mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
Join the Community team here at 1 PM PT on June 26 for our Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. No set topic for the week, so feel free to share any general buying and selling questions you have.
The chat will be open for questions from 1-2 pm PT, at which point we'll close it down for additional questions and continue to work on responding to any remaining queries.
If you are new to the chat, welcome! Simply reply to this post with your question after 1 pm and we'll be happy to look into it 
@roadking5555 wrote:
tyler@ebay wrote:
Welcome everyone - the chat is now open for your questions!
I am following up from the previous two weekly chats on the sponsored (promoted) listings that show up in my search results that have nothing to do with my search parameters. The problem remains.
Is there any update or progress being made on this? I know it was forwarded to the appropriate team via Brain T. on 6-12-2019.
Thanks!
Hi @roadking5555, I don't have an update on this. The Promoted Listings team is aware of the issue though, so it's definitely on their radar to correct.
@vrykalak wrote:
tyler@ebay wrote:
@jrich137x wrote:
Two weeks ago eBay notified me that I won my appeal and that my money was returned to me. Never happened. I made multiple calls to customer service. I was repeatedly promised I would have my money back in a business day or two or three... Never happened. The Appeals supervisor says that she was told my money was returned late last week. Never happened.
I now realize that withholding my money is a deliberate action by eBay.
My question is: When will eBay return money it admits is mine?
Hi @jrich137x - congrats on winning the appeal! Typically funds from such a decision are available within 2-3 business days. However, there are situations in which they can be delayed. I'll have a closer look at this after the chat and reach out to you with more information. Thanks!
Twice this year (2 out of 2), eBay changed an invoice I sent...once before the buyer received it and once after...both resulting in the buyer being asked to pay more that I had asked them to pay.
The first time, CS said they would send a coupon to the buyer for the difference. Didn't happen. The sale was never completed, disappointing us both.
The second time, CS sent the invoice again, and it was correct, and the sale was completed.
Why does this happen?
Hi @vrykalak - we passed this feedback on when you reported it those times, and we were in touch with the teammates who made those promises - this should be resolved at this point.
It's difficult for us to answer 'why' questions to potential technical issues, but we'll always work to get these situations reported and investigated as they arise, as rare as they should be. Thanks!
tyler@ebay wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:A little clarification please.
In the Spring Seller Update we had a new Seller Protection policy announced. It stated:
New abusive buyer protections and reporting feature update
We're implementing stronger measures against buyers who don't follow eBay's abusive buyer policy. We're introducing new measures to proactively find abusive buyers, prevent them from filing return requests, and in some cases suspend them. When we find that a buyer violated the policy, we will remove any feedback and defects, including opened cases in service metrics.
We've also made it easier for you to report buyers who violate eBay policies. Now when you report a buyer, you can more clearly describe what the buyer is doing to help us investigate potential policy violations and take actions to protect you.
On the surface this sounds terrific. Having the vehicle to report a buyer for what we perceive as an abusive use of the return process is fantastic. That with the ability that if Ebay finds that the buyer has been abusive in the use of the policy the seller can get their ding in the Service Metrics and any related FB removed. Sounds great.
But it appears in application it isn’t quite that way. From what I’m gathering, it really isn’t on a case by case basis. A seller reporting a buyer may have that single transaction deemed by Ebay as abusive, but the Service Metric ding and FB [if any] won’t be removed unless Ebay deems the buyer as abusive. The two NOT being the same thing.
For Ebay to determine that the buyer is abusive, it takes a few [unknown quantity, which is understandable] reports founded to be true before Ebay takes this action. So a seller in a bad situation is going to have to wait and hope other sellers report the buyer for similar issues in the hopes of getting the ding removed from the Service Metrics and any FB to be removed.
This process could take months. In the meantime the seller’s stats could be in trouble. This could be the ONE SNAD that puts them over the edge for the Service Metrics penalty. To later have it removed when enough evidence by multiple sellers is submitted to Ebay for you to rule the buyer as abusive. Then the ding is removed from the seller, but only AFTER the seller has been in the penalty box for a given period of time and paid the additional fees and reduced visibility of their listings.
