eBay Holds Sellers to New Standards in Fall Seller Update

by: Scotty

Is the tracking/scanning within the handling time measured by:
1) Actual scan w/in handling time? I.e. 1 business day handling time....do I now need to wait in line to have the USPS physically scan the package to ensure it is scanned within the 1 business day requirement....OR....is this the same as before....as long as the scan appears at some time during the journey to the customer?
All my packages are processed within the required handling time....many,,,many scans are not made until sometime later in the journey, many times half-way across the country before the first scan appears.
This will be a disaster if we are now required to physically demand the USPS scan our item before we leave.  Presently, I can put my items in USPS bins and leave them at the drop-off counter at which point they take them sometime during the day and begin processing.  No line....easy in and out.  This needs to be clarified.

by: Done

I've never had luck getting scans at mailing and when I requested one on an expensive item, the postal worker got annoyed and said they don't do scans until the item is delivered.  This is, once again, a ridiculous rule.  People will NOT remember the date they received an item either with accuracy; I know I couldn't.

by: Bethofvt

Glory, glory. I can finally go back to being concerned about what is best for my customer in resolving a transaction, instead of worrying about how it is going to affect my defect rating.

by: tbyr

I stand int line at the post office: have my packages scanned in at the counter and sometimes the scan does not show up until the package is half way across the USA. So even standing on line at the post office having it scanned in at the counter means nothing to USPS post office it only means something when it gets to a hub and they do there job (if you are lucky) and get it into the post office tracking.. But I can produce every single package with a a recipt from the post office showing the package has have been turned it providing the clerk is agreeable to stand and scan every single package some of them do not like to do that job and give you a hard time.  

by: Randy

Sounds good, should go off without a hitch! Lmao

by: songe-d-automne

I am hoping against hope that all that is true!

Like Bethinvt, I too would prefer to focus on keeping buyers happy rather than keeping my defect rate clean.

by: toolguy

As I have done for the past 15 years, adapt to eBay's changes and move forward.

As long as the buyers are on eBay I'll also be there. . .

by: eBayRulez

Yesss!! This is an awesome change! Gonna be hard for the haters to pick this update apart.

by: blaumann

Complain to the supervisor or Postmaster if clerks refuse top scan packages. That is their job. I could always find a non crowded post office in any area.

by: rhawk

@Scotty.   The acceptance scan is part of 4 possible verifications along the way. It is not mandatory.  The new system is not much different than now.

RELAX.  These are VERY GOOD changes.

WOW. I can't believe I just said that.

by: ebayclosed2016

The only problem we see for us is that we have tested too much of the other water at the River... And we like it. So it's a bit of too much too late for us. But is an over positive change.

2 things...
This will push the BS off to paypal.

And.. this is only temporary and too loose. This will be cranked down in the fall 2016 "update". It's only a stop gap to pump up profits for the short term to plump up ebay for a sale.  

by: vince-q

This is quite possibly the biggest move toward fair seller evaluation from eBay since 2004.

Waiting in line at the post office to have your item(s) scanned is a small price to pay. Of course, this is coming from ''retired person me'' who actually treats ''going to the post office'' as a welcome excuse to get ''out and about'' every day. :-)

Now all eBay has to do is figure out a way to get BUYING activity back to where it was in 2004 and... yes.... then I'll do the REAL ''happy dance.''

This new stuff is a good start.

by: vince-q

Just a side note.

After the remarks I've seen about ''the River'' here and just about everywhere else, I have something to say.

My experiences at the ''river'' have been exclusively as a buyer (with 'riverPrime' membership).

Deliveries have been great, fast, bla bla bla. Not the problem.

The problem? I have had to return roughly 7 out of 10 items for ''broken'' or ''defective'' or ''not what I ordered''.

70% fulfillment failure rate.

And my experience is not unique.

Two friends who also are buyers there (and not sellers) have had IDENTICAL experiences with IDENTICAL failure rates.

And yet people continue to think things are ''better'' there???

What *am* I missing here??

PS: everything that I purchased there and had to return were ''FBA'' items.

by: iBuyers

Holy Crap!

by: Al G

I hate to use the word trust, but if eBay is to be trusted in how it values its sellers, than this is a good first step.

I can see where leaving the DSRs in the dust is a good idea. It will then only be used by potential buyers wanting to scope out their seller. Just what the FB system was intended to do on day one.
plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

by: RichieC

 I lost all hope in FleaBay, long ago. I worry how this is going to benefit FleaBay Customers, The Seller! As everything they have always done was to increase their bottom line at the expense of their Customers, The Seller! So I really hold out no hope for any honest actions from these...

by: toyman

Wow! Just wow!

One can only hope that this is the first of many positive changes by the new eBay management. This one actually seems thought out.

Of course, this is eBay, so I will continue to hold my breath.

by: pace306

I'm not a hater, I just dont like my "trading partner, just a venue, managed marketplace" conspiring to steal from me .....

This update does nothing for me personally, so I cant complain. ANY improvement from the morons in San Jose (the ones who have ZERO ecommerce experience) is a good thing.

With eBay marketplace sales dropping month after month - they had to do SOMETHING ....!

Its basically an acknowledgement that their buyers are not the final word on tracking and deliveries - which anyone with a 3rd grade education or higher could have told them.

The ignored however, the OTHER sacred cow in the room - the OBSCENE Returns policy that lets buyers steal from sellers ..... guess the profits from the returns labels and the %2 vig from Paypal on the label were just too much to pass up. After all, where will they another $23 million for Wenig from?

by: ma_seller

I am delighted to read about these changes. Selling on eBay without having to be afraid of buyers being irrational and unfair will be a huge relief!

by: comments

Why doesn't ebay just close its doors? USPS absolutely refuses to scan packages at the counter and they don't empty the bins every day or scan every item. How in the F is that something I can control? A defect EVERY time a package gets delivered after the 5 day delivery window that didn't get scanned within one day? I'll hit 5% in like 3mo if I don't already have 5% on day 1 when the change goes into effect.