ebay email "Your listings with calculated shipping will default to eBay Labels discounted rates"

[iredder]

Got this notice from ebay today that buyers will be offered the discounted rates at the same (? assumed but not specified by ebay) that we usually buy labels at, unless you opt out by 5.15.

Question: A hypothetical case - at present, buyer pays $5 for postage but discounted postage is $3. Ebay takes their cut on the $5 and I pay $3 so I am still in the black. However, if the buyer is offered the $3 discounted rate AND ebay still takes their cut, I will be in the red if I purchase the label for $3.

Do I have this correct?

[two_red_feathers]

Just wondering:

FURTHER QUESTION regarding "... updating the default calculated shipping rates..."

At the bottom of my email from E-Bay, it says, "Please note that this change will only apply to sellers receiving this email." WHY ME??? What makes me so special that E-Bay wants my permission to keep even more of my money??

[two_red_feathers]

Just wondering:

FURTHER QUESTION regarding 'updating the default calculated shipping rates'

At the bottom of my email from E-Bay, it says, "Please note that this change will only apply to sellers receiving this email."  WHY ME? What makes me so special that E-Bay wants my permission to keep even more of my money??

[fern*wood]

I wondered the same thing when I got a phone call back in December pressuring me to do the same thing.  I'm sure some of the phone calls resulted in sellers changing their preferences, but evidently not enough, so now they are trying again with a bunch of sellers via email.   If enough don't change, I wonder what they will do next.

[two_red_feathers]

I wouldn't be surprised if enough don't change if they just force it on all of us.

I'm surprised you got a notification back in Dec.. The email I got the other day was the first I ever heard of it. My husband also sells things on E-Bay and he didn't get anything at all -- not back then and not now.

Hmmmmmm .....

[two_red_feathers]

I wouldn't be surprised if enough don't change if they just force it on all of us.

I'm surprised you got a notification back in Dec.. The email I got the other day was the first I ever heard of it. My husband also sells things on E-Bay and he didn't get anything at all -- not back then and not now.

Hmmmmmm.....

[magicsue2016]

I opted out.  

[umoraski]

I still have a question about this new Ebay discounted Rate.   I sell everything with the option of calculated shipping.   I don't make any money on the shipping.   but it makes the shipping for the buyer a little cheaper than the flat rate.   How can Ebay offer anything cheaper than the calculated shipping,  using USPS.   Does this mean they will offer the buyer other options like Fed-Ex or UPS? I don't like either of them.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@umoraski wrote:

I still have a question about this new Ebay discounted Rate. ... How can Ebay offer anything cheaper than the calculated shipping,  using USPS.  ...

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The discounted rate is not new.  USPS has one set of prices which you pay at the PO counter (retail) and a different set of prices for customers who purchase postage online.  When you purchase postage labels through eBay, you get a discount relative to the retail price that you'd pay at the PO counter.  

Sellers who offer calculated shipping can use their site preferences to choose whether their listings show (and charge) buyers the retail price for postage, or the discounted eBay price.  The new policy says that buyers will be shown the discounted eBay postage cost, unless the seller opts out.

[myangelandmyprincess]

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@btjfitter wrote:

Looking at that email again, it has your name on it and says if  its not you to sign in. Then looking at the form it asks for your name although they say its optional. So the only thing that gets turned in is a reason you want to opt out and a email. Is this considered opting out or are they just wanting a opinion? Why if it goes into effect on the 13th you cannot opt out until after the 15th? What happens to your sales between that time?

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It confirms you don't want your default setting to change when you opt out.  

If you don't opt when the new default begins you can go into your settings and change it back. 

[umoraski]

I don't have a problem with Ebay showing the discounted fee, because this will stop buyers from complaining about the shipping fees and blaming the seller.  I know some sellers pad their shipping to cover costs.  But if you know your fees ahead of time, you know what to charge for the item you are selling -  Buy Low and Sell High!

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@umoraski wrote:

I don't have a problem with Ebay showing the discounted fee, because this will stop buyers from complaining about the shipping fees and blaming the seller....

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My listings show the calculated retail price, but I don't get any complaints because I state clearly in the listing that the postage cost shown is the actual calculated USPS postage cost from my ZIP Code to theirs.

One way or another, the buyer is paying the seller's overhead (packaging, eBay fees, etc.) whether it's in the shipping or in the item price.  Sensible buyers shop according to total cost.

[pjcdn2005]

There was a big banner on sellers hub about charging your buyers the discounted rate. I think that is what some are referring to. 

[wastingtime101]

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@umoraski wrote:

I don't have a problem with Ebay showing the discounted fee, because this will stop buyers from complaining about the shipping fees and blaming the seller. 

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😂Think again.

This one heavy product I used to sell shipped, at the time, for about $12-ish discounted ($14-ish retail) in a Med Flat Rate Box as the most economical shipping option several years back. I charged buyers $6 shipping and baked the rest into the item price. The reason I charged a partial ship cost was to mitigate the loss on buyers remorse returns when you don't have to refund original shipping.

Had many buyers complain about the $6 ship cost, including one buyer that left a nasty neg FB saying it should not have cost more than $3-4 to ship. If I dared to tell those buyers what shipping actually cost with med flat rate vs calc ship, they would tell me I was wrong.

Many buyers have no concept of what shipping actually costs, nor do they realize eBay charges fees on shipping, or that shipping and handling may include a buffer for packing materials, or that shipping rates go up multiple times per year. They will complain no matter what you charge for shipping.

[redschoolhouse]

You can check your shipping rate by using this link

https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf/carrier 

When I checked, I saw that I was marked discounted rates and I never chose that.  So I quickly hit the Standard rates without discount button and saved.

I will be checking this regularly now to make sure it's not changed.

[redschoolhouse]

Same here. When I just checked, My account was also marked discounted rates.  I know I didn't change it  and the last item I sold did NOT charge the discounted rate so it was changed by ebay already.