Live Broadcast & Community Chat Hour - Wed. August 1st @ 1 pm PDT - General Topics

[tyler@ebay]

Please join The Community Team here on Wed August 1st at 1 pm Pacific for a one hour Q&A chat. We do not have a set topic, so any questions you may have about eBay or Community are fair game. 

See you this afternoon! 

*Keep in mind the Community’s Rules of Engagement when you post. Non-constructive/disrespectful posts will be removed by our moderation team so that the thread can focus on a productive discussion. 

[mendelsons]

Any updates on the broken shipping calcualator ?  Its really hard to sell multiple quantities of the same item when buyers and sellers cant use your shipping calcuator to give accurate quotes.  I think this is going on its third month that I know its been broken.

Please advise.

Rick

[tink012]

I have a question as a buyer - when I look at items on my phone, I can only click to "see other items by a seller", not their store. Yet when I go on my desktop I do have a link to their store (if they have one). I'm using an iphone. Same result using the app as using a mobile browser.

Another user told me that was on purpose, that there isn't a store link for mobile users and won't be.

Is this correct or are there plans to put a store link on the mobile platforms?

[abfabvintage]

Hi, there are threads beginning on the Seller Board related to Starter Stores (not sure if it affects other stores) whereas in my case since June 1 and through August 31 there is an extra 50 free listings referenced as Active. Most say this is a glitch. Some say possibly related to someone that had a non-store for the 50 free that converted to a Store. I have always had a store and some point figured maybe this 50 was left over from my Basic?

I downgraded from Basic on May 3 to Starter with effective Starter date of June 1. And there are other posters who are asking same: do we get 100 free with the Starter AND that extra 50 Free at no cost on our invoices? or is this an eBay glitch?  

[alan@ebay]

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@mam98031 wrote:

Could you tell us more about the Mentor program?  The page provided is limited in information.

What does that mean for someone that has been approved to be a Mentor?  I would imagine it comes with great responsibility and someone that is knowledgeable about Ebay's rules.  That part I get.  But is there more to it?  

---

Hi @mam98031, 

Thanks for your question, and for your interest in the Mentor program! 

The Community Mentor (formerly known as 'Community Expert') program was established on three eBay Community (US, UK & Germany) sites back in 2015. 

We rebranded the US program to 'Mentor' in January of this year, as I felt that the term 'Mentor,' by its own definition: "an experienced and trusted adviser" is a better fit for the type of help and guidance that users in the program provide. 

We love our Community Mentors,  and we consider them as an extension of The Community Team.

When users apply to join, we do review their posts to ensure that they'll be a good fit for the program. We look to see if the person has a proven track record of being knowledgeable about trading on eBay while also being friendly and cooperative when talking to others. 

The perks of being in the program are listed on our new Community page. 

If you have any other questions, do let me know. 

Thanks. 

[theshoppingmom2]

Hi everyone!!!! ((((((( hugs))))) to all!!

My question: why are my pictures  side ways when I use my phone? is there a way to rotate them?

[tink012]

Thanks, @coffeebean832, I will - glad to have an option for sales and I will be sure to save the photos just in case (I do, but haven't been good about organizing them so whew what a nightmare if they were lost). And thanks @brian.t for the good news.

[buyselljack2016]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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tyler@ebay wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

I need a little clearer definition of what Ebay feels is OK to do with listing titles in regards to Brand names.

For example, lets say a seller is selling a knockoff of a fragrance call Sauvage by Dior.  The seller is selling a knockoff called Zone by 12 Monkeys.  Lets say the title reads:  Zone by 12 Monkeys EDP Spray for men Impression Dior Sauvage.

Is that OK?  What are the perimeters of referring to a brand name in the title of something that is not by that brand?

---

Hi @mam98031! The use of brand names falls under the 'search and browse' policies (link here). 

Specifically: a brand name can be mentioned in a listing or title as long as the item is authentically branded with that brand name. 

So in the example you provided, you wouldn't want to include the other Dior Sauvage term. 

---

OMG, you guys have your work cut out for you.  There are so many sellers [big sellers] of fragrances that breach this rule on a regular basis and have for a very long time.  I mean a lot.  

I had thought my understanding was correct, as you described it, but there are so many listings out there that clearly do not adhere to this policy and yet they have gotten away with it for years.  Why?  Keeping in mind that there are other sellers that get nailed for it along the way.  But there are so many out there I really don't understand why Ebay doesn't do more about it.

---

There really is no work involved for eBay on this.

Just as the listings for full/sealed bottles of alcohol continue to be listed and sold, so shall these items remain.

