Posted by forposting-123 on Oct 14, 2009 2:04 PM
Canadian Seller and the Top Rated Seller Program
Hi, I can't seem to get an answer to this, I was hoping maybe you would know. I am a Canadian that sells on .com. 99% of my customers are American. I've been told when they leave feedback they get a warning with the stars that the sale is international (I think it's the shipping star).
Does this mean I do not qualify for the TRS ribbon thingy? I'm getting both yes and no answers, some people tell me yes I do because I sell off .com and others are telling me no, they are international sales and do not count. i would really appreciate someone giving me a straight answer.
I apologize if you received confusing responses to date. Here is the definitive answer:
All your sales to US buyers will count towards your US eBay Top Rated Seller qualification.
Oh, and if they are international, would there be a way to opt out of that, I'm under the impression it was done that way to protect the seller. I don't need protection, I have great buyers.
The “international DSRs not counting towards Top Rated Seller” aspect of the program is not an option, that is, a seller cannot opt in or out.
Posted by carpe_dinar on Oct 14, 2009 2:19 PM
Request Contact Information and My Messages
When I request contact info, why doesn't a copy of the email containing that info also go to My Messages? Virtually every communication between eBay and its users goes to both the registered email account *and* the user's My Messages, but not contact info.
During the past two months, I've received only two of the contact info requests I've made. The rest never showed up. And since no copy is sent to My Messages, I never got the info I requested. And this problem isn't new - receiving the email with contact info has been a 50/50 prospect for many years now.
Since I average a minimum of one non-responsive/non-paying bidder each and every week, I need that contact info. I need to use every means at my disposal to get these bidders to pay.
I forwarded your question/suggestion to the team in charge of My Messages for their consideration.
Posted by lurch-deeann on Oct 14, 2009 2:34 PM
Refine Search Option for TRS
On September 18, 2009, you responded to a question:
[Are there any plans to adding to the Refine Search table an option under the Seller sub-search for Top Rated Seller’s Only ?]
Your response: Not at this time.
I was encouraged by this response. I hadn't thought about this possibility prior to the question being raised, but thought it would be a bad idea to give the option to completely exclude sellers who don't sell enough volume in a year, even though they might be fantastic sellers when they do sell.
However... I first noticed the search refinement option to display only Top Rated Sellers on Sept 28 (although it may have been there earlier). While you did state, "Not at this time," possibly indicating that only applied to the date you answered, Sept 18, I doubt that was the case.
Question: What changed in the intervening 10 days that made this seem like it was a good idea to provide the option to exclude all sellers who just might not sell enough within a year to be TRS? Also, will the prominent pop-up that many users get, particularly when not signed in, be staying? Further, if this will be staying, is there any chance that at the very least, if no items are found from TRS for a specific search term but there are items from non-TRS, will there be some indication to the user that items were found from other, non-TRS?
As I do for all responses where I am not sure of the correct answer, I ask the team in charge to provide information for a response. The information I received about the inclusion of a TRS option in Refine Search was incorrect. My apologies.
Posted by lurch-deeann on Oct 14, 2009 2:49 PM
Correction of Help Page Text
On July 24, in to my clarification of what is contained within the Search and Browse manipulation policy regarding Comics belonging under the Books category (this was after you misread my initial post about it), you stated:
"The example we use in that segment is so glaringly wrong that I thought it was quoted from another source (not the Help pages)! But there it is and yes it is absolutely wrong. I will send it in for correction immediately. Thanks!"
It is now nearly 3 months later, and this "glaringly wrong" reference is still there in the policy document. How long does it typically take to correct the policy documents so that they are accurate and do not reflect "glaringly wrong" information to users. I keep quoting "glaringly wrong," because I 100% agree with you on just how wrong it is, not to be sarcastic.
I feel the policy documents need to be as specific as possible in every place, and they must be accurate if eBay expects users to abide by the policies. To just leave such a "glaringly wrong" reference in there, which could so easily and quickly be fixed, seems completely negligent on the part of whichever department's responsibility it is to fix it.
So again, how long does it typically take to fix inaccuracies such as this, whether reported by you or an average user? Is this case simply an anomaly?
The text in question has been corrected.
Posted by buyalot! on Oct 14, 2009 3:18 PM
UPI Questions
Griff,
When will the new timeline (4 days to open, 8 days to close) roll out for manual UPI's? It doesn't say anything in the FAQ.
It rolled out in the last two weeks in October.
Thanks for posting the e-mail eBay uses for the payment reminder. Can you show us the e-mail(s) sent to the buyer when a UPI is filed?
I posted it in the September Ask Griff thread. Here it is again:
As far as not blocking feedback for manual UPI's, and only blocking feedback for sellers using UPI Assistant - you gave this reasoning on 9/21:
Since eBay has visibility into payment with the Unpaid Item Assistant, the first of these challenges has been met, giving us more confidence in knowing what actually transpired. With manual cases, this is not the case.
Doesn't eBay have the same visibility into payment when a manual UPI is filed? I can't believe that they wouldn't.
To some extent. However, since there is an allowance for sellers to accept a buyer-proffered unapproved payment method, the manual process doesn't "know" when payment has been made. This is an inelegant component of UPI and payment. We hope to address it more effectively in the future.
If the buyer pays and the seller refunds the payment (e.g. due to late payment, shortpaid, or unwelcome bidding), will UPI Assistant still open a UPI case and block feedback?
No. Once a buyer makes a payment, the ability to open a UPI case is blocked, even if the seller refunds the payment.
Since the communication takes place between members instead of in the dispute console, will eBay still remove feedback if the buyer does not specifically call out poor seller performance, item condition or transaction problems during the UPI process?
It depends. I cannot make a blanket statement on this one. Each case is judged on its own merits and facts.
And one last one, not related to UPI's...
I read that Stephanie Tilenius is leaving eBay after the holidays to become a CEO somewhere else. Congratulations! But I wonder if Lorrie Norrington will "come out of hiding" after Stephanie is gone? She promised to address the eBay community from time to time but it's been over a year since she's posted to the Announcement Board or any eBay Community, or appeared in a Town Hall. I'm wondering if the loss of Stephanie will result in even less executive involvement in the community process...?
