posted on July 26, 2006 07:15:11 PM
***Trust & Safety: Excessive Shipping Policy Update***
June 27, 2006 | 09:27AM PST/PT
Sarah Brubacher
Sarah Brubacher
Hi. This is Sarah Brubacher from eBay's Global Policy team in Trust & Safety. At eBay Live! Bill Cobb announced that, as of June 19th, eBay is taking a much stronger stand against excessive Shipping & Handling charges. (Read Bill's original AB post from the event.)
In addition to stepping up enforcement against egregious violations, we have made some clarifications to our Excessive Shipping & Handling policy. The changes outline the types of charges sellers may pass on to the buyer in the form of shipping and handling. They also provide guidelines that sellers can use to make sure their listings are in compliance with the policy. Simply stated, sellers can feel confident they are in compliance by charging actual shipping fees plus actual costs for packaging materials.
As Bill mentioned, our Community has told us – and our research confirms -- excessive shipping prices drive buyers from our site. This hurts the entire marketplace. These unfair charges also un-level the playing field, allowing some sellers to hide their costs in the shipping charges to manipulate their priority in search. In the coming months, we will be proactively looking for listings that are in violation of our policy, and we'll be following up on member reports. Please know that it will take some time to clean up the marketplace, but your help and cooperation, we can regain buyer trust and re-level the playing field for the vast majority of honest sellers.
Thank you to those of you who have been reporting examples of excessive shipping that you see on our site. It is only through working together that we will make an impact on this issue.
If you would like to read further about this policy, please visit the Excessive Shipping Charges Policy page.
posted on July 26, 2006 07:36:06 PM"Thank you to those of you who have been reporting examples of excessive shipping that you see on our site. It is only through working together that we will make an impact on this issue"
posted on July 26, 2006 07:37:23 PM
So what are they trying to say? That we can no longer charge for any handling time? Only postage and packing materials? Boy, ebay really want's to loose alot of people this month don't they. This on top of their store fee increase. At the rate they are going they will be out of business by 2007.
1 out of 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Take a look at your 3 closest friends. If they seem alright, you're the one! - Kyle Stubbins, CMS
posted on July 26, 2006 08:01:41 PMIn the coming months, we will be proactively looking for listings that are in violation of our policy, and we'll be following up on member reports.
So what they are saying is, "we haven't been acting on anything reported up to this point, so you still should have the confidence now that we will actually do our jobs."
posted on July 26, 2006 08:14:40 PM
Thought i would add this bit as well.
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Excessive Shipping Charges Policy
Sellers may charge reasonable shipping and handling fees to cover the costs for mailing, packaging, and handling the items they are selling. While eBay will not prescribe exactly what a seller may or may not charge, eBay will rely on member reports and its own discretion to determine whether or not a seller’s shipping, handling, packaging, and/or insurance charges are excessive. Shipping and handling fees may not be listed as a percentage of the final sale price.
Sellers who want to be sure they are in compliance with this policy may charge actual shipping costs plus actual packaging materials cost (or less).
In addition to the final listing price, sellers are permitted to charge:
Actual Shipping cost: This is the actual cost (i.e. postage) for shipping the item.
Handling Fee: Actual packaging materials costs may be charged. A handling fee in addition to actual shipping cost may be charged if it is not excessive.
Insurance: Sellers offering insurance may only charge the actual fee for insurance. No additional amount may be added, such as “self-insurance”. Sellers who do not use a licensed 3rd party insurance company may not require buyers to purchase insurance. This is a violation of state law.
Tax: Only actual applicable federal, state, country, city, VAT, and equivalent taxes may be charged.
For cross border transactions, sellers may not collect tariffs and duties. However, buyers may be responsible for actual, applicable tariffs, and duties as requested by respective country laws.
Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:
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Listing cancellation
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Limits on account privileges
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Account suspension
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Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
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Loss of PowerSeller status
Some Examples Show
Why does eBay have this policy? Show
Related Help topics
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Listing Policies for Sellers Overview
Contact Customer Support
Report listing violations or problems with another eBay member.
posted on July 27, 2006 02:53:18 AM
Policy is flawed beause:
1: Ebay assumes that everyone pays the same amount for packing materials. Not true!! What I pay in Ohio for a case of padded envelopes will most certainly be less than what a seller in Calif - New York or hawaii pays. Prices vary considerably around the country.
