I would have bought elsewhere but the 10% off coupon was for eBay only.

so the end of ebay is not going to happen anytime soon

http://aswas.typepad.com/hall_of_fame/2008/09/surprise-effect.html

PMSL – yeah like everything is packed in blank boxes ready to go And I suppose we sellers unpack and repackage stuff if they buy multiple items

“What’s wrong with posting it today? You must already have it packed up with postage on it. Just stick my address label on, job done.

Next few days is a very worrying concept. I paid instantly, so I think you should post it as fast – it’s only fair.”

Except that I work full time and by the time I get home and find I’ve got a sale, (he paid at 10.18 this morning) it’s too late to post same day, the post office is shut. I sent an email explaining that, and that normally I pack stuff in the evenings and post next day and that the “next few days” bit is to cover me for when work commitments (like a day trip to Belgium or a day when I can’t get away at all before the PO shuts) mean I can’t post next day.
Also I really can’t have everything packed up ready and waiting for a sale and a label! What planet is he on??? Some of the stuff never sells at all!

Dunno what sort of response I’ll get but I’m sure it won’t be 5 stars.
My partner thinks I should cancel the sale and refund his money but that’s a sure-fire way to getting a neg so I’m not going to do that.

It’s worrying though that ebay encourages people to assume that “business” sellers are available all day and will send stuff out same day – that’s why I never wanted to be registered on ebay as a “business” at all, I’m convinced it makes people think you are a shop or similar.

Oh well, I suppose I needn’t worry so much – once the changes kick in I’ll have to reduce my inventory (despite all the hype from ebay) and I expect my sales to drop accordingly – especially as nobody will be able to find them as big businesses get all the advantages in the new search functions. I’m fully expecting to lose my PS status again in the next few months. (From reduced sales not any other reason).

“Actually the seller discounts are available for business sellers who are non-powersellers at the 20% level.”

Well I never did get the discount I should have got in the month where I qualified to get my PS status back because “you weren’t a PS at the time” and no amount of arguing with Custard Support would change their minds. According to CS you only get discounts if you are a PS. I gave up in the end because it would have cost me more in phonecalls than the discount was worth.

The other thing that bugs me about having to sell much much cheaper stuff in order to keep a good balance of DSR stars coming in is my feedback page, every sale we ever made used to be a high value bath and I think that gave all those future buyers alot of confidence in buying from us, if you look at my feedback pages now I look like an advert for bubble bath and silicone and I have convinced myself that is damaging our reputation. Am I being daft?

How are you making a loss on postage? Postage charges for your item:
AVIREX Black & Grey Zip Jumper Cardigan are £9.60.

Who here thinks £9.60 for 1st class Recorded is reasonable for a cardigan?
Even taking packaging into account the charge should be less than half that IMO. I could book a 24 hour courier delivery for less.

The only thing that amazes me more than the charge is that ebay lets you get away with it.

The “average” seller would qualify for discounts if the sale levels were met

and if our DSRs are slammed so what, we will simply trade our way round it,
no doubt or DSRS are slammed on occasion ,thats why we dont have straight 5s

“im alright” is all well and good while you are.

*Apologies to anyone who sells cheap products and keeps seeing me call it cheap crap, I do not refer to your products I am refering to my feelings about having to waste 10 hours a week selling crap that as a company we have no interest in. Mind you on the plus side, last week’s sales were so crap I think Lorna only posted 10 tubes Lol.

How does that seller know what each buyer left? or does he just guess that the 30% is enough to sway a buyer into leaving 5 stars.?

@ #14
There are sites out there that can assist people in guessing what DSRs a buyer left but considering how glitchy DSR reporting is I wouldn’t trust them at all. My guess is it is like those infomercials that say “call in the next 10 minutes and get …” I’m sure some people really think it matters when you place your order.

How does that seller know what each buyer left? or does he just guess that the 30% is enough to sway a buyer into leaving 5 stars.?

ONLY powersellers are allowed incentive discounts. The “average eBay seller” DOES NOT “qualify for a discount if they meet all other criteria”, since the average seller is NOT a powerseller.

How in the world do you come to the conclusion that slightly higher DSRs means “that sellers who were gouging on postage costs have been removed from the site or rehabilitated into charging reasonable postage, or every seller across the board has raised their game”???

Did you FACTOR in the 800,000+ buy.com listing which have VERY SUSPICIOUSLY high DSR scores? Did you factor in that sellers are forced to beg for higher DSRs? Did you factor in that more buyers are being educated about ebay’s lies about a 4.0 meaning “Good”, WHILE ebay suspends sellers for those scores?

Your hypothesis as to why DSRs are improved are extremely FLAWED!

Here is an actual letter, which a buyer recently received from his ebay seller. This DOES NOT indicate better service. It simply provides an example of the desperation ebay has inflicted upon sellers, requiring them to BEG or BUY higher DSR scores:

“We strive for 5 star in Detailed Ratings (any below 5 is considered as negative) and we want to listen to your voice. Please email me (****@****. com) if you have any questions.

As appreciation, we will automatically provide you our stores (www.***.com) 30% discount AFTER receiving your 5 star rating. Just For You!”

Buyers having to put up with emails and notes, which sellers have been forced to send in order to educate those buyers about ebay’s VERY DECEITFUL scoring practices, is NOT “good news for buyers”, no matter who presents the distorted “ebay spin”.

Buyers do not understand that shipping companies and customs can cause delays that are beyond our control ( as well as ebay/paypal ).

Try shipping internationally out of Canada and still be covered by Paypal Seller Protection – can’t be done.
I told Paypal this for months and no explanation.

Sickens me how these two companies can have such a disregard for sellers.

Ebay can go to hell.
So can Paypal.

Again, two words.
International Lawyer.