Sometime in the not too distant past Ebay removed the link to log out.
Now, it's part of a drop down box under a person's first name.
However, to log out now requires a bunch of stuff to be working properly.
Stuff which might not be working properly.
When that happens, the drop down box does not appear.
Instead, one sees "We're sorry, there was a problem retrieving this information".
Please Ebay, give us a link to log out.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Ebay please fix: stale descriptions
This has been an on and off again problem for some time now, but today it became acute.
Process:
1. sell similar from my current listing
2. modify title, replace pictures, replace text description
3. confirm new listing
Result:
Title changes, pictures change, but the text remains from the prior listing.
This has been very repeatable today.
Process:
1. sell similar from my current listing
2. modify title, replace pictures, replace text description
3. confirm new listing
Result:
Title changes, pictures change, but the text remains from the prior listing.
This has been very repeatable today.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Selling to Canadians with US addresses, simplified
There are two blocks a seller can establish.
1. An Ebay bid block.
2. A Paypal international payment block.
The Ebay bid block is readily circumvented if the Canadian creates a new Ebay account with buyer's US address. This allows the Canadian to bid and win the item.
The payment block will keep the Canadian from paying for the won item, unless the Canadian has established an American Paypal account. Such a block is not the default.
There's the simple version.
For me, I block the bid, but not the payment. I have made several sales to such people. Some required a bit of hand holding, but they have all worked out in the end.
1. An Ebay bid block.
2. A Paypal international payment block.
The Ebay bid block is readily circumvented if the Canadian creates a new Ebay account with buyer's US address. This allows the Canadian to bid and win the item.
The payment block will keep the Canadian from paying for the won item, unless the Canadian has established an American Paypal account. Such a block is not the default.
There's the simple version.
For me, I block the bid, but not the payment. I have made several sales to such people. Some required a bit of hand holding, but they have all worked out in the end.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Selling to Canadians with US addresses
A lot of sellers don't wish to ship to Canada these days. The reasons why are not the topic here.
However, a lot of sellers sell to Canadians every day, but they ship to a US address. The seller doesn't even know. For example, if you're shipping to Pt. Roberts, WA, the buyer is almost certainly a Canadian.
There are levels of difficulty which a seller can establish to defend against selling to Canadians.
1. Don't specify any Canadian shipping.
Result: Any Canadian can bid/buy. Seller and the Canadian can figure it out later.
2. Don't specify Canadian shipping, and block bids from buyers whose primary shipping address is in a place I don't ship to.
Ebay Result: Default Canadian account is blocked. Canadian has to create a different account with a USA shipping address (and maybe a registration address).
That's where we leave Ebay and move to Paypal.
By default, a seller Paypal account can accept payment from a Canadian Paypal account.
The Canadian with a US address Ebay account can bid, then pay, specifying his US address, usually in a border state where the Canadian will pick the stuff up.
However, a seller who wants to block this technique has a further barrier: configure paypal to refuse payment from a non-US Paypal account.
Paypal will not establish a Paypal account registered to a US address but using a Canadian bank. However, Canadians can open accounts in the US on US banks, and create a Paypal account associated with that US bank. That's the total solution. A lot of work, but it effectively creates an alter-ego American who does the bidding of the Canadian.
If a seller who want to sell to anyone with a US address, such a seller should avoid blocking payments from Canadian based paypal accounts.
However, a lot of sellers sell to Canadians every day, but they ship to a US address. The seller doesn't even know. For example, if you're shipping to Pt. Roberts, WA, the buyer is almost certainly a Canadian.
There are levels of difficulty which a seller can establish to defend against selling to Canadians.
1. Don't specify any Canadian shipping.
Result: Any Canadian can bid/buy. Seller and the Canadian can figure it out later.
2. Don't specify Canadian shipping, and block bids from buyers whose primary shipping address is in a place I don't ship to.
Ebay Result: Default Canadian account is blocked. Canadian has to create a different account with a USA shipping address (and maybe a registration address).
That's where we leave Ebay and move to Paypal.
By default, a seller Paypal account can accept payment from a Canadian Paypal account.
The Canadian with a US address Ebay account can bid, then pay, specifying his US address, usually in a border state where the Canadian will pick the stuff up.
However, a seller who wants to block this technique has a further barrier: configure paypal to refuse payment from a non-US Paypal account.
Paypal will not establish a Paypal account registered to a US address but using a Canadian bank. However, Canadians can open accounts in the US on US banks, and create a Paypal account associated with that US bank. That's the total solution. A lot of work, but it effectively creates an alter-ego American who does the bidding of the Canadian.
If a seller who want to sell to anyone with a US address, such a seller should avoid blocking payments from Canadian based paypal accounts.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Report This Buyer appears on leave feedback page
Clicking the choice yields these sub-choices:
- Buyer made unreasonable demands.
- Buyer abused a buyer protection program.
- Buyer misused returns.
- Other problems.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Ebay please fix: vacation mode gotcha
Ebay recommends putting your store in vacation mode if you're being affected by Sandy.
What they don't tell you is that you can't really quite do that. It just looks like it.
Here's the help page: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/placing-store-vacation.html
Here's the introduction:
Going on vacation? You can use your Store vacation settings to make sure your buyers don't have a negative shopping experience by buying items and unexpectedly waiting a long time to receive them.
Here's the gotcha:
Note: If you selected the immediate pay option on your listings, buyers will still be able to purchase your items.
So. Why would that be?
Just the way it is. Someone declared the software complete when it contained a defect. Document the defect, call it done.
What they don't tell you is that you can't really quite do that. It just looks like it.
Here's the help page: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/placing-store-vacation.html
Here's the introduction:
Going on vacation? You can use your Store vacation settings to make sure your buyers don't have a negative shopping experience by buying items and unexpectedly waiting a long time to receive them.
Here's the gotcha:
Note: If you selected the immediate pay option on your listings, buyers will still be able to purchase your items.
So. Why would that be?
Just the way it is. Someone declared the software complete when it contained a defect. Document the defect, call it done.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Mysterious, Powerful Ebay search features appear
I use multiple computers.
2-3 days ago, one of them suddenly offered new search features.
On the line with "12,445 results found for item", two new links appear.
1. "sold listings"
2. "completed listings"
The first one is huge for sellers doing research. It shows 90 days worth of listings matching the search which sold.
The second one shows all listings for 90 days, and whether or not they sold.
The odd thing about this feature is that it only appears on one computer. It hasn't disappeared even across logins.
2-3 days ago, one of them suddenly offered new search features.
On the line with "12,445 results found for item", two new links appear.
1. "sold listings"
2. "completed listings"
The first one is huge for sellers doing research. It shows 90 days worth of listings matching the search which sold.
The second one shows all listings for 90 days, and whether or not they sold.
The odd thing about this feature is that it only appears on one computer. It hasn't disappeared even across logins.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Three problems with forced use of the Ebay catalog
I'm sure it's a good thing for most listings to reference the Ebay catalog. In particular, it allows competitive shopping, and alerts sellers to nonsensically high asking prices.
There are two degrees of forced.
a. can't create the listing
b. continuous dunning to add catalog linkage
Three things that go wrong:
1. The item isn't in the catalog, although it belongs in a category which requires the catalog.
2. The item doesn't meet the catalog description, even though it has the same UPC # and may have met the description at some time in the past.
3. The catalog description is huge, and completely obscures seller's textual description.
For sellers who sell used stuff, the first one is very common. The thing is from the '50s. It ain't in any catalog. Of particular note: collectibles/advertising.
Sellers of used stuff frequently sell something which varies from how it was originally sold. Missing manual, for example. When the description shows the manual, the listing is inherently confusing. When buyer complains that the manual was missing, it is of little help to point out that the manual wasn't shown in the picture.
Even when seller might like to enlighten buyer by providing a more accurate description, anything written by seller is in great danger of being shoved way to the bottom by the volume of catalog description. Potential buyers frequently reach the glaze point well before hacking all the way down to seller's description. They hit "buy it now", and end up disappointed (with seller paying the price).
There needs to be an override, or at least a way to put the discrepancy list ahead of the catalog data.
Observe that "item specifics" works fine in this regard. The dun can be turned off, when it is inappropriate.
There are two degrees of forced.
a. can't create the listing
b. continuous dunning to add catalog linkage
Three things that go wrong:
1. The item isn't in the catalog, although it belongs in a category which requires the catalog.
2. The item doesn't meet the catalog description, even though it has the same UPC # and may have met the description at some time in the past.
3. The catalog description is huge, and completely obscures seller's textual description.
For sellers who sell used stuff, the first one is very common. The thing is from the '50s. It ain't in any catalog. Of particular note: collectibles/advertising.
Sellers of used stuff frequently sell something which varies from how it was originally sold. Missing manual, for example. When the description shows the manual, the listing is inherently confusing. When buyer complains that the manual was missing, it is of little help to point out that the manual wasn't shown in the picture.
Even when seller might like to enlighten buyer by providing a more accurate description, anything written by seller is in great danger of being shoved way to the bottom by the volume of catalog description. Potential buyers frequently reach the glaze point well before hacking all the way down to seller's description. They hit "buy it now", and end up disappointed (with seller paying the price).
There needs to be an override, or at least a way to put the discrepancy list ahead of the catalog data.
Observe that "item specifics" works fine in this regard. The dun can be turned off, when it is inappropriate.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Ebay vs Flash? Snipe countdown broken.
Ebay software seems to have a continuous batttle with the browsers.
Recently, the timer countdown to snipe time has broken.
Recently, the timer countdown to snipe time has broken.
Automated Return Procedure, #2
Yesterday I proposed that the Automated Return Procedure was deficient in not providing a way to block buyers who return too much stuff.
Today, a more in depth analysis.
As described. seller can offer to automate returns, and even offer to pay return shipping. However, seller cannot make such 2nd way refunds contingent on the details of the case. Instead, Ebay offers to bill seller for the cost of 2nd way shipping.
I just can't see very many sellers signing up for that exposure. Some issues:
Proper design:
The automated return process needs a way for seller to specify, and buyer to process, the difference between a SNAD return and a no-fault return. Seller offers to pay 2nd way shipping on SNADs only.
Buyer can return an item at will, but pays the 2nd way shipping label. If buyer wants 2nd way shipping paid by seller, buyer has to click "this item was not as described", and fill in a text box explaining what the problem was. Once buyer clicks that box and purchases the label, the value of the transaction comes to include 2nd way shipping.
The return label payment always comes from buyer's account. That's the throttle.
If seller agrees/acquiesces to the SNAD, then seller refunds all money paid + 2nd way shipping in one transaction. If seller disagrees, seller can go to war. Not what I suggest, but there might be the time, and buyer knows that. If seller loses the war (the SNAD dispute), seller loses all of money paid + 2nd way shipping which had been paid by buyer.
Today, a more in depth analysis.
As described. seller can offer to automate returns, and even offer to pay return shipping. However, seller cannot make such 2nd way refunds contingent on the details of the case. Instead, Ebay offers to bill seller for the cost of 2nd way shipping.
I just can't see very many sellers signing up for that exposure. Some issues:
- Buyer determines the size and weight of the return package. Buyer cannot select worthless insurance, or unnecessary signature DC, but buyer can decide to return a small package in a big box.