Lorrie was the executive host of our most recent Town Hall in October. She will also be making appearances, along with our regular exec guest, John Donahoe, on eBay Radio starting in January.
Posted by lurch-deeann on Oct 14, 2009 3:20 PM
” Ask A Question” Question
Another one, re the new(er) "Ask a Question" (renamed from Ask Seller a Question):
It would appear this is confusing to a number of members. In fact, when I first saw it, I was confused. I was trying to contact someone to see if I could pay more for Priority Mail if I was the high bidder, as only Media Mail was offered, and I needed the item a bit faster. I was presented with the "Get Answers" page. I clicked on "Shipping" and that told me what I already knew from the listing. But how to actually contact the seller? Not at all apparent. I finally figured out the only way to seemingly do it was to click on "Other."
Will eBay add to each of the categories on the "Get Answers" page something along the lines of: "Was your question not answered? Contact the seller," which would link to the messages form? Or is there some other fix for this in the works? I really want buyers to be able to easily figure out how to contact me if they need something answered, not have it hidden from them.
The title was changed to align with the advent of the SmartFAQ feature which provides an option for all sellers to present their potential buyers with an FAQ list of questions and answers to the most common questions they receive. I will forward your suggestion for enhancing the SmartFAQ page to include more links to a direct message to the seller.
Posted by eclectic_seller_too on Oct 14, 2009 7:51 PM
Negative Feedback and UPI
Hi, Griff,
It's my understanding that a non-paying buyer is allowed to leave a negative if they to an UID inside the dispute. Perhaps there's a good reason, but I can't think of one. Please explain eBay's logic in allowing this.
There are a few reasons why a buyer is allowed to leave a negative feedback during a manual UPI dispute. The seller may have changed terms of the listing (may require more for shipping than was indicated in the listing, for example).
Also, does this hold true even if they never pay?
Yes, if the reason they didn’t pay was a valid one.
Posted by next--time on Oct 14, 2009 9:00 PM
Contacting eBay Directly
How do you contact ebay directly? When I talked to rep on phone they basically told me I was lucky to have received a refund and to leave appropriate feedback.
Click the Help link on the top of any eBay page and click Contact Us. You may be required to chose a category topic for your question prior to seeing a Live Help link or phone number.
Posted by eichhorchen on Oct 14, 2009 9:04 PM
” Ask A Question” Question
Hi Griff,
I am a buyer, not a seller, but I'd like to add to post #9's "Ask a Question". This week, I needed to communicate with a seller I had bought something from, and WANTED to communicate with one who I'd like to buy something from. In both cases, the "ask a question" click that used to take me to a write-the-seller-a-message kind of window, now took me to a menu of questions (with answers) utterly unrelated to what I wanted to ask.
I had to back out of those screens, click on the member's name to get to their ebay page, and then click on "Contact Member". Of course, I don't have the item number with me because it was left three or four screens back so I have to describe the auction to ask the question. I was told on the help boards that there should be a "Contact Member" button if I scroll all the way to the bottom of the listings (there isn't, I checked).
This isn't an improvement for me. I imagine it would really mess with someone's communication ratings. Is this a test? Do sellers know this is what is happening?
If a potential buyer clicks on Ask A Question, and there is no Contact Seller option on the following page (on the bottom) then the reason is that the seller actively opted out of providing an option for the buyer to message the seller directly. I suppose that a seller who opts out of receiving direct email questions believes that their FAQ answers all possible questions. If a buyer has a question that isn’t answered in that seller’s FAQ, then alerting the seller through the channel you outlined (Clicking the seller’s feedback link and clicking Contact Member from there) is the next best route and that buyer should inform the seller that their FAQ doesn’t answer their specific question.)
( I have alerted the team responsible that the extra white space between the list of FAQ questions and the Contact Seller link and the possible confusion that could cause for a potential buyer who wants to ask the seller a question but doesn’t scroll down to see the link.)
Posted by eichhorchen on Oct 14, 2009 9:10 PM
Ask A Question Redux
Sorry to post again, but this is the effect that the "ask a question" is causing: (this is from a thread on Seller Central...)
ohhhh... this could explain why recently I have been receiving questions from buyers that come directly to my ebay email...without any indication of what item they are inquiring about... not through the listing where the ask a question emails are indicated... I never answer these because I thought they might be some odd phishing scam emails and without the item number I can't answer anyway. It all seemed too odd.
This is not good if they are hiding the ask seller a question button. With ask a seller, the item is always referenced without the buyer doing anything. So, I guess they have made an improvement that makes it so confusing that buyers think they are using the ask the seller a question feature but they actually are just contacting the seller?
I apologize to all the nice buyers that had legitimate questions about an item that I ignored because I had no clue what item they were inquiring about... because ebay made this improvement...
Can something be fixed about this?
The Contact Seller link in a SmartFAQ page is not hidden by default, nor is there anything amiss with the SmartFAQ page. If a seller who uses the SmartFAQ option has elected to not accept questions from potential buyers, the Contact Seller link will not appear.
Posted by celtictwo on Oct 14, 2009 11:06 PM
Ask A Question Re-Redux
Griff;
I also want to mention that I find the new ASQ issue very disturbing. Us sellers are rated on Communication and Shipping Time and yet eBay changed the defaults so buyers either could not communicate or found it very difficult to do so. Sometimes the button mentioned in the previous post is there and sometimes it's not. I also have been getting a few emails going directly to my email account instead of My Messages, which I found a bit odd. The worst part is that eBay never notified the sellers that the default was set to this ridiculous method of communications from buyers. I happened upon a discussion on the SC board when my wife (the buyer in the family) asked me to check. She needed to ask the seller a question and was unable to do so. I immediately changed my preferences so I could get messages again! But, there are still thousands of sellers still out there that don’t know this has happened to them.
In addition, and this is not a rant or complaint, just something you might be interested in.
If you are using the SmartFAQ feature, and you have not opted out of providing a Contact Seller option, then the Contact Seller link will appear on the bottom of your Smart FAQ page. I have asked the team responsible to consider moving the Contact Seller link directly under the list of their SmartFAQ questions so it is easier for a buyer to find. If a seller is not using SmartFAQ, the Ask A Question link takes the buyer directly to the Ask Question form (My Messages).
