Ebay annoyances

[cactustrain]

Is Ebay trying to drive me mad?

 

I try to sign in. The username and password are saved by the browser. I've not changed anything so it should just go through as normal. The sign in key changes to a swirly symbol so you know the request has been submitted, but then then the screen comes back to you as it was before with the sign in button again. No explanation. No complaint that the username or password is wrong. So you try again and again and again and still the same.

 

Ok, so maybe the password is wrong. So you change it, no problem, but you still can't sign in. You know you're typed it in right so you update the browser login save details.

 

At this point I went for dinner and on returning, I clicked sign in and got straight in with the saved browser password!! Check in the top left, yes the sign out option has appeared so I must be signed in. Go to the resolution centre, and am asked to sign in again. Details automatically entered by the browser in the boxes, click the sign in button and end up back to not letting me in with no explanation!!

 

Spoke to someone at Ebay who denied there are any issues with signing in.

 

I get the impression that the servers on Ebay are often too busy to deal with you, but instead of admitting that they have a problem, they give you the impression that you're the one with the issue. I feel more like Arthur Dent everyday  - Douglas Adams wasn't an author he was a prophet.

 

I do everything on the computer nowadays and Ebay is the only system that makes me want to cry out of sheer frustration. Why do we put up with it?

[Quarryscapes]

59 minutes ago, cactustrain said:

Is Ebay trying to drive me mad?

 

I try to sign in. The username and password are saved by the browser. I've not changed anything so it should just go through as normal. The sign in key changes to a swirly symbol so you know the request has been submitted, but then then the screen comes back to you as it was before with the sign in button again. No explanation. No complaint that the username or password is wrong. So you try again and again and again and still the same.

 

Ok, so maybe the password is wrong. So you change it, no problem, but you still can't sign in. You know you're typed it in right so you update the browser login save details.

 

At this point I went for dinner and on returning, I clicked sign in and got straight in with the saved browser password!! Check in the top left, yes the sign out option has appeared so I must be signed in. Go to the resolution centre, and am asked to sign in again. Details automatically entered by the browser in the boxes, click the sign in button and end up back to not letting me in with no explanation!!

 

Spoke to someone at Ebay who denied there are any issues with signing in.

 

I get the impression that the servers on Ebay are often too busy to deal with you, but instead of admitting that they have a problem, they give you the impression that you're the one with the issue. I feel more like Arthur Dent everyday  - Douglas Adams wasn't an author he was a prophet.

 

I do everything on the computer nowadays and Ebay is the only system that makes me want to cry out of sheer frustration. Why do we put up with it?

 

Problem with your browser adding the details to the form before the form is finished loading. Wait till it's all loaded, type it in and it should be fine.

 

Chrome goes a bit squiffy with this too, but ebay does at least recognise the password even if the auto filled field appears blank! 

[John M Upton]

Okay Ebay, what are you up to now?

 

I have just listed an item and have been charged a listing fee, the first time that has happened in years.

 

What's going on?

 

EDIT - Sneaky beggars at work - Put it on as an auction and they automatically added a Buy it Now price which I didn't want and charged 50p for the privilege.  They are getting well crafty lately....

Edited June 13, 2021 by John M Upton

[hayfield]

5 hours ago, MartinWales said:

Funny that you should mention that, as it's the commercial ones that tend not to leave it.....

 

I seem to get a lot of repeat buyers who do leave it immediately once received-it's always good to know that the item is appreciated!

 

Martin

 

I have stopped worrying about eBay feedback, as you say its nice to receive feedback, if only to confirm delivery. When selling I wait for feedback first before giving feedback to the buyer

 

Out of politeness as a buyer I give feedback upon checking the item, usually within a few hours. More often than not I also send a quick message thanking the seller

 

Lets face it, if there is something wrong you will soon hear about it

[petethemole]

They have been messing about with listing proformas, and site navigation for months now.  I now need several extra clicks to do various things like relist a series of expired items.  Some listing categories have been simplified, though that has some advantages.  They have also taken to deleting the contents of some fields and demanding you fill them in again, "Add item specifics",  They are already there FFS!  I have a lot of live listings and I don't want to spend unnecessary time repeating myself.  But it does contribute to the household bills as well as get rid of stuff, so I need to carry on .