- Buyer determines whether the package gets mailed or not. If buyer doesn't actually mail the package, the label still gets charged to seller.
- Buyer has no throttle on returns. Punch the button, print the label. Seller pays. Buyer can to that time and time and time again, no throttle.
Proper design:
The automated return process needs a way for seller to specify, and buyer to process, the difference between a SNAD return and a no-fault return. Seller offers to pay 2nd way shipping on SNADs only.
Buyer can return an item at will, but pays the 2nd way shipping label. If buyer wants 2nd way shipping paid by seller, buyer has to click "this item was not as described", and fill in a text box explaining what the problem was. Once buyer clicks that box and purchases the label, the value of the transaction comes to include 2nd way shipping.
The return label payment always comes from buyer's account. That's the throttle.
If seller agrees/acquiesces to the SNAD, then seller refunds all money paid + 2nd way shipping in one transaction. If seller disagrees, seller can go to war. Not what I suggest, but there might be the time, and buyer knows that. If seller loses the war (the SNAD dispute), seller loses all of money paid + 2nd way shipping which had been paid by buyer.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Automated Return procedure missing one crucial feature
Ebay, please.
The new automated return process is fine. The automatic FVF refund is cool.
But, give us a way to block bids from buyers who abuse returns.
Any bid which might end up this buyer's 4th return in 6 months, I'd like to block.
I'd like buyer to understand that there is a cost for a return. Even when I pay the return postage.
Thank you.
The new automated return process is fine. The automatic FVF refund is cool.
But, give us a way to block bids from buyers who abuse returns.
Any bid which might end up this buyer's 4th return in 6 months, I'd like to block.
I'd like buyer to understand that there is a cost for a return. Even when I pay the return postage.
Thank you.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Ebay Shipping Down
Ebay shipping has been hard down for about an hour now.
The page is replaced by a report stating maintenance will be complete by 11:30 MST (which is at this writing some ten minutes in the past).
The page is replaced by a report stating maintenance will be complete by 11:30 MST (which is at this writing some ten minutes in the past).
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Ebay: please give us a way to not leave feedback
This might not seem like a big deal, but for some, it can be a very big deal indeed.
Some transactions do not result in feedback from seller.
The most crucial is when buyer asks that no feedback be left. This seems innocuous as a request from buyer, but it is a crying nuisance to seller. Every day, seller has to look at Ebay's report that this transaction should be left feedback, and remember, somehow, not to leave feedback.
One slipup, and the feedback is left, and cannot be retracted. Buyer is very annoyed (his request has been dishonored) and may well leave negative feedback.
All we need is a way to mark "I will not be leaving feedback for this transaction". Then, don't report it as needing feedback.
Less important, but equally annoying to sellers is the fact that when the Unpaid Item UID is closed, seller cannot leave feedback. And yet, Ebay duns seller every day to leave feedback, only to later report that it cannot be left.
Please Ebay, give us a way.
Some transactions do not result in feedback from seller.
The most crucial is when buyer asks that no feedback be left. This seems innocuous as a request from buyer, but it is a crying nuisance to seller. Every day, seller has to look at Ebay's report that this transaction should be left feedback, and remember, somehow, not to leave feedback.
One slipup, and the feedback is left, and cannot be retracted. Buyer is very annoyed (his request has been dishonored) and may well leave negative feedback.
All we need is a way to mark "I will not be leaving feedback for this transaction". Then, don't report it as needing feedback.
Less important, but equally annoying to sellers is the fact that when the Unpaid Item UID is closed, seller cannot leave feedback. And yet, Ebay duns seller every day to leave feedback, only to later report that it cannot be left.
Please Ebay, give us a way.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Ebay please fix: insane Ebay shipping to Paypal setting
A long series of phone bounces through support yields "how it works" regarding how an ebay account is linked to a paypal account for Ebay shipping.
"remove the link to a paypal account" does not remove the shipping payment connection.
The agreement is set up by paypal, not by ebay.
And it cannot be changed from ebay. If you'd like to change the paypal account being charged for your ebay shipping, you must have access to the old paypal account. If you don't have access to the old paypal account, you can't change it.
Nor can Ebay support. Or Paypal support.
Bizarre, and really twisted.
"remove the link to a paypal account" does not remove the shipping payment connection.
The agreement is set up by paypal, not by ebay.
And it cannot be changed from ebay. If you'd like to change the paypal account being charged for your ebay shipping, you must have access to the old paypal account. If you don't have access to the old paypal account, you can't change it.
Nor can Ebay support. Or Paypal support.
Bizarre, and really twisted.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
The SNAD dance, as defined by Square Trade
From Ebay's Square trade warranty coverage statement:
Coverage starts on day 46 after your item purchase. If the item you
receive is not as it was described in the seller's listing and you are
an eligible buyer under the eBay Buyer Protection Policy,
you may be eligible to file a claim for resolution during the first 45
days from payment. (Please note that the eBay Buyer Protection Policy
applies only to the transaction—it is not a product warranty).
The analysis shows a curious zone. The zone between when the stuff is delivered, and day 46. Who covers that? Aren't most failures of used stuff detected during that period?. And what is that curious phrase, "it is not a product warranty"?
Clearly, Ebay/Square Trade expects seller to cover the first 45 days. Buyer Protection is a 45 day product warranty.
But they don't want to say so clearly.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Update on Paypal Temporary Hold situation
Final resolution.
Stuff shipped after 2nd payment.
A week after 1st payment, hold was lifted.
Upon notification, buyer's 2nd payment was refunded in full.
Ebay selling page never changed, showing payment received, need to ship. I'm pretty sure it will end up as a slow shipping strike.
------------------
In this blog from 4 days back: http://sg51-blog.blogspot.com/2012/08/paypal-temporary-hold-ebaypaypal-non.html I first described an unusual story regarding a "Temporary Hold", and Ebay/Paypal's appalling lack of integration.
Today, more information arrived, but not from Ebay/Paypal.
Buyer, a business, paid again. A 2nd payment. Requested shipment, and eventual refund of the first payment. Paypal record shows the 2nd payment in place.
I looked up buyer's business on Google, called the number, and the business owner picked up. A very minor explanation and he knew why I was calling.
Now for one thing, this transaction involves sum total less than $25. Beyond that, the conversation was reassuring. Owner reports that he's not entirely sure why Paypal put the hold on his payment. It was a security issue, and Paypal doesn't explain security issues. His guess is that he requested the paypal payment from an unusual IP address. It had happened before. Last time, it took three weeks to get the payment released.
He didn't have three weeks to work with this time. He'd like his stuff shipped, and he paid again.
More to come.
Ebay status has yet to acknowledge the hold on the first payment. Ebay apparently thinks we're shipping very slow.
Stuff shipped after 2nd payment.
A week after 1st payment, hold was lifted.
Upon notification, buyer's 2nd payment was refunded in full.
Ebay selling page never changed, showing payment received, need to ship. I'm pretty sure it will end up as a slow shipping strike.
------------------
In this blog from 4 days back: http://sg51-blog.blogspot.com/2012/08/paypal-temporary-hold-ebaypaypal-non.html I first described an unusual story regarding a "Temporary Hold", and Ebay/Paypal's appalling lack of integration.
Today, more information arrived, but not from Ebay/Paypal.
Buyer, a business, paid again. A 2nd payment. Requested shipment, and eventual refund of the first payment. Paypal record shows the 2nd payment in place.
I looked up buyer's business on Google, called the number, and the business owner picked up. A very minor explanation and he knew why I was calling.
Now for one thing, this transaction involves sum total less than $25. Beyond that, the conversation was reassuring. Owner reports that he's not entirely sure why Paypal put the hold on his payment. It was a security issue, and Paypal doesn't explain security issues. His guess is that he requested the paypal payment from an unusual IP address. It had happened before. Last time, it took three weeks to get the payment released.
He didn't have three weeks to work with this time. He'd like his stuff shipped, and he paid again.
More to come.
Ebay status has yet to acknowledge the hold on the first payment. Ebay apparently thinks we're shipping very slow.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Ebay: please hire some competent software dudes
All software has defects from time to time.
It's so much easier to fix defects this way:
Your shipping label may print out smaller than usual because you're using the Google Chrome web browser. If this happens, please go to the shipping label page to reprint the label within 24 hours or use a different browser, such as Firefox.
Your shipping label may print out smaller than usual because you're using the Google Chrome web browser. If this happens, please go to the shipping label page to reprint the label within 24 hours or use a different browser, such as Firefox.
Ebay item pictures down
Update: this has been on and off all afternoon, and continues very flaky. It's not generally possible to list new items.
Update: seems to have lasted about 10 minutes.
No pictures are currently showing on items, including items now closing.
Thumbnails only.
C'mon, ebay. Pay for competence.
Update: seems to have lasted about 10 minutes.
No pictures are currently showing on items, including items now closing.
Thumbnails only.
C'mon, ebay. Pay for competence.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Ebay Please Fix: Paypal Temporary Hold, Ebay/Paypal non-integration
Update 13 Aug: no change. Ebay ominously observes that "you have changed the status to "not paid", but buyer paid by Paypal on 9 August".
Paypal still reports status "held", and my account has one open dispute requiring action by me.
Fresh on the heels of a "reversal", I encounter yet another twisted situation with Ebay/Paypal. The non-integration of the two is just nonsense.
Buyer paid in the evening. Before the package was shipped out the next morning, buyer sent a message explaining that Paypal had put a Temporary Hold on the payment. Buyer asks patience, explaining that they are working with Paypal on the issue.
That might be acceptable, BUT. The ebay status was still "need to ship".
A (finely detailed) inquiry to the Paypal account records shows that buyer was correct. Payment was reversed, my funds gone, status was "Temporary Hold". Paypal account status goes to exclamation point "You are involved in an open dispute", offering links which go to the ordinary dispute filing process, which is totally inappropriate.
I'm not sure I know why the funds are on "Temporary Hold". Is that something buyer did? The bank? Dunno.
I do request of Ebay/Paypal: please feed this kind of status change immediately into the "need to ship" zone. That's what we use to know when an item is properly paid for. And drop the "open dispute" crap.
Paypal still reports status "held", and my account has one open dispute requiring action by me.
Fresh on the heels of a "reversal", I encounter yet another twisted situation with Ebay/Paypal. The non-integration of the two is just nonsense.
Buyer paid in the evening. Before the package was shipped out the next morning, buyer sent a message explaining that Paypal had put a Temporary Hold on the payment. Buyer asks patience, explaining that they are working with Paypal on the issue.
That might be acceptable, BUT. The ebay status was still "need to ship".
A (finely detailed) inquiry to the Paypal account records shows that buyer was correct. Payment was reversed, my funds gone, status was "Temporary Hold". Paypal account status goes to exclamation point "You are involved in an open dispute", offering links which go to the ordinary dispute filing process, which is totally inappropriate.
I'm not sure I know why the funds are on "Temporary Hold". Is that something buyer did? The bank? Dunno.
I do request of Ebay/Paypal: please feed this kind of status change immediately into the "need to ship" zone. That's what we use to know when an item is properly paid for. And drop the "open dispute" crap.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Uptick in forgotten payments related to buyer page reorg
I've noticed a real increase in buyers who pay on day four.