I have never charged a customer for shipping insurance, so my default has always been set to "Included in S&H" (despite many attempts to get eBay to change the wording to just "Included", to avoid low S&H DSR hits). So, a few days ago I was processing an invoice for a combined shipping to Canada when I noticed something peculiar about the invoice. eBay changed my invoice default to insurance "Required". Considering eBay’s new stance on Insurance, don't you find this a bit odd?
That doesn’t sound right. Send the details to me at griff@ebay.com using your regular email (not My Messages). Thanks.
Posted by dorothysew on Oct 15, 2009 4:54 AM
Ask A Question
Concerning the Ask the seller a question, there are several problems.
On new page, you have to scroll down past alot of "white" space to find the "contact seller box", well beyond the visual screen. It's not intuitive and buyers aren't finding the box.
I have asked the team responsible to consider moving the Contact Seller link directly under the list of their SmartFAQ questions so it is easier for a buyer to find.
One new page, from what I can gather the box is not visible to a seller on his own listings, therefore sellers may think it's not there. I couldn't see it on my own, I could on other listings.
You are correct. A seller will not see the Contact Seller box on their SmartFAQ page if they are signed in as the seller.
After switching back to the old view (from site preferences). when a seller clicks on his own ask a question, he's take a page that says you have no questions on this item. To see the actual page a buyer would see, he has to sign in under a different ID (not good in my opinion-because if he doesn't know to do that, he can't see what a buyer sees).
Also correct.
AFter signing in under a new id, sellers can see the old view (dropdown menu and box to type message under it). BUT in very small type under title, this appears:
Please review the information below for this seller to find answers to your questions. If you still want to ask a question, scroll to the bottom of the page.
(ask a question is a link to exactly the same view)
Pretty obvious that statement should be on the NEW page, NOT the old page?
Good catch. I have forwarded it to the team for their attention. Note that this text doesn’t always show up. For example, when I opted back out of the SmartFAQ option, and then used Ask Question from another User ID, the text was not displaying.
This two destination problem (old page goes to the you have no questions, new page goes to new page) is scaring sellers from changing back to the old view; because they don't know there IS an old view, because they don't know they have to be under a different id to see it.
I reported to help 3 days ago, about the lack of contact buyer box, before I realized all of the above.
I got back a "tell them to use contact seller from feedback page". Sigh, I can't tell them that because I have no way of knowing they are trying to contact me.
Unless one is signed in as a seller, testing from your own items, you can't see it.
Obviously, especially this time of year, this is a huge problem for those sellers who want to answer questions and buyers who want to ask them. Can you fast track this? (I've sent a private message to you, but "behind a wk in emails", scares me-not criticizing-I just don't know where else to go)
I have forwarded all of this reported information to the team that manages the SmartFAQ pages for their attention. Thanks!
Posted by mygift2u on Oct 15, 2009 6:19 AM
UPI and Negative Feedback
eclectic_seller_too wrote:
It's my understanding that a non-paying buyer is allowed to leave a negative if they to an UID inside the dispute. Perhaps there's a good reason, but I can't think of one. Please explain eBay's logic in allowing this.
Also, does this hold true even if they never pay?
Regarding this post #14 above, I cannot believe that ebay has not addressed this critical issue yet. A place where a buyer can end a listing, never pay and continue to shop for a better price, and still be able to leave a negative is a scary place for Sellers.
eBay needs to show some Good Will toward Sellers for once and address this extremely critical issue asap.
Allowing non paying bidders to leave feedback can affect a Sellers' BOTTOM LINE when it is no fault of the Seller that a buyer won't pay. We not only lose final value fees unless we go through a long drawn out untimely process, but we stand lose things like top seller status, exposure in search, etc. In fact, once the Dispute Process is started by a Seller for non payment, the Buyer should lose any "right" to leave ANY feedback, good or bad. I can guaranatee you most NPB will ding a Seller someway that will affect the Seller adversely. I have been here many years and NPB are usually just that.. Non Paying Buyers. They should NOT be allowed to ruin the marketplace for good sellers.
This is a no brainer.... a buyer that does not pay or is in the Dispute Process should NEVER be able to leave feedback, not during or after. WHY doesn't ebay protect a Seller regarding this issue and WHEN will they?
Ebay has opened Pandora's box of ways to protect buyers. It is about time ebay makes some long overdue efforts to protect Sellers on this Marketplace or even more will leave.
As I have said here many times, I agree: buyers who don’t pay should not be able to leave feedback, period. It appears we are moving towards that status, albeit, in increments. However, the scenario you describe above – buyer wins or purchases an item and doesn’t pay because they purchased it from another seller – would not be considered a valid reason for not paying and any negative feedback that buyer left for the seller would be removed if either the buyer stated that as a reason in the dispute or the seller can show that the buyer purchased an identical or closely similar item after they purchased the item from the seller in the dispute.)
Posted by ck_yaoguo on Oct 15, 2009 8:04 AM
eBay Australia and eBay Stores
Hi Griff,
I posted some questions on selling on the eBay Australia with a eBay US store subscription. Frankly speaking, I am very disappointed with the replies. I didn't realised even you are using canned, cut and paste answers now. Please don't take that personally, I will explain to you why I am disappointed with the replies.
When I do not know the answer to a specific question, I ask for assistance within eBay from someone who will know the right answer. That person usually sends me the information in an email. In cases where the response is suitable for posting as is – that is, the syntax is correct, the information is clear, and it addresses and answers the question – I will repost it as quoted text. Quoting is not “canned.”
Below was the original post of my questions and the so-called "Australian site specialist", I don't know why someone giving those replies can be called a specialist.
I am facing a catastrophe now. I am an eBay US store owner and have been for the past 2 years. I regularly list GTC listings on eBay US, eBay UK and eBay Australia. But recently, I checked on my seller account and found out that I am charged as high as $2.50AUD plus $0.59AUD for insertion and gallery for each store listings on eBay Australia. I don't know when the store insertion rates for eBay Australia have gone sky high! But when I checked I found out that it has been only adjusted to $0.40AUD plus free gallery for a store listing recently, compared to $0.10 for insertion and $0.01 for gallery, which is what I having paying for the last 2 years.