2: Ebay assumes that all similar types of items are packed the same way. Not true!! Whereas some sellers take a small piece of jewelry and put it into a padded envelope and ship it, there are others such as myself who first wrap the item in layers of bubble wrap - seal securely with packing tape - fill the envelope with peanuts for extra padding and secure the item well within the safety of the peanuts prior to sealing the envelope.
3: Ebay assumes that all shipping charges are separately marked and separately charged. For example: In my shipping charge is actual postage - amount for packing material - small handling charge and delivery comfirmation which I put on every package for my own safety. The only thing I break out is optional insurance.
4: Ebay assumes that most buyers actually care about excessive shipping/handling charges. Not true!! If that was the case then the sellers listing an item such as a coin for $1.00 and charging $20.00 to ship it would go out of business quickly. Most (and I stress "most" buyers are well aware that they are being ripped off with excessive s/h charges and don't care because they are well aware of the value of the item they are purchasing and include the s/h charges in their calculations of what they'll pay for said item.
Ebay should stop all this nonsense about leveling the playing field and be honest about why they are now going to enforce their own policy. Fee avoidance is the issue - not the deep seated supposed concern they say they have about the buying public on ebay.
Ebay is protecting their own pockets not the buyers. Not that this is wrong, it isn't. Ebay is a business designed to make a profit and lots of sellers are ripping off ebay with fee avoidance. The buyers are not and never have been the issue.
posted on July 27, 2006 04:08:36 AM
Actually capolady eBay has gotten some bad press over excessive shipping, Clark Howard had a caller on Monday that was complaining about just this thing. Seller had a $250 item for .99 cents and it backfired on them as it only had one bidder. The calculator said it could not be shipped so the buyer said he would pick it up, then the seller tries to come back with "Oh no we will ship but it will cost you $650." Needless to say the buyer told them to pack sand where the sun doesn't shine and they could mutually end the transaction or trade negs with a report to eBay.
Seller backed out.
He is a nationwide syndicated radio host so lots of people heard about that.
posted on July 27, 2006 05:59:20 AM
EBay to English Translation: We are not making market projections, our managements stock options are rapidly become less and less valuable and we need all the fees we can get. If you charge more than $10 for shipping that item damn well better have lead in it.
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People put their hand on the bible, and swear to uphold the constitution. They do not put their hand on the constitution, and swear to uphold the bible.
posted on July 27, 2006 06:29:14 AM
I think everyone is worrying excessively over this. I believe that Ebay is going after the sellers just as WashingtoneBayer posted about. I don't think that Ebay is going to bother with the honest sellers. This is just my opinion and we'll have to see how it plays out. Personally, I'm not worrying about it.
posted on July 27, 2006 08:08:26 AM
It could be worse. If you sell on Amazon (Marketplace) THEY set the shipping rates. You don't get a voice in the matter.
I just love it when I sell a little 7oz card game and they give me $8.00 shipping allowance. But that doesn't happen often enough to offset the huge 10 pound board games where Amazon gives $3.49 to ship to Alaska. They don't know my products, and their guesses are often VERY wrong.
At least on eBay I can set my own shipping, and for now anyway, some excess to cover packaging and other costs.
Dr. Arcane, revelator of mystical secrets http://www.drarcane.com
Got questions about the secrets of the universe?
posted on July 27, 2006 10:10:31 AM
I was having as conversation with a fellow ebayer at an auction over this issue.
They got a call from e-bay to go over this excessive shipping. I have not. We sell about the same volume per month so it was not that he was a larger sellers or such..
We went over the call and here is what we determined.
He starts all of his auctions at 99cents. I do not. He sells large lots (weight and value) so at the end of the auction even if he has had only one bid of .99CT the weight alone will add up to $20-$30 or more in shipping.
I sell individual items so the shipping cost are for the most part standard amts.
As most of his auction fall into the $300-$1000 range his insurance cost will be high.
So since all of his auctions list at 99CTS and have high shipping costs he got warned.
This person will actually send out the 99CT items if he gets caught without bids and hasonly 1 neg out of 3000+ positives.
He is very concerned that his auctions will be removed..
Even if they (ebay) never look at his auctions again he is now concerned that he will be iced for something he is not aware of
that is what this stupid policy is bringing.
It is a fee generator and if they are concerned then set it up to charge the fee for shipping and be done with it as it was said before the customer looks at the total price when they bid on the item.
1 out of 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Take a look at your 3 closest friends. If they seem alright, you're the one! - Kyle Stubbins, CMS
buyers are well aware that they are being ripped off with excessive s/h charges and don't care because they are well aware of the value of the item they are purchasing and include the s/h charges in their calculations of what they'll pay for said item.