posted on May 25, 2013 03:44:50 PM new
I just had my first "Make An Offer" under the new system and I already see the major flaw in this and why eBay is now doing it this way.
The new system basically allows the buyer to get off the hook so much easier. Now, they send an offer, the seller accepts it, and then the buyer is told we accepted it and invoiced... but the item is not considered "sold" until they pay. they can reconsider their offer and simply not purchase it even though eBay claims they are obligated to purchase it. What happens when they ignore it? Nothing.
I have thought about this and the only reason I come up with for this new system is that it makes eBay's financials look better. NPB is virtually eliminated for Make An Offer since the item isn't sold until it is paid for.
Wouldn't it just make sense to automatically charge the buyer's Paypal account if the offer is accepted, if they are the winning high bidder, or they use Buy It Now? Just seems like a much more simple way of eliminating NPB.
posted on May 25, 2013 05:16:51 PM new
I dont think the situation you described is going to put a dent on Ebay quarterly results.
When did Ebay make the change?
It does not make sense ,what if someone else come along and buy it?
posted on May 25, 2013 06:15:35 PM new
I wonder if this new way is part of the new search program eBay is bringing on board to give buyers an new shopping experience and further tick off sellers.
posted on May 25, 2013 06:57:21 PM new
Most buyer do pay after the seller accepted the offer,sometimes they may continue to make offers on other items and want to pay all sellers at the end of the day or they just simply log off and go do something else.
I would be upset if they dont pay in 3 days.
You just have to be patient.
Do you ever have people who come into your store and said this is fine,I will bring the money tomorrow and tomorrow come and gone,and this guy never show up?
posted on May 25, 2013 08:28:53 PM new
The change is only in limited categories for now and is supposed to expand shortly.
Once the offer is accepted, the "buyer" is informed by eBay that the offer was accepted but the item is still up for grabs until payment is made.
eBay is telling buyers that this is being done for them so that they can shop around for the lowest price with multiple sellers, but they don't have to commit to purchasing by making an offer.
posted on May 26, 2013 02:31:39 AM new
I hope this doesn't become standard practice for all buyers. If ebay promotes it - I'm sure it will.
Not that there is anything that makes them pay now - but at least they get a strike against them if they don't pay.
posted on May 26, 2013 11:46:59 AM new
Thanks for that link which I was not aware of. This is NOT good for sellers no matter how they promote it.
--------------------
eBay claims
For Sellers:
1) Receive more offers
How does the number of offers change with this??? If a buyer is interested, they will buy it or make an offer. So what if we get more offers... I want more sales, not offers.
2) Items remain available to other buyers
Just more incentive for the buyer making the offer to back out instead of holding to their commitment (or I guess I should consider it a "non-commitment" now).
3) Fewer unpaid items
Fewer unpaid items = Fewer paid offers. How is that a positive for sellers?
For Buyers:
1) Make many offers - send offers to similar items to different sellers at the same time.
Great... now we get people playing with the system, making offers they don't have to commit to.
2) Compare and get the best deal
Or, use the offers from sellers against other sellers items to leverage a lower price. You know... competitive pricing.
3) No commitments until checkout
Basically, license to not pay for the item you made an offer on.
------------
The first signs of this system becoming a nightmare for us I will be removing all Best Offers and just use fixed price. I will be letting eBay know what I think of this new system... because it is a raw deal for sellers.
Leave it ebay to find another way for buyers to get off the hook and screw over sellers.
[ edited by shagmidmod on May 26, 2013 11:47 AM ]
posted on May 26, 2013 12:43:01 PM new
In real life,if the bueyr makes an offer and the seller accepts,it is not a binding contract.
The buyer does not have to open his wallet and pay,he could walk away and makes offers elsewhere.
He may come back and pay if he finds yours to be the best deal.
If he does not come back,your item is still availabel for other potential buyers,so in fact all you lose is your time not your merchandise,and no commish fee from the venue provider.
But why does Ebay want to change ?Is anyone complaining about the old way?Old way works.
It seems Ebay the venue provider is trying to run our life,soon we will all be wearing Mao Jacket and spot the same hair style
[ edited by lostmymojo on May 26, 2013 12:43 PM ]
[ edited by lostmymojo on May 26, 2013 12:45 PM ]
posted on May 26, 2013 01:27:33 PM new
Notice how they play buyers and sellers against each other in the "Why is Ebay making this change?" sections.
I keep trying to simplify my life and business, but eBay keeps adding more and more complications.
About the only positive thing that I can say about this is that at least it may be one of the easier changes to adapt to.
posted on May 26, 2013 08:47:31 PM new
"In the past, sellers have had to deal with buyers who accepted offers, but didn't pay for their purchases. This change to Best Offer will increase the amount of offers you receive, and reduce unpaid item incidences."