I will like to know if my eBay US store subscription makes me eligible to list on eBay Australia with store listing rates? Because apparently, I am charged at normal auction style insertion rates now, despite having an eBay US store subscription.
If having an eBay US store subscription does not makes me eligible, does it mean I need to subscribe to an eBay Australia store in order to enjoy the rates there? But eBay only allows ONE store subscription only, isn't it? That means I have to cancel my eBay US subscription? If I do that, and subscribe to the eBay Australia store, what rates will I be charge for store listings in eBay US then?
If the above is really eBay's stand, does that means that eBay is indirectly discouraging sellers from listing on more than one eBay site?
I hope you can shed some light for me on the above predicament and help solve the problem, as live help (both US and Australia) and customer support don't think there is any problem here.
Thank you very much, Griff!
This took some amount of research. Here is what an eBay Australia specialist provided:
I have reviewed the information provided in your post and I would like to suggest one of the following three options:
1.) If you do most of your volume on the US site it is probably best that you keep your store open on the US site. As you mentioned eBay will only allow one store per account, however, you may consider starting a new account from which you can subscribe to an Australian store. Unfortunately, the new fee structure for Australian stores is only available for Australian store owners (and we recently discontinued the SIF format for eBay.au) Having a store on the Australian site will allow you to take advantage of the discounted insertion fees for Buy It Now and Good Til’ Cancelled listings as well as the free Gallery option. Please visit the link below for complete store fees:
MY ANSWER: If eBay can change that programming to no longer allowed US store subscription to be eligible for store rates on eBay Australia, may I know why can't the program be changed to allow one user to have more than one store subscription then?
A User ID can have one Store subscription. In order to have more than one Store subscription, a person will have to have a separate User ID for each additional Store. This is a matter of policy, not programming. If you are providing a suggestion that the policy be changed, I will forward it to the team responsible for Stores and for Stores policy for their consideration. However, there are some changes coming in the next year that would not work for multiple Stores to one ID so I have to be honest and say that the likelihood of this policy changing is extremely slim.
2.) The second option would be to list each of your items from the US site using the international shipping option. By selecting Australia from the list of regions your listings will appear on the Australian site, however, you will be charged your normal US fees. I must mention that you may experience reduced visibility using this option. Please visit the link below for more information on listing your items internationally:
MY ANSWER: I am already doing that for 2 years, and it did not answer my most important concern. My concern is not about selling to Australia, is about the listing fees charges. I should be charged store rates on eBay Australia, that is what I am most concerned with.
And although I appreciate your concern, what you are requesting is not possible.
3.) The third and last option would be to remove your store from the US site and open up a store on the Australian site. You will have to make a business decision to determine what will be best for you, if most of your sales are coming from the US site I would recommend choosing from the above options.
MY ANSWER: I will probably be doing that, because US dollar is dropping fast, and I am making next to nothing, selling in US dollar. But I want to know if my listings will be removed immediately, if I choose to close my US store subscription? And I will have to relist my items one by one after subscribing to eBay Australia store? Meaning how will the transition be? And what rates will I be charge on eBay US and UK then? Currently, I am charged at store rates on US and UK, with the US store subscription. Please be VERY specific about this.
Thanks.
Closing a Store only results in the ending of Store Format listings. It will not end all of your existing listings, only the Store Format listings. Since the listings will be ended, it will not be possible to move them to a new Store. If you open an eBay Store in ebay.au, and you list items on the US or UK site, you will be charged the going insertion fee rates for those two sites.
Posted by marsull_inla on Oct 15, 2009 8:48 AM
Unpaid Item
We can tell a payment has been made when completed with any approved payment method. That is what is meant by “visibility.” However, if a transaction happens outside of eBay’s checkout, it cannot be verified. Therefore, if a seller agrees to accept payment via a non approved payment method, that seller should shut off the Unpaid Item Assistant for that transaction.
So sellers will be able to turn off Unpaid Item Asst. AFTER the listing has ended?
Yes they will be able to turn off a UPI Assistant for that type of situation. The steps: seller goes to the resolution center and "unhooks" the transaction from AutoFile (there will be a button to click to do so). The transaction will then move from the AutoFile flow to the manual UPI flow. Once payment has been received, the seller will then select Mark As Paid in My eBay to stop the manual UPI flow process.
Posted by sevensixteen on Oct 15, 2009 9:43 AM
Possible Feedback Abuse
I filed a "buyer has not responded" UID on day 8 after no response to invoice or to solicitous follow-up sent on day 5. Buyer responded & paid, received an immediate polite, conciliatory thank you note + positive feedback, then on day 9 a courteous shipping notice, and delivery of her item on day 10.
Days later, she left her standard effusive positive feedback...accompanied by all 1's. Lowered my 5.0 DSR's to 4.7 and my 4.8x shipping DSR to 4.5x, and raised my 'unacceptable' level to about 8%. The FB was left in the middle of a 16 day dry spell, so there's no mistake who trashed my ratings. As a very low-volume seller, it will take a long time to recover, my 5.0 averages are gone for good, and in retrospect, I would have gladly foregone the fees had I been able to see it coming.
Highly unlikely that it was an accident on the part of a 7-year buyer who has left about 500 FB (all positive). IMO, there are only 2 possible explanations for her malicious ratings: (1) she is a seller herself with a hidden agenda, OR (2) she took grievous offense at the unpaid item notice.
If you believe that you are the victim of feedback abuse, File A Report with eBay. (Click the http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/report_problem.html )
I SUSPECT this situation is analogous to a previous one I might have also avoided were eBay's artless, unnecessarily provocative wording of the blocked bidder message more tactful and less specific (words wound, as they say). I would now like to know what eBay says to buyers in the UI alert, so that in future I can make a better informed decision whether it's "worth it" to file.
Does the text of the UI notice the buyer receives appear anywhere on the website? If not, would it be possible to quote it here, or to provide a screen shot?
I reposted a screen shot of the payment reminder email from September’s Ask Griff thread above.
