What happened to detailed batch/bulk editing?

[spoolin01]

The old system where you could step through a selected set of listings and edit a particular section one listing at a time was great.  The new system is badly ineffective.

Given recent changes in shipping rates, I wanted to review shipping options for all of my listings.  The bulk "editing" option appears to only allow every selected listing to be changed to  the same option, and there is no ability to choose a second or third option, for expedited shipping for instance.

Editing each listing from its own editing page is going to be very inefficient, compared to the old system.  In addition, there's no way to view the listing information at that level of detail, short of opening each listing and navigating through it.  The export function is so limited in useful detail as to be largely useless.

Is there some option for editing that I'm missing?  I sure would like a better tool for editing dozens of listings without having to open each one individually for editing.

[mam98031]

I used the bulk editor for changing my shipping rates in January.  But I only have a handful of different rates.  I try to keep it as simple as possible.  

Then I go to the bulk editor and I sort my listings by shipping.  I check off all the ones with a certain rate, change them in bulk and then go onto the next.  This works very well for me.

You have a variety of rates that are only a few cents apart.  You can make it easier on yourself to change the rates to be more similar in groups.  Like maybe all your fishing reels are $10.00 lets say.  Your RAM cards maybe set at $4.95 for all of them, etc.  Maybe you lose a little on one but gain on another.  As long as you do fine overall it works out.

This would make it so much easier to change things in bulk.

Or change to Calculated shipping.

[spoolin01]

Rates differ so much now by distance - and I'm on the west coast - that I prefer to base all my shipment charges on weight and dimension.  For the same total cost to buyer, I'd prefer to sell to someone closer, than to become the seller of choice for buyers on the other side of the country who find my fixed shipping cost to be below market, and choose me on that basis.  That's the dynamics of fixed vs calculated shipping.  Rates differ significantly by distance, and if you don't adjust to that, you open yourself up to shipping cost "arbitrage".

My issue is with the ability to choose the courier and method.  USPS Parcel recently became the low-cost option for items >1lb, whereas for a long time I found FedEx to offer better rates and set that to my default economy option.  Now I'd like to shift all my >1lb listings over to USPS Parcel, but that can only be done in the current Bulk Editing module by offering only that one option - you can't also then offer an expedited option without editing each listing individually to add back that option, because the Bulk Editor can only accommodate one shipping option.  25 years down the road, and such a crippled Bulk Editor seems the best eBay can do.  What was wrong with the former editor, which was so much more powerful?  The "step-through-listing" capability of the former editor was an enormously better than what is currently provided.

[mam98031]

I'm very much aware of the zone pricing USPS uses now.  Like I said before.  On some you may loose a little money on others you make a little more.  Overall it should work out fine for you.  It is just an option which makes updating pricing much easier.  You don't have to use it.

Just my personal opinion, but labeling the pricing "significantly different by distance" is a bit of an overstatement regarding the things you ship which would mostly go via First Class.  For example: if I ship something that weights 6 oz rather locally the cost would be around 4.08 First Class.  On the other side of the country it is $4.44.  

Good luck in whatever you do.  Likely Calculated shipping would suit your needs best.