Buyers who had originally put in the first bid during the middle of the auction.
I think they're forgetting the bid, and not seeing that they won.
And I attribute that to some changes made to the buyer page layout some many months back.
A lot of buyers these days simply do not know how to find a list what they bought.
Please, ebay , lay out the buyer page like the seller page. With the ability to display watch list, purchases, and notifications all on the same page.
The Purchase History link might seem to those who created the layout to be easy to find, but it is NOT. It's a separate link down in the list. Everyone expects it to be under the "Buy" tab.
The seller "all selling" page works pretty well. It's configurable as to order and content, and selectable as the default when coming to "My Ebay". There is no equivalent "all buying" page. Desired:
Buyers who had originally put in the first bid during the middle of the auction.
I think they're forgetting the bid, and not seeing that they won.
And I attribute that to some changes made to the buyer page layout some many months back.
A lot of buyers these days simply do not know how to find a list what they bought.
Please, ebay , lay out the buyer page like the seller page. With the ability to display watch list, purchases, and notifications all on the same page.
The Purchase History link might seem to those who created the layout to be easy to find, but it is NOT. It's a separate link down in the list. Everyone expects it to be under the "Buy" tab.
The seller "all selling" page works pretty well. It's configurable as to order and content, and selectable as the default when coming to "My Ebay". There is no equivalent "all buying" page. Desired:
- alerts/notifications (need to pay!)
- watch list
- purchases
- open items with bids/offers
- closed items which were not purchased
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Seller Protection Test Case (resolved)
First time for me. A test of Paypal Seller Protection. As yet, unresolved. UPDATE: resolved successfully.
After some delay, buyer paid. Item shipped immediately; by Paypal records, 2 hours after payment. In actuality, there was probably another 2 hours before the package hit the postal system.
Later that day, payment was noticed as unreceived, status went to "See Paypal Transaction" Paypal status showed "reversed".
Bummer. Money gone, stuff shipped.
Calls to Paypal customer service yielded the (expected?) half hour of hacking to get through to someone who could discuss that kind of issue.
Eventually, I'm advised that the credit card payment was reversed as unauthorized. The Paypal rep promised that when the tracking shows delivery, Paypal seller protection will cover the payment. Results to be reported later. UPDATE: seller protection refund was granted in a timely fashion, with no further contact needed.
The question, "could I have done anything to avoid this" yielded a really twisted set of answers, ones which you have to wonder if Ebay/Paypal really have planned out very well. The introductory line, for example: "Unfortunately, you shipped two hours after the payment was received".
As if, you know, it's unfortunate that you ship that fast. Maybe you should wait a couple of days. Beyond that, maybe you should log on to Paypal and check the status right before the package hits the postal system. Maybe not.
Maybe Ebay needs to see good selling behavior for what it is, and tell such sellers that Ebay appreciates their diligence.
So the speculation as to "what really happened here". The item was not at all attractive to people who couldn't really afford it, and was a highly unlikely target of credit card fraud. A review of bidder's recent purchases however showed one strong clue: the purchase of a heavy item from several hundred miles away.
My guess: buyer paid for the heavy item, then encountered a demand for an $800 shipping charge. The way out: claim that all recent purchases on Ebay were unauthorized. I was the collateral damage.
After some delay, buyer paid. Item shipped immediately; by Paypal records, 2 hours after payment. In actuality, there was probably another 2 hours before the package hit the postal system.
Later that day, payment was noticed as unreceived, status went to "See Paypal Transaction" Paypal status showed "reversed".
Bummer. Money gone, stuff shipped.
Calls to Paypal customer service yielded the (expected?) half hour of hacking to get through to someone who could discuss that kind of issue.
Eventually, I'm advised that the credit card payment was reversed as unauthorized. The Paypal rep promised that when the tracking shows delivery, Paypal seller protection will cover the payment. Results to be reported later. UPDATE: seller protection refund was granted in a timely fashion, with no further contact needed.
The question, "could I have done anything to avoid this" yielded a really twisted set of answers, ones which you have to wonder if Ebay/Paypal really have planned out very well. The introductory line, for example: "Unfortunately, you shipped two hours after the payment was received".
As if, you know, it's unfortunate that you ship that fast. Maybe you should wait a couple of days. Beyond that, maybe you should log on to Paypal and check the status right before the package hits the postal system. Maybe not.
Maybe Ebay needs to see good selling behavior for what it is, and tell such sellers that Ebay appreciates their diligence.
So the speculation as to "what really happened here". The item was not at all attractive to people who couldn't really afford it, and was a highly unlikely target of credit card fraud. A review of bidder's recent purchases however showed one strong clue: the purchase of a heavy item from several hundred miles away.
My guess: buyer paid for the heavy item, then encountered a demand for an $800 shipping charge. The way out: claim that all recent purchases on Ebay were unauthorized. I was the collateral damage.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Ebay please fix: this is dreadful advice.
Come fall, Ebay will charge sellers a final value fee for auctions ended early, where there is at least one bid.
They graciously allow one such event per year, with the fee waived.
That doesn't bother me too much. I think I've canceled maybe three such auctions over the past year, all for errors in the listing (such as "incorrect paypal account specified").
What does bother me is this advice from ebay:
Revise your listing to add more detail instead of ending it early. If you want to add pictures or additional details to your Auction-style listings, you can often do this without canceling your listing.
That advice is absolutely wrong (although observe the out-of-context "add more detail").
Either the error cannot be fixed once there is a bid (such as the Paypal address), or the fix would create a Natural Born SNAD. A NBS occurs when the listing says contradictory things, such was when some addendum contradicts the original listing (which is what happens when a listing with a bid is modified). A buyer may well not see the addendum, and the current bidder surely never saw it. Assuming the error is significant enough to need changing, it's significant enough to result in a Significantly Not As Described dispute, which would be won by buyer.
Ebay, please do not recommend a Natural Born SNAD.
They graciously allow one such event per year, with the fee waived.
That doesn't bother me too much. I think I've canceled maybe three such auctions over the past year, all for errors in the listing (such as "incorrect paypal account specified").
What does bother me is this advice from ebay:
Revise your listing to add more detail instead of ending it early. If you want to add pictures or additional details to your Auction-style listings, you can often do this without canceling your listing.
That advice is absolutely wrong (although observe the out-of-context "add more detail").
Either the error cannot be fixed once there is a bid (such as the Paypal address), or the fix would create a Natural Born SNAD. A NBS occurs when the listing says contradictory things, such was when some addendum contradicts the original listing (which is what happens when a listing with a bid is modified). A buyer may well not see the addendum, and the current bidder surely never saw it. Assuming the error is significant enough to need changing, it's significant enough to result in a Significantly Not As Described dispute, which would be won by buyer.
Ebay, please do not recommend a Natural Born SNAD.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Scary Questions
This question arrived yesterday.
"Does (referenced used item) have any scratches, dents, or other imperfections?"
Now as a seller, there is only one straight answer to this question: YES.
All used items have some amount of evidence of use.
But, we suspect, buyer wasn't actually asking that. Buyer is reasonable, asking if the thing is ugly But we really don't know.
I'm not a fan of blocking buyers who ask poorly conceived questions, but this one comes about as close as it gets.
Seller cannot answer this question "no", because it raises a challenge to buyer. Find something imperfect. I dare you, you can't do it.
But buyer can find something, of course.
I've sometimes handled the question by saying "a closeup inspection would yield many imperfections, but the regular view shows it to look pretty good".
"Does (referenced used item) have any scratches, dents, or other imperfections?"
Now as a seller, there is only one straight answer to this question: YES.
All used items have some amount of evidence of use.
But, we suspect, buyer wasn't actually asking that. Buyer is reasonable, asking if the thing is ugly But we really don't know.
I'm not a fan of blocking buyers who ask poorly conceived questions, but this one comes about as close as it gets.
Seller cannot answer this question "no", because it raises a challenge to buyer. Find something imperfect. I dare you, you can't do it.
But buyer can find something, of course.
I've sometimes handled the question by saying "a closeup inspection would yield many imperfections, but the regular view shows it to look pretty good".
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Ebay please fix: end listing reason being ignored
When ending a listing, one is given four possible reasons.
Paraphrasing,
1. Item is no longer available [this is the default choice].
2. There was an error in the listing
3. There was an error in the pricing
4. The item was lost or broken.
Regardless of which of these is selected, ebay reports that the item was canceled because the item is no longer available.
This confuses, and can annoy, buyers.
Ebay, please fix.
Paraphrasing,
1. Item is no longer available [this is the default choice].
2. There was an error in the listing
3. There was an error in the pricing
4. The item was lost or broken.
Regardless of which of these is selected, ebay reports that the item was canceled because the item is no longer available.
This confuses, and can annoy, buyers.
Ebay, please fix.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Chicken Mode comes to Ebay Motors
Ebay now has car ads where the price drops every hour until the item is sold.
This is the first step toward "chicken mode listing", where the price drop is guaranteed until either the item is BIN/IPR'd, or seller chickens out.
Keep in mind that Ebay Motors sales aren't even binding, let alone Immediate Payment Required.
However, I'm pleased that ebay has discovered the concept.
For ordinary chicken mode, I suggest one price drop per day, exactly 24 hours after the listing was created. This allows sniping the new price. The price drop can be set by seller, to be 1% to 10% of the then current price. Chicken mode listings should be scheduled for up to 30 days.
IPR is crucial, for multiple reasons. For one, it ends NPB hassles. For two, it provides a nice resolution to "who was first". And, for three, it makes it clear what price buyer is paying.
This is the first step toward "chicken mode listing", where the price drop is guaranteed until either the item is BIN/IPR'd, or seller chickens out.
Keep in mind that Ebay Motors sales aren't even binding, let alone Immediate Payment Required.
However, I'm pleased that ebay has discovered the concept.
For ordinary chicken mode, I suggest one price drop per day, exactly 24 hours after the listing was created. This allows sniping the new price. The price drop can be set by seller, to be 1% to 10% of the then current price. Chicken mode listings should be scheduled for up to 30 days.
IPR is crucial, for multiple reasons. For one, it ends NPB hassles. For two, it provides a nice resolution to "who was first". And, for three, it makes it clear what price buyer is paying.
International sales remain dangerous
A recent Ebay announcement:
In recent weeks, an ongoing customs operation has resulted in longer-than-usual delivery times for imports entering Brazil. eBay is contacting buyers and sellers impacted by this to inform them of this situation,
Yet again, Ebay misses the big issue here. Buyers who are inconvenienced are usually, but not always tolerant. Ebay allows intolerant buyers to define Ebay's relationship with Ebay sellers.
Time to change that, Ebay. Ask for tolerance, fine. Reduce friction and tension, sure. But for those buyers who just remain cranks, do not take their opinion as the most important thing in seller's life.
The result for most sellers is: stop shipping to Brazil at all.
Solution:
a. where a label was purchased through Ebay shipping
b. where seller has refunded all payments in full
Then, do not allow any additional negative seller consequences of any kind.
In general, eliminate serious consequences for seller when buyer has no skin in the game.
