eBay

_spud_ · ‎11-30-2020

So I got talked into allowing WEBINTERPRET (disguised as ebay) localize (translate) and list my items automatically on a variety of international sites. They said there was no additional cost, and it helped increase my exposure.

This weekend I get my first sale, and a decent one for over $600. The transaction was made through eBay.de in Germany. My eBay shows the transaction in Euros with a US conversion amount noted next to it.

I go to print the label and (see attached) everything appears in metric. I have only a singular 'gram' field for weight, then dimensions in centimeters. Annoying, but I'm intelligent enough to do conversions. What I find odd however, is that I am filling this screen out for a US based shipping company (the USPS).

Problem arises that the weight field will only allow 3 characters, so the maximum weight I can enter is 999 grams. My package weighs 1990 grams.

So I cannot use ebay labels to create the label.

Since I am on ebay managed payments (forced into it), I can't create the label through Paypal.

I go to the USPS website, and they had some kind of bug happening or maintenance going on, that it wouldn't allow me to select the correct delivery service.

I log in to ebay.de to see if I can create the label there... I see the record, but cannot create it, which I suspected as ebay.de would likely pull up it's own local (to Germany) shipping options, and since I'm in the US, none of those would be applicable.

I call ebay and they say it's Webinterpret's problem. I contact Webinterpret and they say it's ebay's problem.

I now have to go to the post office to send the package, and lose out on my discounted postage rates and waste my time.

Anyone else experiencing this? Any workarounds?

donsdetour · ‎11-30-2020

Expensive service with problems you are now experiencing: Just saying.

As you already know: go direct to the PO and lose the discount on shipping.

Hope they get it on time as delays in shipping especial over seas is a problem.

Good luck with this.

a_c_green · ‎11-30-2020

@_spud_ wrote:
I go to print the label and (see attached) everything appears in metric. I have only a singular 'gram' field for weight, then dimensions in centimeters. Annoying, but I'm intelligent enough to do conversions. What I find odd however, is that I am filling this screen out for a US based shipping company (the USPS).

Not exactly... Your screenshot shows that you have eBay's International Standard Delivery selected as the Shipping method. Click on Compare All Services at the bottom of that form, try selecting an appropriate USPS shipping method such as Priority Mail International, and see if that resolves it. (Your 1990-gram $600 package is too heavy and too high a value for First Class International.)

portkoop-0 · ‎11-30-2020

I don't trust any 3rd party service of ebay's.

Sorry, there may be a good one in the lot but too many bad apples have come through and it's just too much a chance to take.

I think a_c_green has a good solution.

_spud_ · ‎11-30-2020

See attached - that makes no difference.

ittybitnot · ‎11-30-2020

Anyone else experiencing this? Any workarounds?

As far as printing a label this service provides a discounted rate:

https://www.pirateship.com/

Actually, you could likely use PayPal as well /shipnow/(or something close added to the URL) , but the info will not be prepopulated.

As far as the integration of Webinterpret with MPayments....my advice would be to "watch your transaction/payment/fees" carefully. Funny, there was a discussion about this Webinterpret program the other day, wondering if it was still around.

a_c_green · ‎11-30-2020

@_spud_ wrote:
See attached - that makes no difference.

Thanks for checking... I'm stumped. I have never seen the Shipping form switch over to using grams as the unit of measurement for package weight, and you're attempting to go over what appears to be the highest value accepted in that form field (999).

I tried messing about with my own Shipping form on one of my recent sales, but could not see any way to change its units of weight measurement; sorry. brian@ebay, do you recognize this problem?