Community Chat, Feb 21th @ 1pm PT - General Topics

[alan@ebay]

Hi Community, 

Please join The Community Team here on Wed Feb 21 at 1 pm PT for a Q&A Community Chat. We don't have a set topic today, so please come prepared with your buying & selling questions. 

Thanks & talk to you then! 

[mallontown]

Thank you for allowing me to post to this Community Chat about Ebays new unwritten rules. I checked the policies and could not find any that pertain to the Customer Service message in quotes below.
Seller now must educate buyers.
I'm not sure if everyone knows but Ebay now says "A seller has  a vested interest in the success of the eBay platform and as such have a responsibility to educate their customers of any policy concerns that come up in a transaction."
That sure sound mandatory and is very concerning.

So now sellers must educate buyers if a buyer uses ebay messages and sends the seller a message with a possible policy violation in the message.
Ebay has the ability to stop customers from sending any message that may violate ebay policy. but instead will mark the buyers account with a warning and also mark the sellers account with a warning even though the seller had nothing to do with the message. That's right both accounts are marked with a warning.
Myself I think that's eBay's job as eBay has the ability to stop buyers from sending emails that ask sellers to violate policy. And while the seller can respond to policy questions they are aware of, making it the responsibility of sellers is wrong as all sellers may not be aware of all policies or may interpret eBay's policies different than how eBay interprets them.
Sellers do not work for ebay. eBay employs Customer Service Reps for these types of questions of eBay's policies.
So be careful with all questions by buyers. You may have to answer any implied questions. You may have to research all of eBay's policies.

My question is where can I find this information in eBay policies?
Please show me the link.

[brian@ebay]

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@roadking5555 wrote:

Good afternoon,

I wanted to revisit the Automatic 5 star ratings that have been discussed for the last 4 or 5 weekly chats.

I am still able to leave a rating for sellers on communication where no communication has transpired, and I am still able to receive ratings from buyers when there is no communication. The rating line is not greyed out.

But now we have a new glitch, or is it permanent?....The Detailed seller rating report is no longer appearing on the seller dashboard page under "reports and service tools".

I ran a DSR report 2 days ago, now it's gone. A call into CS gave 3 different answers, 2 reps have no idea, one said they eliminated it and the 4th submitted a ticket to the IT department.

My question, is this report tool gone for good or is it a technical glitch?

If the answer is "gone for good" then there is no need to answer the original question since sellers will no longer have the ability to ensure the stated eBay policy is working or not.

---

Hi @roadking5555, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm also not seeing the option to download a DSR report. I'm unsure if this is an intended change or a site issue. I'll do some digging to see what information I can gather and update you when I find out! 

[dtexley3]

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@mam98031wrote:

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@dtexley3wrote:

Does eBay track how often posters report that they are receiving incorrect or confusing instructions from CS?  There seems to be a significant uptick in the number of posts where other sellers are coming to the forums because CS is not providing guidance that is easily understood and more importantly accurate.   

The language barrier has been mentioned frequently lately so I'm wondering if the off-shore CS staff has been increased instead of the US based staff.

---

While I completely agree we all to often get bad info from the call center, it is important to remember that the threads are not really the best way to guage that there is an uptick in this issue.  It is normal human behavior to post about things that are going wrong, glitches, venting and any number of negative subject.  It is far less common to post feel good stories.  They just don't get the attention as then other types of threads.

---

I respectfully disagree, when I say uptick I'm speaking of the number of posts per week from a general sense.  I'm not talking about the ratio good to bad experience posts.  In my opinion there has been an increase lately in the number of posts where the poster has contacted CS and not gotten a useful answer.  I recognize that people post when unhappy, I'm talking about the requency of posts where the information given by CS is questionable, not where the poster objects or doesn't understand policy.

[brian@ebay]

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@roadking5555 wrote:

Good afternoon,

I wanted to revisit the Automatic 5 star ratings that have been discussed for the last 4 or 5 weekly chats.

I am still able to leave a rating for sellers on communication where no communication has transpired, and I am still able to receive ratings from buyers when there is no communication. The rating line is not greyed out.

