posted on July 28, 2010 08:08:10 AM
What a joke. I lost my TRS status. And I am certain who it was that dinged me because I can see it was two ratings on the 1s and 2s and she was the only person who bought 2 items from me and made an issue of it... because she didn't read the description. Nice.
posted on July 28, 2010 10:35:48 AM
sorry to hear that.
I lost my premium store status and now I am just plain Jane,but it has not hurt my sales.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on July 28, 2010 07:13:29 PM
what frustrates me the most is that it is shipping that has hurt me. not that i describe vintage items wrong, or that I take forever to ship their item, or that I don't communicate. It is shipping cost. Something that the buyer agrees to when they bid. I have no control over the cost of oversize packages... especially through the post office.
I just refunded someone $27 because they chose to ship via USPS Priority at $53 vs. Fed Ex Ground within insurance and tracking for $26. I emailed them and pointed this out and they were thankful for it.
Its not my fault these buyers don't know how to choose the better rate. I process everything very fast... even this week when I am working 10 hour days to move our store. I come home, check my emails and start packing up items. Nothing has taken more than 1 day to get out the door. I bust my butt to earn that 20%.
I called eBay today and ripped into them. They gave me their typical suggestions like "offer free shipping". I laughed. Offer free shipping on a $50 shipping fee that I am charged? How do I manage that? Increase the price on the item so that eBay will make more money off of me in FVF, negating the discount or eat the cost of shipping and negate the discount? Basically, eBay is blackmailing me for it.
If I shipped a large lampshade that weighs 3 shipping pounds and the dimensions of the box are 18 x 18 x 18, it will cost well over $30 to ship it because of the size, not the weight. Explain that to a customer each and every time and you are sure to have someone think you are just BSing them.
My point is that shipping fees on a DSR is asinine. The bidder agrees to the price when they bid. I know if I saw something that shipping made the bottom line too expensive, I wouldn't buy it.
I figure most of these low DSRs (3 out of 150 transactions) are from people who don't like paying for shipping or don't understand what we pay for shipping.
posted on July 28, 2010 07:15:41 PM
oh, i'll also add... i told the CSR at eBay that if I offered free shipping shouldn't I also be guaranteed to never get below a 5 on DSRs for shipping fees? Obviously, she couldn't guarantee it because there are tons of sellers offering free shipping only who have DSRs on shipping fees below 5.0.
posted on July 28, 2010 08:04:11 PM
Sorry to hear of your problem, shag. I agree 100%. I use flat-rate shipping and state the method and cost of shipping in my descriptions. Seems to me that if someone bid on the item, that would mean the shipping cost was acceptable. It's like going to a store and buying a pair of red shoes then returning them because you don't like the color red! Then again, who says that some eBay buyers are sensible or reasonable?
posted on July 28, 2010 08:50:38 PM
I still think buyers on eBay and Amazon get around to leaving feedback a good while after they've gotten their item. If they're generally disgruntled about shipping costs, that will be reflected in their feedback--I'm sure they don't remember what they paid for a specific item unless they buy just once or twice a year.
posted on July 29, 2010 01:57:46 AM
Ebay recommends your bidder to give you a 4 or better if shipping is free.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on July 29, 2010 03:07:23 AM
There are sellers who would sell you a bronze incense burner for 99 cents and charge 65 dollars for shipping,how should the buyer rate shipping fee?
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on July 29, 2010 08:25:19 AM
All of this crap is a sham. I have no idea who comes up with the rules and regs and they are administered differently for different situations.
I was so tired of all of Ebay's crap that I reported that seller who asked for extra for insurance. Did anything happen, NO!!
Just a waste of my time. I try to follow their ever changing rules, but it really doesn't matter, all it takes is a few misguided, nasty, or uninformed buyers to mess up your stars. No recourse for honest, rule abiding sellers.
posted on July 29, 2010 09:15:44 AM
hwa wrote, "There are sellers who would sell you a bronze incense burner for 99 cents and charge 65 dollars for shipping,how should the buyer rate shipping fee?"
Very simple answer... don't buy it.
Agreeing to purchase something based on price should be exactly what it is... a yes or no answer.
If I see something at Home Depot that I can buy and walk out the door for $179 vs. the same exact item on eBay for $159+$25 shipping, I will go to Home Depot and buy it. The value has diminished b/c of shipping, and it is 1000 times easier to walk back into Home Depot and return it vs. dealing with someone across the country and paying extra shipping to get it back to them.
