EBay has changed the packing slip

[emerald_door]

The new packing slip no longer allows you to include your own message.  You can choose from one of eBay's pre-written messages, or you can choose no message.  You cannot edit or add to their pre-written messages.  

Over the years, eBay has tried to make the sales process as uniform, standardized, and impersonal as possible.  I'm not sure what they're trying to achieve by taking away our ability to include our own message.  

This is not an improvement.  Yes, I know I could handwrite something, or take the time to copy and paste all the information to create my own packing slip, but this shouldn't be necessary.  I wish that eBay would allow us a few options in how we choose to do business.  

[italiangirl4eva]

I totally agree. It is very distasteful. We as sellers should have the option as to what we want to say in the message field. I have grown a rapport with my buyers and this changes everything for the worse. Please give us options and inform sellers when a change is taking place. Like the managed payments. 

[threshold.sales.group]

Losing the personalized message with no notification is bad, but IMO the worst part of the new packing slip flow is that eBay created another step in the process.  The process of printing a packing slip is now **slower** and **less efficient** for sellers. It wastes sellers time. It's a step backwards.  Didn't anyone internally speak up on behalf of sellers? (and efficiency?)  

[dtexley3]

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@heliosphan wrote:

Turns out my adblocker was somehow blocking the Buyer/Sender address on the new packing slip... Lame.

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You are correct.  Disabling the ad blocker for the https://gslblui.ebay.com/* pages fixed the problem with the addresses.  Apparently eBay is using an insertion method for the addresses that triggers the ad block.

[ladybookreader]

Really... For "Security" reasons.  Get serious, EBAY.  Good sellers on this site care about their customers and sales.  They print messages thanking their customers and add personal messages to repeat customers.  They may even thank them for repeat business, feedback in the past, and may even add a message about contacting the seller first instead of making a complaint about an issue.

Sellers work HARD to get a 100% feedback, and a good packing slip is part of that process.  This "CANNED" message option is just silly.... Perhaps even childish and so very impersonal.  And on to of this the new packing list ELIMINATED the very person your are sending the item to!  Sometimes things get lost in the mail or a package is opened, or a label comes off, and the postal service uses a packing list with SHIP TO info to get the mail back on its way.  (Of course, the EBAY people don't think of this.)

The new packing list also requires the seller to go through another step every time they print one, making the option on everything they sell, while the old method allowed you to print one immediately when you hit print.

Look, EBAY, the packing list was NOT BROKEN so you didn't need to "FIX" it and use "SECURITY REASONS" as an excuse.  No one sees a packing list except the seller and the buyer.  It's not a secret code for the Mafia for crying out loud...

[italiangirl4eva]

Ladybookreader,
I couldn't have said it any better:) Kudos to you and hopefully eBay will adhere to all the complaints that are being voiced and restore the packing slip to what actually works for all sellers! There was absolutely no legitimate reason or sense in changing it in the first place.

[sentimentalsightsandsounds]

Is there anything wrong with adding your own written note on the PS? I always add "Stay Well" or "I appreciate your order" I"ve been lately telling the buyers that I'm packing with grocery paper bags, saving the ecology. Evidently, this must be OK. No negative responses.

[lesa405]

YES! I'm having the same issue! Not sure how to fix it. I've tried all the settings on my print window and the only thing that works is to shrink it to 50% which is TINY!

If anyone has an answer please let us know!

And I'm also not happy with not being able to customize a message but I know that can't be changed 😞

[lesa405]

Thank you for that suggestion! Chrome worked great! I didn't even have to adjust the margins!

[dtexley3]

@seller_news_team 

Please pass this to Mr. Sweetnam.

How do you reconcile your "commitment" to helping small businesses as stated here: (https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/Your-business-Our-Results-A-note-from-Jordan-Sweetnam-SV...)  with the removal of ALL personalization from the packing slip? 

We were given a VERY weak reason for the changes claiming it was a security issue and later a "data" security issue.  As a developer and a security professional I'm aware of the risks of injection attacks that can be performed via such messages.  I'm also aware of the simple, basic techniques for preventing such attacks. 

If the label's "customized message" input is a risk, what about the hundreds of other data input points in eBay's web systems?  Is eBay's developer team so inept they aren't aware of the simple methods to prevent injection? I doubt it which puts the "security" issue to lie.  Another red herring.

Is the real reason that sellers can put messages that include how to contact them directly in the future?  In my opinion a much more likely thought.  But any seller that did that can simply create a pre-printed card or sticker that can be included in the shipping container.  How does eBay prevent that???? Answer, they can't.

So bottom line is eBay has once again created more seller abrasion with zero gain in preventing the obvious reason for the change.  

eBay should be concentrating on fixing the site, and reducing seller abrasion.  Site issues continue to impact the ability of sellers to sell.  75% of my business now comes on sites OTHER than eBay.  And at a higher price point for the same item.  Why should I, or any seller, have to endure the levels of seller abrasion present on eBay when we can sell our items elsewhere for more and more frequently?

I would like to see Mr. Sweetnam blog about the REAL reasons for the changes to the packing slip.  Let's see some honest transparency for a change please.

[inuyashafan1234]

This change in packing slip is very frustrating to me. I use the packaging slip inside of a regular plain white envelope. These envelopes i use have a Window for the shipping address and i used to fold the old packaging slip so that it would fit perfectly with the windowed envelope to show the shipping address.

Now with the new format of the new packaging slip i have to fold them a very weird way that makes the envelope much thicker. Or i have to take the time to cut the paper and that adds WAY to much time.

Also ontop of all of this since i have shipped orders with this new package slip. I had a HUGE batch of orders returned to me. The new packing slip shows both the ship to and return address right next to each other. I guess the post office doesn't like that and returned a ton of mail to me.

So this change is not only costing me time its now costing me money as i have to pay to re ship these orders and hope they dont get returned again.

[wowza65]

Check the settings when you print. Mine has a way to enlarge or decrease the printing size. You may need to lower to like 97 or something.

[wowza65]

Has anyone figured out how to at least add your store logo back to the packing slip?

[butundo]

I sell a lot of computer items, and I always included the serial numbers on the packing slips, for my own security, as well as to let the customer know they can't switch items around and try to return them. This new format SUCKS

[butundo]

if that process worked, it no longer does. I just tried, and it still brings up the new format.

[butundo]

I just tried it, and it doesn't work for me