Watch List and Search results display MORE EXPENSIVE shipping price than actual listing!

[juicydrupes]

So - sellers are being really screwed. Take a look at this.

From my Watchlist, and from Search Results - I'm seeing SIGNIFCANTLY more expensive shipping rates displayed than what the actual item listing says.

EXAMPLE: From search and watch list



31.20 to ship??? - I wont even bother looking at this listing. I'm sure Im not alone. High shipping kills sales!

But look at the actual listing - and we see a more reasonable shipping price.


This seems like a MAJOR Problem - to the detriment of ALL SELLERS! Not sure how pervasive this problem is...but one example is too many!

[stainlessenginecovers]

You should list USPS only and ONLY Ground Advantage- will be MUCH Lower (if buyer is far) and with UPS Fedex these are ebay accounts, so 'lost packages' insurance claims are a nightmare as well as you can be 'charged' later for these (charged $12 now, buyer pays $12 now- then you get a bill for $30...happens ALL the time, posted by hundreds on these forum pages)

[femmefan1946]

It's been my impression that when the seller is choosing the shipping options, they will be listed in the same order that they are entered.
That is if the first option the shipper finds is Super Gold Plated Express One Hour Delivery at $546 and the second they find is EconomyIt'll Get There Whenever  for $7.23 and the third is USPS Priority at $12.95 , that's the order they will show in.

Not highest to lowest or lowest to highest.

I agree that the seller is best to choose a reasonably priced, reliable service and stick with that.

If the buyer wants to upgrade they can ask and have the price quoted.

[juicydrupes]

No offense - but that is nonsense.

This is about the act of decision making while shopping. If, during a search, I see $78.00 shipping...Im done, Im not going any further....dismissed. And that seller is screwed, because his shipping was really only $23.68 - but eBay is preventing the buyer from knowing this because they aren't calling the right function for the page. Clearly - as seen on the item page - they CAN get it right...but they don't on the watch list and search results. 

Think about it sellers...how often have you nudged the prices down on BIN listings? It all might be due to eBay not representing your shipping prices properly.

[juicydrupes]

Or...or...eBay could just get their house in order, and make the search and watch pages work like the listing page. Wouldn't that be better, than all of us sellers using various workarounds?

[stainlessenginecovers]

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@juicydrupes wrote:

Or...or...eBay could just get their house in order, and make the search and watch pages work like the listing page. Wouldn't that be better, than all of us sellers using various workarounds?

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So could the US Government on how a President gets voted in...but until then- we have to either 'find a work around' or simply put your head in the sand. 

Work arounds are MUCH better for the Wallet. 

[juicydrupes]

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@stainlessenginecovers wrote:

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@juicydrupes wrote:

Or...or...eBay could just get their house in order, and make the search and watch pages work like the listing page. Wouldn't that be better, than all of us sellers using various workarounds?

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So could the US Government on how a President gets voted in...but until then- we have to either 'find a work around' or simply put your head in the sand. 

Work arounds are MUCH better for the Wallet. 

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 That is a weak analogy. Cleary, eBay has the right function to display the cheaper price. But they aren't using that on the watch and search results pages. That function is only used for the item listing pages. OK?

So your analogy is analogous. 

[stainlessenginecovers]

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@juicydrupes wrote:

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@stainlessenginecovers wrote:

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@juicydrupes wrote:

Or...or...eBay could just get their house in order, and make the search and watch pages work like the listing page. Wouldn't that be better, than all of us sellers using various workarounds?

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So could the US Government on how a President gets voted in...but until then- we have to either 'find a work around' or simply put your head in the sand. 

Work arounds are MUCH better for the Wallet. 

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 That is a weak analogy. Cleary, eBay has the right function to display the cheaper price. But they aren't using that on the watch and search results pages. That function is only used for the item listing pages. OK?

So your analogy is analogous. 

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my analogy is REAL LIFE here on ebay.

Don't want to take the advice of those that have had to do various work-arounds for well over a decade? Cool- I can only give the advice of what I've dealt with since 2011 as a full time seller. 

[wastingtime101]

Found the listing (ended auction) and this is what I'm seeing:

With a CA zip code in search I see $41.10 shipping. On the listing I see default FedEx $11.73 with second option USPS $41.10

With a NY zip code in search I see $31.20 shipping. On the listing I see default USPS $31.20 with second option FedEx $18.15. When I checked the listing a few min earlier I saw the reverse: default FedEx $18.15 with second option USPS $31.20

In all cases, search is defaulting to the more expensive USPS shipping which tells me the seller set USPS as the first shipping option on their listing form and it's the reason the USPS rate is shown in search in both cases.

On the listing itself, the service may switch around with first and second display depending on which rate is cheaper.

eBay has been doing that for a while - showing the cheaper shipping option first on the listing. They announced as much in the last seller update when they said for eBay International Shipping vs direct international shipping, they would show buyers the cheaper option first on the listing, regardless of the seller's first shipping option offered.

However search will pull from whatever the seller listed as the first shipping option on the listing.

[juicydrupes]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

eBay has been doing that for a while - showing the cheaper shipping option first on the listing. They announced as much in the last seller update when they said for eBay International Shipping vs direct international shipping, they would show buyers the cheaper option first on the listing, regardless of the seller's first shipping option offered.

However search will pull from whatever the seller listed as the first shipping option on the listing.

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Ok - surely you can see the problem? If I see a ridiculous shipping charge - I dismiss the item! This is very bad for sellers. Its obvious eBay can display the cheaper price where ever they like and they aren't calling the right function in the search and watch pages. I can't think of ANY REASON that displaying a higher shipping price would help sellers. Can you?

