eBay

kshinhale5uzh · ‎03-09-2021

Been selling on eBay for around 15 years. I sometimes list books in categories other than the book category. It's a marketing strategy...like listing a WWII book under "Military Collectibles" or a vintage bible under "Religious Collectibles". When you select Media-Mail as your shipping choice, you will get a pop-up window asking if you are sure your item qualifies for Media-Mail, then you click something like "Yes, continue listing" and it's no problem. I did one like this on a set of historical books last week...but when the auction ended last night, the shipping label blocked me from shipping Media Mail because my item was not listed in the proper category to qualify for Media Mail. They tried to force me to pay for Priority mail. A phone call to the help desk told me that because so many people cheat and use Media Mail illegally, the post office has asked eBay to do their policing and block everyone who uses Media Mail outside the book categories. I find it hard to believe that the post office expects eBay to police us. Remember that eBay earns fees on shipping costs as well as sales prices! Seems like another money-grab to me.

roadypig · ‎05-15-2021

We came home from a short vacation yesterday to find that 775 of our 2,500 listings now need major changes in the listings due to ebay changing their categories . This is the second major change of this type since January. I do not have the time to sit and redo 775 entries right now just because ebay decided to change categories . The 775 are mainly religious or war history books, and now have to be listed as non-fiction ? Why did ebay erase the book title from every one of these when they moved them? To fore us to do busy work for no benefit to us? It makes no sense, and until I fix all of these I won't have time to list new books. You have to come to the conclusion that ebay hates sellers...

roadypig · ‎05-15-2021

I should have added that anything that (for us ) anything can be legally sent via Media Mail that eBay blocks due to categories we just take to our post office and pay the media mail rates there( no discounts from eBay on shipping media mail anyway). Then, we added the tracking number to the sold listing and move on. Its a hassle that adds more time to our workday, but like everything involved with selling on ebay, you have to go with the punches, or just give up and just stop selling.

beltradingcards · ‎05-17-2021

Thank you for this PayPal tip. I didn't have time to investigate a workaround at the time, so I ate the $4 extra shipping for an item that was definitely USPS Media Mail eligible. I didn't pay close enough attention to the category I suppose. A cheap lesson in hindsight for me I guess.

jkd98 · ‎05-21-2021

I am looking at more than 1000 listings I will now need to edit due to eBay's changes. Grrr. Hours of work. I sympathize.

everlovin · ‎07-16-2021

You will also notice that when using eBay labels one of the items in thee least does show up on the label in an eBay number, so now the post office can just check the contents of a package that way, before deciding to open and reseal. Saves the post office time in their random checking of media mail packages.

blazestudios23 · ‎07-19-2021

This change is going to force me to stop selling online. I see Table Top Game Books and List them in the proper table top game category. Only now I can't ship them via media mail unless I wait in line at the post office.

This business is a side hustle and I can't spend an hour every day waiting in line at the post office to a few dollars.

So I guess that's it.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎07-19-2021

As noted a couple of times in the thread, you can still purchase Media Mail postage labels online. One option is www.PayPal.com/shipnow

sgads · ‎07-20-2021

I am sorry but it is just utterly ridiculous to have categories like "Musical Instruments & Gear > Sheet Music & Song Books > Contemporary" blocked from media mail. You just can't get more stupid than that! Virtually everything in that Category is media mail. There is no defense whatsoever for blocking that Category.

donsdetour · ‎07-20-2021

@kshinhale5uzh wrote:
Understood. I still disagree with punishing integrity-based, law-abiding sellers to stop the cheaters.

In the real world: It only takes on fool, to mess up everything for the rest.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎07-20-2021

@sgads wrote:
I am sorry but it is just utterly ridiculous to have categories like "Musical Instruments & Gear > Sheet Music & Song Books > Contemporary" blocked from media mail. You just can't get more stupid than that! Virtually everything in that Category is media mail. There is no defense whatsoever for blocking that Category.

You're right, it's ridiculous and indefensible. eBay's decision to block access to MM based on the listing's primary category is just plain lazy.

mhbettolo · ‎07-26-2021

I have to agree that eBay doesn't give a **bleep** about their sellers! Ironic since without us, they wouldn't be making any money!! Since the pandemic started, they had people stay home & not answering their customer service lines, and now you can't get ahold of anyone at ebay! They decided they liked not having to deal with any problems! They have NO customer service!! My brother works for eBay, & he couldn't even find a phone number that I could call and actually talk to someone! So frustrating!!

muttlymob · ‎07-27-2021

@flappincat wrote:

(*If a magazine or journal has no advertising in it, it can be shipped using media mail.)

No, it can't. If a magazine or journal was original mailed by the periodicals rate, it is always a periodical. It does not qualify for media mail rates. It doesn't matter whether it contains advertising or not.

varebelrose · ‎07-27-2021

"There is an easy fix for this ... all the USPS has to do is deem Media Mail a permit-only based shipping service"

I guess you never use media shipping. Why screw over the thousands and thousands of sellers and buyer BOTH who legally follow Media Mail rules and force them to no longer be able to?

varebelrose · ‎07-27-2021

"...we just take to our post office and pay the media mail rates there..."

Just print them on Paypal and avoid the post office hassle.

readabouthorses · ‎07-27-2021

@varebelrose wrote:
"There is an easy fix for this ... all the USPS has to do is deem Media Mail a permit-only based shipping service"

I guess you never use media shipping. Why screw over the thousands and thousands of sellers and buyer BOTH who legally follow Media Mail rules and force them to no longer be able to?

I looked at the process for the Bound Printed Matter permit when that got put in place and it didn't look that complicated as long as you didn't lie on the form you had to submit with your shipments.

Just today I looked through a bunch of magazine listings looking for a magazine a friend is trying to find and I only found one seller who wasn't using Media Mail for their magazines. So how else do you suggest stopping this abuse??