[G-DIMB]

11 hours ago, petethemole said:

They have been messing about with listing proformas, and site navigation for months now.  I now need several extra clicks to do various things like relist a series of expired items.  Some listing categories have been simplified, though that has some advantages.  They have also taken to deleting the contents of some fields and demanding you fill them in again, "Add item specifics",  They are already there FFS!  I have a lot of live listings and I don't want to spend unnecessary time repeating myself.  But it does contribute to the household bills as well as get rid of stuff, so I need to carry on .

Indeed, they are always changing the data on the forms between listings so you have to check everything otherwise you could find yourself as i did where an item had changed to collection only rather than post! It still has its uses but i have decided rather than use eBay this week Ive actually booked myself a table at a toyfair this Sunday (remember them) and will see how that goes instead. If i take less than £500 eBay would have been better value, if i take more than that then the toyfair is. The other thing is i will probably also buy some bits too, now that might not be a good thing.........

Edited June 14, 2021 by G-DIMB
add a word!

[G-DIMB]

Not really sure if this belongs in here or not but sold alot of things on sunday night. Most paid then, money was in my bank account this morning so it must be bedding down now. I suppose more of an ebay suprise than an annoyance.

[John M Upton]

On the earlier subject of the sneaky 50p listing fee because Ebay's computer snuck a Buy It Now onto my auction listing, as soon as I realised what they had done I took the BIN off and down the bottom it clearly said Listing Fee: £0.00 but have they given me my fifty pence back?  Err, no!

 

Cheeky blighters....

[G-DIMB]

12 hours ago, John M Upton said:

On the earlier subject of the sneaky 50p listing fee because Ebay's computer snuck a Buy It Now onto my auction listing, as soon as I realised what they had done I took the BIN off and down the bottom it clearly said Listing Fee: £0.00 but have they given me my fifty pence back?  Err, no!

 

Cheeky blighters....

That will be revised fees and that they aren't charging you any extra. To get the fees back if you so wish you need to speak to them direct. I know i certainly check each listing closely to see if anything has been updated but as i said above so far i cant say for me its a major issue. Possibly less convenient maybe but otherwise it seems to work pretty well. The only thing i did do was extend my disaptch time from 2 to 3 days in case there were any issues or something didnt smell right about a transaction.

[grahame]

I listed an item for sale and specifically excluded any overseas destinations (posting to UK addresses only).

 

Someone from New Zealand ordered one using a NZ post service of mailing to a UK based address who will then forward the item on to NZ. I posted to the address (not realising the implication) but now the purchaser is claiming they haven't received it and wanting a refund. Seems like it is lost or delayed by the NZ post service.

 

I'm not happy that they expect me to be responsible for their agreement with a third party and to underwrite that they post the item on and that they subsequently receive it. The contract was for me to send the item to a UK address which I did. I don't like the idea that I'm somehow also financially responsible for it being forwarded on across the world and for that additional postal service.

 

How can I get eBay to understand? What does the team think?

 

[Re6/6]

On my listings I always state the "Bids will only be accepted from within the UK" 

 

So far I've never had any issues.

[hayfield]

21 minutes ago, grahame said:

I listed an item for sale and specifically excluded any overseas destinations (posting to UK addresses only).

 

Someone from New Zealand ordered one using a NZ post service of mailing to a UK based address who will then forward the item on to NZ. I posted to the address (not realising the implication) but now the purchaser is claiming they haven't received it and wanting a refund. Seems like it is lost or delayed by the NZ post service.

 

I'm not happy that they expect me to be responsible for their agreement with a third party and to underwrite that they post the item on and that they subsequently receive it. The contract was for me to send the item to a UK address which I did. I don't like the idea that I'm somehow also financially responsible for it being forwarded on across the world and for that additional postal service.

