posted on November 11, 2009 11:05:35 AM new
I just called ebay and spent an hour complaining about various issues I and other sellers are having.
My favorite question asked at the end was, "do you feel that I addressed your issues?"
My response, "I feel like your job is to diffuse the frustration many sellers have, and that once I disconnect this call you will simply move on to the next frustrated seller and start all over."
Complaints:
1) eBay removing unpaid item strike without any valid reason. - Response: eBay uses discretion in making those decisions. Asked me if I felt that was fair. No, a strike should be a strike, especially considering one strike doesn't get them suspended. I pay eBay to list my items based on the terms eBay lists on their site. When a Bidder doesn't pay or contact me, why should eBay overturn a strike when the strike was reasonable and within eBay guidelines.
2) DSR system is unreliable and punishes sellers. It should be bullet proof and based on fact, not opinion. CSR didn't understand how I could feel that way.
3) DSR shipping fees: I asked him, "is it reasonable to assume that a seller that offers free shipping on ALL items should also receive a 5.0 DSR on shipping fees?" I can guarantee that 90% of sellers in this category do not have 5.0 DSR on shipping fees. He tried to worm his way around that by changing the topic to handling/shipping time. He simply couldn't give a reasonable response to that. I explained how everyone including sellers agree shipping fees are expensive... as are shipping materials. It is out of sellers control what a shipper charges.
3) DSR Communication: If bidders aren't receiving their messages b/c either 1) they are not forwarded to their email box or 2) bidders aren't reading their messages... I could send 10 messages and still get a 1 on communication. How is that fair? CSR response, "eBay's system isn't perfect". My response, it should be if sellers are the one's being graded on this.
4) DSR Shipping Time: if a seller ships their item immediately (within 24 hours) and tracking number is provided through Paypal, shouldn't a seller receive a 5.0 DSR? CSR response, how can we track whether it was shipped or not when tracking is based on a label being printed, not the item being scanned. Ahh, I had a very good response to that.
First off, Fed Ex and UPS do scan their items every step of the way. Yet, eBay does not provide Fed Ex options in their invoicing. Not only that, but with eBays new rules regarding lack of insurance options in invoicing, Fed Ex and UPS make more sense than ever.
Second, eBay chooses to cross promotes shipping with USPS. If eBay has such high expectations of sellers to meet shipping deadlines, eBay needs to twist some arms with the Post Offce about how they handle their packages. eBay has ALOT of weight with the Post Office and should lean on them much harder... after all it does affect the entire eBay community. Paypal and Ebay require proof of shipping/delivery and if the Post Office can't provide adequate information, maybe it is time for eBay to pull that contract and promote with a company that can provide that service.
4) DSR overall ratings: One area we agreed on was that a bad bidder experience is a bad no matter what. A seller could have comminicated with the bidder throughout, the seller could have shipped the item within an hour of the item being paid, the seller could have offered free shipping, and packed it properly. The bidder likely won't grade the seller fairly if they are dissatisfied with a part of the transaction. They are more likely to leave ALL low DSRs and negative feedback. Yet there is no weight given to a dishonest bidder either.
The CSR made one thing clear. eBay has made most of their improvements to help bidders more than sellers and that eBay will always put the bidder first.
posted on November 11, 2009 11:11:31 AM new
Those of us on this board who ship from Canada also have a complaint because the shipping to the US is more expensive and slower, and so we get downgraded on our shipping time and cost DSR's. I find that most US buyers of my auctions, don't notice that the item is coming from Canada.
posted on November 11, 2009 11:39:53 AM new
Amber are your sales to the USA factored into your stars?
I may be wrong but I do not think International Sales count on the stars.
posted on November 11, 2009 01:21:55 PM new
My stars are counted for US only, no International ones count because I list on .com. When I started selling on eBay almost 11 years ago, there was only the US site.
posted on November 11, 2009 02:29:15 PM new
After that amount of time on the phone, I came away from it more motivated to seperate away from eBay. Maybe not entirely, but I will begin phasing away eBay after the holidays. I am finding the only benefit of still selling on ebay is to market your own website. Even though you can't drive customers to your site directly from ebay, you can do so by advertising in shipping, packaging, and including info with the product you ship.
