eBay have changed the International Postage service on all my listings without my permission...

[foxinsox2000]

I sell small low priced items and post worldwide using a letter service with insurance.

For international postage, I select a flat rate, and the service I was nominating was called

"International Economy : untracked (11 - 35 business days)"

This was accurate as the estimated delivery time was fair and transparent to buyers, and therefore the eBay estimate on delivery time for buyers was also fair, honest and upfront.

I have just noticed that this postage service no longer appears on the list. That in itself is a separate issue I am yet to resolve.

However - worryingly - eBay have changed every single one of my listings to show the International Postage service as

"Economy SpeedPAK from China/Hong Kong/Taiwan (10 - 15 Business Days).

This is clearly wrong, and clearly misleading to buyers as the timeframe is wrong, and it also falsely suggests my items are shipped from Asia, which they are not.

A long phone call to eBay (escalated to a manager) assured me that eBay would NEVER edit seller listings without permission, and if someone did it it would be a sackable offence if an employee did so. I was able to prove to him that eBay have indeed done so by verifying that the change has taken place since the last time I edited any of my listings (they can look up and verify when you make your own edits).

The case has been further escalated  - 24 hours later not heard more yet...

Yes I know I can bulk edit to correct (except there is now no option that accurately describes the postage service I use (Air, no tracking, 11 - 35 business days). But I want eBay to take responsiblity because I also believe that they have no right to alter / edit this information on a sellers listing.

Anyone else had this happen?

[kopenhagen5]

The postage information is supplied to eBay from AP.

Same as the estimated delivery dates that many blame eBay for, they are set by AP.

Sounds like AP want some services deleted.

You may need to use "Other" and self describe the time frames.

[countessalmirena]

It's not the first instance lately of eBay meddling with sellers' listings. You can see that some sellers have lately been reporting that Best Offer has been added by eBay to their listings - without the sellers' permission - and that ebay has had the... well, chutzpah? hide? gall? to inform the sellers of this change.

(So much for " eBay would NEVER edit seller listings without permission"...)

[foxinsox2000]

@ kopenhagen5 

Aust Post are not deleting the service, it's just the standard international letter service so certainly not something that they will ever cease to offer. 

When eBay allowed me to nominate this service, then of course the delivery estimates were fair and correct. 

Now eBay have stopped allowing me to nominate this postal service, it forces me to select a different service from their list, which then fails to describe the postage service correctly, and fails to provide the correct delivery estimates. 

There is not an option for 'other' that I am aware of. The least descriptive service names (like Standard Air) default to a 1 - 2 week eBay delivery estimate. It is then irrelevant what I write in my descriptions, a 'non-delivered' case can be opened by a buyer after 3 weeks. I have been using the same letter service for about 2 years and it suits my sales well - but the reality of it is that 6 - 8 weeks is normal delivery time for many countries (11 - 35 business days is indeed a fair estimate). When the ebay estimates reflect that (as they have done so up until now) then all is okay, buyers are advised upfront and they make their own choice.

I add insurance, but (as Australia does not have a world class postal service) there is still no tracking on this service, so I cannot mislead buyers by using a postage description that states 'tracked'.

But more importantly, and the reason for my post here, is how the heck eBay can justtify changing the postage service offered on all my listings (over 100) to say that they are being shipped from Asia. Sure - call it a glitch, bug or error, but I would like to know if it has happened to others. It's a serious glitch if it has, and if not, then I would still appreciate an acknowledgement of fault by them.

I live in hope 🙂

[foxinsox2000]

@ countessalmirena yes I am aware, although I wish I had thought to mention it when the eBay representative made that statement on the phone. 

I have not had it added by eBay without permission, but I added myself to a long standing listing (just to help a regular buyer), and tried to remove it the next day. Not possible. I do not have the right to control my own listing in such a way apparently. I did reply to a thread about this issue also 😕

[kopenhagen5]

Ok, just had a look and "other" is no longer there.

Appears untracked in most cases have been deleted and is probably eBay not wanting it offered even though AP probably still offer it.

The only relevant option I can see is to use "standard Int flat rate".

[jillywinkle]

hello....yes I just checked one of my listings when renewing it...luckily I decided to edit it. Discovered that ALL my listings (only 20 or so currently) have been changed to "Economy SpeedPAK from China/Hong Kong/Taiwan" in the International postage field. And like you said, the previous methods from the list have disappeared..what the? Now I have to go and change all my listings back to International Standard post.

[jillywinkle]

I wonder if other people have actually checked their listings. I have not diddled about with my listings for months. Hardly come to ebay lately, have just let the items auto relist. So today, thought I would re-list some unsold stuff again..and discovered the reversion in International postage and the removal of the 35 days untracked standard business. I guess APO are angling for express and mega postage bucks? The greed for even more money. Surely this  has happened to more people than me and the original poster. Can't seem to find any  more message threads about it. I would be SUPER annoyed if I had hundreds of listings...although I guess with the other post options gone...one could do it in bulk. Anyway...it's a pest...jilly

[clubesquire]

Well, I’ve just checked my postage settings. Those that were previously set to “Express International” are now showing "Economy SpeedPAK from China/Hong Kong/Taiwan" and accordingly that is what’s reflected on all of my listings.

I’m really very cross about this. How can something like this happen other than at the hands of eBay? I certainly didn’t make the changes, and I can’t now see an option. Making changes (meddling) like this in someone’s settings and listings is a serious breach of business ethos as far as I’m concerned, but there’s more - I wasn’t (others too by the looks of it) even shown the curtesy of being advised.

I don’t want to jawflap too much about it, because there may well be a plausible explanation, but I have a feeling that’s a long shot.

If indeed eBay are the culprits, it’s sly, sleazy and inexcusable!

Sometimes, often actually,  I soooo wish there was a viable alternative to eBay. I’ve been very uncomfortable with things ever since returning to selling here. And that’s the rub isn’t it? eBay well know that as sellers we’re more or less a captive audience, so to speak and can be treated with this very grubby sort of disrespect. And I said I wasn’t going to jawflap. Fibber fibber - I’m just so cross!!

Melina.

[jillywinkle]

Hi Melina,

yes it's a tad disturbing. Considering the original poster of this thread phoned ebay and they really had no clue about it. What I reckon "might" have happened..is, they ditched the other postage options to overseas that were there, added the China one and it popped into the field where folks had chosen "economy airmail 11 to 35 days" or whatever it was. Only thing I can think of really and nobody is fessing up, nor advising anybody of this big glitch. I changed all my listings today one by one...jilly