Creating a Modern Retail Marketplace Together in 2018

[alan@ebay]

Thanks for joining.

Today we’re asking sellers to read the latest blog from Bob Kupbens and submit your questions on this thread.

Before you submit your question, we would like to remind users that all posts made in The eBay Community need to be respectful of others. Please keep in mind the Community’s Rules of Engagement when you post. Non-constructive, disrespectful/harassing comments will be removed by our moderation team so that the thread can focus on a productive discussion.

This is an opportunity to connect with Bob about the direction of eBay in 2018, so please keep your comments to that topic.

Here’s how it will work: please submit your comment or question to this thread. At 11 am PST on 2/14 we will close this thread, and Bob will answer a collection of them live via video, starting 12:30 pm PST that same day.

The live video will be shown on this Community thread, so make sure to 'subscribe' to this thread and check back around 12:30 on the 14th to watch live - right here in the Community. 

Thank you for participating!

Here's today's live broadcast with Bob Kupbens & Griff

[newview]

Every Modern Retail eCommerce Marketplace site I buy from has a Shopping Cart that actually works. When can I expect eBay to have the same? Because what they have now doesn't work.

[jason_incognito]

I'll say this as politely as I can. 

I read the article and get all rah rah! yes! Absolutely!

Then I look at the site and the 2 don't line up. One of my biggest frustrations with eBay is that they're so busy trying to show me what they think I want that I can never find what I came here to buy. How does what eBay is doing now with search reach the goals eBay has laid out?

[threshold.sales.group]

A couple issues –

1. In my opinion the main concern with the expansion and use of the eBay catalog is that item attribute data contained in it is often wrong or woefully incomplete resulting in INAD returns (bad buying and bad selling experience). Item data in the manufacturer data pools is double and triple checked for accuracy prior to publication, but the catalog we as sellers are encouraged / expected to use is a crowd sourced work in progress that is sure to create chaos as its usage expands (imo).

1. From a sellers perspective it would be welcome to hear something from the site regarding new (or better) fraud prevention initiatives in the return process (imo).

1. A helpful commitment for the new year would be to review where various suggestions and programs run counter to each other. An example would be the suggestion in the modern series that sellers should be increasing their communication with buyers and prospects. Doing so will almost certainly trigger a nasty off site sale warning message. Most sellers in that environment reasonably opt for the safe approach of no communication or very limited communication – contrary to the modern buyer suggestion. 

[ted_200]

On the seller end, you can expect simplified pricing...

We've heard that before, it translated as a big fee hike.  Are fees going up again? 

In an effort to streamline our communications and enable you to have a more predictable workflow, we will consolidate our Seller Updates into three updates over the course of this year. Because when you asked for more notice, we heard you!

We also heard that before (actually, 2 or 3 Updates per year).  That came with a promise of at least 30 days notice for any changes, that has not always been kept.  More concerning than that though, a lot of changes happen outside the Updates... like the "Group Similar Items" and "Buy Box" page that arrived on or about Black Friday without any notice whatsoever.

I’ll read them all and respond to as many as I can on Facebook Live tomorrow...

Don't do Facebook, is there some reason we can't do this on eBay?

[ted_200]

Dittos on points 1. 1. and 1. in message 4.

[gracieallen01]

"I’ll read them all and respond to as many as I can on Facebook Live tomorrow..."

With all due respect, what can you suggest for the large number of folks that DON'T use Facebook?

I'm sure that there are many who would like to see the results/answers/responses to the questions and comments.  However, there are those who can't or do not wish to use Facebook  - or other 'social media' - for that matter.

Is there a reason that ebay might not be suitable?

[alan@ebay]

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wrote:

"I’ll read them all and respond to as many as I can on Facebook Live tomorrow..."

With all due respect, what can you suggest for the large number of folks that DON'T use Facebook?

I'm sure that there are many who would like to see the results/answers/responses to the questions and comments.  However, there are those who can't or do not wish to use Facebook  - or other 'social media' - for that matter.

Is there a reason that ebay might not be suitable?

---

Hi everyone,

To clarify, the Facebook Live broadcast will be shown live in the Community, on this thread. You do not need to go to Facebook, or need a Facebook account to watch the broadcast tomorrow. You can watch it from the comfort of the Community 

Thanks! 

[gracieallen01]

Thank you, Alan.

I think it was the 'subscribe' comment you mentioned in your opening announcement that got me wondering.

[alan@ebay]

---

wrote:

Thank you, Alan.

I think it was the 'subscribe' comment you mentioned in your opening announcement that got me wondering.

---

Thanks, @gracieallen01. I've edited my post. Hopefully, it's clearer now. 

[nawlinsron2]

Let's talk about "Guaranteed Delivery". Better yet, let's do away with it.
Every established seller knows that there is no such animal, especially given that ebay never touches a domestic shipment to a domestic buyer for all carriers and shipment classes.

But, given it won't go away, why not base it on reality? ebay knows to three decimal places the true average delivery time from one zip to another.
Would it really drive away buyers if THAT number were used, PLUS one day to account for "stuff happens"?
Doing that would allow for a RANGE of delivery expectations...you know...just like the Post Office does, who makes the actual delivery and does NOT "guarantee" a date specific delivery.

[sockmonkeydave]

alan@ebay

I read the article, all I saw was more feel good talk just like the first two.

You could start by not calling sellers part of the "ebay team"

We are independent businesses.  And ebay is just a marketing tool.

A good marketing tool, and that is why we pay you for your service.

More guidance on pricing our items ?

Most of us are experts in our fields, and we know the value of our items.

Guaranteed delivery in 3 days or less,  not even the post office will make that claim.

I ship most by priority, but now and then a package sees the USA.

I printed a label a few days ago and it said 2 day.  No way was that gonna happen.

Weather events, much of the US just had a major ice storm.

Millions without power, the interstate system shut down.

ebay says they will have our back  ( but only if we call an island in the Pacific )

Trust issues,  you ask for our input on changes you are thinking about.

Then after we have given good ideas, you make the changes to things we said no to.

I have never had a problem with ebay, I am in fact one of your biggest cheerleaders.

But it does seem like you guys like to change things, just for the sake of changing things.

I am not trying to be cranky here, just honest.

All in all I think 2018 will be a good year.

And we all will make what ever changes we need to make.

All the best to you and your team.

[terrycanarsky]

Hi everyone,

To clarify, the Facebook Live broadcast will be shown live in the Community, on this thread. You do not need to go to Facebook, or need a Facebook account to watch the broadcast tomorrow. You can watch it from the comfort of the Community 

Thanks! 

alan@ebay- Will there be a transcript of the livefeed?  I am at work and do not have speakers on the work computer.  ........yet another reason very important discussions should be in text and not solely on video.

~M

[nawlinsron2]

"Guidance and improved RESOURCES to help you run a more profitable business"

I didn't see "increase in number of CSRs for less hold time" under the above header.
Hopefully that is in the works and was merely an oversight.

[alan@ebay]

---

wrote:

Hi everyone,

To clarify, the Facebook Live broadcast will be shown live in the Community, on this thread. You do not need to go to Facebook, or need a Facebook account to watch the broadcast tomorrow. You can watch it from the comfort of the Community 

Thanks! 

alan@ebay- Will there be a transcript of the livefeed?  I am at work and do not have speakers on the work computer.  ........yet another reason very important discussions should be in text and not solely on video.

~M

---

Hi @terrycanarsky, 

There will be a transcript of the video; it may not be available for a couple of hours after the video ends, but we'll post it as soon as it's ready. The video will also be available to watch on-demand shortly after it ends. 

Thanks.