SELLER PROTECTION
Summary: The discussion, initiated by wandarrah, focuses on the topic of seller protection. Various participants, including sandypebbles, curraone, springyzone, domino-710, and lezned-toycollector, contribute to the conversation. It appears the discussion involves multiple exchanges between sandypebbles and wandarrah, as well as interactions between other participants such as lezned-toycollector and wandarrah. Despite numerous responses, the content of the posts is unspecified.
ANY BODY HAD THIS ISSUE. PLEASE ADVISE
EXTREMLY IMPORTANT AND NEEDS eBay ATTENTION WHICH I AM SURE IT WILL BE IGNORED UNFORTENATLY. THIS WILL FORCE SELLERS TO NOT SELL ON eBay.
I do not think it is fair the way sellers are protected on eBay (VERY VERY UNFAIR). eBay is on the buyers side 100% against sellers. I have sold many items and i have been very loyal to eBay since 2000, lately there have been buyers who insist on paying the minimum postage without tracking despite advising them that tracking is safer, i also have clear posting requirements on my eBay listing, i try to help them but then they claim the item did not arrive (they do not prove that ) but unfortunately eBay take there side and i am forced to refund. This is happening more frequently now and I am not sure what to do except cancelling normal postage with not tracking which means selling will never be as good as with tracking more expensive. Please help me and advise what is your recommendation so myself and other sellers are safe.
lezned-toycollector
·6 months agoLooking at your sold items, the reason you're experiencing a higher rate of INR requests than usual is glaringly obvious.
Your buyers are paying for Standard Parcel Delivery - which actually includes tracking - but you are ignoring their selected shipping method and just doing your own thing by sending as an untracked letter.
This practice encourages buyers to open a request. When they don't get the service they selected and expected, it's going to leave a bad taste in their mouth.
When a buyer selects Standard Parcel Delivery, you are obliged to use Standard Parcel Delivery. You don't get to maximise your profit by using a cheaper shipping method than the buyer selected. That's very poor form and frankly, it's just not on.
When this same scenario has happened to me in the past (and it has), unlike your buyers, I didn't open a request. I just left a nice, pretty red dot on the seller's feedback page.
wandarrah
OP6 months agoHi
I am not sure what you mean. I have no problem with domestic posting but with international one. As you know to send normal post with no tracking it costs between $4 to $6 depends to where it is going, tracking is $22.50 . As you see i have 100% positive feedback, so please advise me what is the issue my posting internationally.
lezned-toycollector
·6 months agoYou obviously missed the part where I quoted your comment and replied to that comment directly.
I have identified a serious problem within your shipping process. Do with that as you wish.
As for posting internationally, I don't understand why you have an issue.
Personally, I use calculated shipping and offer Australia Post International Standard. With a handling fee included on international transactions, there is usually a slightly greater profit margin than shipping domestically with free postage as an untracked letter - especially on lower priced items.
twyngwyn
·6 months agoAs an aside, you could use these for domestic postage, then it’s flat rate
https://ebay.us/m/vM0LjZ
lezned-toycollector
·6 months agoSorry, I should have also added that in just on 25 years of online selling, I've had only one INR request opened.
I have had 4 international shipments returned, though. One from Ireland with no reason provided, one from France (uncollected), one from Germany (no such address) and one from Belgium (refused). None of these had requests opened.
I had the INR request a couple of years back from a Canadian buyer, but the tracking showed the item was delivered. So after asking eBay to step in, obviously they found in my favour.
wandarrah
OP6 months agoIf a buyer buys a $20 item from you and he lives in the UK, what kind of postage and cost would you send it to the buyer and protect yourself ( normal with no tracking is $4.35 and international Australia post registered with tracking is $22.50. With tracking i always use the later, but with normal i use the $4.35 and this where i had issues from dishonest buyers, i must admit, i have been selling on eBay since 2000 and i would have had about 20 INR, but last Nov/Dec there was 4 issues. I still have my 100% positive feedback.
What do you pay for Australia Post International Standard and is it tracked. your kind help and advise is appreciated
wandarrah
OP6 months agowhat is the serious problem with domestic and international posting i am doing wrong, please advise as i am not sure
lezned-toycollector
·6 months agoDespite replying to it, you obviously didn't read my first post in this thread. Perhaps you should read it now.
You can't charge a buyer for Standard Parcel Delivery and take it upon yourself to change their selected shipping method to Australia Post Domestic Regular Letter Untracked - especially when it's just to maximise your profit margin.
To answer your other question, yes... Australia Post International Standard comes with tracking.
Being Zone 4, the UK is the most expensive. If you have Band 2 or better savings, it will set you back between $23.68 and $21.31. eBay will charge you $23.38... but I wouldn't worry too much about postage charges, as your buyer pays - not you.
lezned-toycollector
·6 months agoTypo - too late to edit
$23.68 should be $23.38
curraone
·6 months agoThis is the problem:
domino-710
·6 months agoGood grief - get rid of the red and blue - that's just plain rude - describe the items for sale.
