Ebay First Class to Ground Advantage Bulk Edit Problem, LARGE QUANTITIES, No Business Policies

[maverickindustrialsales]

We have 30,000 active ebay listing, and do NOT use ebay business policies.  Instead, we have 20 listing templates that our team uses when creating new listings.  We have avoided using business policies because we like the ability to customize shipping specifics and return specifics when we are listing items because certain items are required to be shipped a certain way, or not allowed to be shipped a certain way (batteries, liquids, some test equipment, etc).

Around 10,000 of our listings are "calculated shipping" with USPS First Class as the first option which we have as free for the buyers.  Then we have Priority Mail, UPS Ground, and UPS Next Day Air as optional calculated upgrades for the buyer if they want to pay for a different shipping service.  

What do we do?  I am unable to find a way to bulk-edit these items.  The bulk editing tool does not allow us to filter our listings by first-class listings.  When I download a CSV of our listings there is no way for us to sort them by first class either.

Is there not a way for Ebay on the back-end to create a rule to automatically switch first-class listings to ground advantage?

Is there anything we can do to automate this or will all of my first-class listings be removed from ebay?

[dhbookds]

First class is made up of 2 shipping possibilities.....package and what I call letter.......Package is what needs to be changed........letter (sticker type things, mailed in a non trackable envelop) stays the same:  "First class".    Ebay can't filter between those. 

My thought, nothing to back it up, is that they are afraid if they supply a First class filter.......even people who have "letter first class" listings will change everything to GA which will create a mess for them. 

IF they could include price and/or weight in the filter that MIGHT solve the problem.......tho my brain probably doesn't conceive of all the permutations of how sellers list. 

They've recently added a caveat that they will extend the 30 days

We are asking sellers to update listings to Ground Advantage over the next 30 days to ensure buyers see the most accurate shipping details. We realize this may take longer for some sellers and we will continue to support First-Class on existing listings for a longer period of time. We will update you as more information becomes available.  

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-introduces-the-new-consolidated-ground-shipping-ser...

As to what happens after that.......I've seen nothing definitive........a blue did say something to the effect that listings would not show a shipping price, but a "contact seller for shipping information" note.  But blues have not gotten right answers on alot of stuff for this....so I take that with a grain of salt. 

I, again, "imagine" they aren't going to give any leeway answer to what might happen because they want as many listings updated as possible....

[allthingssurplus]

At last a Seller that understands the problem eBay has created.  We have 4200+ listing most to all in computer part or automation parts.  Like you we have specific ways to ship which is prudent to the business.  eBay has made no allowance for large volume Sellers to deal with their inventories.  After reviewing this issue for the past 3 weeks here is the sad tail you and I are facing.  If you want your listings how you have listed them, calculated shipping and various shipping methods, you are forced to do that process manually one at a time. 

The hope is eBay would be smart enough to figure out how this process could be made seamless.  Truth be known they are not.  Why eBay insists on damaging their, as they say "valued Sellers", with the lack of support on IT issues is shameful.  This should have been addressed and fixed by eBay a very long time ago.  Anyone think eBay did not know this was going to be an issue for the three largest categories on the platform, Auto, Business & Industrial and Computers.  Don't know for sure however my thought is a large amount of the eBay bottom line is generated by these three categories.  

We have tested and found it will take 4 mins. to properly review and change a listing.  That equates to 280 man hours costing, wages and taxes on the wages like $7000.00 for a process that should take less than an hour by a press of a button.  Those Sellers that have static shipping, all the same stuff and cost, won't believe the problem.  The problem is real.  So eBay in their wisdom or lack there of, thinks its okay for Sellers like you and me to burn up a couple of weeks of listing time to repair what they should have already planned for.  Keep in mind its not the Sellers platform.  Sellers are currently paying a great deal of their net to be on this platform.  Sad eBay feels its Seller should be responsible for IT issues on the platform and continue to do a high level sales.  People will read this and say if you don't like it leave.  Well our company was a 100% Seller on eBay and now only 10% which is consistent with the quarter after quarter of eBays loss of Gross Market Value, GMV.

[mr_lincoln]

Hi @maverickindustrialsales 

I posted on my own thread about this and that they should have created a column on the Active list to sort by different hipping methods ... it's not like they didn't know this was coming so to me their support for this particular transition is a complete FAIL.