In recent weeks, an ongoing customs operation has resulted in longer-than-usual delivery times for imports entering Brazil. eBay is contacting buyers and sellers impacted by this to inform them of this situation,
Yet again, Ebay misses the big issue here. Buyers who are inconvenienced are usually, but not always tolerant. Ebay allows intolerant buyers to define Ebay's relationship with Ebay sellers.
Time to change that, Ebay. Ask for tolerance, fine. Reduce friction and tension, sure. But for those buyers who just remain cranks, do not take their opinion as the most important thing in seller's life.
The result for most sellers is: stop shipping to Brazil at all.
Solution:
a. where a label was purchased through Ebay shipping
b. where seller has refunded all payments in full
Then, do not allow any additional negative seller consequences of any kind.
In general, eliminate serious consequences for seller when buyer has no skin in the game.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Selling Used Stuff vs Negative Description Star
Ebay needs to modify the way sellers of used stuff are judged. This is a common theme for sg, but maybe a modern restatement would be useful.
Good sellers of used stuff are both cautious and dedicated to avoiding confusing listings, but as defined, the territory includes too much simple bad luck. We're not talking "as is, not my problem" kind of sellers here. The bad luck falls into two general zones:
1. Used stuff, particularly stuff with moving parts, sometimes has latent defects, issues which cannot be detected with ordinary testing. Thus, the unknown defect is not disclosed in the listing.
2. Used stuff varies in quality. Sometimes, despite a very accurate accounting of deficiencies, the buyer simply creates an overly high level of expectation (even as the price reflects the actual description).
Both of these usually work out just fine when seller is highly responsible with refunds. I for one expect to refund about 1 transaction in 100. I don't stress over it. I do study the situation to see if I should be making change. Then, I politely refund and chalk it up to the cost of doing business. I refund in full, either not expecting a return, or paying return postage. I don't question buyer's judgement (to buyer).
The really bad luck occurs when buyer posts a negative description star rather than request a refund. The problem is that such buyers, while a small minority, end up dominating seller's relationship with Ebay. For sellers with under 600 sales per year, TRS, with its discounts, is lost on the 3rd such event.
This follows from the almost perfect ratings held by most sellers, thus the very small numbers of complaints which end up defining sellers Ebay identifies as needing to make changes.
Unfortunately, for both Ebay and such sellers, sometimes the only change possible is "stop selling categories of stuff", categories which a lot of buyers really want to buy.
Solution:
1. Change the system to count returns rather than negative description stars, as the way ebay detects sellers who need to be making changes.
2. Change to expecting buyer to have some skin in the game, by counting the return in a way which allows sellers to block bids from buyers who return too frequently.
I think we'll all agree: a seller who is generating 1 return in 50 transactions needs to be making some changes.
We'll also agree: a buyer who is being refunded on 3 items per 50 also needs to be making some changes.
Good sellers of used stuff are both cautious and dedicated to avoiding confusing listings, but as defined, the territory includes too much simple bad luck. We're not talking "as is, not my problem" kind of sellers here. The bad luck falls into two general zones:
1. Used stuff, particularly stuff with moving parts, sometimes has latent defects, issues which cannot be detected with ordinary testing. Thus, the unknown defect is not disclosed in the listing.
2. Used stuff varies in quality. Sometimes, despite a very accurate accounting of deficiencies, the buyer simply creates an overly high level of expectation (even as the price reflects the actual description).
Both of these usually work out just fine when seller is highly responsible with refunds. I for one expect to refund about 1 transaction in 100. I don't stress over it. I do study the situation to see if I should be making change. Then, I politely refund and chalk it up to the cost of doing business. I refund in full, either not expecting a return, or paying return postage. I don't question buyer's judgement (to buyer).
The really bad luck occurs when buyer posts a negative description star rather than request a refund. The problem is that such buyers, while a small minority, end up dominating seller's relationship with Ebay. For sellers with under 600 sales per year, TRS, with its discounts, is lost on the 3rd such event.
This follows from the almost perfect ratings held by most sellers, thus the very small numbers of complaints which end up defining sellers Ebay identifies as needing to make changes.
Unfortunately, for both Ebay and such sellers, sometimes the only change possible is "stop selling categories of stuff", categories which a lot of buyers really want to buy.
Solution:
1. Change the system to count returns rather than negative description stars, as the way ebay detects sellers who need to be making changes.
2. Change to expecting buyer to have some skin in the game, by counting the return in a way which allows sellers to block bids from buyers who return too frequently.
I think we'll all agree: a seller who is generating 1 return in 50 transactions needs to be making some changes.
We'll also agree: a buyer who is being refunded on 3 items per 50 also needs to be making some changes.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Buyer return postage
Sort of an ongoing series here.
It costs $1.64 to ship a $20, up to 3 oz package, anywhere in America.
However, it costs buyer $4.65 to return the package, being reimbursed by seller.
Would it buyer choose to pay $4.65 if seller wasn't paying return shipping? We're not sure, and it's not cost effective to run the experiment. The cost of a negative star well exceeds that extra $3.
The $3 breaks down into three parts.
1. 31c postage difference between ebay shipping vs over the counter.
2. 85c delivery confirmation vs free from ebay shipping
3. $1.85 insurance to cover a $20 package.
The latter is especially galling. In the highly unlikely event that the insurance needs recovering, seller's going to end up on the hook for the refund anyway. It adds nothing to buyer's protection.
It's tempting to manage this equation. Ideas:
a. offer "up to $3.00" to cover return postage.
b. request that no insurance be purchased
c. offer to refund regardless of whether buyer purchases delivery confirmation
The problem with any and all such ideas is that they're shown economic nonsense. Seller is willing to refund $25, but will become confrontational over $27?
Buyer wouldn't like that, and the resulting neg star could cost seller $hundreds.
Just not worth it.
The best we can hope for.
-Treat each buyer with great respect
-Hope for Ebay to provide a way to score buyer returns.
It costs $1.64 to ship a $20, up to 3 oz package, anywhere in America.
However, it costs buyer $4.65 to return the package, being reimbursed by seller.
Would it buyer choose to pay $4.65 if seller wasn't paying return shipping? We're not sure, and it's not cost effective to run the experiment. The cost of a negative star well exceeds that extra $3.
The $3 breaks down into three parts.
1. 31c postage difference between ebay shipping vs over the counter.
2. 85c delivery confirmation vs free from ebay shipping
3. $1.85 insurance to cover a $20 package.
The latter is especially galling. In the highly unlikely event that the insurance needs recovering, seller's going to end up on the hook for the refund anyway. It adds nothing to buyer's protection.
It's tempting to manage this equation. Ideas:
a. offer "up to $3.00" to cover return postage.
b. request that no insurance be purchased
c. offer to refund regardless of whether buyer purchases delivery confirmation
The problem with any and all such ideas is that they're shown economic nonsense. Seller is willing to refund $25, but will become confrontational over $27?
Buyer wouldn't like that, and the resulting neg star could cost seller $hundreds.
Just not worth it.
The best we can hope for.
-Treat each buyer with great respect
-Hope for Ebay to provide a way to score buyer returns.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Intimidation to motivate seller SNAD behavior
Sometimes an experience is just strikingly new, even when you're far from new to the planet and Ebay.
Buyer reported an issue with used stuff. I prepared the reply, offering to make things right.
What I didn't realize for a bit is that buyer had already left perfect feedback for that transaction, before he ever saw how I was going to handle things. I was just floored. All intimidating factors had been removed. Just two people working it out.
I resolved to make extra sure this buyer gets a full resolution.
Then I admired buyer's courage, and recalled with some reflection those times when I have reported SNADs to my sellers. I'll do better next time.
Buyer reported an issue with used stuff. I prepared the reply, offering to make things right.
What I didn't realize for a bit is that buyer had already left perfect feedback for that transaction, before he ever saw how I was going to handle things. I was just floored. All intimidating factors had been removed. Just two people working it out.
I resolved to make extra sure this buyer gets a full resolution.
Then I admired buyer's courage, and recalled with some reflection those times when I have reported SNADs to my sellers. I'll do better next time.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The Dreaded "Item I received is not as described" message.
It happens.
Buyer reports the item was received, not as described. Ugh.
The overriding plan for seller: reduce this to money. Long term money. Get out of this as cheap as possible, but not at some long term cost.
For me, that means a hassle free return policy. No hard time regarding whether the thing really was as described or not.
Negative checklist on the reply:
1. Do not challenge buyer's claim that the item was not as described (ex: "it shows that in the picture").
2. Do not seem to agree that you deliberately described it wrong. (ex: "I apologize for avoiding that defect")
3. Do not be penny foolish, agreeing to refund $36 for the item, but not $6 for the return postage.
4. Do not, in any way, hint that buyer is undeserving of the return. (ex: "I'm doing more than most sellers would do for you").
Any of those are highly likely to motivate buyer to take action to punish seller.
The latter one is especially difficult for some sellers (and real life shopkeepers). They'll do the refund, but they want buyer to know that it was under duress. Lose/lose. Seller loses some postage money, and loses everything else too. You're going to lose the postage money anyway. Do it with a smile, and at least gain buyer's good graces.
Once the thing has been received as returned, refund promptly. The return postage needs to be as a separate "send money" transaction in Paypal. Make it a personal transfer, not as if it was a payment for goods. Otherwise, buyer will be asked to suffer the indignity of absorbing a Paypal fee. Explain to buyer, in an Ebay message, that there were two separate refunds, not all buyers have any effective notification of that in place.
Then, ask buyer for a cancellation. One of the reasons to cancel is "buyer returned item for a refund".
When it's all said and done, look for ways to convince Ebay to give sellers a way to automatically block buyers who are chronic returners.
Buyer reports the item was received, not as described. Ugh.
The overriding plan for seller: reduce this to money. Long term money. Get out of this as cheap as possible, but not at some long term cost.
For me, that means a hassle free return policy. No hard time regarding whether the thing really was as described or not.
Negative checklist on the reply:
1. Do not challenge buyer's claim that the item was not as described (ex: "it shows that in the picture").
2. Do not seem to agree that you deliberately described it wrong. (ex: "I apologize for avoiding that defect")
3. Do not be penny foolish, agreeing to refund $36 for the item, but not $6 for the return postage.
4. Do not, in any way, hint that buyer is undeserving of the return. (ex: "I'm doing more than most sellers would do for you").
Any of those are highly likely to motivate buyer to take action to punish seller.
The latter one is especially difficult for some sellers (and real life shopkeepers). They'll do the refund, but they want buyer to know that it was under duress. Lose/lose. Seller loses some postage money, and loses everything else too. You're going to lose the postage money anyway. Do it with a smile, and at least gain buyer's good graces.
Once the thing has been received as returned, refund promptly. The return postage needs to be as a separate "send money" transaction in Paypal. Make it a personal transfer, not as if it was a payment for goods. Otherwise, buyer will be asked to suffer the indignity of absorbing a Paypal fee. Explain to buyer, in an Ebay message, that there were two separate refunds, not all buyers have any effective notification of that in place.
Then, ask buyer for a cancellation. One of the reasons to cancel is "buyer returned item for a refund".
When it's all said and done, look for ways to convince Ebay to give sellers a way to automatically block buyers who are chronic returners.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Description of 9V Makita cordless screwdriver.
I didn't write it.
