Ebay annoyances

[stovepipe]

15 minutes ago, teaky said:

I think the 70% off FVF offer only applied to auction listings.  You could have used an auction listing with BIN added for an additional fixed fee of 50p.  One drawback to this is that eBay now insist on the BIN price being at least 40% higher than the starting price which tends to lead you to lower the starting price which, of course, carries a risk if you do not get enough bidders.

 

No it's not that, the T&Cs specifically mention lisings can be auction-style or fixed price. I checked beforehand.

[teaky]

4 minutes ago, stovepipe said:

 

No it's not that, the T&Cs specifically mention lisings can be auction-style or fixed price. I checked beforehand.

Ah, OK, apologies.

 

It occurred to me that I could locate the T&Cs via my eBay Messages.

 

This is the last one I received:

Specific information about this Promotion

What's it all about?

Get 70% off variable percentage final value fees ("FVF") per listing in final value fees if the item sells and pay no insertion fee.

A fixed order level fee of 30p and other fees, including any International fees, still apply.

Promotion is valid for up to 100 listings on eBay.

Listings must start during the promotional period.

Listings can be auction-style or fixed price format.

The promotion start and end dates are included in the email we send to invited sellers.

Items must sell within the first listing period.

Sounds good, where do I find the promotion and how do I sign up?

You can take part in the promotion on eBay.co.uk. Eligible sellers will receive an email with the RSVP link to the offer. You must opt in to the promotion by clicking on this link before any of your 100 listings start.

 

I don't suppose your item was relisted after failing to sell at the first attempt was it?

 

If you have enough time to spare you could contact eBay via 'Help & Contact'.  At the bottom of the 'Fees for private sellers' help section there are a couple of options - 'Have us call you' and 'Chat with us'.

 

[Michael Hodgson]

You usually have to accept the offer before you list or they won't apply the discount.

[stovepipe]

Thanks for input both.

 

Yes I had accepted it, in fact I clicked on it twice, and the second time said I had already accepted the offer. Then I listed them.

 

Those T&Cs look exactly the same as mine.

 

I had two BIN listings (lots) with a number of the same thing to sell on each, with an offer to combine postage for multiple purchases. A buyer bought all of them (both lots), and I was then requested to send an invoice. The buyer then sent some funny messages about how it wouldn't let them request combined postage, and that they had to take one lot out of their basket for some reason, but all the time ebay maintained they had been sold, and I was waiting for payment. Then after the combined invoice was sent, with adjusted postage, their first attempt at payment didn't come through - not sure if they did or didn't complete it, and then the second attempt came through.

 

I can't make out what has gone on - are single listings of many of the same thing excluded from the offer perhaps? Not as far as I can see in the T&Cs, but maybe I missed it. Did the buyer fumbling amount mean the first sale was cancelled, and therefore the offer lapsed? Maybe, but no messages were sent to that effect. All I've done is follow the process, submitted an invoice as requested and adjusted the postage accordingly.

[hayfield]

1 minute ago, stovepipe said:

Thanks for input both.

 

Yes I had accepted it, in fact I clicked on it twice, and the second time said I had already accepted the offer. Then I listed them.

 

Those T&Cs look exactly the same as mine.

 

I had two BIN listings (lots) with a number of the same thing to sell on each, with an offer to combine postage for multiple purchases. A buyer bought all of them (both lots), and I was then requested to send an invoice. The buyer then sent some funny messages about how it wouldn't let them request combined postage, and that they had to take one lot out of their basket for some reason, but all the time ebay maintained they had been sold, and I was waiting for payment. Then after the combined invoice was sent, with adjusted postage, their first attempt at payment didn't come through - not sure if they did or didn't complete it, and then the second attempt came through.

 

I can't make out what has gone on - are single listings of many of the same thing excluded from the offer perhaps? Not as far as I can see in the T&Cs, but maybe I missed it. Did the buyer fumbling amount mean the first sale was cancelled, and therefore the offer lapsed? Maybe, but no messages were sent to that effect. All I've done is follow the process, submitted an invoice as requested and adjusted the postage accordingly.

 

Send a message or have a web chat with an eBay adviser, they are normally helpful

[stovepipe]

Well I've just got off the chat, and they've given me a one-time credit back. BUT, multiple listings are excluded from the offer.... it's not in the headline T&Cs, but buried somewhere in the detailed ones.

