I've learned a lot of stuff regarding ebay's combined shipping invoices during the past year.
Mostly, non-intuitive gotchas. Stuff which seems like it should work, but just doesn't work.
1. 30 days (or is it 32?) after sale, no item can be combined into an invoice. Even worse, seller can't send any invoice at all. Buyer can of course still leave feedback.
2. If the UID assistant files the UID, the item cannot be part of any combined invoice.
3. Sometimes for unknown reasons, the combined invoice created by ebay just doesn't include some items (nor does it offer the link to add more items).
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Some suggestions to Ebay regarding combined shipping.
1. If an item is part of a combined shipment, don't lodge a tracking number strike until 24 hours after the last item in that package is paid for. That's what both buyers and sellers want.
2. All unpaid items to a particular buyer should be available for combined invoice.
3. If the UID is filed, create a way for seller to return the item to ordinary unpaid status, so that the item can be combined on an invoice.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
BIN to not be sold until paid. No more need for IPR?
Beginning in May, eligible fixed price listings and auction-style
listings purchased with Buy It Now will remain for sale until a buyer
has paid for the item. This change will be rolled out slowly over the
course of the year and will eliminate a significant number of unpaid
items on eBay by the end of 2013.
Near as I can tell, this is a solid win all the way around, because it allows seller to quote combined shipping while buyer is deciding. Buyer can "buy", but the buy isn't for real until buyer pays. And between buying and paying, buyer can request total.
There has always been a major tension between unpaid items and combined shipping. If Ebay can resolve that tension, good for them.
IPR has worked fine for single sales, but leaves a combined shipping mess.
Please, please Ebay. Don't give buyer a strike for failing to pay for this kind of item.
Lastly, we find this quote:
If you do not use the combined shipping discounts feature, buyers must also click the Request Total button in the Shopping Cart to request a new invoice reflecting their shipping discount.
This means one of two things.
1. The shopping cart will be modified to include a "Request Total" link.
2. What they're talking about is the current Request Total after buying but before paying.
Either will be fine, so long as buyer has the option of declining to proceed after learning the combined shipping.
Near as I can tell, this is a solid win all the way around, because it allows seller to quote combined shipping while buyer is deciding. Buyer can "buy", but the buy isn't for real until buyer pays. And between buying and paying, buyer can request total.
There has always been a major tension between unpaid items and combined shipping. If Ebay can resolve that tension, good for them.
IPR has worked fine for single sales, but leaves a combined shipping mess.
Please, please Ebay. Don't give buyer a strike for failing to pay for this kind of item.
Lastly, we find this quote:
If you do not use the combined shipping discounts feature, buyers must also click the Request Total button in the Shopping Cart to request a new invoice reflecting their shipping discount.
This means one of two things.
1. The shopping cart will be modified to include a "Request Total" link.
2. What they're talking about is the current Request Total after buying but before paying.
Either will be fine, so long as buyer has the option of declining to proceed after learning the combined shipping.
Feedback to be removed when seller wins dispute
Starting May 1, as part of eBay’s ongoing commitment to ensure a fair
and safe marketplace for all buyers and sellers, you’ll be protected
from feedback and detailed seller ratings on any case filed against you
that is resolved in your favor by eBay.
This seems good for sellers, but it's a two edged sword.
Sellers who lose the case get both a lost dispute strike and bad DSRs. The double whammy, with almost no way to use sympathy to get them removed.
Losing the case will become more common, as sellers pursue the victory, but fail to understand the decision process.
SNAD disputes seem particularly perilous.
Related, no protection from buyers who neg because seller refuses to pay return shipping.
This seems good for sellers, but it's a two edged sword.
Sellers who lose the case get both a lost dispute strike and bad DSRs. The double whammy, with almost no way to use sympathy to get them removed.
Losing the case will become more common, as sellers pursue the victory, but fail to understand the decision process.
SNAD disputes seem particularly perilous.