 

How can I get eBay to understand? What does the team think?

 

 

I would have thought if they had bought the item on the basis it was sent to a UK address then you have satisfied the order providing you have proof of delivery

 

If it was lost between the UK and NZ then its up to the sender to obtain compensation from the carrier they used

 

Speak with a human at eBay, I have always found them very helpful 

[grahame]

I've no proof of delivery as it's a low value item (a magazine) and signed for delivery proof prohibitively racks up the selling price and/or my costs. There's been no reported none deliveries for all the other UK addresses (about 300) so it's very odd it's just this awkward/forwarding overseas one. Somehow it confirms my decision to exclude non-UK addresses and that overseas postage is currently fraught and unreliable.

 

How does one speak to a human at eBay? Although quite honestly I think I'll let them progress the claim (presumably it can only be the amount they paid) and eBay to claw back, and ban the buyer (and any other such schemes) for any future purchases from me.

 

 

 

[hayfield]

19 minutes ago, grahame said:

I've no proof of delivery as it's a low value item (a magazine) and signed for delivery proof prohibitively racks up the selling price and/or my costs. There's been no reported none deliveries for all the other UK addresses (about 300) so it's very odd it's just this awkward/forwarding overseas one. Somehow it confirms my decision to exclude non-UK addresses and that overseas postage is currently fraught and unreliable.

 

How does one speak to a human at eBay? Although quite honestly I think I'll let them progress the claim (presumably it can only be the amount they paid) and eBay to claw back, and ban the buyer (and any other such schemes) for any future purchases from me.

 

 

 

 

Firstly

 

You should have proof of postage, for low cost items as you say is too expensive, but its not your costs as the buyer pays for postage.

 

If the person states the item has not arrived, then claim from the carrier, if its Royal Mail then its very easy and let them decide if the recipient is telling the truth.

 

It may well have gone astray. Just because 300 items have arrived does not prove 301 has. You do not need proof of delivery to make a claim, just proof of postage

 

Whilst its hard to phone eBay it is possible with a little trouble, in the past I have done this and the agents are very helpful

[grahame]

4 minutes ago, hayfield said:

 

You should have proof of postage, for low cost items as you say is too expensive, but its not your costs as the buyer pays for postage.

 

 

Snag is that although the buyer pays postage and proof of delivery (you do pay a portion in fees) it can push the selling price on low value items higher than the worth of the item and to a level where buyers won't purchase.

 

It hasn't been a problem on all the other UK addresses (around 300) where there was no extra proof charge and no reported non-deliveries. It's just been a case on this obviously overseas forwarding scam/scheme to circumnavigate the UK only/no overseas condition of sale. One in 300 is a low failure rate (and possibly acceptable to keep prices down) but it was a deliberate act to deceive and avoid the no overseas condition. I shall have to be more vigilant in future in spotting these scams/schemes.

 

 

 

 

 

[hayfield]

8 minutes ago, grahame said:

 

Snag is that although the buyer pays postage and proof of delivery (you do pay a portion in fees) it can push the selling price on low value items higher than the worth of the item and to a level where buyers won't purchase.

 

It hasn't been a problem on all the other UK addresses (around 300) where there was no extra proof charge and no reported non-deliveries. It's just been a case on this obviously overseas forwarding scam/scheme to circumnavigate the UK only/no overseas condition of sale. One in 300 is a low failure rate (and possibly acceptable to keep prices down) but it was a deliberate act to deceive and avoid the no overseas condition. I shall have to be more vigilant in future in spotting these scams/schemes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A good proportion of the items I sell are posted not recorded, simple proof of postage is sufficient, any Post Office will do it. Anything above £20 goes recorded which costs £1 extra.

 

Postage costs are an issue, but as a buyer its something I have to pay for whether its a new item from a retailer or something I buy from a private seller.