 

So, now I know, and also how to contact them. Not bad after 15+ years on their platform.

 

Thanks to those who responded.

[cessna152towser]

Logged on this morning to find someone had cancelled bids on two of my auction listings which were due to end tomorrow.  In one case the high bid price is not significantly altered.   The other listing had already gone way beyond my expectations as early as Tuesday, which would have deterred other viewers from bidding over the past four days.  I asked eBay customer service if I could cancel the auction and relist under these circumstances.   Got no answer so I have gone ahead, cancelled and relisted and blocked the culprit.

[hayfield]

I have had another 80% off invite today (third in 3 weeks) , I just re-list as sell similar item rather than hit the relist option

[cessna152towser]

5 hours ago, hayfield said:

I have had another 80% off invite today (third in 3 weeks) , I just re-list as sell similar item rather than hit the relist option

Almost the same here - 80%, 70% and then 80% again all on consecutive weekends.  Great opportunity to clear out unwanted items to make space for Accurascale items on order!

[ruggedpeak]

Their website has been having a meltdown for some ours today. Can't cope with giving me my "Bids/Offers" page. Either comes up with error messages or reverts to US version with everything in dollars. Been happening all day. Not very helpful when trying to purchase things.....

[Michael Hodgson]

4 hours ago, ruggedpeak said:

Their website has been having a meltdown for some ours today. Can't cope with giving me my "Bids/Offers" page. Either comes up with error messages or reverts to US version with everything in dollars. Been happening all day. Not very helpful when trying to purchase things.....

 

Not just you.  It's been quoting me international postage rates from the UK on the assumption that I've moved to the US of A.

[Tofufi]

On 10/02/2022 at 17:42, stovepipe said:

Well I've just got off the chat, and they've given me a one-time credit back. BUT, multiple listings are excluded from the offer.... it's not in the headline T&Cs, but buried somewhere in the detailed ones.

 

I too fell foul of that a few weeks ago, but wasn't even offered a credit!

 

Recently I've been selling a few locos and have had a spate of people complaining about locomotives running poorly and requesting returns, despite the adverts stating that they were in need of a wheel clean and service.

 

One took 4 days to pay, but requested a return 4 hours after receiving the locomotive.

 

Puts me off selling anything else to be honest. My first returns in over 500 sales. 

[Hal Nail]

On 10/02/2022 at 17:42, stovepipe said:

BUT, multiple listings are excluded from the offer.... it's not in the headline T&Cs, but buried somewhere in the detailed ones.

Only just catching up on this thread but I flagged this a while back. Even if you list identical things separately they don't qualify for the discount technically although obviously that relies on eBay spotting, so people may get away with it.

[Michael Hodgson]

7 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

Only just catching up on this thread but I flagged this a while back. Even if you list identical things separately they don't qualify for the discount technically although obviously that relies on eBay spotting, so people may get away with it.

To be fair to ebay (and I'm no great fan of them), I have in the past accidentally tried to list the same item twice, and for once ebay's system was helpful in that they picked up my mistake, telling me I'm not allowed to do that.    I assume this worked by comparing for identical description, but the whole listing was an identical copy.  I have listed more than one of something using different titles without any problems, but I think their preferred approach is to use of the Quantity option on a single listing.

[petethemole]

It is possible when relisting an item to do it twice, generating a duplicate listing.  Don't ask me how as it happens by accident.  The duplicate gets flagged up with a note that it will only be shown when the first item sells.  So if you took no notice you could end up with a live listing for something you no longer have.

[47137]

5 minutes ago, petethemole said:

It is possible when relisting an item to do it twice, generating a duplicate listing.  Don't ask me how as it happens by accident.  The duplicate gets flagged up with a note that it will only be shown when the first item sells.  So if you took no notice you could end up with a live listing for something you no longer have.

I managed to achieve this five minutes ago!

 

The trick seems to be, if a listing expires then wait for eBay to automatically relist it. Then edit this version if you want to revise the listing.

 

If you click the "relist" button, you end up with a duplicate. Well this is what happened to me.

 

- Richard.

[Hal Nail]

2 hours ago, 47137 said:

The trick seems to be, if a listing expires then wait for eBay to automatically relist it. 

 

Wasn't the whole point that we don't want it to auto relist as the discounts won't apply?