The 9.6 volts battery of this Makita cordless drill sits slim inside the Makita 6093D and secretly empowers it to drive through swiftly. Screwing the nails decisively into the slots or persistently digging into stubborn walls, this Makita hand drill prides precision. Since this Makita hand drill is a cordless little machine, you can carry it around without bothering to pack unruly wires. This Makita cordless drill is easy to clutch in the hand as it is shaped like a pistol that facilitates a comfortable grip. So even if you are not a workman who knows to use his tools but just a regular guy who loves mending the disruptive then the Makita 6093D is a great buy.
The 9.6 volts battery of this Makita cordless drill sits slim inside the Makita 6093D and secretly empowers it to drive through swiftly. Screwing the nails decisively into the slots or persistently digging into stubborn walls, this Makita hand drill prides precision. Since this Makita hand drill is a cordless little machine, you can carry it around without bothering to pack unruly wires. This Makita cordless drill is easy to clutch in the hand as it is shaped like a pistol that facilitates a comfortable grip. So even if you are not a workman who knows to use his tools but just a regular guy who loves mending the disruptive then the Makita 6093D is a great buy.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Fast shipping vs tracking upload
Ebay's propensity for simplistic solutions with negative side effects continues.
I'm a fast shipper, and have no problem with Ebay leaning on sellers to ship within one day. Further, I'm a long time supporter of moving in the direction of observed facts vs buyer opinion ratings as a way for Ebay to define its relationship with its sellers.
However, the mechanism of leaning Ebay has selected is "tracking must be uploaded within 1 day", as if that were the same as shipping within one day.
What this mechanism does is to kill off TRS for good sellers who ship by First Class Letter. Generally, this includes low cost items which are under 1/4" thick. Paper collectibles and small batteries are prime examples. First class letter costs 45c, but has no tracking available. The cheapest shipping with tracking costs $1.64, and that's using Ebay shipping. No way to sell 99c item with 50c shipping. Yes, one can build a business model that way, although it's quite a bit more common for $1.99 items with 50c shipping.
It also throws a wrench into combined shipping, when buyer pays and buyer requests a shipping delay. It's counter-intuitive that paying quickly causes sellers problems.
Solution 1: slow shipping strike immunity on any item with under $1 shipping. Yeah, that will allow some slow shippers to slip through, to be rated by buyers.
Solution 2: Create a status for any paid item, "shipping delayed by buyer request", which will delay the start of the slow shipping calculation. Seller can select this status rather than ship. Abuse is prevented by threat of negative buyer reaction, since buyer can see it too, and it would be fine if buyer were to be notified of the status by email including an explanation by seller.
Downside of the status quo:
The low end is completely chopped off. Is that what Ebay really wants? I don't think so.
I'm a fast shipper, and have no problem with Ebay leaning on sellers to ship within one day. Further, I'm a long time supporter of moving in the direction of observed facts vs buyer opinion ratings as a way for Ebay to define its relationship with its sellers.
However, the mechanism of leaning Ebay has selected is "tracking must be uploaded within 1 day", as if that were the same as shipping within one day.
What this mechanism does is to kill off TRS for good sellers who ship by First Class Letter. Generally, this includes low cost items which are under 1/4" thick. Paper collectibles and small batteries are prime examples. First class letter costs 45c, but has no tracking available. The cheapest shipping with tracking costs $1.64, and that's using Ebay shipping. No way to sell 99c item with 50c shipping. Yes, one can build a business model that way, although it's quite a bit more common for $1.99 items with 50c shipping.
It also throws a wrench into combined shipping, when buyer pays and buyer requests a shipping delay. It's counter-intuitive that paying quickly causes sellers problems.
Solution 1: slow shipping strike immunity on any item with under $1 shipping. Yeah, that will allow some slow shippers to slip through, to be rated by buyers.
Solution 2: Create a status for any paid item, "shipping delayed by buyer request", which will delay the start of the slow shipping calculation. Seller can select this status rather than ship. Abuse is prevented by threat of negative buyer reaction, since buyer can see it too, and it would be fine if buyer were to be notified of the status by email including an explanation by seller.
Downside of the status quo:
The low end is completely chopped off. Is that what Ebay really wants? I don't think so.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Ebay please fix: TRS popup glitches
The dashboard popup showing if/how one will qualify for TRS is broken.
Recent listings are shown as not qualifying, even though they do qualify.
Tracking uploaded is not being counted, even though it was uploaded in proper time.
Ebay, please fix.
Recent listings are shown as not qualifying, even though they do qualify.
Tracking uploaded is not being counted, even though it was uploaded in proper time.
Ebay, please fix.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Becoming a new TRS, update
From today's seller newsletter, the situation is explained. It's changing, in June.
The other news: it's now official, Star ratings of 3 and 4 have no negative effect, even in the most hypothetical situation (seller gets a huge number of 3's or 4's, but no 1's or 2's, that doesn't happen in real life).
Note also: the requirement for 100 feedback was removed roughly a year ago. Everything is now based on transaction count, nothing is based on feedback count.
You could become an eBay Top-rated seller
Great news! The requirements to become an eBay Top-rated sellerare opening up to include more sellers. Starting in June, the requirements for keeping or acquiring Top-rated status will change:
The other news: it's now official, Star ratings of 3 and 4 have no negative effect, even in the most hypothetical situation (seller gets a huge number of 3's or 4's, but no 1's or 2's, that doesn't happen in real life).
Note also: the requirement for 100 feedback was removed roughly a year ago. Everything is now based on transaction count, nothing is based on feedback count.
You could become an eBay Top-rated seller
Great news! The requirements to become an eBay Top-rated sellerare opening up to include more sellers. Starting in June, the requirements for keeping or acquiring Top-rated status will change:
- The $3,000 annual sales requirement will be lowered to $1,000
- The minimum average Detailed Seller Rating requirement of 4.60 will be removed
- PowerSeller status will no longer be required
- Tracking must be uploaded to eBay within your stated handling time on 90% or more of your US transactions. Use eBay Labels and tracking info is uploaded automatically!
- 20% final value fee discount for sellers who ship with 1-day handling and offer a 14 day or better return window with money-back option
Monday, May 21, 2012
Becoming New Top Rated Seller requirements either broken or deceptive
Ebay, this sucks bad.
The first goal for a new seller is to make Top Rated Seller.
Not only does it yield a fee discount, it also makes the new seller feel successful and accomplished, and publishes that fact to the world.
So what are the requirements to become a new Top Rated Seller?
Pretty clear. Have good stars. Sell 100 items worth $1000.
So the new seller, over a few months, puts together one of the 100/1000 criteria, and anxiously waits for the other to finally arrive. The criteria checks are all green but one.
The day comes. The 100th sale. Maybe tomorrow I'll be a TRS.
No, says ebay. Gotcha. You have to wait until the evaluation
Resigned, the new seller waits until the next evaluation, some part of a month away. Evaluation day comes. No TRS. Well, maybe the next day. No, no TRS.
An investigation yields a new criterion, missing from the prior list which was all checked green: to be a TRS requires being a PowerSeller.
And the criteria for PowerSeller is higher. $3000 in sales.
This is a low blow, and to no value at all.
Broken software? Please fix. Deliberate deception? Bah.
The first goal for a new seller is to make Top Rated Seller.
Not only does it yield a fee discount, it also makes the new seller feel successful and accomplished, and publishes that fact to the world.
So what are the requirements to become a new Top Rated Seller?
Pretty clear. Have good stars. Sell 100 items worth $1000.
So the new seller, over a few months, puts together one of the 100/1000 criteria, and anxiously waits for the other to finally arrive. The criteria checks are all green but one.
The day comes. The 100th sale. Maybe tomorrow I'll be a TRS.
No, says ebay. Gotcha. You have to wait until the evaluation
Resigned, the new seller waits until the next evaluation, some part of a month away. Evaluation day comes. No TRS. Well, maybe the next day. No, no TRS.
An investigation yields a new criterion, missing from the prior list which was all checked green: to be a TRS requires being a PowerSeller.
And the criteria for PowerSeller is higher. $3000 in sales.
This is a low blow, and to no value at all.
Broken software? Please fix. Deliberate deception? Bah.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Ebay please fix: Sell Similar Glitches
Lately a problem bedevils those who clone old listings into new ones, using "sell similar".
The modified description is replaced by the old description.
A bit less often, the modified title is replaced by the old title.
This can be devastating, resulting in Natural Born Snad listings, when the textual description does not match the rest of the listing.
It's easier to detect the title glitch, because it shows up front and center.
The modified description is replaced by the old description.
A bit less often, the modified title is replaced by the old title.
This can be devastating, resulting in Natural Born Snad listings, when the textual description does not match the rest of the listing.
It's easier to detect the title glitch, because it shows up front and center.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Ebay please fix: Regional Box A
Regional Boxes have been around for well over a year now, but Ebay has stalled on support for them.
What they've done would be called Half-assed at best. One can print a regional Box A label, but one cannot specify Regional Box A as a shipping method to the shipping calculator.
It's "easy" to do: Regional Box A's cost the same as 2 lbs priority.
However, managing the difference by seller is, by my experience, very error prone.
Seller has to specify "priority mail" as the shipping method, then specify "2 lb" as the weight. When shipping, seller has to remember not to print a label for 2 lbs, but rather change it to Regional Box A. Easy to forget.
The other error trap is specifying the weight. If the calculator is specified with no weight supplied, the calculator calculates the minimum weight based charge, about $5.30. This error is hard to spot while proof reading the listing, because it is correct for seller himself for a regional box A.
Ebay: please give us a way to specify Regional Box A for a shipping method, and calculate based on that.
What they've done would be called Half-assed at best. One can print a regional Box A label, but one cannot specify Regional Box A as a shipping method to the shipping calculator.
It's "easy" to do: Regional Box A's cost the same as 2 lbs priority.
However, managing the difference by seller is, by my experience, very error prone.
Seller has to specify "priority mail" as the shipping method, then specify "2 lb" as the weight. When shipping, seller has to remember not to print a label for 2 lbs, but rather change it to Regional Box A. Easy to forget.
The other error trap is specifying the weight. If the calculator is specified with no weight supplied, the calculator calculates the minimum weight based charge, about $5.30. This error is hard to spot while proof reading the listing, because it is correct for seller himself for a regional box A.
Ebay: please give us a way to specify Regional Box A for a shipping method, and calculate based on that.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Natural Born SNADs
The Natural Born SNAD is a listing which is internally inconsistent. It is logically impossible for seller to ship an item which meets all of the description.
Offering a Ford in the title, showing a picture of a Chevy.
Or more likely,
1. offering a ring in the title, but accidentally providing a picture of a watch.
2. supplying a textual description of a different item.
3. Saying it's 1 inch in the title, but 2 inches in the description
It happens to all of us.
Seller: if and when you discover your listing to be a Natural Born SNAD, you have three situations:
1. If your listing has no bids, you can fix it. If it was pretty clearly an error, this usually works.
2. If your listing has a bid, it cannot be fixed. If there are more than 12 hours left to go, cancel it now. Fix, and re-list.
3. Beg buyer for mercy. Your only choice any time later than 12 hours to go, including when you don't notice the problem until after the sale. This might work, but if buyer requests resolution of the SNAD, don't overplay your hand, insisting that buyer feel compelled by the "obvious mistake".