Falls in the same area of contact info being provided in listings in the way of physical addresses, websites, email links, and phone #'s.

Not allowed, but is still there in masse.

[mam98031]

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@coffeebean832 wrote:

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brian@ebay wrote:

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@tink012 wrote:

I have a technical issue question - have been thinking of switching my listings to good-til-canceled so in the future I can put slow moving items on sale & continue the sale after it relists (I think this is what is now advised). My question is whether the lost photo issue for relisting gtc is fixed now, or should I wait a bit?

Also, will that work(to run sales, use gtc listings instead of 30 day listings)

Thanks!

(and welcome back!)

---

Hi @tink012, the image issue with Good Til Cancelled listings is resolved, so you can go ahead and start using that duration. The Good Til Cancelled duration is recommended if you wish to place items on sale repeatedly or for long durations. It sounds like this is what you are wanting to do, so using the Good Til Cancelled duration will work.

---

But you should still keep a backup of your photos.

You should also end and refresh any GTC listings that have been listed for too long without a sale or they will keep dropping in search placement.

---

This is such GOOD advice.  When I started selling I did not keep a copy of my pics.  I found myself retaking pics so often it drove me nuts.  Now that wasn't because Ebay did anything wrong, it would be because I sold out of something and then maybe 3 or 4 months later I'd find more and purchase it.  But because the listing was over 90 days old, it was no longer stored on Ebay, so I had to retake pics and redesign the listing.

I'm a dinasaur around here.  I still use Turbo Lister to store my templates and design my listings.  But I also learned to store my pics my category for easy location, on my own computer.  It is a real time saver, especially if you might have stock that reoccurs.

[brian@ebay]

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@mendelsons wrote:

Any updates on the broken shipping calcualator ?  Its really hard to sell multiple quantities of the same item when buyers and sellers cant use your shipping calcuator to give accurate quotes.  I think this is going on its third month that I know its been broken.

Please advise.

Rick

---

Hi @mendelsons, our developers are aware of the issue. While I do know they are working to resolve it, I don't have an update on when a fix will be implemented. Sorry for the frustrations this has caused! 

[mam98031]

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alan@ebay wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

Could you tell us more about the Mentor program?  The page provided is limited in information.

What does that mean for someone that has been approved to be a Mentor?  I would imagine it comes with great responsibility and someone that is knowledgeable about Ebay's rules.  That part I get.  But is there more to it?  

---

Hi @mam98031, 

Thanks for your question, and for your interest in the Mentor program! 

The Community Mentor (formerly known as 'Community Expert') program was established on three eBay Community (US, UK & Germany) sites back in 2015. 

We rebranded the US program to 'Mentor' in January of this year, as I felt that the term 'Mentor,' by its own definition: "an experienced and trusted adviser" is a better fit for the type of help and guidance that users in the program provide. 

We love our Community Mentors,  and we consider them as an extension of The Community Team.

When users apply to join, we do review their posts to ensure that they'll be a good fit for the program. We look to see if the person has a proven track record of being knowledgeable about trading on eBay while also being friendly and cooperative when talking to others. 

The perks of being in the program are listed on our new Community page. 

If you have any other questions, do let me know. 

Thanks. 

---

Will the members you accept to the program be identified on the site, when posting, as a mentor?

[doug@ebay]

Hi @theshoppingmom2! Great to see you at eBay Open! Thanks for spending time with us in the Community booth and overall at the event.

Regarding photos from mobile uploading sideways, this is something we need to look into with Lithium. 

Thanks!

---

@theshoppingmom2 wrote:

Hi everyone!!!! ((((((( hugs))))) to all!!

My question: why are my pictures  side ways when I use my phone? is there a way to rotate them?

---

[mam98031]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

---

@mam98031 wrote:

---

tyler@ebay wrote:

---

@mam98031 wrote:

I need a little clearer definition of what Ebay feels is OK to do with listing titles in regards to Brand names.

For example, lets say a seller is selling a knockoff of a fragrance call Sauvage by Dior.  The seller is selling a knockoff called Zone by 12 Monkeys.  Lets say the title reads:  Zone by 12 Monkeys EDP Spray for men Impression Dior Sauvage.

Is that OK?  What are the perimeters of referring to a brand name in the title of something that is not by that brand?

---

Hi @mam98031! The use of brand names falls under the 'search and browse' policies (link here). 

Specifically: a brand name can be mentioned in a listing or title as long as the item is authentically branded with that brand name. 

So in the example you provided, you wouldn't want to include the other Dior Sauvage term. 

