Another Ebay Rant

[trdhrdr007]

I don't generally bash eBay. They do a lot of things I don't agree with but it's the only place I know of where I can get top dollar for my items. Having said that, it chaps my ass when they change something that worked just fine in the name of "progress". I think cyberdan has it right when he says it's how they justify their jobs. I sold an item this afternoon. When I went to print the shipping label I found out they have "improved" things again.

When printing the packing slip it now directs me to a page where I can either write a message to the buyer or preselect one of the 3 choices they so graciously provided. Of course there isn't any option to pick one message & have it printed on all packing slips from then on....which is how the old system worked. From there it took me through a series of choices that takes more clicks than the old system. Finally, when I try to print the shipping label it will no longer allow me to change the weight of my package. I can no longer guesstimate & adjust it when it's packed.

 

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[Diver_Down]

Odd. I change the weight this morning on shipping labels that I printed. I always guestimate.

 

[trdhrdr007]

Odd. I change the weight this morning on shipping labels that I printed. I always guestimate.

They seem to randomly pick people to be guinea pigs for any changes. I'm hoping the weight issue was a temporary glitch and not some new policy that hasn't fully rolled out yet.

 

[Diver_Down]

If eBay does institute such a policy, I will just use a service like Pirate Shipping to generate my labels. I think there were threads in the past highlighting the benefits of 3rd party shipping services, but I never bothered to look into it as the eBay labels were simple and straightforward. But not being able to change the weight/dimensions/service is a deal breaker going forward.

 

[1637]

it makes me crazier than iam already when i push a button on any device and it asks me are you sure,i push yes,then it asks are really sure.just leave the old stuff alone.i will ask for up date when i think i need them.
brad

 

[trdhrdr007]

If eBay does institute such a policy, I will just use a service like Pirate Shipping to generate my labels. I think there were threads in the past highlighting the benefits of 3rd party shipping services, but I never bothered to look into it as the eBay labels were simple and straightforward. But not being able to change the weight/dimensions/service is a deal breaker going forward.

I checked into Pirate Shipping a few months back. Signed up & compared prices for a couple items I was shipping. They weren't any lower than prices on eBay as a top rated seller. I always meant to try several more packages to see if weight, size, etc might make them cheaper but never got around to it.

 

[tamrock]

I've never in 20 plus years used the provided tools for packaging list or shipping labels, but use pen and paper. I haven't done any ebay in awhile, so can you still ship without all the printout stuff? I prefer that, so it looks like I'm just a person selling stuff I no longer want and not someone running a business of buying, selling and making a profit. Only thing I fill out is when I mark it shipped and add the tracking number with a note of thanks. People have even left me positive feedback on how nicely written out there packages are, because I can produce some beautiful handwriting.

 

[Diver_Down]

I've never in 20 plus years used the provided tools for packaging list or shipping labels, but use pen and paper. I haven't done any ebay in awhile, so can you still ship without all the printout stuff? I prefer that, so it looks like I'm just a person selling stuff I no longer want and not someone running a business of buying, selling and making a profit. Only thing I fill out is when I mark it shipped and add the tracking number with a note of thanks. People have even left me positive feedback on how nicely written out there packages are, because I can produce some beautiful handwriting.

Anyone can pay the retail price and hand write a label. It isn't about running a business or someone just looking to downsize some of their belongings. The savings can be substantial. For example, the medium flat rate priority mail is $15.05 at the counter. eBay charges buyers that cost. As a seller, I only pay $13.84 through eBay's discount.

 

[Holt0222]

I'm a fan of ShipStation. I used them for around 6 months while I was doing some heavy selling on the bay.

 

[trdhrdr007]

Anyone can pay the retail price and hand write a label. It isn't about running a business or someone just looking to downsize some of their belongings. The savings can be substantial. For example, the medium flat rate priority mail is $15.05 at the counter. eBay charges buyers that cost. As a seller, I only pay $13.84 through eBay's discount.

Exactly. On items that ship north & south of me I get discounts up to 35% over post office rates. Not to mention I can drop packages & run instead of waiting in line at the post office.

 

[deserdog]

Big fan of Pirate ship for 2 reasons: They give you cubic priority rates and their simple export rate really saves money shipping first class international.
An example of cubic priority: A long cast iron cast corn bread pan. Ships at about 6 lbs. In an 18x6x3 box. To zone 8, it is $9.56 cubic .2 priority.
An example of simple export rate: 8 ounce package to the UK, $10.95, 1 lb. $15.95.

 

[Indigo Knight]

I agree, another pointless and unnecessary change. My main issue with it is that it is that with my old security filters it doesn't show the buyer's address anymore. The main reason for a packing slip is to help the package get to its destination if something happens to the original label in transit.

eBay switched to canned messages for the packing slip because sellers frequently use this to advertise their own websites or other contact methods that eBay doesn't approve of. eBay is paranoid about buyers leaving the platform, and has been for years. Instead of addressing the main issues with the site, management resorts to cheap defensive tactics like this.

Solution: create your own packing slip template in a text or document editor program and copy and paste needed info from the shipping label page for each order.

 

[freeman]

I'll let you all know of the Ebay 'Global Shipping partner' scam as many sellers are unaware of how bad it is and why many buyers avoid sellers who use it.

I was looking to buy a military cloth patch for $5.95 US and have it sent internationally to me: the type of thing you put in an envelope and post.

For their global shipping service Ebay wanted to add $21 US shipping then a further $6.99 in 'landing fees'.

Needless to say I look for sellers not using Ebay shipping.....

 

[Indigo Knight]

GSP is a joke. I've never used it, I just ship direct with eBay's shipping to the customer. If the item is going to be too much of an issue, I don't offer international shipping for it.

New sellers might be mandated into using GSP for international, I'm not sure.

It's increasingly pointless as I've noticed I have a lot of international buyers who are using forwarding services with addresses here in the states. Oregon is a particularly popular choice, as they have no sales tax.