What not to do: add text disclaiming either the title, the picture, or earlier text. Many buyers don't read that far, and even if they did, the inconsistency remains. No, Ebay will not protect you. If the thing says 2 inches in one place, and 1 inch in three places, that doesn't make for a description of 1 inch.
Buyers: if you discover, either earlier or later, a Natural Born SNAD, think of yourself as seller. It's seldom a trick, rather it's a mistake. Be gracious.
Offering a Ford in the title, showing a picture of a Chevy.
Or more likely,
1. offering a ring in the title, but accidentally providing a picture of a watch.
2. supplying a textual description of a different item.
3. Saying it's 1 inch in the title, but 2 inches in the description
It happens to all of us.
Seller: if and when you discover your listing to be a Natural Born SNAD, you have three situations:
1. If your listing has no bids, you can fix it. If it was pretty clearly an error, this usually works.
2. If your listing has a bid, it cannot be fixed. If there are more than 12 hours left to go, cancel it now. Fix, and re-list.
3. Beg buyer for mercy. Your only choice any time later than 12 hours to go, including when you don't notice the problem until after the sale. This might work, but if buyer requests resolution of the SNAD, don't overplay your hand, insisting that buyer feel compelled by the "obvious mistake".
What not to do: add text disclaiming either the title, the picture, or earlier text. Many buyers don't read that far, and even if they did, the inconsistency remains. No, Ebay will not protect you. If the thing says 2 inches in one place, and 1 inch in three places, that doesn't make for a description of 1 inch.
Buyers: if you discover, either earlier or later, a Natural Born SNAD, think of yourself as seller. It's seldom a trick, rather it's a mistake. Be gracious.
Monday, April 16, 2012
PIcture Upload Unreliable
The user or security information provided to Picture Services is invalid. Check to see if security credentials have expired. (error code: ME200)
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
International Shipping remains highly dangerous.
I don't ship internationally.
This is directly related to the way Ebay evaluates me as a seller. The evaluation process focuses on small numbers of negative reports, and a very few can cause loss of TRS status, with resulting increase in Ebay fees.
The problem with this methodology is that the most problematic of buyers end up being the most important to sellers. Buyers who are inexperienced. Buyers who live where delivery is imperfect. And buyers who are quick to go off. Some would include malice here, and I'm sure that happens, but in my experience it's very rare. Problematic buyers aren't often malicious, but they do have a lot of bad experiences, and generate the majority of grief encountered by good sellers.
International selling is, by definition, to a problem buyer. While most western delivery systems are reliable, some, notoriously Italy, are not even close, and various others, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Israel, are imperfect.
Add to that the high customs taxes levied by most of Europe, and the culture of avoiding such taxes. Most European buyers have had experience with sellers who do their best to help, and they have had experience with sellers who refuse cooperation. The latter can expect rating consequences. Not usually, but when 1% consequences really matter, then it's going to be prudent to avoid the problem all together.
Ebay has tried to help, by not scoring all DSRs the same, and by protecting sellers from negative feedback which references customs issues.
But Ebay has left the big cannon in place pointed straight at seller: the INR dispute. Item Not Received. Sellers who encounter 1% INRs, regardless of what happens next, face serious Ebay consequences.
And the small cannon: international DSRs on positive feedback which does not reference any customs issue in the text. The text doesn't matter. The DSRs do. Clean text, dirty DSR, yields pain.
Many sellers are perfectly aware of the odds of getting their item delivered in imperfect situations. We're willing to refund when delivery fails. But, we are unwilling to risk the Ebay consequences of an INR or bad international DSRs when we've always done the right thing.
Solution: a seller who:
a. buys an Ebay shipping label to buyer's address
b. subsequently refunds, voluntarily, in a timely fashion, all money paid by buyer in response to buyer complaint
Should not face further sanction of any kind.
This is directly related to the way Ebay evaluates me as a seller. The evaluation process focuses on small numbers of negative reports, and a very few can cause loss of TRS status, with resulting increase in Ebay fees.
The problem with this methodology is that the most problematic of buyers end up being the most important to sellers. Buyers who are inexperienced. Buyers who live where delivery is imperfect. And buyers who are quick to go off. Some would include malice here, and I'm sure that happens, but in my experience it's very rare. Problematic buyers aren't often malicious, but they do have a lot of bad experiences, and generate the majority of grief encountered by good sellers.
International selling is, by definition, to a problem buyer. While most western delivery systems are reliable, some, notoriously Italy, are not even close, and various others, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Israel, are imperfect.
Add to that the high customs taxes levied by most of Europe, and the culture of avoiding such taxes. Most European buyers have had experience with sellers who do their best to help, and they have had experience with sellers who refuse cooperation. The latter can expect rating consequences. Not usually, but when 1% consequences really matter, then it's going to be prudent to avoid the problem all together.
Ebay has tried to help, by not scoring all DSRs the same, and by protecting sellers from negative feedback which references customs issues.
But Ebay has left the big cannon in place pointed straight at seller: the INR dispute. Item Not Received. Sellers who encounter 1% INRs, regardless of what happens next, face serious Ebay consequences.
And the small cannon: international DSRs on positive feedback which does not reference any customs issue in the text. The text doesn't matter. The DSRs do. Clean text, dirty DSR, yields pain.
Many sellers are perfectly aware of the odds of getting their item delivered in imperfect situations. We're willing to refund when delivery fails. But, we are unwilling to risk the Ebay consequences of an INR or bad international DSRs when we've always done the right thing.
Solution: a seller who:
a. buys an Ebay shipping label to buyer's address
b. subsequently refunds, voluntarily, in a timely fashion, all money paid by buyer in response to buyer complaint
Should not face further sanction of any kind.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Local pickup, continued
The question was, "does a local pickup yield a non-compliance strike for failing to upload tracking information within 24 hours?"
Commenter Oleg suggested entering something like "picked-up-4-04-2012" into the tracking field.
I've recently had two LPU's, each of which involved 3 different ebay items. I followed Oleg's suggestion.
The results are, um, mixed.
I ended up with 1 strike.
I have no idea, perhaps I did something odd, but I take it as evidence that Oleg's suggestion is valid.
--
Next however, we find Ebay yet again trying their best to make LPU more difficult and/or dangerous.
Ebay does/will offer automatic 5 stars for communication when no communication has occurred in either direction. Except if LPU is offered on the listing.
I take that to mean that offering cash for LPU as a payment mechanism would disable the automatic 5 stars. That lack of an automatic 5 hasn't been a problem for me, mostly because I totally accept that some buyers will post a 4 no matter what I have done. However, many sellers pursue the 5.0 with intensity, and may well choose to avoid offering LPU to increase their chance of getting a 5 DSR.
Commenter Oleg suggested entering something like "picked-up-4-04-2012" into the tracking field.
I've recently had two LPU's, each of which involved 3 different ebay items. I followed Oleg's suggestion.
The results are, um, mixed.
I ended up with 1 strike.
I have no idea, perhaps I did something odd, but I take it as evidence that Oleg's suggestion is valid.
--
Next however, we find Ebay yet again trying their best to make LPU more difficult and/or dangerous.
Ebay does/will offer automatic 5 stars for communication when no communication has occurred in either direction. Except if LPU is offered on the listing.
I take that to mean that offering cash for LPU as a payment mechanism would disable the automatic 5 stars. That lack of an automatic 5 hasn't been a problem for me, mostly because I totally accept that some buyers will post a 4 no matter what I have done. However, many sellers pursue the 5.0 with intensity, and may well choose to avoid offering LPU to increase their chance of getting a 5 DSR.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Changes somewhat for the better
New automatic 5-star Detailed Seller Rating (DSR) for Communication protects sellers from getting low DSRs when there was no communication at all. Starting in April, you'll get an automatic 5-star Communication DSR when you specify same-day or 1-day handling, upload tracking information by the end of the next business day, and no communication was needed between you and the buyer. Of course, friendly, prompt and informative communication is always important, so on transactions where buyer and seller communications do occur, the Communication DSR will be rated by the buyer.
That's a good thing, of course, I guess.
The problem is, it fails to address the core issue of unavoidable negative communication stars: slow pay. Instead, it mitigates the '4' issue, which is trivial, and has no consequences beyond being an annoyance.
Sellers who harass slow payers, and sellers who refuse to fix SNADs, can expect a low comm star.
Sellers who end up with a UID filed 8 days or more after close of auction, and the buyer pays after the UID is filed, are in great peril of an undeserved negative comm star. If they're looking to improve good seller confidence, that's the kind of issue ebay should address, instead of the fluffy, doesn't happen, neg comm star from the blue.
One of the worst aspects of ebay selling is the tremendous impact a very small number of cranky buyers can have on a seller. It's like living in a war zone, where even good, skillful sellers can get shot down. It shouldn't be that way, and it doesn't have to be that way. Coercing good selling practice is good, but it can be achieved without intense focus on a very few cranky reports.
More details:
You will not receive an automatic 5 star DSR for Communication if there is any buyer or seller initiated communication related to the transaction in the eBay messaging system or a request for contact information by the buyer or seller. Operational emails such as invoices and invoice requests even if they contain messages added by the buyer or seller, and Best Offer communications are excluded from consideration and you will still qualify for an automatic 5 star DSR for Communication if there is no other communication between buyer and seller.
That's a good thing, of course, I guess.
The problem is, it fails to address the core issue of unavoidable negative communication stars: slow pay. Instead, it mitigates the '4' issue, which is trivial, and has no consequences beyond being an annoyance.
Sellers who harass slow payers, and sellers who refuse to fix SNADs, can expect a low comm star.
Sellers who end up with a UID filed 8 days or more after close of auction, and the buyer pays after the UID is filed, are in great peril of an undeserved negative comm star. If they're looking to improve good seller confidence, that's the kind of issue ebay should address, instead of the fluffy, doesn't happen, neg comm star from the blue.
One of the worst aspects of ebay selling is the tremendous impact a very small number of cranky buyers can have on a seller. It's like living in a war zone, where even good, skillful sellers can get shot down. It shouldn't be that way, and it doesn't have to be that way. Coercing good selling practice is good, but it can be achieved without intense focus on a very few cranky reports.
More details:
You will not receive an automatic 5 star DSR for Communication if there is any buyer or seller initiated communication related to the transaction in the eBay messaging system or a request for contact information by the buyer or seller. Operational emails such as invoices and invoice requests even if they contain messages added by the buyer or seller, and Best Offer communications are excluded from consideration and you will still qualify for an automatic 5 star DSR for Communication if there is no other communication between buyer and seller.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Small Sellers vs $20,000
We've often discussed what is a small seller.
By now, the answer is clear as a bell.
A small seller is a seller who is scared to death of accepting over $20,000 in payments from Paypal in a given year.
I think it would be well worth Ebay's investment to help small sellers past this barrier.
The height of the barrier is, for many, not the requirement to actually pay taxes on profits. We'll leave those sorts to their own small world.
Rather, the barrier involves record keeping. The vast majority of small sellers have no records beyond what Ebay shows them. Ebay can do better, far better, to encourage small sellers to become medium sellers, by building IRS oriented record keeping into selling.