The Active list DOES have a Shipping column and you can sort it.  I tried it yesterday but since all my listings are set for Calculated not much changed when I sorted.  You might just see if that column sorts between Free Shipping and Calculated opposed to Flat rate and Calculated (which I suspect it was it does).

If you do not see that column use the Customize link and add it.  Here are all of the column choices we have:

[allthingssurplus]

If you are doing calculated and First Class Package.  The only fix is to manually revise the listing.  eBay no brains

[wastingtime101]

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@maverickindustrialsales wrote:

We have avoided using business policies because we like the ability to customize shipping specifics and return specifics when we are listing items because certain items are required to be shipped a certain way, or not allowed to be shipped a certain way (batteries, liquids, some test equipment, etc).

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But that's the kind of situation where biz policies help @maverickindustrialsales . I'd suggest you reconsider using biz policies.

Links in my sig below offer help with bulk edit for ground advantage and setting up biz policies. Hopefully you can find something useful there.

[maverickindustrialsales]

 Business Policies do not work and will not work with the model that we run. We are shipping many items with combined orders with random sizing and servicing needs with products that we sell.

We were informed yesterday that eBay would not allow items to be relisted after August 9th that have an option of first-class package shipping service. That means for our store, over 12,000 items will no longer be in circulation as it stands.  

[nobody*s_perfect]

Sizing is not part of the shipping policies, so variations in size aren't a reason not to use shipping policies.

You can set up different policies for each shipping situation, such as hazmat, different combinations of services to offer, etc. Take a look at the shipping policies page, which shows which factors they DO consider.

https://www.bizpolicy.ebay.com/businesspolicy/shipping?pageNumber=1&source=manage

[maverickindustrialsales]

Business Policies will not work with our business model. 

Looking for other feedback besides directing toward Business Policies. 

Cheers.

[slippinjimmy]

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@maverickindustrialsales wrote:

Business Policies will not work with our business model. 

Looking for other feedback besides directing toward Business Policies. 

Cheers.

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Business Policies absolutely work, I use third party tools to manage my eBay listings, they have had a form of business policies (Shipping Presets) that predate eBay's by more than 20 years, I have always used them and they make changing shipping parameters totally painless. I can change anything related to shipping in bulk with just a couple of clicks regardless if I have 100 listings or 100,000 listings.

Almost 100% of the issues sellers are having with the change from First Class to Ground Advantage are due to sellers resisting using Business Policies which have been available and have been encouraged by eBay for many years.

"I refuse to use Business Policies"

"I refuse use the Seller Hub"

"I refuse to use Item Specifics"

"I refuse to use xxx"

All these refusals eventually come back to bite you.

Meanwhile, sellers who have been using Business Polices were able to update their First Class Package listings in just a couple of minutes no matter the number of listings.

[dhbookds]

@maverickindustrialsales 

We were informed yesterday that eBay would not allow items to be relisted after August 9th that have an option of first-class package shipping service.

May I ask who told you that?......as it seems in direct conflict with the statement I copied from the Announcements.........

[maverickindustrialsales]

An eBay CSR yesterday. 

[slippinjimmy]

Well telephone csr's are not known for accuracy.

Calculated shipping listings that use First Class Package will cease to work.

Flat Rates shipping listings will have issues (not exactly known what the issue will be).

eBay has not officially stated that these listings will not renew unless changes but the effect will be similar in that buyer may still be able to purchase but won't be able to complete checkout. That will lead many buyers to move to another seller, some will contact you in attempt to get your listings fixed so that they can pay.

[dhbookds]

devon@ebay 

elizabeth@ebay 

kyle@ebay 

Op says

We were informed yesterday that eBay would not allow items to be relisted after August 9th that have an option of first-class package shipping service.

Announcement says (7/10)

We are asking sellers to update listings to Ground Advantage over the next 30 days to ensure buyers see the most accurate shipping details. We realize this may take longer for some sellers and we will continue to support First-Class on existing listings for a longer period of time. We will update you as more information becomes available.  

Do CRS need some information/education?  Hate to see incorrect info being given to sellers......can't believe the "longer period of time" would only be 1 wk.....

[maverickindustrialsales]

We have 12000+ calculated shipping listings that are scheduled to be shipped via first-class parcel.  

I hope you are correct that this will simply cause a buyer to not check out completely.  

The eBay CSR yesterday ( and I agree that many of them do not know much) did say that the listings that were not changed to reflect first-class would automatically not be relisted after the 30 days. Perhaps they were ignorant of the last info posted above, but they were conversing with management several times during the call.