eBay

Anonymous · ‎03-17-2020

Join the Community team here at 1 PM PT on March 18th for our Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. We don't have a specific topic this week, so please bring any general questions you may have about buying or selling.

The chat will be open for questions from 1-2 pm PT, at which point we'll close thread from additional responses. After this time, we'll continue to work on responding to any queries that might still be unanswered.

If you're new to the chat, welcome! Simply Reply to this post with your question from 1-2 PM Pacific Time and we'll be happy to look into it for you.

mam98031 · ‎03-18-2020

I realize that it takes Ebay time and labor to locate and close listings that are banned due to price gouging. There is much talk about it on many threads as I'm sure you are aware. And I'm aware that Ebay has closed 10's of 1,000's of listings that were breaking policy. But more keep cropping up.

I had thought Ebay was going to prevent listings on banned items from getting posted at all? What happened with that? Is the problem that some sellers have gotten pretty creative and open new selling accounts and post the banned item in categories they don't belong?

What is Ebay's process for locating and closing these types of listings? A better understanding of this by the community would really help in my opinion. But please do not take me wrong. I know Ebay has their hands full with this and I commend all of you for all of your hard work.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

coffeebean832 · ‎03-18-2020

@Anonymous wrote:
@coffeebean832 wrote:
Hi guys- FedEx and UPS have both announced changes to signature requirements for the time being. Will eBay take this into consideration if an INR claim is filed on items over $750?

This is a fluid situation so I understand if you don't have an immediate answer but it would be great if you could find out and get back to us.
Hi @coffeebean832, thank you so much for bringing this up! This is an interesting question to address and while I don't have an update on this at the moment, I will be sure to bring it up with the appropriate teams that are discussing protection options for the current circumstances and work on getting you an update.

Thanks very much, Trinton. While you're reaching out to them I know something concerning a few sellers I've spoken with is the strain put on their internet connections with so many people at home. My connection has drastically slowed down and at times it goes out completely when everybody in the neighborhood is streaming. So far I've managed to get my packages out every day, but if there were an instance as a result of this where I didn't see an order on time or I wasn't able to schedule a carrier pickup I hope that eBay would extend protections for late shipments. Internet issues are not the same as carrier delays but the result can be the same.

gwzcomps · ‎03-18-2020

tyler@ebay wrote:
@gwzcomps wrote:
What is the proper procedure to cancel a sale if we get sick or shipping services shut down? How will we avoid defects when eBay can't even remove a defect on my account for a previous order EBAY TOLD ME TO CANCEL!!!
Hi @gwzcomps - if you receive sales after your shipping stations are shut down and before you're able to update your listings with an alternate (or activate vacation mode, etc), I recommend letting the buyer know the situation and cancelling with 'buyer requested or problem with the buyer's address'.

If you fall ill please make sure that you're taking care of yourself and focusing on getting better. I'd also make sure that your listings are set up with handling time sufficient for you or with a vacation setting turned on.

If you have items that sell that you aren't able to fulfill because you've fallen ill you should cancel the transaction with the same reason code.

What is eBay recommending for a handling time? I currently have mine at 5 days and am only shipping in large batches to conform to social distancing recommendations. Considering 10 days, but trying not to completely kill the business. I am really wishing eBay would have done better 4th quarter last year now...

picknparley · ‎03-18-2020

Sorry Tyler, but ebay has to do much better than that.

tyler@ebay · ‎03-18-2020

@alcoforever wrote:

tyler@ebay wrote:

@alcoforever wrote:

What can or should a seller do when scammed by a switcheroo, i.e. the buyer deliberately returns the wrong item?

Have searched the seller help pages in vain looking for an answer to this one.

Hi @alcoforever - I definitely recommend reporting the buyer through the opened return and contacting Customer Support so they can review the situation. If you offer free returns or are Top Rated and offer 30 day returns you would be also able to issue a less than full refund.

Can I take your answer to mean you do not recommend filing fraud reports with ic3.gov, usps.com and both police departments?

Hi @alcoforever - I can't provide general recommendations outside of eBay. Depending on the specifics of a situation CS may advise you to contact alternate entities to report it, yes. If you have a particular return that you need reviewed please consider using the Help & Contact link in the upper left corner to send CS a message regarding it so they can review and get back to you. Thanks!

