posted on September 19, 2010 09:47:31 AM new
Lovely. Now I lost my Power Seller status. Why??? 4 out of 128 people gave me low DSRs for shipping.
All the while, I have had customers complain that they were not given the two options seen in the listing. This was confirmed by an ebay rep, who was supposed to call me back and never did. 4 calls in requesting a supervisor call back... none returned.
eBay used to be a place for people who sold collectibles and unique items to find buyers. now it has become a haven for crappy "new" Chinese imports.
here is the irony in all of this. it used to be that this particular account (vintage collectibles) always did very stellar with feedback. I still have 100% positive. my customers were mostly mature people looking for unique items. my other account generally appealed to younger people who tend to be flaky in payments, and would leave negative feedback if you filed a NPB warning. this account sells mostly new items. my dsrs in this account are excellent, though shipping is also being weighed down.
it is obvious ebay is really pushing sellers to offer free shipping. now my regional customers will start paying more b/c my flat rate shipping will be based on shipping to the east coast. Of course, I will be more forgiving of offers on fixed price to closer customers since shipping rates will be lower... but this translates to doing more back end work to figure out shipping costs before listing items and to figure out shipping costs when I receive offers.
eBay's new system seems favors sellers who consistently sell the same thing over and over again (inventory). not so good for collectibles any longer.
posted on September 19, 2010 10:22:58 AM new
This is a good time to ask - why don't you determine the packaged weight of the item, and use calculated shipping? Then the buyer can decide what the cost will be to have the item sent by UPS, or USPS.
If you think that listing only one shipper will avoid the confusion that eBay is reluctant to fix, only list one. You know which is the least expensive.
Buyers near you would then have lower shipping costs than someone in Bangor, Maine.
I know you use FedEx as a shipper, perhaps it may not be possible to use FedEx in the future.
Any discounts you would receive would then be additional profit for you.
posted on September 19, 2010 11:13:07 AM new
Great questions Bill. the problem isn't shipping costs, it is customer perception of value in shipping costs.
there are a few issues I have with eBay's new DSR system.
1) I can't learn from the problems with low DSRs. I don't know which items are getting low DSRs for shipping. I can't correct them in a way to avoid it.
2) I have had a few customers not realize there are more than one shipping option in the current eBay invoicing system. I don't know why eBay doesn't just list the options clearly. Instead, they list the first option and buyers have to click on a link to open the other options. Many people are not seeing this. I try to default the lowest service first, but depending on the buyers location it may not be the cheapest for them. USPS Priority is cheap for those regionally to a point, then it becomes more expensive than Fed Ex once it goes into the next zone.
3) I ship things of various sizes, weights, etc. so calculated shipping is my best option for me as a business, but unfortunately it doesn't translate to higher DSRs. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the 4 low shipping DSRs came from people on the East Coast, but I wouldn't know b/c I have no info to figure that out.
4) If you ship small/lightweight items you are less likely to have low DSRs in shipping if you're prices aren't beyond the norm. My other account exclusively uses Priority Mail at 1 pound rate. This keeps costs down and gets items to people very fast. My DSRs are very good across the board. I sell primarily new items with that account so the descriptions are always accurate, the shipping time is very fast, all of my communication is basically invoicing and shipping notifications that are automated, and my shipping rate is generally $6-7.
eBay just doesn't cut it for sellers who do collectibles of various sizes, weights, etc. now i have to spend more time figuring out shipping into my rate so that I can get the automatic 5 star rating for "free shipping" which isn't free, it is just added to the final cost of the item.
eBay is punishing me and I am forced to figure out a way to earn "5 stars" for shipping costs that are out of my hands. In turn, I am adding the full cost of shipping across the country to my listings instead of it being based on where the buyer lives.
eBay has been moving their process towards sellers who specialize in new inventory items where everything can be automated. in the process they are leaving vintage/collectible/antique sellers behind.
[ edited by shagmidmod on Sep 19, 2010 11:17 AM ]
posted on September 19, 2010 11:37:26 AM new
You could always do as I have done in the past, both on eBay and my own site. List both options, then after the sale, and the buyer payment, you select the lower cost option to ship with, and refund the overpayment to the buyer.
Send them an email when you refund the overpayment, explaining that they might have missed the lower cost shipment option, and you chose to safely, and securely send by the lower priced method.
No one can complain about a refund, and you will enhance both your shipping and communication DSRs. Don't wait for them to respond to an email - just do so on your own. Always works for me.
posted on September 19, 2010 12:54:25 PM new
or... I could simply offer "Free" shipping, raise my price to compensate for the "free" part, and accept offers based on their location and costs. I would be willing to accept slightly lower offers from those in my region based on my shipping expense.
In turn, the buyer can't leave a DSR for shipping fees. eBay has auto-defaulted "Free Shipping" to leave a 5 star rating for shipping cost.
Since that is the only thing affecting my DSRs (at the moment), this is likely the most effective way to raise my shipping fee DSR rather than putting it in the hands of the buyer to do the right thing.
Maybe you weren't aware that eBay changed the DSR policy in the last month which defaults to automatic 5 stars for shipping costs if a seller offers "free" shipping.
