topic Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry .. in Selling

ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

x3n0m — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 06:27:29 GMT

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Chat-with-eBay-staff/Managing-Returns-on-eBay-Thursday-20-July/m-p/2075722#M1

ParcelPoint returns are getting rammed down Australian ebay seller's throats and there is no apparent payment schedule in place .. perhaps I should of asked when they are going to kick this-thing/us in the guts ..

According to the ebay representative I spoke with there's more info on the pricing here: http://sellercentre.ebay.com.au/content/parcelpoint-returns

I can't see anything .. or is that nothing to see here? ..

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

lm-entertainment — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 07:00:45 GMT

i couldn't see anything there either..

though, on this page http://pages2.ebay.com.au/parcelpoint-returns - i did see the part where it says..

How much does it cost to return an item with ParcelPoint?

The cost depends on the size and weight of package you're returning, and whether you're dropping the item off or having it picked up. Drop-off prices start at $6.95 for 500g. Courier pick-up may incur a small additional fee.

You'll see pricing information when you book your return on the ParcelPoint website. Make sure you select the correct parcel size and weight to avoid any delays or extra charges.

funnily enough though, the ParcelPoint website has no pricing information on it either - so I guess the only way to find out is when the return process actually takes place and booking is commenced through the website. doesn't encourage sellers to be willing participants if you ask me.

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

egglesdtp — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 07:07:01 GMT

Don't you just love this, which appears on the page of your second link:

Tip

Buyers are 46% more likely to buy with the added security of Free Returns so why not go a step further and offer Free Returns.

Wonder where they got such a precise figure of 46%?

Free returns???? - tell 'em they're dreamin'.

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

x3n0m — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 07:25:24 GMT

"Drop-off prices start at $6.95 for 500g."

... its obviously some kind of code .. hmmm let me ponder it a bit .. okay I am going to try and translate that line of code for you:

("Drop-off prices start at $6.95 for 500g.") = ("there are some other value added fees on top of "drop off" prices for example; packing, addressing, handling time, packaging costs and postage .. it should be quite the buffet luncheon ..") give or take $(x)

not sure about the rest of it .. looks like some kind of alien language .. weird stuff anyway .. but thanks for the copy and paste .. should help people work out what is going on now with ParcelPoint .. sounds wonderful on that planet ..

ah ha .. cracked another line of code here ..

("Courier pick-up may incur a small additional fee.) = (Courier pick-up will incur a large additional fee.)

maybe we could work our way through it ..

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

go-tazz — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 08:33:20 GMT

@lm-entertainment wrote:
i couldn't see anything there either..

though, on this page http://pages2.ebay.com.au/parcelpoint-returns - i did see the part where it says..

How much does it cost to return an item with ParcelPoint?
The cost depends on the size and weight of package you're returning, and whether you're dropping the item off or having it picked up. Drop-off prices start at $6.95 for 500g. Courier pick-up may incur a small additional fee.
You'll see pricing information when you book your return on the ParcelPoint website. Make sure you select the correct parcel size and weight to avoid any delays or extra charges.

funnily enough though, the ParcelPoint website has no pricing information on it either - so I guess the only way to find out is when the return process actually takes place and booking is commenced through the website. doesn't encourage sellers to be willing participants if you ask me.

The only thing on their Parcelpoint Shop & Collectl site seems to be:

Easy pick up 14 days, early or late
$2.95 per parcel including up to $100 insurance

https://parcelpoint.com.au/shop-and-collect

So it does sound as if eBay are doing a deal with them,(they deliver parcels at $2.95 but if it's an eBay

return then the price rockets to $6.95 minimum).

So an even share would be $2 per parcel,(so off course they are going to promote it),

Guess who's going to get shafted?

I've sent Feedback to Parcelpoint requesting some sort of pay scale as sellers wont want to fill out a full form

before they get to the amount that it's going to cost,(whether I get anything back might show what sort of

customer service they have).

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

lm-entertainment — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 08:44:32 GMT

i'm wondering tazz if that $2.95 is just the cost for the end-user getting the parcel delivered to a parcel point location. i assume that they still shop online and either pay for postage + the cost of the item to the store they purchase from or the store pays the postage fee?

whereas, i assume in the case with ebay - the price which is being paid is the actual postage fee because they're doing the end-to-end service (plus possibly including courier) seeing as the item was already purchased previously and has been posted to the buyer?

just a thought.

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

lyndal1838 — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 11:07:03 GMT

From my investigations it seems that if a customer has a parcel delivered to a ParcelPoint location for pickup it will cost them $2.95 to collect that parcel.

Most ParcelPoint locations in my area are Newsagents, Chemists and Convenience stores.

Most ParcelPoint locations are also agents for Fastway ParcelCollect and those poor sods who elect to pick up a parcel delivered by Fastway will pay $5.50 for the "convenience" of travelling to get their parcel.