I do understand that Ebay should never deem any member, buyer or seller as abusive due to one member’s report. I get that and firmly agree with that. But if a seller actually has any new protection under this new rule, it is escaping me at this moment. Please advise.
https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2019-spring/seller-protections.html
Hi @mam98031 - your interpretation of the policies are correct as I understand them. I'm currently working with @coffeebean832 on a similar issue and trying to get additional information. Until such time as I hear differently, that's my understanding.
Then this is NOT any kind of seller protection at all. It was very misleading of Ebay to put this in the Update and call it protection as it offers none.
Stuff like this hurts Ebay's credibility with sellers. It was not a good decision to release this with this kind of a procedure attached to it. While I like the new reporting system, that part is good. But response time and the ability to protect a seller currently just isn't there. It will only protect the seller, maybe, a few months down the road IF the buyer continues with similar behavior.
Not all buyers are repeat offenders. That doesn't make a report by a seller today any less valid that an abuse did happen, yet Ebay still won't help even if they see from the evidence that this buyer did not act in good faith when filing a claim.
Not all of us have deep pockets. Many of us work really hard to keep food on the table and the lights on. We are big retail, Ebay is, but many of their sellers are not. We need some relief here. We need Ebay to step up with REAL policies that do help to protect them from abusive buyers. This policy falls way short of offering any help.
@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro...how much longer will we have them?
Hi @my-cottage-books-and-antiques - the information I have is that by the end of July all business and professional sellers will be moved to Seller Hub without the option to revert back.
@mam98031 wrote:
brian@ebay wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
brian@ebay wrote:
@stuff4divas wrote:
Hello.
Can it be explained how Cassini search engine works?
Lots of complaints as to which search words to put into the search box. Irrelevant listings show up.
Also that multitudes of Chinese listings pop up even after being filtered out.
And why do some of our eBay listing show up on Google search?
Hi @stuff4divas, while we cannot go into specific detail about search since our algorithm is proprietary, we do have some information here that may be helpful.
Google will display items from across the internet if the listing meets their search criteria. Google ultimately determines what they show in their search engine.
I get an error when trying to display the link you provided.
Thanks @stuff4divas & @mam98031! It should be working now.
For me, I still get this.
@mam98031 the link in the quote won't work, but if you go to the original post and click the link there then it should work.
@dutchman48 wrote:
Why should Ebay not have to make the change when we were forced to
tyler@ebay wrote:
@papermoneyforme wrote:
tyler@ebay wrote:
Welcome everyone - the chat is now open for your questions!
Many moons ago, Canadian sellers were forced to list in Canadian dollars.
When can we expect are sales reports plus to be in Canadian dollars to use the same currency we were forced to list in.
It is seriously overdue and time it was fixed for Canadians.
Hi @papermoneyforme - I hear you on this.
There is no current plan I am aware of to make this change.
Why should Ebay not be forced to make this change just as we were.
Maybe take it up with Andrea in your discussions next month.
Hi @dutchman48 - I can't answer 'why' questions for you on this, but I've worked to get you the direct answers I know you've talked about preferring. But I'm happy to get this feedback off to the right team!
brian@ebay wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
brian@ebay wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
brian@ebay wrote:
@stuff4divas wrote:Hello.
Can it be explained how Cassini search engine works?
Lots of complaints as to which search words to put into the search box. Irrelevant listings show up.
Also that multitudes of Chinese listings pop up even after being filtered out.
And why do some of our eBay listing show up on Google search?
Hi @stuff4divas, while we cannot go into specific detail about search since our algorithm is proprietary, we do have some information here that may be helpful.
Google will display items from across the internet if the listing meets their search criteria. Google ultimately determines what they show in their search engine.
I get an error when trying to display the link you provided.
Thanks @stuff4divas & @mam98031! It should be working now.
For me, I still get this.
@mam98031the link in the quote won't work, but if you go to the original post and click the link there then it should work.
Got it. That works, THANK YOU!