Will the text of the UI "assistant" notice sent to buyers on behalf of sellers who choose that option be available for review by sellers who are trying to decide whether to choose the option?
It is the same as the screen shot for the manual payment reminder process.
Thanks very much for any info you can provide!
Posted by robshelp on Oct 15, 2009 11:34 AM
A Question about The View Item Page Format
Hi Griff,
Beginning in March 2009 I began asking you questions with regard to eBay's decision to display item descriptions in an iframe including the possibility that some, if not many, shoppers would not be able to see them because "iframes / hidden frames are a classic vehicle by which malware can be stealthily inflicted." I pointed out at that time sellers who already have necessarily relaxed security settings for the eBay site will be less likely to encounter the problem and until the new View Item page goes site wide for shoppers as well as sellers it would seem the problem is significantly masked.
In September 2009, well after eBay began showing shoppers the iframe, you acknoweged the problem and offered that sellers send their shoppers to you for instructions when shoppers report to the seller their item description is not appearing.
Back in March I asked:
"Do you know or can you find out if eBay has any plans to detect whether or not iframed content is appearing for shoppers/visitors to the page? Perhaps some sort of callback method to the parent page resulting in some sort of indication to the shopper that the item description is missing?"
That question was never directly answered, but seems to suggest a better solution than hoping the shopper reports what they are experiencing to the seller. Moreover, when there is a significant amount of content presented as specifics above where the item description should appear, shoppers may not realize there is anything missing. In which case, a bid or buy decision could be made based on incomplete information leading to negative feedback and low DSRs for the seller, particularly with regard to "item as described". Unless the seller intuitively concludes the buyer didn't actually see the item description and can convince the buyer of that fact, the misunderstanding would be irreconcilable.
So I'm asking my March question again, and understanding a callback may not be possible, would eBay consider adding a statement above where the item description should appear that includes a link to instructions for getting it to appear when it does not?
Thanks,
Rob
I cannot answer for the team responsible but I did forward your email to them for their consideration of your suggestion. I cannot promise that this will result in the adoption of your suggestion but it will be considered.
Posted by mcjbob on Oct 15, 2009 11:45 AM
Unanswered September Question
There are many unanswered questions about the TRS program, and I feel it is unfair to burden you with these here. This should not become the TRS discussion board, as one was already set up but abandonded.
The question I did ask you about TRS in last month thread remains unanswered, as is one other you were going to answer later.
My apologies. This one got by me. Here is your question:
Posted by mcjbob on Sep 24, 2009 9:13 AM
Can you please advise when the TRS rewards kick in? I assumed it would be for all items on the November 1 invoice for my sales in October. (with my billing schedule on the 1st). I assumed this meant that final value fees charged to my account in October would be under the new TRS/Powerseller calculations based on transaction end date. FVF October = TRS/Powerseller reward calculation for October. .
However, in reading the "Seller Update July 2009 Details" FAQ's, see my added bold at end:
"When will Top-rated sellers begin receiving the 20% discount?
If you qualify for the Top-rated seller fee discounts, you will see them on your monthly invoice applied to the Final Value Fees for your previous month sales. The first time you receive your Top-rated seller 20% discounts, here's how it will work:
• If you receive your invoice on the 16th of each month, you will see your first Top-rated seller discounts on your October 16, 2009, invoice applied to your sales from listings sold on or after October 1, 2009. In the same invoice, for your transactions between September 16 and September 30, 2009, you will receive the current PowerSeller discount if you qualify.
• If you receive your invoice on the 1st of each month, you will see your first Top-rated seller discounts on your November 1, 2009, invoice applied to your sales from listings started on or after October 1, 2009. ."
Seems clear but confusing at the same time. Is this correct that final value fees are based on when started, not when ended for TRS calculations?
Thank you
And here is the answer: Your eTRS discount will appear on their Nov 1st invoice. The discount would cover all items that sold on the US site from Oct 1st to Oct 31st. The discount applies to when the items sold and not when they listed.
Questions about Top Rated Seller may be posted in Ask Griff.
Posted by jd9912 on Oct 15, 2009 5:52 PM
Unpaid Item Suggestion
Griff,
On UPI Disputes all a Buyer must do is respond to the dispute. "Respond" does not mean "pay" ----- right?
So, the buyer "responds" to the dispute but doesn't pay (and never intends to) and is so po'd about the UPI dispute that they either leave negative FB or crappy DSR's (or both).
I was always told to "don't come to me with a problem unless you have a solution".
Well Griff I have a solution!
Once a UPI dispute is filed no party to the transaction may leave FB --- FOREVER! Most sellers leave FB when the buyer pays (that's what your own data shows and you've touted it many times!). Most buyers leave FB when they receive their item (that's what your data shows and you've touted it many times)!
If a buyer doesn't pay before the UPI dispute is filed they give up their right to leave FB. Make it a policy, put it in the UA! A seller would not need to leave FB cause they never received payment.
At least with this idea Sellers would not get punished for something they had no control over.
If the buyer pays after the dispute is filed then they waived their right to leaving FB. (The buyer could still do the SNAD or INR dispute if necessary). Buyers would have an incentive to pay "on time" so that they still could rate the transaction "experience".
Makes sense to me or would eBay think it would alienate too many of your "marginal" buyers?
I have stated many times, (and apparently will have to continue stating) that I am in favor of such a policy, and that we appear to be heading in that direction, albeit incrementally. There are a few scenarios where a buyer should not pay for an item (for example, seller changes the terms of the listing post transaction) but it may be possible to provide redress for those instances through a separate reporting channel.
Posted by nkyphotos on Oct 15, 2009 10:56 PM
Two Suggestions
An enhancement request.
#1
My store contains over 16,000 items and when I use Markdown Manager (MM) it is a real pain to try to list entire subcategories which can contain thousands of items.
It would be nice if MM would let me select entire subcategories just like it lets me select root categories without having to go through the process of selecting each and every item.
Some of my categories are so large and it takes so long to set up a sale that I forgo them rather than go through the hassle.
#2
I use calculated shipping on my items. On multiple orders I would like to charge only one shipping price (the highest shipping charge) and make all the others free. Currently I cannot do this or I can only partially do this.