I think it is a good bet that if Fastway use these agent they are also going to be the courier who picks up the items being returned to ebay.

Make what you will of thie information but be warned....it will cost you or your customers.

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

michelleoz@ebay.com — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 05:04:02 GMT

Hi x3n0m,

I want to provide some answers and clear up a few misconceptions regarding the ParcelPoint returns service that appear in this thread.

You’ve raised a good point regarding fee transparency for the service. We’ve spoken with ParcelPoint and both eBay and ParcelPoint will work to make the fee schedule more accessible for buyers and sellers - so you don't have to start the process of a return in order to understand the fees.

I am a little concerned however about your comments that the service is being forced on you and I’m keen to understand what has led you to believe this?

Let me provide some clarity on the service and why it has been introduced.

The most important point for me to make is that ParcelPoint is not being forced on buyers or sellers. The service is provided as an option to whoever is responsible for return postage costs and is only given as one of the available options when we know;

The buyer is located in a ParcelPoint serviceable area and
The seller doesn’t have a PO Box, Parcel Locker or Locked Bag for the item to be returned to and
The item being returned meets size and eligibility criteria.

When the ParcelPoint option is available;

If the buyer is responsible for return postage costs, it’s naturally their choice whether they use it or not. It’s important to understand the item is delivered back to the sellers’ specified return address, not to a ParcelPoint pickup location

If the seller is responsible for return postage costs, it’s naturally their choice whether they use it or not. Again, it’s important to understand the buyer will be required to send the item back (by dropping it at a drop-off location) and the item will be delivered to the sellers’ specified return address, not a ParcelPoint pickup location.

Ultimately, regardless of which service is used for returning an item, the result is the same for the seller - the item is sent back to their specified return address.

On the points raised about fees, the irony here is that the ‘transparency of fees’ would highlight the competitiveness of the ParcelPoint offering which is often cheaper than the alternatives. Here’s what the fee schedule looks like:

ParcelPoint Returns prices (inclusive of GST) are as follows:

500g $6.95
1kg $8.95
3kg $10.95
5kg $13.95
10kg $15.95

These prices cover returns between metropolitan and major regional areas, including interstate returns (e.g. Sydney to Perth). A remote location surcharge of up to $12.00 may apply if the seller is located in a remote area. This is made clear when a buyer or seller decides to use and pay for the service, so there are no hidden fees or surprises.

It’s also really important to understand that eBay is not adding any additional charges. eBay benefits from this service by reducing bad buying and selling experiences in better facilitating returns. More options and easy access to buy and print postage labels for those returns removes friction.

ParcelPoint obviously benefits from increased exposure and use of their service, it’s really that simple.

I hope this helps you better understand the reasons this service has been introduced.

Regards

Michelle

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

x3n0m — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 05:52:05 GMT

Those ParcelPoint rates look good and I will say that you have clarified the forced upon side of things as at first glance the initial answer appeared to suggest the buyer could force me to pay for a return by what I assumed would be a far more expensive method than is currently available to me via auspost .. I must say your answer has in fact cleared up many of my doubts about this service .. I was thinking I would need to get a PO box just so I could avoid ParcelPoint returns (not that returns is actually part of my business model, just without an obvious price schedule I certainly did not trust that the rates would in fact be reasonable if or when I do require an item to be returned etc) ..

Now why can't we send by parcelpoint also? .. why only returns? I am about to post off a 5.2 kilo parcel that would almost fit into a BX4 PostPack parcel (would fit into carry on luggage size though) and yet it is costing me about $22 to post it approximately 100KM to a capital city via auspost so I would imagine any relief from that sort of pricing would be most welcome .. or perhaps there is some deal between ebay and auspost that puts ebay assisted ParcelPoint posting off the table? .. not saying I wish to see auspost harmed but think that if Australian ebay sellers can get these ParcelPoint rates for sending items it could help sellers keep prices lower for buyers and thus help smaller Australian ebay sellers compete with offshore sellers who are now dominating Australian mail order due to their cheaper postage rates to penetrate our market space ..

I will say I have also done a few minor investigations into parcelpoint in the last few days and have not turned up anything "bad" so will try and keep an open mind on this ..

I do appreciate your response Michelleoz .. My apologies to any injured parties for jumping the gun so to speak and your answer has certainly put my mind at ease over this upcoming ebay feature ..

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

lyndal1838 — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 06:50:09 GMT

Thank you for your reply Michelle. As x3n0m has already said, it is quite helpful.

Can you please confirm which Courier is offering the service and will be doing the pickups/deliveries.

This information may help x3n0m....if he cannot send through the ParcelPoint service he may be able to approach the courier directly to try and get similar rates.

IMO the courier involved may make a difference to people's decision as to whether to use it or not.

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

dazzledayz — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 07:16:25 GMT

Well I for one would be very interested in using the 1kg size to Send if possible?

