Getting Ebay Support w/Order Issues

[stev.tucke]

I am a buyer and a seller on Ebay. I have bought for decades but just recently ventured into selling. Issues come up with selling. Issues I need Ebay as a support and problem solver. These various issues can be infinite but let's say various in nature. Is it too much to ask that since Ebay takes on average 36% of my sales revenue (shipping revenue is not a profit-based revenue and should be as close to neutral as possible, I do not consider it) that when I need some help I should be able to speak with a human being and not get the runaround by AI, the silo Ebay uses to guard against human interaction. A buyer tells me of a problem and I have no way to directly contact Ebay? I am the one who the customer contacted. Should I ask the customer to put in a ticket like AI suggests so Ebay will know there is a problem. That happened 4-5 weeks ago. Do you know what the customer, the buyer, told me when I approached them with that. NO THANKS! That was what the customer told me. What they did not say but was written all over was PATHETIC! And I 100% agree. A customer buys an item but needs to change it from Local pickup to ship. That cannot be uncommon. That is something a billion dollar company with high school degrees can see happening a mile away. How hard would it be for system integrators to deal with anomalies like that so there is a pleasant workaround. Ebay does not have a way to manage a change to an order from pickup to ship. Ebays solution, please work this out with the buyer. WHAT? A billion dollar company that had any foresight and customer focus let alone seller focus would have this taken care of with one phone call from the seller. HOLD ON, WAIT! The seller can't call. But what a terrible solution. OMG! How pathetic. I draw the line here at ignorance. That type of thinking is so far from customer-serive based mentality it lands right in the middle of something. I am still amazed. My guess is I will lose the order and maybe get a poor review. Then someone will say that Ebay will throw out that review. My answer: Totally not the point!

[dhbookds]

Ebay can't strawboss many problems sellers have........that SELLERS have to handle.  Millions of items are sold everyday.........

If a buyer wants to change from local pickup to mail based delivery......  Seller can cancel the order with address as the problem, Relist with calculated shipping, buyer rebuys the item........and it can then be shipped.  Not hard.......a bit of time, yes....but part of the game in internet selling.......

[lakefor94]

"A customer buys an item but needs to change it from Local pickup to ship"

You don't need to call ebay for a question. Especially one that common. You could have gotten your answer here with a lot less time and stress involved on your part. That is why "ask the community" is one of the help choices. 

After conferring with the buyer, the sale could have been cancelled at buyers request or problem with address. Then relist the item with the preferred shipping method. No involvement from eBay is needed.

[chapeau-noir]

There are few reasons to call eBay's CS, really - I'm sorry the front line CS is so lousy, but most things are within our own remit to do, anyway, and are easily handled with a little research. CS isn't going to magically change pickup to mail delivery, for instance, that's up to the seller to do as the owner of the transaction. 

ETA: Just check in here - lots of experienced sellers can assist you rather than going round and round with CS.

[kensgiftshop]

Neither one of those issues are worth calling CS for.

If the buyer doesn't want to open a case, there's nothing you or CS can do.

If the buyer picked local pick up, but wants it shipped, cancel the order, then they can buy using the shipping option.

[buyselljack2016]

Did not read the entire rant.

Stopped where you were given the proper course of action by CS, and then you went .................................

[stainlessenginecovers]

You CANNOT change the shipping once an item is sold. Period. No amount of ranting, calls, etc. will change this system.

Biggest Reason is because once it's sold, it's sold per the listing and what is said WHEN it was sold as well as you CANNOT ask for MORE $$ for ANY reason.

You simply have to cancel, refund, relist and tell the customer to repurchase. 

[stephenmorgan]

As long as it was a paid transaction you are allowed to exchange email addresses for two weeks.  Buyer could have sent you payment by PayPay if they knew your PayPal account. Also buyers phone number is available for 90 days after a paid transaction.

If you were trying to send email before item was paid or after order was canceled  the system will not allow you to send it.

Before item was paid for you could have sent a Invoice and added shipping option to item.

I think eBay was correct in how they advised you.

Did you get a Defect for canceling the order?

[kensgiftshop]

There's no need to spend 2 hours with CS, when there's nothing they can do.

Cancel as a problem with the buyers address, relist and they can buy using the shipping option.

[sextons-sweet-deals]

Why was it pick-up only? Is it an expensive item, large / heavy item?

I did take a peek at your listings, and it looks like you have many fragile items listed.

I suggest just to cancel such a purchase based on 'issue with buyer's address' which is true and relist for free or just let it end, and then revise and enter your weight and dims and charge a handling fee for safe packing if your still open to shipping. 

[chapeau-noir]

I explain I need the order changed to ship, charge the customer, contact them if needed, so this issue can be resolved.