Thank you for your suggestions. I have forwarded them to the Stores team and to the persons responsible for the Combined Discount feature for their consideration. I cannot promise that this will result in the adoption of your suggestion but the team will consider it.
Posted by thevintagesilvershop on Oct 16, 2009 7:11 AM
Insurance Question
Hi Griff, I have a question about "insurance". Since sellers can no longer add insurance costs separately for a buyer, is it allowed for a seller, in their listing description, to tell potential buyers "if you want insurance, e-mail me after the sale and I'll add it to the invoice"?
No, that would not be allowed. You can read the actual policy here and here. A seller’s description cannot contain any reference to purchasing optional insurance.
I've seen a couple of listings like this and those statements don't really seem to be following the new Ebay policy of not charging the buyers insurance separately. I've reported one seller that has these statements numerous times, but, Ebay has not done anything about the listings, so I am thinking I'm mis-understanding what is OK and what is NOT OK.
Keep reporting them. If they are not ended, send them to me.
Posted by chopsueysisters on Oct 16, 2009 11:01 AM
Listing Counts and Inventory
Why do the variable listings grow the listing counts for a seller when in fact these are just attributes or customization.
I'm seeing sellers go from a hundred listings to over 100,000 "listings"
This never was the case with FP multiple quantity.
This looks more to me a way to pad the listing counts. Only instead of SDC_Prod, sellers are given the incentives to do it on their own accord because obviously more "inventory" gets them more exposure. But the result is the same, ebay gets big numbers. False number counts and as a buyer, I'm pretty sick of searching and seeing the "biggest store" when in fact its just a couple hundred bumper stickers but they chose to make a variable listing with all of the states
What is up with this.
Do you even know what you guys are putting into motion and the impact to buyers and the health of the site? You're going to have to correct it, its obvious. I can grow my dozen listings to 10,000 and not pay anything beyond my dozen.
Perhaps “listing count” is not the accurate term. Item count would be more appropriate. When a seller lists items with variables, the seller is supposed to have, on hand, an equal number of items to fulfill all possible demand. So, if a seller has one listing with an item that has four variables (say, color) and a quantity of 10, then the item count is actually 40, not 1 (listing) or 10.
As for the fees, I am going to assume that you are not suggesting that we charge insertion fees based on the number of items available, variables included, in one listing. And if you can provide 10,000 items from 12 listings, then we encourage you do so.
Posted by buriedbybooks on Oct 16, 2009 12:36 PM
Announcements
Griff,
I promised myself I wouldn't continue to post here, but I have one more announcement related issue I'd like a response to:
eBay is an international marketplace. Cross border sales are quite common here. When something affects trading in a specific country or region, why is eBay only placing announcements in the country affected?
Take, for instance, the UK postal strike:
Link
This will affect everyone who ships TO or WITHIN the UK, yet only ebay.co.uk was notified or given any official information about it.
There are likely thousands of sellers who ship internationally who have NO IDEA that the UK Royal Mail is having a strike (and has been having partials strikes for months now) and thus will have NO chance to warn their buyers of a potential delay in delivery.
It would take all of 5 minutes to write something that alerts ebay.com sellers of the possibility of parcel delays in the UK. Why can't/won't eBay take the initiative and be proactive in communicating something that is clearly going to affect sellers globally and not just within the UK?
I forwarded your concern to the communications team. The situation with the UK postal strike was evaluated by the US communications team and they decided that based on the evaluation, an announcement was not necessary.
Posted by shipscript on Oct 16, 2009 5:15 PM
Video Linking and HTML and Javascript Policies
Griff, thanks for being available to us. I've tried posting these questions for the past few months, but I've always arrived when the thread was closed. So I'm elated to find it open.
People often ask about the video policy on the HTML forum, and I'm not really clear on that anymore.
If a member creates a video and wants to host it on a public server, I can understand using a vetted service that is configured to prevent uploads of mischievous content. If a seller wants to put their content (wav,avi,mp3,flash) on their own server, does the same policy apply? Are they forbidden from linking to or embedding those?
The
The policy is actually pretty clear:
Embedded videos
You are allowed to use videos in your listings as long as the video is embedded. You are not allowed to link from your description to a video. When you include a video in your listing, the content and format must follow these guidelines:
- You must be the owner of the underlying rights, including intellectual property rights, or be authorized to distribute it by the owners of such rights.
- You can't use the video to ask members to use unsafe payment methods, such as Western Union. Here's more information about our accepted payments policy.
- The video can't include software that harms or interferes with a member's machine (for example, a virus or spyware), uses it for malicious or unauthorized purposes, or violates a member's privacy.
- The video content isn't required to be relevant to your item.
- The video must deliver the content in flash animation format and be hosted by a site that takes strong measures to provide safe content. In an attempt to safeguard members, you may only embed video from these sites:
- AuctionMercial
- AuctionVideo
- CarTHINK
- CreativeVideosOnline
- Dailymotion
- eCommercePlayer
- Google
- i2iAuction
- Microsoft
- Motionbox
- MySpace
- Silverdock
- Vzaar
- YouTube
If you don't see your video hosting site on the list of permitted sites above, you're not allowed to embed your video in your listing.
A seller is not allowed to host a video of any type on their own server. A video can only be hosted on one of the services listed in the policy.
Now suppose the flash file is not a video in the common sense, but is, instead, audio or navigation (flash menus, click-to-enlarge, or other javascript-like flash creations). Do these files fall under the same guidelines? Are sellers allowed to host these on their own servers? And if not, then how does one acquire this type of exemption enjoyed by a few major template sellers who do provide and host flash navigation in the templates they sell?
The policy on HTML and Javascript is fairly comprehensive:
HTML and JavaScript
eBay does not permit the use of several types of HTML and JavaScript functions in member listings, Stores pages, About Me pages, or Want-It-Now ads.
Any attempts to disguise the intention or function of the source code (HTML or JavaScript) of your listing are in violation of eBay policy. This includes, but is not limited to:
- the use of unescape functions in JavaScript
- items that split HTML or other JavaScript tags with the express purpose of hiding the tags within the source code of the listings’s HTML or script
Users may not manipulate or edit any areas outside of the areas designated for member content.