[wastingtime101]

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@juicydrupes wrote:

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

eBay has been doing that for a while - showing the cheaper shipping option first on the listing. They announced as much in the last seller update when they said for eBay International Shipping vs direct international shipping, they would show buyers the cheaper option first on the listing, regardless of the seller's first shipping option offered.

However search will pull from whatever the seller listed as the first shipping option on the listing.

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Ok - surely you can see the problem? If I see a ridiculous shipping charge - I dismiss the item! This is very bad for sellers. Its obvious eBay can display the cheaper price where ever they like and they aren't calling the right function in the search and watch pages. I can't think of ANY REASON that displaying a higher shipping price would help sellers. Can you?

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My post was an attempt to explain what I'm seeing and how the system is currently behaving. I never said whether I agree or disagree with the way eBay is handling it.

Since you're asking: yes, I see definite problems.

But I also see problems with eBay choosing the default. So many different types of sellers and shipping - it's not one size fits all.

You asked about an example why displaying a higher shipping price is better. Here you go: media sellers. Several media sellers I know prefer to use Ground Adv, however they may offer Media Mail as a second choice for the buyer looking to save a buck. The seller does not prefer MM because it's slower - particularly to AK/HI/PR/etc. MM is uninsured and can take ages when shipping volume is high, and can be delayed if the package is chosen for inspection. While the seller is willing to offer MM to buyers that look for it, they prefer to use Ground Adv and set that as their default. They are willing to lose a few sales in favor of a more reliable service shown as the default.

I'm not one of those sellers, however I do get where they're coming from. As I said: one size fits all programming will always create problems for someone on a site this diverse.

As a seller, I generally offer the lesser expensive shipping as the first option, but in some cases I offer the service that's most convenient for me as the first option, even if it's a little more $$ (USPS listed before UPS).

Would I like to see eBay default search to the lowest priced shipping option and take that control out of the hands of sellers? As a seller, I am undecided at this point.

As a buyer do I care either way? Nope. It's a habit of mine to check different shipping options offered on listings so I don't care what I see in search.

[juicydrupes]

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Would I like to see eBay default search to the lowest priced shipping option and take that control out of the hands of sellers? As a seller, I am undecided at this point.

As a buyer do I care either way? Nope. It's a habit of mine to check different shipping options offered on listings so I don't care what I see in search.

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Look - I saw a $50 dollar price difference to ship a set of trains to GA from PA. That is a MAJOR difference! And, a big consideration to a buyer who has a certain price point in mind.  You do understand they show a shipping price in the search results? - whether you care or not? Its there - and it showing a HIGHER price than the listing. 

[juicydrupes]

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my analogy is REAL LIFE here on ebay.

Don't want to take the advice of those that have had to do various work-arounds for well over a decade? Cool- I can only give the advice of what I've dealt with since 2011 as a full time seller. 

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Thanks, believe it or not, I was among a handful of people who were personally invited to use eBay by Mr. Omidyar when it was first created, or around the time it changed its name to "eBay." I had been building websites since the dawn of the web, and already had my own online store selling collectibles well before eBay existed. I wish I still had that email!!! I declined at the time, but a few years later, I did join eBay (old username, I cannot remember.) But, yes, I have several decades of eBay experience. Thanks.

This is a very simple tech glitch, that eBay can easily remedy. As I said - clearly they have the correct function called for the item listing. The search results and watch page should use that same function. Its probably like one line of code.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Some buyers are just not well informed  when it comes to shipping costs. So to avoid all this angst, i remove the choices and primarily use free shipping.

(Still continue to weigh and measure all packages prior to listing, in order to ensure my prices adequately cover expenses and protect profit margins.)

[go-bad-chicken]

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@stainlessenginecovers wrote:

You should list USPS only and ONLY Ground Advantage- will be MUCH Lower (if buyer is far) and with UPS Fedex these are ebay accounts, so 'lost packages' insurance claims are a nightmare as well as you can be 'charged' later for these (charged $12 now, buyer pays $12 now- then you get a bill for $30...happens ALL the time, posted by hundreds on these forum pages)

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What? USPS Ground Advantage is not the end all be all of shipping services. It is often WAY MORE EXPENSIVE than either FED EX Ground or UPS Ground. 

I have a package shipping tomorrow from 83707 Idaho to 37738 Tennessee.

It's 36" x 14" x 14" and weighs 15 lbs.

USPS Ground Advantage: $136.66

FED EX Ground: $45.06

UPS Ground: $54.52

If I only offered USPS Ground Advantage I would be out of business.

[go-bad-chicken]

"Almost no one will knowingly choose the more expensive option. People who choose some sort of express service will always order late at night at start their mental shipping clock the minute they place the order, then when it shows up late for their event they will return the item."

NAH. Offering choices are always good for sales. Those small little choices empower your buyers, regardless of whether or not they actually choose those shipping upgrades. And by empowering your buyers, you and your items come that much closer to becoming a sale.

On my main selling account shipping service upgrades are optioned by my buyers approximately 18% of the time.

From October 15 to December 31 I had 78 orders upgraded from a lower tier shipping service such as USPS Ground Advantage to USPS Priority Mail in my Coins and Paper Money selling business and from USPS Media Mail to either USPS Ground Advantage or USPS Priority Mail for my book selling business.

I may or may not of had that business had I not offered those shipping upgrades but I'm glad that I did.