Adjust your postage accordingly - for 1 or more items - want no hassles - add tracking.
springyzone
·6 months agoIt doesn't matter how long you've been on ebay. I have been on just as long but I still have to work within the rules as they are now. Your trouble is you're still living back in about 2003, when buyers could not do a thing about items not arriving, so sometimes they opted for registered mail.
I read the ad for a completed listing of yours. Absolutely dreadful. Instead of a focus on describing an item, it is all negative and threatening comments, it puts a buyer's back up before you start.
I would not buy from you or if I did, I'd completely disregard your drivel and just jump into an official ebay claim if I hit a problem. I would not elect to pay more for postage than what was listed in the ad. Why would I?
I certainly would not contact you first to discuss anything because you obviously don't know how ebay works.
If you're going to sell things, you need to set the postage. You, not the buyer.
Don't go setting a low general postage then threatening buyers that they have to choose a higher paying postage.
Buyers want a straight forward, uncomplicated buying experience. None of your ifs and buts and made up waffle.
Don't go telling customers that if something isn't going via registered postage, they can't make a claim if an item goes missing. You may be able to bluff newbies but you are not being honest or accurate. Of course they can make a claim.
You are in control of your ad and the postage you fix and it needs to be up front in the ad.
So if I were you, I'd be making the decision to send items with tracking in most cases. Yes, it might be slightly dearer but then you're covered and no need for all the ranting in the ad.
For items you might prefer to send untracked, you're going to have to accept you are leaving yourself open for claims. I don't care what evidence you present that an item was posted. That is not proof of it arriving and arrival is what matters.
What you could do is slightly pad the price of each and every item sold as untracked and that way, the occasional claim for item not received will be covered.
But stop advertising 'normal' mail then telling buyers it is 100% their responsibility if anything goes wrong. I found that extremely annoying and it is just not true.
curraone
·6 months agoIt is true that you have no protection if you send without tracking. In your case I think you sell stamps - so I understand your frustration for such a light item. However, I suggest that you do change your listings to protect yourself - you can buy Aust Post Small prepaid envelopes for $5.21 each - most of your buyers will pay it because they appreciate tracking - not such a big jump from $3. Or keep your postage at $3 and add $2.21 to the selling price for each item.
https://auspost.com.au/sending/letters-australia/letter-tracking
wandarrah
OP6 months agoThat sounds fair. My main issue is with the international posting, domestic is no issue. Australia post International postage with tracking ($22.50) and without ($4 to $6) is quite expensive and on top of that eBay takes nearly 15% of the postage too. I have not tried eBay posting parcels yet. I honestly think, the best way is just do not send internationally without tracking, this will reduce selling low cost items unless they buy few to make it worth the tracking
springyzone
·6 months agoAgain, you've solved this one yourself.
It is a good idea to exclude untracked items from international sale. If that is where the main issue is, you'd be eliminating most of your problems & frustration.
wandarrah
OP6 months agoMany thanks for your help and advise
sandypebbles
·6 months agoYelling at other members is not going to achieve a thing
eBay staff do very rarely read the member to member forum
You are right, if you do not provide tracking, you are not covered if the buyer says the item did not arrive
Nobody here can help you nor advise you as you already know what sending without tracking means
How do you expect a buyer to prove something did not arrive?
Nobody except the buyer knows if they are lying or not
Nobody knows if the item got lost in the post, stolen by an employee, stolen by a passerby from the letter box etc etc
It is not up to other members to make other sellers protect themselves as best they can
But you certainly do not get to make up your own 'rules' in the item description, yelling and typing in red is pointless and you cannot enforce such demands
'proof stamped witness from the post office' not accepted as proof of anything by eBay
In fact I would say posting such rants on your listings makes it far more likely buyer who are dodgy will most certain claim not arrived
I am also surprised eBay did not sanction your account for posting your own terms with are way outside eBay policy
wandarrah
OP6 months agoHi
Thanks for your kind advise. So how do we protect the sellers when a buyer insists on normal postage , then claims his item did not arrive. Please recommend a solution. I have to refund 4 buyers in the last 6 weeks , i even i had a buyer sent me an email accepting full responsibility but still eBay refunded him. I think the only solution i see is that to cancel the normal postage and just do tracking even for low priced purchase.
Any suggestions please.
sandypebbles
·6 months agoThere is no solution
eBay policy states if a seller cannot prove delivery (by using tracking) the seller is not covered if a buyer opens a not received dispute
As far as eBay are concerned, it is up to the seller to prove the item was delivered to the buyer's address
There's no 'way around' it
The email of the buyer accepting full responsibility, again, meaningless, it is not a 'thing' a seller can use get out of proving delivery that eBay are ever going to accept
Nobody can advise you about something that does not exist
wandarrah
OP6 months agoMany thanks. I guess the solution is not to send without tracking.
springyzone
·6 months agoYou solved it yourself in your last sentences.
This is by way of a PS
Did you ever stop to think that all the ranting in your ads might just be drawing attention to the fact some items are untracked?
You're possibly giving people ideas because most regular ebay users know quite well they can claim if an item does not arrive, no matter what you say.
If you just put up a normal ad where you select the postage level you feel comfortable at, you might have fewer problems.
wandarrah
OP6 months agoI think you are correct