Sellers Beware of New "Handy Assembly Charge" Feature Ebay Has Added To All Furniture Listings

[mostexcellentdesigns]

Ebay has added a new option on all used furniture listings which has done nothing but confuse and turn off my potential buyers. They added this box just below the Make An Offer button: Chair assembly from Handy - $72.00Handy will email you to schedule service. Handy Terms & Privacy Policy apply  We only sell used furniture and none of it needs assembly and I've already had several potential buyers ask why they have to pay for assembly (and these are only the ones who asked for an explanation and not the ones who just moved on to another seller's listing). This feature should be an option for a seller to add to their listing. Ebay has said this feature is here to stay even on my items that don't need assembly. Charish here we come. 

[postingid2017]

I just checked two (2) of the OP's furniture listings and what I am not understanding is that if the furniture is not like "Ikea" (some assembly required) and assuming that it will not be disassembled, I am not following the logic to have it added to the listing.  It must be as stated, it is just another way for eBay to earn some sort of profit for offering it 😞  

I am a girl and kind of good at putting some things together, but if too much for me, I assign it to my son.  Maybe I should start paying him 🙂  Oh, and I don't read instructions either 😉 

[sharingtheland]

I am not following the logic to have it added to the listing.  It must be as stated, it is just another way for eBay to earn some sort of profit for offering it

Ebay is going to get a cut of the payment for that "service."   Or, ebay is getting a prior negotiated flat payment for supplying the space to Handy.  

[moms**art**window**]

maybe if you called Handy Exec's and made them aware they might fine tune their target market to not include used furniture,they are probably being charged per listing,just a thought you can probably find a corporate number on the net.

[coffeebean832]

Removing it from Used furniture would be a good start, but not all New furniture requires assembly either. There also needs to be some sort of disclaimer or better yet, a required Item Specific that the seller has to check - Assembly Required - yes or no.

[Anonymous]

Furthermore, maybe some buyers whould speak great english might understand they don't need to pay an additional fee, but buyers who don't understand english well will have not idea what's going on (even with an explanation put within the listing). And to top it all off, ebay added this feature without notifying sellers which would have allowed us to be prepared for our buyer's confusion. It was another stick poked in seller's eyes reaffirming what we sellers already know:  ebay has little concern for us. 

[ersatz_sobriquet]

Wow, just wow. Spamming your listings and confusing potential buyers, possibly driving them away. SMH.....

This feature should ONLY be if the seller wants it, period. 

Looks like maybe only in the home and garden category? I would move ALL my furniture out of that category...grr!

[v7bbn_0]

I believe this old saying applies:

You can't fix stupid.

[beardedbovine]

brian@ebay

I'm all for ways to keep our fees down, but things like this should be very clearly marked as an advertisement to eliminate buyer confusion and make it clear it's not a service offered by the seller. The placement should not be within the box that includes price, shipping, offers, etc. Stick it in a separate box and label it as a sponsored service.

A lot of items showing the Handy services are not relevant. It's shown on all picture frames under home & garden --> home decor --> frames

A 4x6 tabletop picture frame offers the option of paying $36 for Handy to come hang it on your wall. The OP of this thread has pre-assembled furniture but the service offered is for assembly. The placements just don't make sense; there's no filter.

[gramophone-georg]

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@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:

Wow, just wow. Spamming your listings and confusing potential buyers, possibly driving them away. SMH.....

This feature should ONLY be if the seller wants it, period. 

Looks like maybe only in the home and garden category? I would move ALL my furniture out of that category...grr!

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Bet they never announced this anywhere, either... just slammed it on sellers listings.

The arrogant incompetence grows greater daily...

[moondogblues]

I'm so happy I don't sell here any more, and my buying is pretty much done, just dribs and drabs now.

[moondogblues]

And I have to say, this place used to be so amazing, some of my collections would never have been possible without this site. But the changes, the hostility of management toward the sellers, and also the bewilderment of new buyers trying to navigate the site. Add that to the rampant fakes, and scammers and it's a wonder anyone stays here at all...boggles my mind.

[gramophone-georg]

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@moondogblues wrote:
And I have to say, this place used to be so amazing, some of my collections would never have been possible without this site. But the changes, the hostility of management toward the sellers, and also the bewilderment of new buyers trying to navigate the site. Add that to the rampant fakes, and scammers and it's a wonder anyone stays here at all...boggles my mind.

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Agree.

It's just amazing to think back on the excitement this place used to generate. Now people just smile and shake their head or roll their eyes at the mention of it.

Sad.

[a_c_green]

Let me just add here that in my area of specialty, I'm seeing the Handy Assembly ads stuck into vintage bicycle listings as well. Exactly how they're going to locate a professional who's actually able to reassemble a vintage bicycle out of a shipping container without the risk of Something Bad happening is unclear. 

I did read the FAQ linked by the OP, but I still see a risk of major fingerpointing between the Handyperson and the seller if, for example, something breaks during assembly. Even if Handy does eventually cover the loss somehow, I can't see how the blowback wouldn't reflect negatively on the seller as well... especially if the unfortunate Handyperson who's actually standing right there in the room with the buyer, and the broken item, will (understandably) argue that it's not his fault, but the seller sold a defective item, and this thing here was about to break anyway 'cause look at this big crack right here that was about to let go as soon as someone tried to tighten it, and in his opinion the buyer should send the whole mess back to the seller and demand a refund, etc. 

In short, it seems a little unfair to ne for a seller to find this "service" hung on his listing without his permission, especially as he gets no financial benefit from it, but does seem to take on added risk as a result.

[everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures]

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@mostexcellentdesigns wrote:

Ebay has added a new option on all used furniture listings which has done nothing but confuse and turn off my potential buyers. They added this box just below the Make An Offer button: Chair assembly from Handy - $72.00Handy will email you to schedule service. Handy Terms & Privacy Policy apply  We only sell used furniture and none of it needs assembly and I've already had several potential buyers ask why they have to pay for assembly (and these are only the ones who asked for an explanation and not the ones who just moved on to another seller's listing). This feature should be an option for a seller to add to their listing. Ebay has said this feature is here to stay even on my items that don't need assembly. Charish here we come. 

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I saw this too...on items that require no assembly too. I swear if they did anything right it would be scary
And who ever heard of this company before??
Hopefully it doesn't scare away buyers...but I am sure it will. SMH
It sure seems they do everything they can to prevent a sale and they apparently do not care about saving buyers money at all.

[everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures]

I am on with ebay now and the rep is trying to get it removed from my magazine rack now. I will let you know how it goes.