Tyler,

Anonymous · ‎03-18-2020

@nuclearomen wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@nuclearomen wrote:

tyler@ebay

I need my listings/store refreshed, I emailed ebay CS yesterday the response I got was:

“I apologize Kevin, refreshing an account is not available as of the moment. Normally, we talk to the account owner over the phone but since phone call is not available we really cannot take actions.
Thanks for choosing eBay. We appreciated your business. You take care always and enjoy the rest of your day!”

Can someone please refresh my store? Takes few seconds and isn’t hard for ebay to do!

Hi @nuclearomen, I'm glad you brought this up so I can address a common misconception. We’ve seen this topic come up in the forums a few times, and it has caused confusion for some. To be clear, there is not a special method or button that we have to help give someone a boost in sales. We want all sellers to be successful and have control over their success. The main factors for improving sales are closely tied to the main factors for Best Match. While you may have had discussions in the past with Customer Service about "refreshing" your account, this would have been rooted in a misunderstanding by the agents you spoke with.

Though it might seem like an easy thing to do, pushing a button to refresh some listings doesn’t actually change the characteristics of the listings. The things that we encourage all sellers to do is what has the most impact on listings – a competitive price, free shipping whenever possible, quality pictures, a well thought out title, etc. The store refresh process does exist, but it only address some very specific technical issues (such as when a revision is not processing as it should). This option is not capable of boosting sales or improving Best Match results. This has been misunderstood and we are working to make sure everyone understands this. If you can tell me dates and approximate times of when you were given misinformation about this topic, I will be happy to address any training or coaching needs those agents may have.

@Anonymous
it's not about boosting sales... it's about my listings being "froze" for 4 days now most to all listings have just stopped views/watcher counts..which yeah, I actually keep track of on over half of listings. I know there isn't a "button", but there is a refresh process ebay can do and doing it in bulk editor isn't the same. I already have free shipping/returns, lowest price on most all items to competitor prices (go ahead check them yourself), 100% feedback, top rated seller... If ebay doesn't want to help then ebay then forward me a month store fee credit.

Hi @nuclearomen, it is quite possible your views and watchers are down because of the current events that are impacting a large portion of not only the United States but also the entire globe. To reiterate, the refresh process you are referencing is specifically for technical issues related to listings not updating properly after revisions and would not impact the situation you are detailing. It's great to hear you've already taken steps to remain competitive and I can only encourage you to keep in mind that the current state of the market may result in unexpected changes to buyer behavior.

papermoneyforme · ‎03-18-2020

Pointed question.

If an item is sent with signature required and it is not obtained due to the Virus situation, if that buyer files an INR, will Ebay reimburse the buyer or will the seller have to?

@nd part, if that buyer goes to Paypal, will Ebay just wash their hands and let the seller pay?

Ebay has said many times that they will not waive store fees during this pandemic, yet what are we supposed to do, just put the store on vacation and continue paying Ebay for nothing?

brian@ebay · ‎03-18-2020

@dgn5009 wrote:

I'm hopeful EBay is imposing sanctions on sellers price gouging on hand sanitizer, wipes, etc. I reported two auctions today that had been up for a while - one where sanitizer and wipes were going for $99USD plus 50 shipping. I get that you can't find all of these, but just hope that there's a real consequence for these sellers. They really shouldn't be part of this community.

Hi @dgn5009, this is a top priority for us and something we are definitely taking seriously. You'll find our announcement about steps we are taking here.

Brian,
Community Team

dhbookds · ‎03-18-2020

As an aside...........

Hope the earthquake didn't harm ebay people (or anyone for that matter)...........have spoken to some at the answer center there and nice people.......

golfingaddict · ‎03-18-2020

In the seller performance service metrics, there are "best practices" for sellers to take to prevent "item not received cases.

When a buyer opens a request and the seller can prove that the item was shipped on time, tracking was used, the item shows delivered.. the seller can have the request closed in the seller's favor.

And yet the service metrics are affected and makes it look like the seller is not doing their job.

