New Tracking Changes Will Come Into Effect Soon

[south.coffee]

A new streamlined and FASTER opportunity for the 'online shoplifters' to fleece sellers.  How to get your item FAST & FREE !

(or just another nail in the coffin for sellers with low cost items open to exploitation - I wonder if this also applies to the protected eBay 'species' from China ?)

• Sellers who use an untracked postage service or do not upload valid tracking 
  • If a buyer opens an ‘Item not received’ request, we will resolve the request and refund them after 3 business days, unless the request is closed. We will do this without requiring the buyer to ask eBay to step in and help.

https://community.ebay.com.au/t5/eBay-Announcements/New-Tracking-Changes-Will-Come-Into-Effect-Soon/...

[danieh_6]

I dont think this will apply to china cause most china sent items have tracking updates within china and a random untrackable number in australia but trackable in china. usually WinIT or chinapost which is on the eBay integrated courier

I think this is a nail for sellers who don't use tracking at all.

[joshbower]

It's pretty much the same as before then? If a buyer opened a case for item not received and the seller can't provide tracking then it would get closed automatically with a refund anyway.

[silver-fox-bullion]

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@joshbower wrote:

It's pretty much the same as before then? If a buyer opened a case for item not received and the seller can't provide tracking then it would get closed automatically with a refund anyway.

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yes on the untracked side.     ON the tracked side there a big change <<<<< ebay will NOW pay out and cover the cost of item to the buyer for lost item NOT the seller so the seller no longer has to chase missing items etc in the post to recoup their lost risking been out of pocket.  As ebay will be paying for the lost item not the seller

[silver-fox-bullion]

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@south.coffee wrote:

A new streamlined and FASTER opportunity for the 'online shoplifters' to fleece sellers.  How to get your item FAST & FREE !

(or just another nail in the coffin for sellers with low cost items open to exploitation - I wonder if this also applies to the protected eBay 'species' from China ?)

• Sellers who use an untracked postage service or do not upload valid tracking 
  • If a buyer opens an ‘Item not received’ request, we will resolve the request and refund them after 3 business days, unless the request is closed. We will do this without requiring the buyer to ask eBay to step in and help.

https://community.ebay.com.au/t5/eBay-Announcements/New-Tracking-Changes-Will-Come-Into-Effect-Soon/...

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We have been slowly moving to an USER PAYS tracked postage on our lower priced items we have NOT seen a drop in sales BUT an INCREASE in them.    The difference in post cost is about $2.20  from a untracked item to tracked.   untacked  Padded bag $0.30 plus stamps 2.20=  2.50     a tracked envelope cost $4.70        so if you were offering FREE psotage before CHANGE the buyer 2.50 for postage you will find MOST buyers would NOT even lift an eye lid at paying 2.50 for postage 

[joshbower]

Yes that's what I meant, the untracked quote as posted in the OP. I've never had any trouble recouping losses for tracked parcels that went missing so no change there for me either.

[orientalstyle_au]

I think this is a really bad change.

I sell $2 items, plus $2 postage due to the thickness/weight.

And other items for $7-$10 with free postage (and it costs me $2.20 to post them).

Adding extra postage fees is definitely result in a loss of sales.

[heihachi_73]

I don't think the changes will do anything, eBay would have to somehow enforce tracking numbers (e.g. print an $8.95 label otherwise you can't send) upon completion of a sale for their scheme to work, which would just mean that sellers of under-$10 items would simply look elsewhere to make sales.

eBay has been freeBay for buyers of cheap non-tracked items since forever, it's just pure luck that 99% of Australian buyers on eBay are actually honest.

The change is good on paper though, as it is basically telling every seller to add a tracking number, but unfortunately eBay assumes that absolutely everything is sent in a large cardboard box as per their current eBay Plus TV ad. While it sounds good for parcels (and is just common sense really), there was absolutely zero thought of anyone using letter post to send small things like coins or DVDs, it was all about telling people to type in the tracking number to make it easier when they send a parcel (think of things like iPhones, TVs, microwaves etc.) - obviously some people must have been throwing away the receipt the instant they sent the (presumably expensive) item and were then blaming eBay for giving the buyer a freebie when the odd crafty freeBayer noticed no tracking and filed an INR request two weeks later.

[eol-products]

I wonder if this will work. I receive a request for tracking then go out and purchase and send a tracked letter to the recipient and use this tracking number to override the automatic refund.

[joz15au]

As required I edited all my store listings for stamps and postcards to show the Aust Post untracked letter option and since doing so my sales have dropped away to virtually nil. I'm not sure if I've sunk to the bottom of the searches or if it's a coincidence and people are just not buying because the financial effects of Covid are starting to bite hard. If it's the former it's a bit unfair as I note that a couple of big sellers are showing their listings as Aust Post standard parcel and I'm pretty sure that for $1 sales they would not be paying for tracked postage. Also I think I've only had one INR case in about 12 months so I don't think that warrants any punishment through search results. Has anyone else been having a similar experience?