I would like to know how this will "increase" the amount of offers we receive. What study has eBay done that proves this to be true? Seriously, I have several items in the art category that qualify for this. This is the first item to get an offer since this was implemented. I don't see the uptick in offers. It is just a bunch of BS from eBay.
I can understand unpaid items being a pain. My paid for on MAO is probably 97-99%. The occasional NPB has not been the problem over the last few years. Sometimes I will get a few in a row, but for the most part it has been ok.
I think this has more to do with the type of buyer eBay has worked so hard to attract - bottom feeders looking for bargains, willing to use the loopholes, and complain about something on a $1.00 item with free shipping.
eBay's claim that buyers have had to wait 2 days for an answer on an offer? I will say this... if a seller isn't willing to respond to offers in a timely manner, then the offer was so ridiculous that it doesn't merit response or eBay didn't get the message to the seller quickly. I have discovered a few offers that I was unaware of. I have also seen a few offers that were declined automatically that shouldn't have been. It is never about eBay fixing their problems, it is about them creating new stupid policies.
posted on May 27, 2013 02:33:00 AM new
It's just another way to give the buyers the upper hand.
It sure is a good time to be a buyer on ebay. That is if you can stand sifting thur piles of free listing junk.
posted on May 27, 2013 05:37:36 AM new
For high ticket items,if the seller accepts the offer,Ebay will immediately slap a FVF on the item,and this can be a burden for the seller if the buyer drags his feet and not pay promptly or not pay at all.
An overseas Ebay reseller can make an offer,seller accepts and then the reseller will copy his photos and description and list them on other websites or worse Ebay of China,Russia,Australia etc.
If the item does not sell,the buyer would not pay and seller will have to file to get his FVF back and relist the item.
So I can see some benefits with this new system,until the buyer pays for the item,the item is still availble to other buyers and no FVF is charged by Ebay and seller does not have to spend a dime to relist the item.
posted on May 27, 2013 05:42:13 AM new
As a buyer,I sometimes have to wait for days to hear from the seller,not just make an offer,but simple ask a question on some basic information which should be included in the description.
Ebay should consider separating Ebay shop from Ebay auction,let the professioanl full time retailers man their shops and the amateur weekend warrior run auctions and have some fun.
This has been suggested many times in the past by professional dealers here and on other sites.
posted on May 27, 2013 06:29:59 AM new
I just have to vent a little here. Ebay is supposed to be a venue. More personal than buying from a specific vendor like Best Buy or even Amazon. For people to complain that they don't get a response for several days, well, so what!! If you are you in that much of a hurry, buy from someone else!!
All these new wrinkles have taken away some of the person to person aspects of Ebay. My daughter recently started to sell a few things. She has gotten great results, but has 3 small children and an active personal life. One buyer left FB that it took 6 days to ship. 2 were the weekend. Really, is that such a crime?? It was not for any holiday, so who cares!!
Buyers need to lighten up or pay retail at Macy's, etc.
posted on May 27, 2013 05:56:46 PM new
well,if your daughter takes 6 days to ship and in no hurry to answer inquiry,then she probably could not care less what kind of rating they left her?
But many sellers are upset and offended if buyers dont leave them 5 stars rating.
They even offer partial refund or just plain cash for you to remove a less than stellar rating.
These sellers could be top rated seller,power seller who are getting high visibility in the search and a 20% discount on their bill.
Thats why I said separating shops from auctions are good ideas,those who care and devoted full time,let them run shops,those who are doing it part time for fun and profit,let them do auctions.
There is a place in the listing where you can specify how soon can you ship and if your daughter click 6 days or whenever I feel like it,then buyers would know to go to Macy or Nordstrom or Walmart.
posted on May 27, 2013 06:02:25 PM new
For people to complain that they don't get a response for several days, well, so what!! If you are you in that much of a hurry, buy from someone else!!
///////////////
'That much of a hurry' = 'several days'??
The buyer can also said if your daughter has better things to do like 3 kids and a personal life,why not go for the better things to do and drop Ebay?
No one is putting a gun to her head and force her to sell on EBAY?
posted on May 27, 2013 07:36:18 PM new
I have a friend that sells on eBay. He does not have a car, and he won't print labels online (I am uncertain why). He takes the city bus to the post office once a week, stands in line and pays for the few shipments he does. Obviously, this takes much more time than us. We print USPS labels and rarely go to the post office.
He has stellar feedback and DSR ratings. He can only ship one day a week and he states this in his listing. He of course risks that one person who will complain about slow shipping even though they agreed to his terms when purchasing the item.
The problem I have with eBay is their relentless control of sellers. If they want to have that much control, then eBay should buy it and sell it themselves.
We post a 3 day handling time. Shouldn't we get a 5 star rating for shipping it out within 3 days if we state that as our policy? Seriously, the buyer did agree to those terms when they purchased it.