Why are these metrics not removed when the case in closed in the sellers favor? The best practices seem to be ironic when you are the seller that is following them. Does ebay have any other suggestions to prevent these hits to our metrics?

comics-scifi-collectibles · ‎03-18-2020

@nuclearomen Not saying that it will fix the problem but I always get more watchers and even a few sales sometimes when I change my handling time from 1 to 3 days. The "boost" is short-lived.

Of course, I lose the TRS+ discount on those sales though.

I have tried making other changes in bulk edit but nothing else seems to work.

I only extend my handling times when going out of town for a few days because I don't want to take my listings down.

Comics-scifi_collectibles Is a Volunteer Community Mentor.
I have been a seller since 2003

nuclearomen · ‎03-18-2020

@Anonymous wrote:
@nuclearomen wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@nuclearomen wrote:
tyler@ebay

I need my listings/store refreshed, I emailed ebay CS yesterday the response I got was:
“I apologize Kevin, refreshing an account is not available as of the moment. Normally, we talk to the account owner over the phone but since phone call is not available we really cannot take actions.
Thanks for choosing eBay. We appreciated your business. You take care always and enjoy the rest of your day!”
Can someone please refresh my store? Takes few seconds and isn’t hard for ebay to do!
Hi @nuclearomen, I'm glad you brought this up so I can address a common misconception. We’ve seen this topic come up in the forums a few times, and it has caused confusion for some. To be clear, there is not a special method or button that we have to help give someone a boost in sales. We want all sellers to be successful and have control over their success. The main factors for improving sales are closely tied to the main factors for Best Match. While you may have had discussions in the past with Customer Service about "refreshing" your account, this would have been rooted in a misunderstanding by the agents you spoke with.

Though it might seem like an easy thing to do, pushing a button to refresh some listings doesn’t actually change the characteristics of the listings. The things that we encourage all sellers to do is what has the most impact on listings – a competitive price, free shipping whenever possible, quality pictures, a well thought out title, etc. The store refresh process does exist, but it only address some very specific technical issues (such as when a revision is not processing as it should). This option is not capable of boosting sales or improving Best Match results. This has been misunderstood and we are working to make sure everyone understands this. If you can tell me dates and approximate times of when you were given misinformation about this topic, I will be happy to address any training or coaching needs those agents may have.
@Anonymous
it's not about boosting sales... it's about my listings being "froze" for 4 days now most to all listings have just stopped views/watcher counts..which yeah, I actually keep track of on over half of listings. I know there isn't a "button", but there is a refresh process ebay can do and doing it in bulk editor isn't the same. I already have free shipping/returns, lowest price on most all items to competitor prices (go ahead check them yourself), 100% feedback, top rated seller... If ebay doesn't want to help then ebay then forward me a month store fee credit.
Hi @nuclearomen, it is quite possible your views and watchers are down because of the current events that are impacting a large portion of not only the United States but also the entire globe. To reiterate, the refresh process you are referencing is specifically for technical issues related to listings not updating properly after revisions and would not impact the situation you are detailing. It's great to hear you've already taken steps to remain competitive and I can only encourage you to keep in mind that the current state of the market may result in unexpected changes to buyer behavior.

@Anonymous
yeah, dude, this is what has been happening on my account for months...it happens when I make revisions or add new item...I reported this several times for tech support and ebay has done nothing...so now maybe you understand better why I need the refresh(?)

The great truth is there isn't one
And it only gets worse since that conclusion...
...There is something about the rigid posture of a proper, authentic blind
As if extended arms reached to pass his blindness onto others.

picknparley · ‎03-18-2020

"...You are welcome to report any concerns you see directly from the listing. You can use the following options to get these reported with the appropriate priority: Prohibited and restricted items> Illegal items and items encouraging illegal activity> Other illegal activity concerns..."

Many of us sellers have spent considerable time trying to help ebay out by reporting, but listings we report are still up and selling days later.

Regular sellers get their hands slapped for policy infractions sometimes resulting in immediate shut down of our account. Why are you not just shutting down the accounts of the gougers instead of going after individual listings?

rosevelyn · ‎03-18-2020

In Seller Hub, the amount of listings "ending today" is always a higher number--sometimes much higher--than the actual number. This has been an issue for quite a while. Is that still being worked on?