Related, no protection from buyers who neg because seller refuses to pay return shipping.
Listing fee suggestion: reward small sellers who acutally sell
I think Ebay continues to miss the boat with regards to small sellers, meaning sellers who do less than $20,000 per year of business including shipping.
They might occasionally listen to small sellers, but they don't actually experience the angst of the various fees and fears.
Suggestion: of the 50 free listings, give one back when the item sells!
That increases the attraction of Ebay's "catalog", the body of all listings, thus resulting in more buyers but most obviously it gets sellers focused on making sales rather than putting up overpriced listings.
Yes, this means drop the push to get small sellers into a basic store, and replace it with a push to sell. As defined now, the basic store is a bad business proposition, just drop it.
They might occasionally listen to small sellers, but they don't actually experience the angst of the various fees and fears.
Suggestion: of the 50 free listings, give one back when the item sells!
That increases the attraction of Ebay's "catalog", the body of all listings, thus resulting in more buyers but most obviously it gets sellers focused on making sales rather than putting up overpriced listings.
Yes, this means drop the push to get small sellers into a basic store, and replace it with a push to sell. As defined now, the basic store is a bad business proposition, just drop it.
Comment on New Fee Schedule
Today, Ebay announced a new upcoming fee schedule.
Some good, but a lot of what are they thinking?
Good: for small time sellers. The now traditional 50 free listings per month can be BINs as well as Auctions. That's good, because BINs are the right way to sell some items.
WWTT: After using the 50 monthly listings, subsequent listings cost 30c. No more 10c listings of 99c auctions. Why? Presumably to drive anyone selling over 50 items per month into a store. But...
WWTT: Basic store gives 150 free listings of any time, 100 more than no store. If one is intending to list 150 items, the extra 100 cost $20 rather than $30. Given the commitment, it just doesn't seem compelling.
The Wild Card: free listings. The past 5 days have been free listing days. For the first time, free either BIN or Auction. I don't think Ebay can give them up, they really do benefit the bottom line. Offer free listings, and sales surge.
Bet on most small sellers sticking with no store, and holding on for a free listing day.
Other fee changes:
1. No more quasi-BIN auctions, with the BIN price just over auction start price. Now, the BIN has to be 30% higher. I think Ebay solved this problem (and it was a problem) with both a belt and suspenders. The free BINs would have gone a long ways.
2. FVF goes up from 9% to 10% without a store. Just to make the store 9% better in comparison. Bah.
====================================================
Some good, but a lot of what are they thinking?
Good: for small time sellers. The now traditional 50 free listings per month can be BINs as well as Auctions. That's good, because BINs are the right way to sell some items.
WWTT: After using the 50 monthly listings, subsequent listings cost 30c. No more 10c listings of 99c auctions. Why? Presumably to drive anyone selling over 50 items per month into a store. But...
WWTT: Basic store gives 150 free listings of any time, 100 more than no store. If one is intending to list 150 items, the extra 100 cost $20 rather than $30. Given the commitment, it just doesn't seem compelling.
The Wild Card: free listings. The past 5 days have been free listing days. For the first time, free either BIN or Auction. I don't think Ebay can give them up, they really do benefit the bottom line. Offer free listings, and sales surge.
Bet on most small sellers sticking with no store, and holding on for a free listing day.
Other fee changes:
1. No more quasi-BIN auctions, with the BIN price just over auction start price. Now, the BIN has to be 30% higher. I think Ebay solved this problem (and it was a problem) with both a belt and suspenders. The free BINs would have gone a long ways.