Some people may live 50 miles from the closest Home Depot, so they may be ok paying the few extra bucks to have it shipped to them... but that is their decision to purchase it or not.
The shipping cost DSR should be eliminated as it is redundant. Choosing to buy it or not based on overall cost should be the determining factor. Nothing more.
As a buyer I hate the idea of paying $30 for shipping no matter the item. But because I am a seller I also understand shipping is expensive and if I feel that the shipping cost + final price is worth it, I have no problems buying it... unless the seller undercuts the buyer by stating they will ship it via Priority Mail for $10 and it arrives with a Media mail rate of $2.75 on it. In that circumstance the seller deserves a low DSR... but that could easily fall under "item description".
The other issue I have is "communication" vs. "item description". First off, communication is now automated on eBay. There is no need to personally communicate with the buyer unless they have a special request or question. They receive emails telling them they won the item, they receive invoices, they receive payment notification, they receive shipping notification and can track it within eBay's system. There is very little need to "communicate" with a buyer. Some buyers want their hands held and pampered with tons of information, others don't want to be bothered. They want to buy it, pay for it, receive it, and move on.
Shipping time is also frustrating. I usually give a buyer two options, though this is going to change now. I have a 2 day handling time on my listings, 5 days for furniture. 95% of the time I ship out items the same day or next morning, the remaining 5% are within 2 days or there may be a problem with their order and I am in contact with them (for example I have a customer right now that purchased and paid Monday. She didn't indicate what colors she wanted with her payment. I have emailed her 3 times now asking for colors... no answer). She'll probably ding me on DSRs for shipping time because I can't read her mind. People expect things immediately.
[ edited by shagmidmod on Jul 29, 2010 09:25 AM ]
posted on July 29, 2010 10:06:18 AM
I agree with you but you are a professional retailer ,not a weekend warrior selling on Ebay from home.
Since Ebay allows anyone every one to sell,it comes up with many rules ,would a venue provider tells Nieman Marcus,Nordstrom,Target,Bestbuy how to behave??
Would it ask the buyers to rate Nieman Marcus,Nordstrom,Target etc on communications,shipping ect?
Would it come down hard on any of these retailers when they charge more than postage?
I dont do much auction anymore since I have a store,and I have been removing make an offer feature when someone makes a lowball offer,either they pay my price or they can go somewhere else .
Auction brings on the mentality they can have it for nothing.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on July 29, 2010 06:56:22 PM
I just called eBay regarding a problem with a buyer who paid for an item, but didn't include shipping. I have emailed them numerous times, sent invoices with the correct shipping, etc. No response. So, I try to open a dispute and ebay's system won't let me. Their CSR goes on to explain there is a problem with the system, there is also a problem with the invoicing system for international buyers allowing them to not pay shipping. Their answer was that there is nothing they can do other than refund my FVF. So, I have to put up with a crappy eBay experience myself while eBay can turn the screws on me over shipping costs. I was so livid... and then the CSR said something that really put me over the top. He said, "eBay doesn't want bad sellers that can't provide a great experience and be Top Rated Sellers." Nice... I have sold hundreds of thousands of dollars on eBay over the years, and apparently because some moronic buyers are compelled to leave bad DSRs on shipping costs, I am now considered a bad seller.
I also love how eBay now compares their DSRs to the rating system of Target and Walmart. This is the 2nd time they have told me this in the last 2 days. I told them that their comparison is way off. First off, Target and Walmart are the sellers themselves. They don't have individuals selling on their site.
[ edited by shagmidmod on Jul 29, 2010 07:01 PM ]
posted on July 30, 2010 02:02:51 AM
Dont know about Target,but Walmart I heard has a marketplace where smaller merchants can sell ,so if Ebay said Walmart has rating system,it could mean it is letting the buyers rate these sellers.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on July 30, 2010 02:56:41 PM
Lost mine too this month Shag and also got the TRS certificate in the mail. Before my vacation I would've gotten my underwear in a bunch about it ... now I could care less about all this mickey mouse crap eBay is handing its loyal and dedicated sellers. Maybe you need to take a little break? I recommend the Swiss Alps but Oregon Coast comes in second
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posted on July 30, 2010 03:25:01 PM
I agree neglus. I am shutting everything down for the rest of the year. It is time to see what in the world is out there once you leave your computer and shipping room.
Beth
