eBay

timmy66t · ‎04-27-2017

Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions.

I am a long time Ebay seller, and specialize in high end niche technology products.

I recently fell below standard as a seller, having accured 3 defects from buyers who filed immediate cases over relatively small issues where I simply could not respond fast enough.

Have also accrued a 6.18% late delivery rate, with only 1 seller reported late delivery.

I am attempting to increase the quantity of items I have for sale, and I am generally the lowest priced vendor for any given item, apples to apples.

The issue is that I am really sandboxed by the effects of the below standard rating. Sales immediately dropped from roughly 50-60K/month to roughly 20K/month. I believe that may be because all of my listings show up at or near the bottom of Best Match search for a given item query.

Just curious if anyone has any suggestions. I thought I was gonna get past it by the April evaluation, having listed a ton of stuff below cost just to get more transactions to affect the percentages on my defects, but it does not seem to have had much of an effect.

Thanks

Cory

partial*eclipse · ‎04-28-2017

@garymi6 wrote:
So, when does ebay just boot people? ... This is one policy section I dont know enough about.

The policy doesn't give specific criteria. It says "we may put limits on your selling activity or lower your search placement until your performance improves. We may also restrict you from selling items on eBay if your performance falls significantly below the minimum requirements."

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/seller-non-performance.html?ssPageName=CMDV:AB

The thresholds for "cases closed without seller resolution" and are 2 cases or 0.30%, and the OP has 3 defects points for this. In order to get his percentage below 0.3%, he'd have to have 1000 transactions, and he's apparently way below that, with 350 feedback in the past 12 months including some as a buyer. So his only possible survival strategy is to avoid "falling significantly below the minimum requirements" until one of those defect pionts rolls off, which means maintaining the number of transactions so his defect percentage doesn't increase.

747cable · ‎04-28-2017

Not sure, but I think they changed it recently to charge more fvfs (14%) for below standard rather than give the boot. From reading your OP again, it seems you are below standard due to on time shipping metric and 3 cases closed without seller resolution (this one is egregious to eBay - don't let it happen again). I am in Hassle Free Returns for this very reason. Your feedback is beautiful, but that no longer counts for eBay. I am a small seller since 2007, and you need expert advice here. I would probably call eBay after more experts chime in here, but I would call with a plan for discussion (what you will do differently in future).

I know my 1st post to you was accurate. Ship on time and stand in line for a scan. This will at least help shipping metrics part. I do think you can overcome this. Best!

747cable · ‎04-28-2017

Many buyers search using "price and shipping, lowest 1st." Even if your items were 50 cents lower, you would be at top of this search. So, I would go through all my listings and see if adjustments can be made.

thatsallfolks · ‎04-28-2017

@zinda2010 wrote:
I've brought this up many times myself, it's set up so you will never recover, you're limited on how much you can sell

Where did the OP say they were having a problem due to their selling limits?

kattinsanity · ‎04-28-2017

OP~~Have you had defects for multiple listings? I see you have 2 identical listings right now for 3 phone covers. You sold 3 identical telephones all within a few hours of each other~~they were auctions and not fixed price listings so it appears they must have all been running at the same time. I would pull one of the phone cover listings if I were you before ebay catches that and gives you a defect for it.

partial*eclipse · ‎04-28-2017

@kattinsanity wrote:
... I see you have 2 identical listings right now for 3 phone covers. .... I would pull one of the phone cover listings if I were you before ebay catches that and gives you a defect for it.

The OP's listings are not violating the duplicate listings policy. The policy permits multiple auction-format listings, if they do not have a "Buy it now" option.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/duplicate-listing.html

timmy66t · ‎04-28-2017

Yeah when I sell something on Ebay, I will literally stop what I am doing, go get that item, package it up carefully and immediately ship it. Kind of OCD in that regard. I will also bend over backwards for customers and do so on a weekly basis. I have given out $600 in "good faith" partial refunds this week to buyers who received items that I feel were very accurately described, but buyers hit me up for credit because of subjective issues, or just because they know they can (more likely the latter).

I am find with all this, and consider it the "cost of doing business on Ebay", it's just frustrating that the account rehab option to get back in good standing seem to be designed for failure.

In the niche I sell in, I think a lot of buyers but from "Best Match" top positions. Similar to Amazon, many customers are ordering items last minute and if a buyer appears reputable, price is in competitive range, they will just buy from the top position vendor.

Once you lose that top position or first page position, much like SERPS in Google, your odds of sale, regardless of having the lowest price, decline dramatically.

It's like being asked to win the 100 yard dash dragging a tire behind you.

partial*eclipse · ‎04-28-2017

@timmy66t wrote:
... In the niche I sell in, I think a lot of buyers but from "Best Match" top positions. Similar to Amazon, many customers are ordering items last minute and if a buyer appears reputable, price is in competitive range, they will just buy from the top position vendor.....

In that case, you should be listing in fixed price format, and offer all your duplicate items in one listing rather than stringing things along in 7-day auctions.

timmy66t · ‎04-28-2017

Only reason I have items in the Auction format at all is that they generally WILL sell, even if they sell for $0.01, and will therefore count as a transaction that will hopefully boost my metrics.

Like I said, I have gone from selling about $15-$20K per week on Ebay to almost nothing, with no other changes in the types of items or pricing strategy I am using, since falling below Standard.

BIN items just aren't getting any real volume of views/impressions because my listings have been relegated to the bottom of Best Match.

bubbleman2010 · ‎04-28-2017

Without knowing when the first defect you picked up was everyone is just guessing how long you'll be in the hole. It is shown on your dashboard and once its posted folks can tell you how long you'll go below standard. Thinking making tons of sales losing money just to move the numbers isn't going to work that you'd have to sell double in one month what you've taken a year to sell and thats not going to happen...

partial*eclipse · ‎04-28-2017

@timmy66t wrote:
Only reason I have items in the Auction format at all is that they generally WILL sell, even if they sell for $0.01, and will therefore count as a transaction that will hopefully boost my metrics. ...BIN items just aren't getting any real volume of views/impressions because my listings have been relegated to the bottom of Best Match.

I'm not following how using auction format addresses your Best Match issue.

timmy66t · ‎04-28-2017

It does not address the Best Match option I agree. It is just an activity that generally leads to a sale. If I price a $200 item at a starting bid of $0.01 it generally will sell, is all I am saying.

timmy66t · ‎04-28-2017

Also, my 3 current defects for Cases closed without seller resolution

are logged on:

Jun 07, 2016 14:11

Jan 09, 2017 11:46

Jan 19, 2017 15:00

bubbleman2010 · ‎04-28-2017

Most folks don't pay much attention no matter how much they are warned they think ebay likes them and will care about the issues they are dealing with. Your only saving grace is they are going to be charging you 14% rather than 10% during your below standard period,but you're on real thin ice and pick up one or two more defects during this year they might just say thats enough good bye..... Since you really don't have much invested if it were me I'd end all my listings spend a few hours creating a new ID and relist on it and let your old ID go dormant until it goes back to zero defects once that happens you can then bounce back and forth between IDs and spread out the odds of getting another defect....