The longer we sell on eBay the more I feel like I work for eBay without the paid employee benefits like 401K, health insurance, etc.
posted on May 27, 2013 08:37:19 PM new
I know a lady who has been selling on Ebay as long as I have,she does not print labels online either.
She is not a computer whiz and she cant figure out how to hook up the printer.
Some sellers are not willing to invest in a printer,ink cartridge and paper if they dont sell much.
But the printer pretty much pay for itself when you figure paying only 19 cents for DC,instead of what 65 cents now??
posted on May 27, 2013 08:52:14 PM new
DC is free on priority even if you take it to the PO and do not print a label. It is 95 cents if you want it on first class or parcel select.
My daughter lists 3 day shipping. This was 4 days since 2 were on the weekend. She always responds to buyers.Neither one of us cares about the ratings. She didn't even notice it, I did.
The point is Ebay is no longer person to person.
Shag is right Ebay seems to pit buyers & sellers against each other.
posted on May 27, 2013 08:59:35 PM new
Remember Fluffy?
She was suspended so many times and finally she stood outside the Ebay headquarter carrying a poster for days and they finally let her come back.
posted on May 27, 2013 09:15:20 PM new
Ebay being a person to person venue has long faded,long long time ago.
The problem is that Ebay does not distinguish the full time seller versus the part time seller,the professional dealer versus the weekend warrior,the expert versus the dumpster diver.
We are all treated as scums,if Ebay does not slap all its policies on its site,we would all be cheating the buyers,taking their hard earned money and running and hiding in the Ozark mountains or ship them a box of rocks,with online tracking uploaded within 24 hours of course!
Refusing to accept returns,dragging our feet refunding the buyers or feed them #*!@ excuses why we are late or why we did not disclose the flaw?
Or mumble some mumbo jumbo excuses that we cant tell the difference between ivory and bone,Chinese versus Japanese,jade versus glass,repro versus original and it is never our fault,we sellers never make mistake,if we do,it is not a big deal,so why the fuss/
posted on May 28, 2013 06:02:06 AM new
Of course there needs to be rules & consequences for bad/ illegal behavior, but come on...
Ebay has taken regs to the extreme.
If I am getting a good deal / quality item, I don' t care if the item wasn't shipped in ### days. I don't care if the seller held my hand & emailed every aspect of the items progress.
Many times if I order directly from Amazon & am getting free shipping (spent over $25), the shipping can be 7-10 days out. (They want you to sign up for Amazon Prime) do I care, no. If I need something quicker, I can get in my car & go buy it.
posted on May 28, 2013 08:25:12 AM new
Funny merrie- I was thinking about a few instances lately like this.
I ordered 5 CDs direct from Amazon last month. 3 CDs were pre-ordered 2 weeks in advance. Amazon shipped all 5 cds together, so I had to wait for the 2 that were already available. On top of waiting for them, Amazon didn't ship them until 3 days after the release date. I received them a week later. I was not happy with Amazon.
I remember the days of "allow 6-8 weeks for delivery" which technically still exists for rebates.
There should be a middle ground of 1 week or perhaps eBay should kick a bit more money to sellers who can ship it within a day as a premium service. Perhaps a $5 premium fee passed to sellers who can handle that.
posted on May 28, 2013 10:31:08 AM new
Shag: I agree, as a former educator I believe in rewarding good behavior rather than punishing all for bad behavior.
posted on May 28, 2013 05:39:59 PM new
In your seller profile,you can specify when you can ship,like within 24 hours or longer.
This will show up on all your item listings for all buyers to see,some would even go one step further and write a note in red in item description in case some buyers are too busy to read the fine prints.
I am fortunate to live in a subdivision,small packages I will leave in my mail box ,large packages I schedule a pickup.
If it is express mail,especially Global express mail guaranteed where there is a cutoff time,I will make a special trip to the post office.
It all depends.
posted on May 28, 2013 08:44:58 PM new
eBay can kick it in by charging the buyer for the service much like Amazon charges people for their Prime service. Instead of it being Prime, eBay could simply add the option to the the order. Sellers could opt out. It is just a thought.
Yes, handling time is there, but what's the point of a handling time when a buyer doesn't pay attention to it? I have had numerous times where my 3 day handling is ignored. A buyer purchases an item and then wants me to expedite it to them. The only reason we have a 3 day handling period is that we go on the road. Most of the time it is for a day trip, but we do go on extended buying trips 2-3 days a few times a year.
We sell one item that we keep on hand at our home so that we don't have to always run to our warehouse in order to pick up that one thing. We sell enough of them and they don't take up a lot of room, one shelf in our garage including the padded envelopes we use.
Our postal carrier does pick up items. Our post office is about 4 blocks from our warehouse and is easy to pass by to and from our house (both are in the same zip code). Fed Ex is also within 2 miles and there are two others within 3 miles.