---

OMG, you guys have your work cut out for you.  There are so many sellers [big sellers] of fragrances that breach this rule on a regular basis and have for a very long time.  I mean a lot.  

I had thought my understanding was correct, as you described it, but there are so many listings out there that clearly do not adhere to this policy and yet they have gotten away with it for years.  Why?  Keeping in mind that there are other sellers that get nailed for it along the way.  But there are so many out there I really don't understand why Ebay doesn't do more about it.

---

There really is no work involved for eBay on this.

Just as the listings for full/sealed bottles of alcohol continue to be listed and sold, so shall these items remain.

Falls in the same area of contact info being provided in listings in the way of physical addresses, websites, email links, and phone #'s.

Not allowed, but is still there in masse.

---

I'm not sure I understand your statement "There really is no work involved for eBay on this.".  If Ebay isn't going to clean it up, then who is?  Or is it just going to remain?

[theshoppingmom2]

doug@ebay  it was soooo amazing connecting with  you and everyone on the team!! wish we had more time and not only 3 days!!

Thank goodness is not me  doing the picture thingie... hopefully it will have a fix soon... I wonder if I made the phone sideways on my phone and then upload it here would it be  upload it right ? LOL

[a_c_green]

Recently I've been doing battle with the new Shipping label form in an effort to understand why anyone would need to change the existing one, or what problems they thought they were solving by doing so. A number of issues came up that really need to be addressed. What follows is a reworked discussion group posting from a couple of weeks ago in this thread here.

I had a number of shipments going out recently, so I gave it the ol' college try, frequently veering off to click the "How are we doing?" link at the bottom to report the latest oversight or redesign silliness I had just discovered. My initial rating in each report started at "2," but by the time of my, I don't know, fourth or fifth report, it had sunk to a "1." As I said in one report, "This form appears to have been designed by someone who does not know how Shipping works."

Things I noticed, in no particular order:

• There's no way of changing the Ship From ZIP designation when mailing from a post office other than that of your Return Address ZIP. It's not even shown on the form. The Ship From ZIP is needed to indicate that the shipping was correctly calculated from the ZIP code of the Accepting post office. This could be a showstopper under certain circumstances, such as a seller taking packages with him on vacation to mail when payments are received. I use it routinely when mailing my packages from my office ZIP code rather than my home ZIP.
• The new form commandeers at least double the vertical screen space of the old one, then does nothing with it. You have to scroll and scroll and scroll, or page down through acres of whitespace to complete the form.
• The new form offers alternate Shipping methods that have nothing to do with those offered in the listing, nor with the product being shipped (e.g. offering Media Mail on an item that doesn't qualify for it). Last night I was trying to ship bicycle parts, and yet I was offered Flat Rate Envelopes or Media Mail as alternate Shipping methods. This not only makes no sense (I do offer Priority Mail as an upgrade over the free First Class Package) but also has the potential for trouble if, for example, a seller who doesn't know any better falls for the cheap cost of Media Mail, then gets his non-compliant package inspected and hit with surcharges along the way.

Getting back to the Ship From ZIP issue for a moment: the survey form adds insult to injury by asking if we would like to see it added, as if it was some sort of form decoration. IT'S REQUIRED for certain circumstances (forgive me for shouting), and its absence from the original form, coupled with its mention in a survey, as if we were supposed to... vote on it, or something... strongly indicates that the redesign is being conducted by people who simply do not know what they're doing. This needs to stop.

The form has errors and omissions that should have been caught before it was ever released for testing, and (more importantly) whoever is working on it needs to show a lot more responsiveness in terms of fixing glaring oversights, such as the missing Ship From ZIP function. It's been literally weeks since that was reported, and there has been no reaction, and no correction. There is no indication that anyone is reading or acting on the feedback that is so desperately needed on that form. What were they thinking, and what problem(s) with the old form are they attempting to address?

[tyler@ebay]

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@dhbookds wrote:

Did we ever get an answer on the 35c that "may be charged if best offer is NOT used"?

---

Hi @dhbookds - we were able to get some information, yes!

An ongoing promotion for many sellers offers free insertion fees if terms and conditions are met, one of which is to allow Best Offer. If a listing is revised to remove Best Offer after it is listed, they would no longer meet the terms and conditions of this promotion and they are then charged an insertion fee.

The warning is displayed on listing flows for members as a reminder that if the option is unchecked they may be responsible for an insertion fee. 

This message is also displaying for members that aren't included in the promotion, and we've gotten that feedback sent. At this point, unless you are participating in that listing promotion, there would be no financial impact to you for unchecking the Best Offer box.