But now we have a new glitch, or is it permanent?....The Detailed seller rating report is no longer appearing on the seller dashboard page under "reports and service tools".

I ran a DSR report 2 days ago, now it's gone. A call into CS gave 3 different answers, 2 reps have no idea, one said they eliminated it and the 4th submitted a ticket to the IT department.

My question, is this report tool gone for good or is it a technical glitch?

If the answer is "gone for good" then there is no need to answer the original question since sellers will no longer have the ability to ensure the stated eBay policy is working or not.

---

@roadking5555, I forgot to mention that the first issue you mentioned has been brought to the attention of our developers. They're aware of it and are working towards a fix. 

[Anonymous]

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@dtexley3 wrote:

Does eBay track how often posters report that they are receiving incorrect or confusing instructions from CS?  There seems to be a significant uptick in the number of posts where other sellers are coming to the forums because CS is not providing guidance that is easily understood and more importantly accurate.   

The language barrier has been mentioned frequently lately so I'm wondering if the off-shore CS staff has been increased instead of the US based staff.

---

Hi @dtexley3@, we absolutely track these kinds of concerns and appropriate coaching is provided to the agents in question. If you see reports of misinformation being provided, you are welcome to @mention a member of the Community Team so we can ensure that the correct info is made clear and look into the conversation with Customer Service for improvements.

[buyselljack2016]

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@dtexley3 wrote:

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@vrykalakwrote:

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@dtexley3wrote:

Hey a bug! Imagine that.  On the seller perfomance page all the stats are now based on a 3 month window where previously some were 1 year and some were 3 months. 

FWIW, I like the 3 month window better!!!! 

---

I don't! 
Because of a 3-month window, in which I had 4 "late uploading of tracking" defects caused by selling multiple items to the same buyer, I lost my TRS status. If that (monumentally stupid *) count had been spread out over the last 12 months, the % of times I forgot to move the tracking number to the 2nd and 3rd items sold to the same buyer, would have vanished in the overall number of single sales.

* "late uploading of tracking" is a defect even if the item was  shipped, scanned, and delivered on time. Grrrr!

---

You need to have those looked at, if the item is delivered ON TIME the late upload of the tracking # is NOT supposed to count.   You should play CS roulette and get that fixed.

Recently Trinton confirmed there were issues with the system correctly handling the Uploaded on Time and delivered on time stats and I've not seen anything confirming if that issue has been resolved.

---

If it was the multiple individual sale items in one box tracking , that particular tracking issue/incident has been beat to death here in multiple threads.. It was the failure/seller error not to add the tracking to each item for combined shipping, and falls on the seller. Time for it to ........

[terrycanarsky]

Terapeak.

I believe I read that eBay considers this to be a valuable marketing resource for pricing.  And maybe it is for some.  In our experience, it is a caching site only.  I use it to find listings of ours which have been removed for one reason of another long ago; it's a 50-50 shot whether or not the information is there, however.

It is causing a bit of havoc, however.  For the first time ever, I've fielded two calls in the past week or so from potential buyers who, knowing eBay now owns Terapeak, found old listings of ours and called to inquire.  Problem is, both items sold and shipped over two years ago!  These buyers were not interested in purchasing anything else, only what they were seeing on Terapeak, believing it to be accurate and up-to-date.

So.  Any way to put a disclaimer on Terapeak that shows it is a caching site rather than a back door into eBay?  These buyers were polite, but they were ticked off they'd wasted valuable time inquiring after something they thought available.

~M

[vrykalak]

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@dtexley3wrote:

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@vrykalakwrote:

---

@dtexley3wrote:

Hey a bug! Imagine that.  On the seller perfomance page all the stats are now based on a 3 month window where previously some were 1 year and some were 3 months. 

FWIW, I like the 3 month window better!!!! 

---

I don't! 
Because of a 3-month window, in which I had 4 "late uploading of tracking" defects caused by selling multiple items to the same buyer, I lost my TRS status. If that (monumentally stupid *) count had been spread out over the last 12 months, the % of times I forgot to move the tracking number to the 2nd and 3rd items sold to the same buyer, would have vanished in the overall number of single sales.