By now, the answer is clear as a bell.
A small seller is a seller who is scared to death of accepting over $20,000 in payments from Paypal in a given year.
I think it would be well worth Ebay's investment to help small sellers past this barrier.
The height of the barrier is, for many, not the requirement to actually pay taxes on profits. We'll leave those sorts to their own small world.
Rather, the barrier involves record keeping. The vast majority of small sellers have no records beyond what Ebay shows them. Ebay can do better, far better, to encourage small sellers to become medium sellers, by building IRS oriented record keeping into selling.
Free Listing Day
Yesterday (14 Mar) was a free listing day, the first such since 7 Feb.
That 5 week interval was the longest (as I recall) since the current arrangement began last spring. 50 free listings, plus an occasional free listing day.
I suspect I'm not alone in actively managing my free listings. The technique I use is to not relist something which went unsold until a free listing day. I sell basically random stuff, auctions beginning at low. I seldom have something which is "worth" $100 and I'm not taking less than that for it. I do have a minimum transaction, usually $10, a bit higher for larger, harder to ship items. The random nature combined with the minimum transaction yields a fleet of items which have sparse demand at the minimum transaction. These get combined with "low excitement" items waiting for a free listing day.
I realize that for ebay there is a tradeoff between predictability of free listing days vs paid listing fees. However, I'd suggest to ebay that they understand the business models created by various actions, so as to better be able to manage FVF profits. FVF profits are good for ebay and good for sellers. For me, two free listing days per month yield maximum FVF.
That 5 week interval was the longest (as I recall) since the current arrangement began last spring. 50 free listings, plus an occasional free listing day.
I suspect I'm not alone in actively managing my free listings. The technique I use is to not relist something which went unsold until a free listing day. I sell basically random stuff, auctions beginning at low. I seldom have something which is "worth" $100 and I'm not taking less than that for it. I do have a minimum transaction, usually $10, a bit higher for larger, harder to ship items. The random nature combined with the minimum transaction yields a fleet of items which have sparse demand at the minimum transaction. These get combined with "low excitement" items waiting for a free listing day.
I realize that for ebay there is a tradeoff between predictability of free listing days vs paid listing fees. However, I'd suggest to ebay that they understand the business models created by various actions, so as to better be able to manage FVF profits. FVF profits are good for ebay and good for sellers. For me, two free listing days per month yield maximum FVF.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Local Pickup yields TRS strike
TRS requirements are being stiffened. I have no problem with that, but, as usual, the implementation has side effects.
One of the stiffenings is that 90% of one's sales must have tracking information posted to Ebay within 1 day of payment. That's fine with me in general, but apparently there is no way to designate a sale as "local pickup", which of course has no such tracking information. Freight might also be similar, depending on whether the freighter offers qualified tracking.
Such sales are scored as "slow shipping", and threaten one's TRS status (and discount).
Solutions:
1. just make sure that your non-trackable sales don't exceed 10% (or, to be careful, 8%)
2. Don't mark the item as paid.
3. Create a 2nd account which never will achieve TRS status. Sell all LPU, freight, and other out-of-favor items on this account.
One of the stiffenings is that 90% of one's sales must have tracking information posted to Ebay within 1 day of payment. That's fine with me in general, but apparently there is no way to designate a sale as "local pickup", which of course has no such tracking information. Freight might also be similar, depending on whether the freighter offers qualified tracking.
Such sales are scored as "slow shipping", and threaten one's TRS status (and discount).
Solutions:
1. just make sure that your non-trackable sales don't exceed 10% (or, to be careful, 8%)
2. Don't mark the item as paid.
3. Create a 2nd account which never will achieve TRS status. Sell all LPU, freight, and other out-of-favor items on this account.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Selling page suggestions
The Ebay selling page is basically very good for small and beginning sellers. However, there are some traps which just seem unnecessary.
1. "Second Chance Offer". This feature is useless for 98% of sellers, and exists as a trap for beginning sellers who think it might be for when the original buyer hasn't paid for two days.
Solution: for the 1 or 2% of sellers whose model makes 2CO useful, enable it via some advanced setting.
2. Feedback for items not yet paid for. There is no logical reason why a seller would leave feedback before being paid. This is an anachronism from way back. As it is, it's simply an invitation to leave mistaken feedback.
Solution: don't enable feedback until the item is paid for, or marked paid.
3. Print Shipping Label for items not yet paid for. Similar problem as to early feedback, but the consequences are far worse.
Solution: don't enable printing shipping label until item is paid for, or marked paid.
4. Glitches remain with the selling page reporting that an item has an open question from buyer. Example I've seen involves seller contacting buyer, buyer replying, end of sequence.
Solution a: stop counting every contact as a "question". It makes things read screwy and confuses those who don't know the translation.
Solution b: if you're counting something as needing action, always give a way to mark the action satisfied.
1. "Second Chance Offer". This feature is useless for 98% of sellers, and exists as a trap for beginning sellers who think it might be for when the original buyer hasn't paid for two days.
Solution: for the 1 or 2% of sellers whose model makes 2CO useful, enable it via some advanced setting.
2. Feedback for items not yet paid for. There is no logical reason why a seller would leave feedback before being paid. This is an anachronism from way back. As it is, it's simply an invitation to leave mistaken feedback.
Solution: don't enable feedback until the item is paid for, or marked paid.
3. Print Shipping Label for items not yet paid for. Similar problem as to early feedback, but the consequences are far worse.
Solution: don't enable printing shipping label until item is paid for, or marked paid.
4. Glitches remain with the selling page reporting that an item has an open question from buyer. Example I've seen involves seller contacting buyer, buyer replying, end of sequence.
Solution a: stop counting every contact as a "question". It makes things read screwy and confuses those who don't know the translation.
Solution b: if you're counting something as needing action, always give a way to mark the action satisfied.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Coming: 12 free pictures
Random recent listing creations foretell the future: all 12 pictures free.
This is a welcome improvement from ebay which will benefit both buyers and sellers. Come July, they will go to free for all listings.
Some sellers report seeing the free 12 feature appear already, and then disappear as quick as it appeared. My guess, ebay is both testing and teasing.
This is a welcome improvement from ebay which will benefit both buyers and sellers. Come July, they will go to free for all listings.
Some sellers report seeing the free 12 feature appear already, and then disappear as quick as it appeared. My guess, ebay is both testing and teasing.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Free Listing Suggestion
The cost of listings is a bigger barrier than some imagine. Ebay recognizes that by giving away 50 free listings per month to small sellers.
However, not everyone uses them equally to ebay's advantage.
Ebay, and small sellers, would benefit if Ebay were to reward productive sellers with more free listings.
One nice way to do that would be to give back one free listing for every free listing which generated a $9.99 or larger sale. Then cut back to say 25 free listings.
This would give the cheapskates real motivation to make ebay money. Use them to make sales, not just trot out overpriced stuff. Buyers would benefit as well, by seeing more attractive listings.
However, not everyone uses them equally to ebay's advantage.
Ebay, and small sellers, would benefit if Ebay were to reward productive sellers with more free listings.
One nice way to do that would be to give back one free listing for every free listing which generated a $9.99 or larger sale. Then cut back to say 25 free listings.
This would give the cheapskates real motivation to make ebay money. Use them to make sales, not just trot out overpriced stuff. Buyers would benefit as well, by seeing more attractive listings.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Ebay shipping sticks it to USPS?
For a couple of weeks now, Ebay shipping for the padded flat rate envelope has been charged at $4.90.
However, the USPS price went up in mid January to $5.10.
It's now apparently fixed, but while it was wrong, seller faced a less than obvious choice. Choose between:
a. print a "padded flat rate envelope", pay the $4.90, and just ship the stuff, using stealth shipping not for buyer, but for some eagle eyed USPS employee.
b. print a "small flat rate box", pay $5.15, an extra $0.05, but have the label be obviously wrong in a different way
I suspect I'm like most people. I chose option (a), and tried to convince myself that Ebay really knew what it was doing. With the price now back at $5.10, it's pretty clear that this was an Ebay error.
The USPS could of course detect the discrepancy and treat the package as postage due. So far, no such result, and I don't expect one, given that the label says the right thing even while insufficient postage was paid.
However, the USPS price went up in mid January to $5.10.
It's now apparently fixed, but while it was wrong, seller faced a less than obvious choice. Choose between:
a. print a "padded flat rate envelope", pay the $4.90, and just ship the stuff, using stealth shipping not for buyer, but for some eagle eyed USPS employee.
b. print a "small flat rate box", pay $5.15, an extra $0.05, but have the label be obviously wrong in a different way
I suspect I'm like most people. I chose option (a), and tried to convince myself that Ebay really knew what it was doing. With the price now back at $5.10, it's pretty clear that this was an Ebay error.
The USPS could of course detect the discrepancy and treat the package as postage due. So far, no such result, and I don't expect one, given that the label says the right thing even while insufficient postage was paid.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Shipping gougers vs cranks
Ebay's defense against shipping gougers is broken on two fronts.
1. real gouges go unreported for fear of being blocked
2. cranky buyers get all the power.
These two mesh perfectly.
Here's the anatomy of a shipping charge ding.
Summary: buyer paid $10.99 for item, $19.05 for parcel post shipping.
Parcel post shipping postage was $18.37, purchased through ebay. Box and packaging materials included with the $19.05, or 67c over actual postage.
Buyer posts DSR ding, apparently feeling that a $10.99 item shouldn't have $19 shipping.
Real shipping gougers get no attention, mostly shipping by UPS.
67 cents gets downrated.
Solution: stop selling larger $10.99 items. If it's not working out, change is required. Minimum price on parcel post package now $25. Good for ebay? Not.
Economy Shipping : US $19.05
USPS Parcel Post®
Estimated delivery: February 21 - February 28
Package 1 of 1
Shipment details: 91027850914015328xxxxx
Shipping label printed on Feb-16-12
Shipping cost: $18.37
US $10.99
Subtotal:
US $10.99
Shipping & handling:
US $19.05
Total:
US $30.04
1. real gouges go unreported for fear of being blocked
2. cranky buyers get all the power.
These two mesh perfectly.
Here's the anatomy of a shipping charge ding.
Summary: buyer paid $10.99 for item, $19.05 for parcel post shipping.
Parcel post shipping postage was $18.37, purchased through ebay. Box and packaging materials included with the $19.05, or 67c over actual postage.
Buyer posts DSR ding, apparently feeling that a $10.99 item shouldn't have $19 shipping.
Real shipping gougers get no attention, mostly shipping by UPS.
67 cents gets downrated.
Solution: stop selling larger $10.99 items. If it's not working out, change is required. Minimum price on parcel post package now $25. Good for ebay? Not.
Economy Shipping : US $19.05
USPS Parcel Post®
Estimated delivery: February 21 - February 28
Package 1 of 1
Shipment details: 91027850914015328xxxxx
Shipping label printed on Feb-16-12
Shipping cost: $18.37
US $10.99
Subtotal:
US $10.99
Shipping & handling:
US $19.05
Total:
US $30.04
Feedback cranks
Feedback cranks come in two flavors.
Buyer, and seller.
They're both anti-social sorts, living in the past.