 

As a seller I pass all or with dearer items some of the postage costs on to the buyer, in fact which ever method I use the buyer pays for the postage one way or another. The choice I have is what level of compensation I require and what carrier to use. I use Royal Mail and pay for the appropriate service. If something goes wrong I don't loose out, neither does the buyer who would prefer the goods rather than a refund. Don't blame the buyer if it does not arrive !!

[grahame]

12 minutes ago, hayfield said:

 

A good proportion of the items I sell are posted not recorded, simple proof of postage is sufficient, any Post Office will do it. 

 

Don't blame the buyer if it does not arrive !!

 

Yep, although you don't get proof of posting with postage stamps. And rocking up at the local village sub-post office with a pile of 50 packets for them the spend ages typing in all the post code/addresses for the proof of posting, with a queue growing behind you, is not a comfortable position to be in (especially with staff shortages in the current pandemic and only one person behind the counter).

 

Then, if it doesn't arrive, there is the hassle in making a claim and/or arguing your case with ebay. With low value items sometimes it's just not worth it. With a 1 in 300 failure rate (and to what is obviously a scam/scheme to flout the non-overseas condition) I'll just let them progress the claim and try to be more vigilant in spotting such scams/schemes on future sales.

 

It's not about blaming the buyer but you never know whether they are telling the truth about any claimed non-delivery or where it all went astray. 

 

 

[hayfield]

3 minutes ago, grahame said:

 

Yep, although you don't get proof of posting with postage stamps. And rocking up at the local village sub-post office with a pile of 50 packets for them the spend ages typing in all the post code/addresses for the proof of posting, with a queue growing behind you, is not a comfortable position to be in (especially with staff shortages in the current pandemic and only one person behind the counter).

 

Then, if it doesn't arrive, there is the hassle in making a claim and/or arguing your case with ebay. With low value items sometimes it's just not worth it. With a 1 in 300 failure rate (and to what is obviously a scam/scheme to flout the non-overseas condition) I'll just let them progress the claim and try to be more vigilant in spotting such scams/schemes on future sales.

 

It's not about blaming the buyer but you never know whether they are telling the truth about any claimed non-delivery or where it all went astray. 

 

 

 

 

If you are rocking up with 50 packets/parcels regularly then you may well be considered a business and the decisions you make may well include taking a hit on the odd item

 

You cannot argue your case with eBay unless you follow their rules, which are quite simple for most to carry out. Many people do rock up to the counter with a large amount of packages, others use a drop off method where they leave a big bag of items which the counter staff work on when quiet.

 

Making a claim with the Royal Mail is very easy and simple, but there are conditions (proof of posting) which you have made a conscious decision not to use

 

The other side of the story is the dodgy sellers who claim to have posted an item, but never did. Perhaps the buyer is thinking the same as you, did the seller send it. The chances are its been lost in the post, you have sent it, the buyer has not received it. Sadly the onus is on you to prove its been sent, you took a commercial decision not to get proof of postage, in this case it did not pay off. Who's to blame ? we will never know, but it could well have been a UK buyer its the luck of the draw 

[grahame]

15 minutes ago, hayfield said:

The chances are its been lost in the post, you have sent it, the buyer has not received it. Sadly the onus is on you to prove its been sent, you took a commercial decision not to get proof of postage, in this case it did not pay off. Who's to blame ? we will never know, but it could well have been a UK buyer its the luck of the draw 

 

More likely is that it was delivered to the UK address but it's been lost/delayed in the international post to New Zealand - the buyer is saying 'he' has not received it, not that the UK located shop/forwarding agent hasn't received it. Overseas postage is fraught, expensive and unreliable: - apparently there's lack of postal carrying flights and delivery staff due to covid; there's extended transit times to some destinations, including Australia but that is also partly due to their own internal mail issues; the US PS are imposing extra final delivery costs to counter the deeply subsidised post from China; and there are reported issues between the UK and EU, plus the hassle of completing a customs declaration form for each one.

 

It's the reason I don't post abroad, and this little escapade has confirmed my impression of the precarious nature of overseas postage. 