You're supposed to do this yourself as manager of the transaction - eBay is not going to do it FOR you.

[albertabrightalberta]

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@stev.tucke wrote:

I get to Oshin, a supposedly human representative. I explain I need the order changed to ship, charge the customer, contact them if needed, so this issue can be resolved. I was told by Oshin that I would have to work out shipping directly with the customer or cancel, refund, relist, and repurchase. I said NOT acceptable. Oshin said he would include my vehement unacceptability in his report. 

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You got accurate advice from Oshin in CS. You may not like it and you may not find it "acceptable" but that's what you have to do.

YOU are the one who listed as local pickup only. Had the buyer had an option of having it shipped in the listing, you wouldn't have this problem. The mistake is yours. 

[buyselljack2016]

As you have seen having both shipping (costs money), and 'local pickup" (nearly free) in a listing can be problematic.  Buyer may select the free method .................  cause it's free, and then there are confused buyers that think that local pickup means local to them no matter where the seller is. We have seen it so posted.

$15.80 or free? $15.80 or free? Give me the FREE.

Local pick up may be a big draw for your items, but for me "local pick up" is used only when it is just impractical to ship.

[stev.tucke]

Part of the Game? Really! You accept a billion dollar company's complete lack of supporting sellers acceptable? The whole purpose of people paying Ebay, in my case an average of 36% of the sales price, is that they do things like handle shipping and changes to customer orders. OMG! The fact that you, or ANY Ebay seller, think an acceptable solution is to cancel, refund, relist, and repurchase is not in any decent respectable business model. That is just not customer-oriented philosophy. Did you not read my article? Last month, with a different customer, when I asked a customer to open a ticket so I could navigate past AI, he said he was not going to do that. In this case, I messaged this customer with Ebay's solution, which is the same as yours. This happened after I posted. Guess what? THE CUSTOMER CANCELED THE ORDER! I lost an order because a billion dollar company does not want to support sellers. There is a saying that we teach people how we want to be treated. That is EXACTLY what Ebay does.They teach sellers not to bother them, work out your own problems, YET they take the highest percentage, 36% as stated, of any company and teach you bogus math that falsely indicates a much lower percentage. The sad part is is that instead of seeing Ebay as they truly are; unsupported, unresponsive, greedy, deceptive, liars, you defend them instead of saying, hey Ebay, this is unacceptable. I still sell on Ebay because I get sales. I also sell on Chairish. I sell more upscale listings. I can message Chairish and I get an answer within 24 hours. I have not had to call them yet. Ebay has answered zero of my messages about issues. Chairish takes 22% versus Ebay's 36% but I get sales on Ebay I would not other places. I take an honest look at my sales and what fees are taken and what Ebay or Chairish take against the services provided. Ebay sucks! So I tell them. If enough people did that or were able to, Ebay might get the message. In your case, not sure if you are willing to see that a billion dollar company is as pathetic and does not support sellers and does not understand customer service. Ebay does not want to be bothered by you. And they are smart enough that they have gotten you and a lot of others to drink the Kool-aid and believe things that are not acceptable. This is a business, if you value customers and want repeat customers you do not go back to them after they have communicated a problem to you to open a ticket or repurchase after a refund. My customers just as I would said no and I lost an order I really could have used. So, your nonchalant, no big deal, attitude about repurchasing was not acceptable to the customer. No respectable business has that mindset. Ebay does and wants you to have it as well. Say no to Ebay.

[stev.tucke]

That is unacceptable! You do not go back and ask a customer to repurchase. A billion dollar company has or should have the ability to change the order from pick up to ship and charge the customers payment method. That is what the rest of the world does every day. That is customer-focused and customer-friendly. Not Ebay! Their AI gave me the same solution as you as well as the option of working out shipping and payment with the customer. I flat out told Ebay this was unacceptable. I was told it would be included in a report. When I communicated these Ebay solutions to the. Ustomer, guess what they did? THE CUSTOMER CANCELED THE ORDER! Your solution as well as Ebays is wrong. My hope for you is stop accepting Ebay doing nothing and taking the highest percentage of fees than any company. I stay on Ebay because I get sales here I do not elsewhere. That does not mean I accept poor and pathetic business practices. As for coming to the Ebay Community for answers, the answers here are as pathetic and customer unfriendly as Ebays. This community is Ebays. I do solve problems I can but when I need Ebay, I expect their help. My hope is you stop accepting Ebays crap and tell them their support and the inability to get their help and their monstrous fees are unacceptable. I sell different types of items on Chairish. I need Ebay and Chairish but that does not mean I blindly accept what I disagree with. They take 22% versus 36% of the sales price. When I message them I get a response from a human being within 24 hours. I have never gotten a response from messages to Ebay.