2. FVF goes up from 9% to 10% without a store. Just to make the store 9% better in comparison. Bah.
====================================================
| New Everyday Rate Plans | Subscription Fee (Subscriptions auto‑renew) | Free Listings§ | Additional Listings§ (After your monthly free listings, charges per listing) |
Final Value Fees§ (Maximum fee $250, with percentages based on the total amount of the sale) Top Rated Plus listings get a 20% discount | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Per month, with yearly subscription | No insertion fees (Auction-style or fixed price) |
Auction | Fixed price‡ | ||||||||||||||
| Standard Fees^ (no eBay Stores subscription) | N/A | N/A | Up to 50 FREE listings per month | 30¢ | 30¢ | 10% | ||||||||||||
| eBay Stores^ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Basic Store | $19.95 | $15.95 | Up to 150 FREE listings per month | 25¢ | 20¢ |
|
||||||||||||
| Premium Store | $59.95 | $49.95 | Up to 500 FREE listings per month | 15¢ | 10¢ | |||||||||||||
| Anchor Store | $199.95 | $179.95 | Up to 2500 FREE listings per month | 10¢ | 5¢ | |||||||||||||
| ‡ If you list in Books, DVDs & Movies, Music & Video Games additional listing fee is only 5¢ for fixed price. ^ The standard fees are effective April 16, 2013 and eBay Stores fees are effective May 1, 2013. Fees are subject to change. eBay Stores subscriptions automatically renew until cancelled. § Pay no insertion fees for allotted free listings per calendar month. Optional fees, including advanced listing upgrades and supplemental service fees, and final value fees still apply. Motors Vehicles, Real Estate, Heavy Equipment, Concession Trailers & Carts, Imaging & Aesthetics Equipment and Commercial Printing Presses are excluded. Terms are subject to change. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday, March 14, 2013
UPS useful to Ebay sellers at all?
Today's announcement regards a continuation of Ebay's relationship with UPS. Apparently there was a plan to discontinue.
I'm always hopeful that UPS might be useful to me, so I went to check it out. Apparently, here's as good as it gets:
Example Savings
Here is the cost for a four pound package shipped via UPS Ground from New York to San Francisco compared to Priority Mail and Parcel Post.
=====================================
You see the problem.
As good as it gets is still higher than USPS, unless you're shipping to a commercial address.
I mostly don't ship to commercial addresses.
I'm always hopeful that UPS might be useful to me, so I went to check it out. Apparently, here's as good as it gets:
Example Savings
Here is the cost for a four pound package shipped via UPS Ground from New York to San Francisco compared to Priority Mail and Parcel Post.
| Commercial Address | Residential Address | |||
| UPS Ground** | $9.64 | UPS Ground** | $12.39 | |
| USPS Priority Mail | $15.46 | USPS Priority Mail | $15.46 | |
| USPS Parcel Post | $12.09 | USPS Parcel Post | $12.09 | |
=====================================
You see the problem.
As good as it gets is still higher than USPS, unless you're shipping to a commercial address.
I mostly don't ship to commercial addresses.
Ebay PLEASE fix: The dreaded stale description problem
The stale description problem I've blogged multiple times before is not fixed. I've seen three incidences over the past week.
The general nature of Ebay's defect seems clear: the programmer expects the browser to present a coherent new listing back to the software.
The browser fails, for unknown reasons, to uphold this responsibility.
Ebay then creates a sell-similar listing while losing a new description.
No doubt the Ebay programmer feels that it's not Ebay's problem. Seller should be using a responsible browser. But now it's happened on multiple browsers.
Ebay, please fix.
Sequence:
1. sell similar
2. revise to create new listing, including a new description
3. post the listing.
4. look at description, find the old stale description. Worst, look at the stale description after buyer complains that what was shipped does not match the description.
The general nature of Ebay's defect seems clear: the programmer expects the browser to present a coherent new listing back to the software.
The browser fails, for unknown reasons, to uphold this responsibility.
Ebay then creates a sell-similar listing while losing a new description.
No doubt the Ebay programmer feels that it's not Ebay's problem. Seller should be using a responsible browser. But now it's happened on multiple browsers.
Ebay, please fix.
Sequence:
1. sell similar
2. revise to create new listing, including a new description
3. post the listing.
4. look at description, find the old stale description. Worst, look at the stale description after buyer complains that what was shipped does not match the description.
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