Beats the heck out of the AP $12+ alternative for this weight class.

Being Fastway, any sorting or long distance distrib will be by AP anyway.

When I looked at the Parcel Point site though, it didn't give any indication of areas (local or remote by postcode)

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

lyndal1838 — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 08:06:04 GMT

When did Fastway start using AP for sorting and distance deliveries?

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

davewil1964 — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 12:07:10 GMT

@dazzledayz wrote:
Well I for one would be very interested in using the 1kg size to Send if possible?

Beats the heck out of the AP $12+ alternative for this weight class.

Being Fastway, any sorting or long distance distrib will be by AP anyway.

When I looked at the Parcel Point site though, it didn't give any indication of areas (local or remote by postcode)

AP have provided a 1kg satchel, for $10.95, for several months now. Not to mention B1 boxes, through eBay, for $7.40 + box for several years.

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

michelleoz@ebay.com — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 23:50:25 GMT

@x3n0m wrote:

Those ParcelPoint rates look good and I will say that you have clarified the forced upon side of things as at first glance the initial answer appeared to suggest the buyer could force me to pay for a return by what I assumed would be a far more expensive method than is currently available to me via auspost .. I must say your answer has in fact cleared up many of my doubts about this service .. I was thinking I would need to get a PO box just so I could avoid ParcelPoint returns (not that returns is actually part of my business model, just without an obvious price schedule I certainly did not trust that the rates would in fact be reasonable if or when I do require an item to be returned etc) ..

Now why can't we send by parcelpoint also? .. why only returns? I am about to post off a 5.2 kilo parcel that would almost fit into a BX4 PostPack parcel (would fit into carry on luggage size though) and yet it is costing me about $22 to post it approximately 100KM to a capital city via auspost so I would imagine any relief from that sort of pricing would be most welcome .. or perhaps there is some deal between ebay and auspost that puts ebay assisted ParcelPoint posting off the table? .. not saying I wish to see auspost harmed but think that if Australian ebay sellers can get these ParcelPoint rates for sending items it could help sellers keep prices lower for buyers and thus help smaller Australian ebay sellers compete with offshore sellers who are now dominating Australian mail order due to their cheaper postage rates to penetrate our market space ..

I will say I have also done a few minor investigations into parcelpoint in the last few days and have not turned up anything "bad" so will try and keep an open mind on this ..

I do appreciate your response Michelleoz .. My apologies to any injured parties for jumping the gun so to speak and your answer has certainly put my mind at ease over this upcoming ebay feature ..

Happy to hear and thanks for the call out on fees. We're working to get the fee schedule added to our Seller Centre page so you should see that update in the coming days.

Regards

Michelle

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

michelleoz@ebay.com — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 01:28:06 GMT

@lyndal1838 wrote:

Thank you for your reply Michelle. As x3n0m has already said, it is quite helpful.

Can you please confirm which Courier is offering the service and will be doing the pickups/deliveries.

This information may help x3n0m....if he cannot send through the ParcelPoint service he may be able to approach the courier directly to try and get similar rates.

IMO the courier involved may make a difference to people's decision as to whether to use it or not.

Hi lyndal1838,

Good question, it's my understanding that ParcelPoint actually works with multiple major freight carriers in the market.

Regards

Michelle

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

*tippy*toes* — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 13:02:06 GMT

I think it's important to know which carriers will be used. Some are really bad, some are atrocious. Far better to stick with the really bad ones and ditch the atrocious ones! Customers should know who they are entrusting the package with. It helps them know if it will actually arrive in one piece.....or even at all.

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

lm-entertainment — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 21:56:12 GMT

.. ie - if by using ParcelPoint there is a possibility that Fastway could be used as a possible delivery courier - i think most sellers would avoid it like the plague.

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

go-tazz — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 02:14:50 GMT

I'm in country Vic so it's pointless for me us to use them,(cost prohibitive).

So I definitively wont be adding a free service for buyers if they make a mistake,(if they make the mistake

they should pay for the return or "suck" it up).

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

michelleoz@ebay.com — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 03:32:22 GMT

@*tippy*toes* wrote:

I think it's important to know which carriers will be used. Some are really bad, some are atrocious. Far better to stick with the really bad ones and ditch the atrocious ones! Customers should know who they are entrusting the package with. It helps them know if it will actually arrive in one piece.....or even at all.

Hi tippy,

You can see the carriers they work with here - https://business.parcelpoint.com.au/portfolio. Their carrier partners listed are Couriers Please, Fastway, TNT and Toll.

Regards

Michelle

Re: ebay and ParcelPoint executives very hungry ..

lyndal1838 — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 05:20:32 GMT

Thanks Michelle....very helpful information.

As I suspected, Fastway is involved so stand by for the dissatisfaction meter to soar. Couriers Please is not much better.