Additionally, on the German site (eBay.de), the use of JavaScript functions is further limited. Refer to the Additional Information section below for more information.
Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:
- Listing cancellation
- Limits on account privileges
- Account suspension
- Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
- Loss of PowerSeller status
Some Examples
Not permitted
- HTML or JavaScript used to drop or read a cookie on any eBay page
- HTML or JavaScript that redirects the user from eBay to another page (such as the "replace" script)
- HTML or JavaScript that automatically calls remote scripts and pages (such as JavaScript includes or iframes)
- HTML or JavaScript that changes registry entries, or otherwise writes to another's computer hard drive
- HTML or JavaScript that creates automatic "pop-ups" (exception - links that open in a new window when clicked on)
- HTML or JavaScript that automatically posts to scripts in eBay
- HTML or JavaScript that automatically loads any binary program on another's computer (exception - Flash content)
- HTML or JavaScript that automatically overwrites any area on the listing outside of the item description area
- Manipulation of areas outside the listing description, including changing fonts, colors, backgrounds, etc. in areas such as eBay headers, footers, etc.
Additional Information
Attempts to use the disabled scripts will return a very specific error message that begins: "Disallowed JavaScript/HTML Syntax". Members will be prevented from listing the item or will be disabled at run-time. Any other JavaScript error indicates a separate issue and is not related to the disabling of these scripts.
On the topic of exempt template designers, for several years we have been fielding template designer questions on the HTML forum about the use of forbidden javascript to obfuscate links to forbidden "include files". All my inquiries to the trust and safety team have been answered with "not allowed", and that is what we tell designers on the forum. However, a couple of specific entities have been enjoying this method for several years, apparently with eBay's implied blessing. How can we level the playing field so that other designers can compete with this flagrant disregard for (or perhaps internal dispensation for) eBay policy?
Report the listings using the Report link on the item page. Although I am not aware of any exemptions to this policy, it is possible that some Certified Providers through the eBay Development program are allowed to provide templates to eBay sellers that utilize HTML or Javascript in their design. If you send me an item number for an example of a listing where the use of Javascript has been reported without action, I may be able to provide more of a definitive response.
Again, thanks for fielding so many questions here. I think you have lightened our load on the HTML forum.
Posted by stuff4you on Oct 17, 2009 9:42 AM
eBay Testing Questions
Simple question followed by shortened rant:
When will this Stores In Core test be over?
We don’t announce the end of a test prior to its occurrence.
I pay 10 times the insertion fee and 3% more in FVF for my FP30 listings. I played by the rules and eked out my competitive advantage by using FP30 and free shipping (as encouraged by eBay). My sales in that product line soared as my competitors stayed behind the store wall and their items were hidden most of the time.
This - very wide spread - test began and my FP30 sales have fallen off a cliff. My competitors who DO NOT PAY FOR THE EXPOSURE are now getting that search exposure.
Not necessarily and definitely not en masse. The test segment is a percentage of buyer traffic, not a percentage or portion of seller inventory. A small percentage of buyers – not all - are shown the test pages or in this case, search results that include Store Inventory Format items mixed with core items.
When will this test end? This is extremely unfair for those who played your game by your rules. And this is extremely poor timing. Once again, I feel lied to. eBay says they will not make changes during the holiday season. Well, temporary or not, this is a change. A big one. Or do you folks at eBay really believe (as one eBay employee is reported to have said) that the holiday selling season starts November 15th?
A test is not considered a site or policy or feature change. A test of this type involves a small percentage of buyer traffic (not seller IDs) and is temporary, not permanent (as changes are permanent).
Posted by ted_200 on Oct 17, 2009 9:47 PM
Feedback Abuse
Hi Griff, and thanks as always for continuing to attempt to deal with our questions. I do appreciate it.
Last month I asked:
"If a seller ships an item for free and gets a low DSR for shipping cost from the buyer, who is also a Powerseller in the same category the seller sells in, does that qualify for removal under the Feedback Abuse Policy, the Unwanted and Malicious Buying Policy, or the Feedback Manipulation Policy?"
And you responded:
"It might. It depends on the specifics of the transaction and any previous history for either party but I would be amiss in making a blanket statement that the above scenario would automatically and always qualify as Feedback Abuse."
The question was not hypothetical, and I recently received a response from Trust and Safety which seems to contradict your response. Their response would seem to indicate that as long as the "buyer" were to leave a positive feedback along with the low DSRs (as was the case here), it is NEVER Feedback Abuse, Manipulation, or Unwanted/Malicious Buying and the low DSRs are NEVER eligible for removal. They wrote:
"Thank you for writing eBay in regard to member concern.
Unfortunately, we cannot remove DSR's, they are removed only if the
feedback is also. In this case the feedback is positive and therefore
not removable.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
(employee name)
eBay Customer Support
Trust and Safety Operations"
This is an open invitation to have any and all sellers who want to lower the search standing of their competition do just that. Can you help me understand what the actual policy here is?
Send me a copy of that email. It is not correct. If a seller believes that he or she has been the target of Feedback Abuse, that seller should file a report through this http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/report_problem.html
I cited no less than five separate policy violations in my initial report, yet it would seem that unless a non-positive feedback were left, those policy provisions are void and unenforceable - those policies say feedback OR Detailed Seller Ratings, not "and". You have previously indicated there would be some protection against abuse of DSRs by other sellers, but this seems to be a blanket statement that there is none unless the "buyer" were to also leave a non-positive f/b, doesn't it?
I have personally witnessed two cases in the last few weeks where a seller’s competitor left positive feedback with all 1 DSRs and in both cases (not prompted by me I might add), Trust and Safety removed the feedback AND the DSRs. If you believe your situation warranted consideration as feedback abuse and it was denied, send the details to me and I will review and send back to T&S for reconsideration.
I would also like to throw in my 2¢ on the ASQ comments... the "improvements" described are not very helpful. If a potential buyer has a question, I'd like them to do ONE CLICK on ONE LINK and be able to ask the question. I certainly don't want to run my customers through the process that eBay runs their customers through before they can have their question answered.
And you don’t have to. The SmartFAQ feature is a seller opt in or out feature. If you don’t want to provide your buyers with an FAQ prior to their asking you a question, don’t opt in to the feature.
