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.
Monday, January 30, 2012
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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