The CSR really focused on the small bone eBay threw sellers recently by shortening the dispute process. Though it is a step in the right direction, it is a baby step. eBay has focused the last 4-5 years in stripping away most of the ground sellers could stand on. They are far more focused on providing a good buyer experience that they lost the way in giving sellers the tools needed to sell and protect themselves from bad buyers effectively.
posted on November 11, 2009 02:37:51 PM new
one rumor I heard the other day by a CSR was that eBay was working to integrate Fed Ex into invoicing. That would be nice.
another rumor I heard today was that ebay may be moving towards an automated non-payment system that opens and closes disputes without seller input. this was pointed out as a "benefit" of moving away from the alternative payment methods of money orders and checks.
posted on November 11, 2009 02:46:56 PM new
Back when chairman Mao was running China,young folks were told what to study in college and where to work and when to get married,of course now they have one child policy.
So Ebay may as well implement all these rules plus more,when should we die and where should we be buried/and how about reincarnation,should we come back as an Ebay customer rep?or a collectible handgun?
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on November 11, 2009 03:05:33 PM new
"I am finding the only benefit of still selling on ebay is to market your own website. Even though you can't drive customers to your site directly from ebay, you can do so by advertising in shipping, packaging, and including info with the product you ship."
shagmimod, at one time, I also beleived that. Now, I am not so sure that is true. It is most likely that an ebay customer is only an ebay customer and will remain so.
IMHO the buyer is shopping on ebay, purchasing from ebay, and will return to ebay. When you provide good service, ebay's Brand is enhanced, not the your Brand.
We may believe that customer is ours, however, the buyer has other thoughts.
Your time amd money would be better spent concentrating on your own webstore. At least the sales from your store would be from your Brand, rather from ebay.
posted on November 11, 2009 03:17:47 PM new
I found my rigid plastic sleeve source on eBay. I became a regular customer. One day I finally read one of his packing slips that advertised his website. He sells the same product $10 cheaper on his site. Now I always place orders outside of eBay.
posted on November 11, 2009 03:29:48 PM new
Bill,
It seems that way,ebay shoppers will always be shopping on Ebay,you know why,because it is cheaper,even though they have to wade through all that junk and find out whether slighly tarnished,chipped or torn is worth their bid!
Ebaying is also addictive,every night they come home from work,they log on to Ebay and look around,it is a form of entertainment as well,always something new,like one lady said,it is free entertainment.
Developing your own site sounds noble,but how can any individual offers the kind of diversity and thrills?every minute of the day,someone in any corner of the world is listing !
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
[ edited by hwahwa on Nov 11, 2009 03:31 PM ]
posted on November 11, 2009 03:30:19 PM new
If you include an incentive to attract those buyers from ebay... some will follow.
The important thing is to have a web store and use as many marketing methods as possible.
I have found locally that posting many pieces of furniture on craigslist is far better and free than paying to advertise in any newspaper, magazine, or phone book.
There isn't a day that goes by that I don't have a customer tell me they saw our postings on craigslist.
posted on November 11, 2009 07:57:13 PM new
From your description, eBay is trying to mimic a successful customer service department, trying to relate that they understand the problem and asking if you understand the solution. What eBay has failed to do and other mega-companies have succeeded in, is giving the customer service rep the knowledge and the power to fix the problem. Portland General Electric, T-Mobile, Comcast are all companies I had to work with customer service issues. In each case, I had a non-scripted rep who was knowledgeable, able to offer acceptable, sometimes innovative solutions, and had the power to make them happen. My general dissatisfaction with the company has been diminished. Ebay chooses, instead, to let sellers vent and to let bleeding dogs lie.