A bit of history. Until 2008, sellers could leave negative feedback for buyers. For powerful (if hard to anticipate in advance) reasons, this resulted in a huge advantage for sellers who withheld feedback until after buyer had posted feedback.
If buyer negged seller, seller negged buyer. Buyer freaked out, never did that again. Some buyers became cranky, and refused to post 1st feedback. If they had all done that, it would have helped, but most buyers docily posted 1st fb, and sellers posted last fb.
However, for four years now, no negs for buyers. DSRs have come to be the dominant measure of an ebay seller. Public feedback is almost useless in all regards.
But cranks remain on both sides. Buyers who demand 1st fb. Sellers who demand 1st fb. Buyers who demand quick fb. Sellers who refuse to post timely feedback.
Feedback is a major stress point on ebay, and it's mostly all pain no gain.
Buyer, and seller.
They're both anti-social sorts, living in the past.
A bit of history. Until 2008, sellers could leave negative feedback for buyers. For powerful (if hard to anticipate in advance) reasons, this resulted in a huge advantage for sellers who withheld feedback until after buyer had posted feedback.
If buyer negged seller, seller negged buyer. Buyer freaked out, never did that again. Some buyers became cranky, and refused to post 1st feedback. If they had all done that, it would have helped, but most buyers docily posted 1st fb, and sellers posted last fb.
However, for four years now, no negs for buyers. DSRs have come to be the dominant measure of an ebay seller. Public feedback is almost useless in all regards.
But cranks remain on both sides. Buyers who demand 1st fb. Sellers who demand 1st fb. Buyers who demand quick fb. Sellers who refuse to post timely feedback.
Feedback is a major stress point on ebay, and it's mostly all pain no gain.
Monday, January 30, 2012
More on Regional Flat Rate Box C
At first analysis, this box seems poorly targeted. It only makes sense for items which weigh over 16lb but less than 25lb. Not a target most of us hit very often.
But thinking of it from the USPS perspective, it's got to be an experiment. It's the largest box the USPS has ever given away, and hopefully people will use it for its size for items in the 8-16lb range, even though they end up paying dearly for the box at the low end of that range.
But thinking of it from the USPS perspective, it's got to be an experiment. It's the largest box the USPS has ever given away, and hopefully people will use it for its size for items in the 8-16lb range, even though they end up paying dearly for the box at the low end of that range.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Regional box C
C – Top Loading
Outside: 15” x 12” x 12”
Inside: 14 3/4” x 11 3/4” x 11 1/2”
25 lbs $14.40 $18.73 $22.66 $31.52 $35.66 $38.99 $45.02
(just below the 16 lb rate)
Outside: 15” x 12” x 12”
Inside: 14 3/4” x 11 3/4” x 11 1/2”
25 lbs $14.40 $18.73 $22.66 $31.52 $35.66 $38.99 $45.02
(just below the 16 lb rate)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Ebay vs new shipping rates.
Some changes are done, good.
1. Ebay shipping, 1st class DC now free. 1st class Ebay postage has actually gone down.
2. Medium FRB now $10.85 (a good deal compared to the $11.35 paid at post office).
3. Other prices have been adjusted appropriately.
Some changes not done.
1. Paypal multi-ship is BROKEN, apparently no one cared to update it. Charges for 1st class DC. UPDATE: correct price for medium FRB.
2. No ebay rate for regional box C (moot so far, can't order the box yet).
Observations:
Regional Box B can be higher priced, coast to coast, than a large FRB.
1. Ebay shipping, 1st class DC now free. 1st class Ebay postage has actually gone down.
2. Medium FRB now $10.85 (a good deal compared to the $11.35 paid at post office).
3. Other prices have been adjusted appropriately.
Some changes not done.
1. Paypal multi-ship is BROKEN, apparently no one cared to update it. Charges for 1st class DC. UPDATE: correct price for medium FRB.
2. No ebay rate for regional box C (moot so far, can't order the box yet).
Observations:
Regional Box B can be higher priced, coast to coast, than a large FRB.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Shipping Rate Changes
New domestic retail pricing for Priority Mail Flat Rate products include:
Small box — $5.35
Medium box — $11.35
Large box — $15.45
Large APO/FPO/DPO box — $13.45
Regular envelope — $5.15
Legal-size and Padded envelope — $5.30
Historically, Ebay has done a dismal job when the USPS made changes.
We really hope for better this time.
Rates change on Sunday, 22 Jan.
Particularly, the shipping label process had better get the right answer. We sellers rely on it working, we don't often double check to see if Ebay has not really cared enough to calculate properly.
Small box — $5.35
Medium box — $11.35
Large box — $15.45
Large APO/FPO/DPO box — $13.45
Regular envelope — $5.15
Legal-size and Padded envelope — $5.30
Historically, Ebay has done a dismal job when the USPS made changes.
We really hope for better this time.
Rates change on Sunday, 22 Jan.
Particularly, the shipping label process had better get the right answer. We sellers rely on it working, we don't often double check to see if Ebay has not really cared enough to calculate properly.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The Incumbent's Curse
Kodak is far from the first company to become so captive to its core business that it can scarcely imagine another way of doing things. Vijay Govindarajan of Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business calls this phenomenon the "incumbent's curse." "When a company becomes successful, it develops a dominant logic," Govindarajan says. "When the world went digital, Kodak's strengths became weaknesses. It could not overcome its dominant logic and build a new logic."
--- Rick Newman | U.S.News & World Report LP
When companies become successful, they tend to over-estimate the value of how they did it, and underestimate the effects of being lucky enough to be in the right time and the right place with a solution which was good enough.
Despite the mal-wishes of some detractors and disgruntled customers, Ebay is not facing obsolescence, not yet anyway.
But they're surely anchored to some dysfunctional behavior, and are ill prepared to handle the paradigm shift which will eventually come.
In particular:
1. Seller ratings and suspensions are often just nutty, leaving all sellers feeling that they're doing business with a partner who could viciously turn on them at any moment.
2. International sales are extraordinarily risky given the rules of seller protection combined with negative ratings potential for well performing sellers.
3. Apparent lack of investment in software engineering capacity. Small issues go perpetually unfixed, and "solutions" to problems end up so simplistic that they yield secondary problems.
The Kodak counter-analogue described by Mr. Newman above is Corning. Corning keeps finding new applications for glass. Ebay would do best by finding new and better ways for ordinary people to sell stuff.
--- Rick Newman | U.S.News & World Report LP
When companies become successful, they tend to over-estimate the value of how they did it, and underestimate the effects of being lucky enough to be in the right time and the right place with a solution which was good enough.
Despite the mal-wishes of some detractors and disgruntled customers, Ebay is not facing obsolescence, not yet anyway.
But they're surely anchored to some dysfunctional behavior, and are ill prepared to handle the paradigm shift which will eventually come.
In particular:
1. Seller ratings and suspensions are often just nutty, leaving all sellers feeling that they're doing business with a partner who could viciously turn on them at any moment.
2. International sales are extraordinarily risky given the rules of seller protection combined with negative ratings potential for well performing sellers.
3. Apparent lack of investment in software engineering capacity. Small issues go perpetually unfixed, and "solutions" to problems end up so simplistic that they yield secondary problems.
The Kodak counter-analogue described by Mr. Newman above is Corning. Corning keeps finding new applications for glass. Ebay would do best by finding new and better ways for ordinary people to sell stuff.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The solution for planned slow shipping
There exist a class of items which simply cannot be shipped within 24 hours of payment. Primarily, custom crafted items.
And, there exist a class of sellers who have things to sell, but for a variety of reasons can't ship within 24 hours.
These two classes now exist in a perilous zone of buyer sympathy. Every purchase is the threat of a low shipping time star.
Simplistic solution: a special class of listing, "shipping may be delayed". If seller uses this class of listing, seller is given 30 days to ship. The shipping time star is not offered for rating. INR cannot be filed until after 30 days, and seller protection is not invalidated until 30 days. Feedback rules unchanged.
This of course brings up a second problem: all sellers would choose that class of listing, why not?
Because the listing costs $1 extra,with the $1 donated to a charity selected from a list provided by Ebay at listing time.
And, there exist a class of sellers who have things to sell, but for a variety of reasons can't ship within 24 hours.
These two classes now exist in a perilous zone of buyer sympathy. Every purchase is the threat of a low shipping time star.
Simplistic solution: a special class of listing, "shipping may be delayed". If seller uses this class of listing, seller is given 30 days to ship. The shipping time star is not offered for rating. INR cannot be filed until after 30 days, and seller protection is not invalidated until 30 days. Feedback rules unchanged.
This of course brings up a second problem: all sellers would choose that class of listing, why not?
Because the listing costs $1 extra,with the $1 donated to a charity selected from a list provided by Ebay at listing time.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Free listings, free listing days
I for one kind of like the balance Ebay has found of late.
50 free auction listings, almost unlimited in description. Any opening price, can include BIN, etc. You can use them as defacto BINs with just a hint of cleverness.
Plus, an odd collection of days where one can list for free without consuming the 50.
I find that I try to use my 50, and use them wisely. I use the free listing days for experiments and fliers.
One minor request: allow an additional free 50 listings for 99c beginning price auctions. I like 99c auctions, both as a buyer and a seller.
50 free auction listings, almost unlimited in description. Any opening price, can include BIN, etc. You can use them as defacto BINs with just a hint of cleverness.
Plus, an odd collection of days where one can list for free without consuming the 50.
I find that I try to use my 50, and use them wisely. I use the free listing days for experiments and fliers.
One minor request: allow an additional free 50 listings for 99c beginning price auctions. I like 99c auctions, both as a buyer and a seller.
Monday, January 16, 2012
When fraud prevention ends up being profit prevention
The worst profit prevention idea ever is Ebay/Paypal's sudden blockage of Paypal accounts which have spent $10,000. It goes off when buyer has declined to link a Paypal account with a bank account, as buyers would mostly prefer to do.
C'mon.
These are the kind of buyers we want!
It might make sense to take drastic action at some $$ volume, but a buyer who has spent $10,000 over three years is not likely to turn out to be a fraud during year four.
It would make far more sense to give buyer $3000 per year to spend on a credit card before this measure goes off.
Better yet: go to Ebay Payments, which work like Amazon Payments. Buyer can spend without limit, other than some internal controls which apply to dicey situations.
C'mon.
These are the kind of buyers we want!
It might make sense to take drastic action at some $$ volume, but a buyer who has spent $10,000 over three years is not likely to turn out to be a fraud during year four.
It would make far more sense to give buyer $3000 per year to spend on a credit card before this measure goes off.
Better yet: go to Ebay Payments, which work like Amazon Payments. Buyer can spend without limit, other than some internal controls which apply to dicey situations.
Shopping cart: worthless without combined shipping
Not sure who came up with the idea that paying for lots of things at once was what buyers (or sellers) wanted...unless the action included a combined shipping discount.
Please, ebay, make the shopping cart useful.
Allow sellers to specify combined shipping discounts over multiple items, particularly BIN items.
Allow sellers to quote combined shipping on carts which in some way exceed the predefined discounts.
Please, ebay, make the shopping cart useful.
Allow sellers to specify combined shipping discounts over multiple items, particularly BIN items.
Allow sellers to quote combined shipping on carts which in some way exceed the predefined discounts.
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