Ebay has stopped buyers requesting a combined total for the best shipping rate.

[onlinecoinslismore]

Hi, I have just spoken to ebay and they have confirmed they have turned off the abilty for buyers to commit to buy multiple items and request a combined postage total. It sounds like a fee grab from ebay. But previously buyers would commit to buy multiple items and then we would send them a combined invoice. They have now blocked this feature by making all our listings "Immediate Payment" at the buyers end even though our listings do not have the options checked.
I am disgusted with ebay.

[shoppingbag*]

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@padraicpaul91 wrote:

My past experience had been that some can request, others ( mostly mobile apps) cannot. If it is now true for all customers, I will be adding another note to item descriptions about how to get combined shipping.

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I have just put two of your items in the cart, and the "request total" button is there and active. I am using a desktop computer. i suspect your buyers are using their phones.

[padraicpaul91]

Thanks for that. I do check my site preferences every now and then.

But it is the case that I have not received that type of combined request for quite a while now.

Most often ,a buyer makes contact stating they cannot request combined postage, and I offer the above mentioned choices.

App buyers make up about half of purchases now. And even when buyers use computers they cannot request,apparently due to their own site prefernces including the paypal express check out.

It's just too complicated.

[dazzledayz]

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@shoppingbag* wrote:

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@padraicpaul91 wrote:

My past experience had been that some can request, others ( mostly mobile apps) cannot. If it is now true for all customers, I will be adding another note to item descriptions about how to get combined shipping.

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I have just put two of your items in the cart, and the "request total" button is there and active. I am using a desktop computer. i suspect your buyers are using their phones.

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It will usually turn out that the customer is using the dreaded app on a mobile device.

As we all know, the app has always been carp and is less than useless for anything other than the most basic usage.

Just tell your customers to add itmes to their watchlist when using the app, then complete the combined purchases from a desktop environment later on.

eBay rabbit on about the importance of mobile commerce but don't seem able to provide a mobile experience that is up to spec.

I have never had a well functioning version of the app on any device; something essential is always broken.

[padraicpaul91]

All you say is true.

But I have had mobile app users who change to a computer to order, only to find they still cannot request a combined invoice through the shopping cart.

When contacting CS about this matter, I was informed that the customers must have their site preferences correctly set to allow combined invoices and to not use paypal express payment. This is the method that pops up every time you purchase something on ebay, encouraging you to accept it.

To guide purchasers through the intricacies of site preferences is a step too far.

[dazzledayz]

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@padraicpaul91 wrote:

All you say is true.

But I have had mobile app users who change to a computer to order, only to find they still cannot request a combined invoice through the shopping cart.

When contacting CS about this matter, I was informed that the customers must have their site preferences correctly set to allow combined invoices and to not use paypal express payment. This is the method that pops up every time you purchase something on ebay, encouraging you to accept it.

To guide purchasers through the intricacies of site preferences is a step too far.

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Thanks for the heads up about express payments, I wasn't aware that option precluded combined invoicing.

eBay seem to delight in introducing points of friction into all areas of the process including payments.

Where every other site aims to make site nav, search and payments as simple and easy as possible, eBay dares to be different.

I know they make a bit more in fees for item at a time purchases, but thumbing your nose at a customer's requirements is well known retail poison.

All the frequent changes combined with a "my way or the highway" attitude do not make for happy punters.

Given the flatlined growth experienced lately, those in charge really need to have a good hard rethink about their frequent brainstorms.

[padraicpaul91]

Two factors come to mind when discussing eBay's poor checkout and payments system

1 They do gather more peanuts from failing to rectify this obvious disservice to customers.

2 The ebay platform is antiquated and full of many,many patches and add ons. Their failure to update the service re combined invoicing may be due to internal conflicts within the platform, possibly related to the app. I think of eBay's platform being like an old car held together with non genuine parts, fillers and wire. Time to trade it in.

[onlinecoinslismore]

I tend to agree with your first point.

To all other responders, we have all our settings correct. It seems, as I checked with a dummy account, that it can work correctlt but only on a desktop operating system from what I can see.

Yet over the last few months I have had considerably more quiries about it, and when they com from regulars who are used to the process it is concerning.