Again, if eBay is going to take over communications for me, and make the process overly complicated, I'd at least appreciate it if you'd stop having my customers rate me on it.
Is that really too much to ask?
You can opt in or out of the feature. Your choice.
Posted by celt13 on Oct 17, 2009 10:02 PM
Negative Feedback and UPI
Hi Griff,
I am getting sick and tired of the many Non-paying buyer experiences that I have had to deal with these last few months.
Back when sellers were allowed to leave negs for non paying buyers I never had this many non-paying buyers. The increase has been dramatic. I used get maybe two or three Non-paying buyers a year back when sellers could leave negs. This last year I seem to be dealing with one or two Non-paying buyers a month.
Everytime I file an UPI and where a buyer does respond (about 50% of the time) they basically say "so sorry, didn't read the description, this item is not for me" or some such. This latest one just tonight left me this message in responding to the UPI (spelling and grammar errors left intact and name changed to XXXXX):
"hi. pleasa take my sincere apologyfor not taking an action.
i would like to cancele the purchase. i tried to cancel it but there were no option for cancel on the web after i clicked the item option. shalom, XXXXX"
Okay, now every time this happens, where the buyer responds (but still does not pay, I fear that I will receive a neg if I allow the system to take its course and let the buyer get the deserved unpaid item strike.
The two part questions is:
What would you do risk the neg, and how fair would it be for me (or any other seller in this position) to get receive a negative (and get my DSR's slammed) just because the buyer responds with a lame , even though they still qualify and receive the unpaid item strike?
If I had the case above? I would not agree to mutual cancellation. I would file the UPI. The response from the buyer is not a legitimate reason for backing out of the transaction. If they left a negative, I would ask for it to be removed. And if the buyer above received the strike, then they would have been blocked from leaving feedback and any negative feedback AND RATINGS that they left would be removed.
Thank you for your time in looking at this.
Posted by rydan313 on Oct 18, 2009 4:25 AM
Using Markdown Manager to Subvert the Starting Bid Rule
Griff,
Long time reader, first time poster.
I'm concerned about people selling fixed priced items under $0.99. Since sometime last year this has no longer allowed. This makes sense considering that after the cost of selling on eBay, cost of receiving online (mandatory) payment, and the cost of physical shipment (again mandatory) means there is no room for profit. If a seller is selling something cheap that isn't profitable then it is probably feedback manipulation as echoed on this eBay UK thread by a pink Link .
Why is it then that sellers are allowed to list fixed price items at $0.99 but can then use Markdown Manager to lower the price below $0.99? This defeats the whole purpose of this rule. Sellers like myself have invested years of hard work getting the thousands of positive feedbacks we have.
Send me an example of this type of activity, either by item or a seller’s User ID. Send it to me via your regular email, not My Messages. Thanks.
Posted by tim19492005 on Oct 18, 2009 3:33 PM
Unusual Request
That's something I've done rarely, maybe once or twice.
I have a question that eBay has not answered and since I don't see a fast way to simply post a question (no doubt my ignorance):
I have items in a storage locker in SoCal that I would like to search and then send to my present location in Minnesota, but to this would require some physical labor to move the stuff around (I've got 8 pieces of loose metal in my lower back.) I have large number of books, music CDs (about 200, maybe 70% easily saleable), DVDs, etc. To make this trip, I need some physical help at the LA end, reimbursement cash and the music CDs.
That's the deal. Is this possible? Can these kinds of arrangements be accomplished?
I suppose so but you would have to arrange for someone to do this work for you. eBay does not provide staff or personnel to assist with moving items from one location to another.
Posted by simplytreasures7 on Oct 19, 2009 2:06 AM
Personal Account Questions
Hi Griff, Second time poster here. I was at risk of losing my Powerseller status but became a Top Seller at the end of Sept. My next evaluation in My Dashboard for Bronze PS was for Oct 18 and the printout stated above the "You are a Bronze Powerseller","Last evaluated 10/10/09". Alerts were "you are at risk of losing your PS level". I missed the 12-month mark of $12,000 by $199.00.
Okay well as of today Oct 17 my dashboard shows that I am no longer a Powerseller dated Oct 17 and next evaluation is for Nov. 18.
Also both reports say Did you meet these sales requirements as of 09/29/09. Also the sales and minimum items sold is the same even though I sold since 9/29/00 (sold a lot more than the $199 short) The only difference is that I was suppose to be evaluated on Oct 18 but eBay made it a day earlier because I had a few sales on the 18th is my guess.
Shouldn't I still be a Powerseller for at least the $3,000 and 100 a year or do I now have to wait until April? Also it is my understanding that some dashboards are currently displaying the $3,000 a year and 100 transactions. I kept printouts knowing eBay likes to pull this slight of hand to keep sellers from getting a discount. I don't have screen shots.
One more question is my big concern. The dashboard no longer displays raised or any level of status in searches. If I am no longer a PS but a Top Seller, will I just be raised in fixed price with Best (Worst) Match and where will I be in auctions which I mainly list in?
It is not possible to be a Top Rated Seller without PowerSeller status as well. If you lose your PowerSeller status, you also lose your Top Rated Seller status. Forward your details to me and I will inquire on your behalf. Send the details to me at griff@ebay.com using your regular email, not My Messages. Thanks.
NOTE: All questions about specific accounts details, for example, whether or not you should qualify for TRS or PS, may be sent to me directly, not posted on the thread. Thanks.
Posted by austiners on Oct 19, 2009 5:56 AM
Payment Reminder Emails
Griff --
Have the Post-Transaction emails announced in July begun to be automatically sent yet? If not, will eBay make an announcement when they begin?
I don't want to bombard my buyers with email, but am not sure what is automatically being sent at this point.
Is there a way for sellers to see the generic text of the message being (or to be) sent?
Thanks for all you help to sellers!
My pleasure. The screen shot of the payment reminder email template I posted in September is available above in a previous post. The emails are sent out on the fourth day after a listing closes.
I will be away for most of the week and will start a November thread next week on my return. Thanks.
Griff
Griff
_________________
eBay
Original Post
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