[47137]

11 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

Wasn't the whole point that we don't want it to auto relist as the discounts won't apply?

Sorry - I hadn't read back far enough.

 

- Richard.

[47137]

PS.

 

I edited my expired listing before posting it. So after eBay automtically relisted it, I could see which listing to keep and which to delete. I must confess I have never gained much from the eBay listing offers. They seem to wait for me to list a few things (and I can go for months without listing anything), and then send me an offer ...

 

- Richard.

[cessna152towser]

I listed an item under last week's 80% offer at start price of 99p, plus postage.   Somebody put in multiple bids.   Another person with a feedback score of just 4 tested those bids and it looked like the item was about to go to him for 12.50.    I received a buy-it-now offer of 30 pounds.    As there were already these two bidders, to accept the offer I needed to cancel and relist as a buy-it-now, so obviously lost the 80% bonus.   However in addition to the buy it now fee of 4.55, eBay also charged an additional 1.60, full fee on the original listing based on the highest offer, total 6.15 fees off a 30 pound transaction, more than 20%.  Checking the "small print"  terms and conditions of the now expired 80% offer, I see that auction listings ended early are not eligible for the discount.   Lesson learned and I will be less open to considering offers in future.   

[Michael Hodgson]

The sent me an offer the other day - only 2.5% final value fees.  But only on sneakers ????

 

I think that's American for brothel creepers?

Don't try telling me that there's people selling their used sneakers for a couple of hundred quid now!

I don't think I'll get rich quick with that offer - nor will ebay!

[big jim]

2 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

 

Don't try telling me that there's people selling their used sneakers for a couple of hundred quid now!

I don't think I'll get rich quick with that offer - nor will ebay!

You’d be surprised! 
 

and the advert on Twitter for the offer p***es me off too, they are trainers not sneakers! 
 

I got an email this week saying I wouldn’t be getting my bonus points from the nectar ‘power hour’ back at the end of November which would have given me 50x nectar points in one transaction as there is no record of me activating the offer, which I did  via the promotional email and through eBay minutes before I purchased the item 

 

I chose a Bachmann Shakespeare express train pack that was £144 that would have given me £36 of nectar points back and made it more than worth buying worth buying, I still got a bargain but the extra cash back in points justified it more so but now 3 months down the line they have looked into it and decided I won’t be getting the bonus points which I’m really annoyed about

 

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by big jim

[cessna152towser]

I bought an item of rolling stock on eBay buy-it-now at what seemed a good price because although described as new the photo showed missing buffers.

The seller wrote asking if I would agree to cancel as the price was wrong and he had already tried to correct it but had been unable to do so.

I pointed out there was a binding contract to sell, but as a person who also sells occasionally on eBay I would have no wish to exploit his situation and I agreed to cancel.

I got a nice polite reply thanking me for agreeing to cancel and offering to split the difference between the wrong price and the correct price.

All very amicably concluded.

eBay have now notified me of cancellation of the order on basis that seller cancelled the order, reason given "Buyer requested to cancel".

I did not request cancellation, he did and I agreed.

I suspect the seller used this reason as he would otherwise have incurred fees and a transaction defect.

I would have no wish to receive a black mark for cancelling when the cancellation was no fault of my own and I am minded that If there is any possibility that I would be defected as an unreliable buyer, then I would need to pursue the matter further.  eBay forum comments on a similar case suggest that this reason for cancellation is often used by sellers as they have few options and that eBay do not keep track of buyers who withdraw.  

If this is correct then I would be quite happy just to leave it there.

Your thoughts?

 

Edited February 27, 2022 by cessna152towser

[2E Sub Shed]

Had a buyer who within 5 mins of paying tried to cancel, however I did not see the message, and had already printed a postage label. 

 

eBay considered I had dispatched the item by buying postage, no way to reverse, so only way was to not send the item and then have the "buyer" request a refund as "item not delivered" after a few days. 

 

I did consider the reason I had been given for buyer wanting to cancel was false, as he quoted a word featured in both the title and the descriptive text and also visible on the photo as the reason, and in fact I think it was buyers remorse as he had paid 25% more then the new price for the item, but I did not want the hassle of dealing with it.

 

No idea what it did to my  seller reputation.

[John M Upton]

I think other than negative feedback which is a bit of a lottery and disappears after 12 months anyway, there is no effect on your 'reputation' whatsoever so I wouldn't worry about it.