[ edited by shagmidmod on Sep 19, 2010 12:55 PM ]
posted on September 19, 2010 01:12:39 PM new
If you offer free domestic shipping,bidders tend to bid higher.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on September 19, 2010 01:21:31 PM new
Along with the influx of cheap Chinese goods on Ebay,I am getting more Chinese bidders and they often outbid others.
Find out what they want,traffic can go both ways,the Chinese-
-want their antiques back !
-they want quality,and they deem Europeans make quality goods,not the Americans !
-they like to eat with fork and knife every now and then ,so they will patronise a Western style restaurant and order a glass of wine with their meal.
-yes,they like gold but not 14k or 10k or 9k or goldplated,they want 18k,22k,24k gold.
Indians are worse they will stoop low enough to buy 22k gold but not below that/
Indians want ruby,saphire,emerald and pearl with their gold,you can keep the semi precious ones or place them in the trash can on your way out!
Dont talk to them about jade,it will put them to sleep in no time!
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on September 19, 2010 01:42:35 PM new
oh, the hell with it. screw the regional people, i'm just going to prove my point about how eBay's "free shipping" is a joke. I'll just keep the money and pay for my health insurance and other living expenses. Isn't that what it is all about... how much you can take advantage of other people. I guess eBay is now forcing it upon us. LOL.
posted on September 19, 2010 01:45:39 PM new
I lost my TRS the first of Sept. I got an email today that I've also lost my Power Seller status on my main ID.
Why - because I only sold 97 items in the last 12 months. I sold 4 times the required dollar amount and have 4.9 5.0 4.9 & 4.9. My payment is set for auto payment and I have no 1's or 2's and no claims cases or negative FB. Give me a break - why don't you - ebay?
Shag - I have the same problem you do. I live on the east coast and sell to the west coast 50% to 70% of the time. I, too, ship things of various sizes and weights. I offer two options normally - UPS and USPS. I try to send an invoice as soon as the item sells and if needed I switch the order so that the least expense shows 1st. Seems to be working OK for me.
posted on September 19, 2010 02:38:25 PM new
I have a buyer who used his light to test 2 lowpriced items he bought from me,when it tested negative,he wasted no time to neg me and file with Ebay!
I asked him to return the items and issue full refund,he was too busy to return in 7 days !
after 14 days I asked Ebay what to do,Ebay promptly refund his money !
so now he has the items and the money.
Well,look at it this way,soon few can afford to sell on Ebay and you can have the venue all to yourself!
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on September 19, 2010 03:15:18 PM new
hwa- i'm not sure why eBay refunded something if the bidder didn't return it to you. I would have called them on that, because it is against their policy.
posted on September 19, 2010 07:39:30 PM new
Shag,
They have so many conflicting polices where do we begin ?
I got an email saying someone has filed item not as described on me and if it keeps happening,Ebay will downgrade my visibility bla bla bla.or even lose my privilege of selling on Ebay.
THne it is followed by another Ebay email singing praises on how my shipping charge rating has improved since I offer free shipping and they can only give me a 5.
So job well done and keep offering free shipping!
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on September 19, 2010 07:50:47 PM new
I have come across sellers who ask their bidders to ignor ebay end of auction notice and wait for the seller to send invoice,I think it has to do with shipping fee.
So why cant you do the same,ask them what shipper they prefer and then send the invoice.
There is no reward for us in saving them money,it is a sick mentality,they want it cheaper,you can never do enough for them.
I dropped a store item which sells for 20 dollars to auction for 6.99 plus free shipping,I get a neutral because the buyer thinks the picture looks better than the actual.
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on September 19, 2010 08:25:17 PM new
exactly. i just listed 30 new items tonight, plus updated another 20 or so with free shipping. some of which were things that weren't selling too well anyways, so I left the price the same but added free shipping.
since 99% of my items are now fixed price, i think i can make up for it through offers and adding a few bucks to cover my cost in shipping.
it still doesn't protect me against the other issues. i can understand item description DSR... IF the buyer reads the description and interprets it correctly. Shipping time is out of my control, Communication??? That is useless since eBay does most of the communication for us. They just put it there to give buyers another chance to lower our DSRs. Some people want you to send an update every hour, some people don't want to be barraged by a ton of emails. It is a dumb DSR considering all of the automated features on eBay.
posted on September 20, 2010 08:14:23 AM new
I just heard from Ebay,when the buyer did not return the item in 7 days and 14 days have past and I sought help from Ebay,Ebay just refund the buyer with its own money!
This is a one time courtesy to the seller.
Go figure.
Ebay is getting to be too big to fail!
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on September 20, 2010 08:18:14 AM new
May be Ebay should cut down on the number of sellers and/or the categories of products being offered.
One way of trimming the number of sellers is to ask the hobby sellers who sell a few items here and there to go thru a local Ebay seller assistant who will examine the items before agreeing to list the items,that will stop some of the knockoffs,if someone shows up with a few hundred Tiffany,Channel sterling bracelets and coach bags,Nike shoes etc
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on September 20, 2010 08:57:28 AM new
glassgrl - if you go to the bottom of the page there should still be a "Ask Seller a Question" link. It's not at the very very bottom but it may as well be.
