldn't do this even if you can find what you are looking for--especially if you plan to write something like your example.   You might consider a paper insert in your packages with a thank you message, but I would avoid any mention of feedback or the obsolete DSRs. 

[pickapaper]

To me, the message quoted in OP's post is just a fancy way of asking for feedback.  The shipping info should already appear in the buyer's purchase history and a lot of buyers don't want to receive additional messages cluttering up their inbox.

[turtles-trading-post]

I believe that when you hit the "Item Sent" button eBay sends an automated message that the item is on its way.   

[mam98031]

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@bashort wrote:

I do not want any extra unnecessary communication with someone who I bought something from.

I just want to buy my widget, get it delivered as described in timely fashion.

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I think most buyers feel this way.

[gloryglorygifts]

There is no automatic feature for emails to buyers, nor can you do any messaging in bulk to them. The only way to contact them is either via your sales history or thru their profile page. 

Unlike the others, I use the contact buyer under the sales history and send a thank you when I leave feedback.