[hayfield]

What needs to be clarified is did the UK shipper/person receive it ?. This I agree is the issue.  But as far as eBay is concerned unless the forwarding company admits to receiving it the seller is in no mans land. Proof of posting (which costs nothing) would have put the onus on to the Royal Mail

[Michael Hodgson]

2 hours ago, grahame said:

 

Then, if it doesn't arrive, there is the hassle in making a claim and/or arguing your case with ebay. With low value items sometimes it's just not worth it. With a 1 in 300 failure rate (and to what is obviously a scam/scheme to flout the non-overseas condition) I'll just let them progress the claim and try to be more vigilant in spotting such scams/schemes on future sales.

This is not necessarily a scam.  It may or may not be one, but the buyer and the method of forwarding may well be genuine.  The loss in transit may be genuine (I've had a few with Royal Mail in recent years - never used to happen), but without tracking you can't tell one way or the other.  There are certainly some fraudulent buyers out there too.

 

I have twice sold bulky but fragile items of railwayana to buyers in the Republic of Ireland using this approach to carriage.  This was well before brexit and the associated bureaucratic complications, but the buyers in both cases contacted me before bidding as I had said no international postage.  The buyers arranged for a firm somewhere in the South East of England to forward parcels that were delivered to them.  It seems this approach worked out a lot cheaper than trying to use the big international carriers, the buyers saying that they also suffered less from damage in transit .  I checked the firm out on line beforehand and it seemed OK - I suspect it was basically a small depot with a van that shuttled along the M4 and used the Rosslare ferry.  No problem with it, and I did have proof of delivery to the UK address with insurance for the same as the domestic postage charge, and the buyer paid the forwarding agent directly in his own currency.

[D9020 Nimbus]

6 hours ago, grahame said:

What does the team think?

I don't know about the team, but for a "low value item", which wasn't worth obtaining proof of postage, it seems to me that there's a tornado in your teacup (no, not that Tornado). Why get so worked up about it?

 

You keep referring to this as a scam/scheme. Forwarding agents are widely used to bypass country restrictions imposed by eBay sellers. I wonder how the buyer (who is presumably also on RMWeb) feels when reading your diatribes.

 

You are lucky to have only lost one copy! The editor of a subscription magazine (not modelling) that I receive lost 78 copies via Royal Mail. He didn't complain or make accusations of scams or cheating, but sent replacements via first-class mail.

[grahame]

1 hour ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

I don't know about the team, but for a "low value item", which wasn't worth obtaining proof of postage, it seems to me that there's a tornado in your teacup (no, not that Tornado). Why get so worked up about it?

 

You keep referring to this as a scam/scheme. Forwarding agents are widely used to bypass country restrictions imposed by eBay sellers. I wonder how the buyer (who is presumably also on RMWeb) feels when reading your diatribes.

 

You are lucky to have only lost one copy! The editor of a subscription magazine (not modelling) that I receive lost 78 copies via Royal Mail. He didn't complain or make accusations of scams or cheating, but sent replacements via first-class mail.

 

I'm not worked up about. Possibly more annoyed that I was suckered by it.

 

But it is obviously a scam/scheme to, as you say, bypass and avoid ebay country restrictions. And to then claim for the failure of that scheme through ebay is rather disingenuous. Perhaps if the buyer is a member of RMweb they'll explain their position.

 

No doubt the subscription magazine you mention was a commercial business with appropriate insurances and margins/turnover to cover such eventualities. I was doing this on a non-profit basis for furtherance of the hobby and with low volumes, so claims can have a more significant impact. 

 

I'm not 'lucky' that I've only lost one copy. I consider myself more fortunate that it hasn't been more. But, as I've mentioned, I'll not contest the claim (it's probably cheaper to do that than send another) and will move on.

 

 

 

[John M Upton]

It always seems to happen this time of year, Ebay have started applying 'Best Offer' settings to listing without my permission again, completely at random and only telling me after they have done it which leads to a rapid scramble to turn the dam thing off again....

 

Grrrrrr..... 

[petethemole]

I get that all year round, I check each day's relistings to find them and turn it off.