* "late uploading of tracking" is a defect even if the item was  shipped, scanned, and delivered on time. Grrrr!

---

You need to have those looked at, if the item is delivered ON TIME the late upload of the tracking # is NOT supposed to count.   You should play CS roulette and get that fixed.

Recently Trinton confirmed there were issues with the system correctly handling the Uploaded on Time and delivered on time stats and I've not seen anything confirming if that issue has been resolved.

---

"tracking indicates late delivery" is only a defect if the item arrived late.
"late shipping" is a defect if you didn't ship (i.e., carrier scan was late) on time
but "late uploading of tracking" specifically states that it is a defect regardless of whether or not the item was shipped and delivered on time. 
I think that's totally stupid and unfair, and should be abolished. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has suffered because of this new metric.

[mam98031]

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@dtexley3wrote:

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@mam98031wrote:

---

@dtexley3wrote:

Does eBay track how often posters report that they are receiving incorrect or confusing instructions from CS?  There seems to be a significant uptick in the number of posts where other sellers are coming to the forums because CS is not providing guidance that is easily understood and more importantly accurate.   

The language barrier has been mentioned frequently lately so I'm wondering if the off-shore CS staff has been increased instead of the US based staff.

---

While I completely agree we all to often get bad info from the call center, it is important to remember that the threads are not really the best way to guage that there is an uptick in this issue.  It is normal human behavior to post about things that are going wrong, glitches, venting and any number of negative subject.  It is far less common to post feel good stories.  They just don't get the attention as then other types of threads.

---

I respectfully disagree, when I say uptick I'm speaking of the number of posts per week from a general sense.  I'm not talking about the ratio good to bad experience posts.  In my opinion there has been an increase lately in the number of posts where the poster has contacted CS and not gotten a useful answer.  I recognize that people post when unhappy, I'm talking about the requency of posts where the information given by CS is questionable, not where the poster objects or doesn't understand policy.

---

There are millions and millions of sellers.  While I very much enjoy participating on threads as my time allows, I completely understand that the sellers / member represented here are only a fraction of a fraction of the total sellers on Ebay.  That is NOT in any way meant to dismiss the issues or the problems any given member is having.  They are real, I believe that in most cases.  They are valid, I believe that in most cases.  I'm only saying that an increase of complaints on the threads only means that more people are posting about it, not that it is happening more often than it was this time last year or some other time period.  Some may have just felt inspired to post.

But again, I am not in any way trying to deminish the importance of any issue a member may post about.

[vrykalak]

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@mam98031wrote:

---

@vrykalakwrote:

---

@dtexley3wrote:

Hey a bug! Imagine that.  On the seller perfomance page all the stats are now based on a 3 month window where previously some were 1 year and some were 3 months. 

FWIW, I like the 3 month window better!!!! 

---

I don't! 
Because of a 3-month window, in which I had 4 "late uploading of tracking" defects caused by selling multiple items to the same buyer, I lost my TRS status. If that (monumentally stupid *) count had been spread out over the last 12 months, the % of times I forgot to move the tracking number to the 2nd and 3rd items sold to the same buyer, would have vanished in the overall number of single sales.

* "late uploading of tracking" is a defect even if the item was  shipped, scanned, and delivered on time. Grrrr!

---

I sent you a private email after last weeks chat in an effort to help you with this issue.  You can print labels in Ebay for combine shipping of multiple line items.  Did you see the email?  Upper right of the screen where you see the little envelope.

I also now have screen shots for you if you want them.

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Yes, I saw it. Thank you.
In future, I will try to use that capability. 
That doesn't help me with the unfair defects I incurred in January.

[dhbookds]

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alan@ebaywrote:

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@dhbookdswrote:

Alan..........I think you've asked 2x at least, but any word on the refurbished mess?

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Hi @dhbookds,

I am in contact with the appropriate team, and I am pushing for improvements, but unfortunately, I don't have new information to share right now.

Thank you. 

Thanks for your persistence.......but kind of makes me think the appropriate team doesn't consider it a necessary change?

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[dtexley3]

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@Anonymouswrote:

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@dtexley3wrote:

Does eBay track how often posters report that they are receiving incorrect or confusing instructions from CS?  There seems to be a significant uptick in the number of posts where other sellers are coming to the forums because CS is not providing guidance that is easily understood and more importantly accurate.   

The language barrier has been mentioned frequently lately so I'm wondering if the off-shore CS staff has been increased instead of the US based staff.

---

Hi @dtexley3@, we absolutely track these kinds of concerns and appropriate coaching is provided to the agents in question. If you see reports of misinformation being provided, you are welcome to @mention a member of the Community Team so we can ensure that the correct info is made clear and look into the conversation with Customer Service for improvements.

---

hehehe, I don't "ring the bell" often enough as it is?????

[nc-daydreamer]

What has happened to the purchase section?  I have bought within the last 2 months and the new view is clueless.  This new format is the pitts - thus far.  Is it fixable?

[mallontown]

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tyler@ebaywrote:

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@mallontownwrote:

Thanks for allowing me to post to this Community Chat.
Devin Wenig, ebay CEO wants to evolve ebay into a company where only 4 choices of a product with 10,000 listings are a shown (1 new, 1 used, 1 refurb, 1 of the items competition product)
Where does that leave the everyday seller and the other 9,996 listing?
Will this 4 item approach be implemented fairly with all sellers being treated equally and ebay not favoring those that pay more (promoted) or those with special pricing/placement (big retailers on ebay)?
What date in 2018 does Devin Wenig want this approach to selling on ebay implemented?
When the change is implemented will sellers with year-long stores be able to cancel with no penalty?
Can the community team please get to the right team to get an answer to these questions?

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Hi @mallontown - Product Based Search, or Grouped Listings, is actually something that has been on the site since October of last year. It's rolled out to nearly all categories (exceptions are Clothing, Shoes & Accessories and Motors)  and allows buyers to group items into product pages as an option when viewing their search results. Rather than search through pages of search results it allows buyers to see product review information and several high level sub categories of item, like Price, condition, buying format, etc. 

This serves to benefit all sellers, as we believe a buyer is more likely to make a purchase if they can find details and more quickly locate the product they are looking for. It's also important to note that it is not a 'locked' result - meaning that while there are certain subcategories visible like 'New', a buyer can then click on an option to view all New results which would take them to an already filtered search result for the product they're looking for. 

There is no current plan to offer members on a yearly store subscription an option to end their commitement early

The largest takeaway as more buyers utilize this filter option is to ensure that you fully utilize available item specifics for each listing, to make sure that items are shown and given the best exposure in search. Thanks!

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When I click on "group similar listings it does not show me only 4 like Ebays Ceo Devin Wenig is stating. So my questions still stand unanswered

I will relist them

What date in 2018 does Devin Wenig want this approach of showing 4 items on ebay implemented?

Will this 4 item approach be implemented fairly with all sellers being treated equally and ebay not favoring those that pay more (promoted) or those with special pricing/placement (big retailers on ebay)?

[roadking5555]

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brian@ebaywrote:

---

@roadking5555wrote:

Good afternoon,

I wanted to revisit the Automatic 5 star ratings that have been discussed for the last 4 or 5 weekly chats.

I am still able to leave a rating for sellers on communication where no communication has transpired, and I am still able to receive ratings from buyers when there is no communication. The rating line is not greyed out.

But now we have a new glitch, or is it permanent?....The Detailed seller rating report is no longer appearing on the seller dashboard page under "reports and service tools".

I ran a DSR report 2 days ago, now it's gone. A call into CS gave 3 different answers, 2 reps have no idea, one said they eliminated it and the 4th submitted a ticket to the IT department.

My question, is this report tool gone for good or is it a technical glitch?

If the answer is "gone for good" then there is no need to answer the original question since sellers will no longer have the ability to ensure the stated eBay policy is working or not.

---

@roadking5555, I forgot to mention that the first issue you mentioned has been brought to the attention of our developers. They're aware of it and are working towards a fix. 

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Thank You for the update. hopefully the DSR report which goes hand in hand is also a programming glitch.