Has anyone else copped this 4% surcharge for Very High SNAD rate ?

[dontmissthese]

Since 21st January this little charmer has dropped in my lap.

Additional 4% fee for Very High Item not as described rates

Thing is, according to the metric break down, my rate is NOT Very High.

Called ebay and it is being rectified.

Seems like a money grab because ebay has specified 0.40% as a return rate

based on a 'peer' group yet they have provided no details about what this

peer group is.

[brerrabbit585]

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@gec2002 wrote:

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@brerrabbit585 wrote:

As I've already said in a previous post, they DO spell out that item condiition (new or used) is one of the criteria, so they won't compare someone who sells used items to someone who sells new. The number you sell is irrelevant as it works on percentages, except that very small sellers won't be compared to anyone, according to what's shown in the screenshot below.

Even if they did compare us to the 30 sellers in a category with the least returns for INAD, if we're a lot higher than them we should be asking ourselves what we're doing wrong, which is the whole point of the system.  I'm not talking about scam prone categories like clothes and a few others.

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I am sorry i must have missed where does it say new vs used.  In the case of CDs all my service metrics have is category Music and my total transactions which includes some used with mostly new.

The only info I can find is

"Peer benchmarks are comparisons of your rates of 'Item not received' and 'Item not as described' requests to other sellers offering similar products under similar circumstances, including selling price, terms of sale, and shipping destination."

and

"What are peer seller benchmarks and how are they determined?

A peer seller benchmark represents the performance of all sellers who offer similar products. You can use this information to make comparisons and identify opportunities to improve your business practices.

When determining peer benchmarks, we will consider factors that we believe impact the published metrics, including the listing site, location of the buyer, product category, sales price, item condition, and more."

So what does "other sellers offering similar products under similar circumstances" mean the exact same mix or not.  Please explain

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

I'd assume it means exactly what it says.  You just need to READ it!  Similar means similar, it doesn't mean they compare you with someone who sells items in different condition (ie. new or used) or on a different site or to different countries or under different terms.

They probably compare your returns for used items with other seller's returns of used items, in the same way they compare items in a category with other sellers in the same category.

[yeoldecoinco]

"That is an unconscionable bias towards getting eBay more revenue."

Spot on. A really awful policy, a 40% surcharge often based on pure bs metrics.

One of the worst, most evil policies eBay has ever tried to introduce, absolutely money grubbing and pathetic..

Shows what they think of sellers.

Reinforces the opinion I have had for a while.

eBay need buyers, they don't need more sellers and are happy to throw sellers under the bus at any opportunity.

Be aware of that and plan your business and selling future accordingly, ie have a plan B and preferably a plan C as well.

If a seller makes a mistake and a buyer opens a dispute and the seller solves the problem at tthe sellers expense, why should they run the risk of being penalised with a horrible FORTY PER CENT EXTRA FEE??

Just a terrible policy.

[gec2002]

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@brerrabbit585 wrote:

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@gec2002 wrote:

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@brerrabbit585 wrote:

As I've already said in a previous post, they DO spell out that item condiition (new or used) is one of the criteria, so they won't compare someone who sells used items to someone who sells new. The number you sell is irrelevant as it works on percentages, except that very small sellers won't be compared to anyone, according to what's shown in the screenshot below.

Even if they did compare us to the 30 sellers in a category with the least returns for INAD, if we're a lot higher than them we should be asking ourselves what we're doing wrong, which is the whole point of the system.  I'm not talking about scam prone categories like clothes and a few others.

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I am sorry i must have missed where does it say new vs used.  In the case of CDs all my service metrics have is category Music and my total transactions which includes some used with mostly new.

The only info I can find is

"Peer benchmarks are comparisons of your rates of 'Item not received' and 'Item not as described' requests to other sellers offering similar products under similar circumstances, including selling price, terms of sale, and shipping destination."

and

"What are peer seller benchmarks and how are they determined?

A peer seller benchmark represents the performance of all sellers who offer similar products. You can use this information to make comparisons and identify opportunities to improve your business practices.

When determining peer benchmarks, we will consider factors that we believe impact the published metrics, including the listing site, location of the buyer, product category, sales price, item condition, and more."

So what does "other sellers offering similar products under similar circumstances" mean the exact same mix or not.  Please explain

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

I'd assume it means exactly what it says.  You just need to READ it!  Similar means similar, it doesn't mean they compare you with someone who sells items in different condition (ie. new or used) or on a different site or to different countries or under different terms.

They probably compare your returns for used items with other seller's returns of used items, in the same way they compare items in a category with other sellers in the same category.

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Making assumptions can be a very expensive exercise if you get them wrong.   I did READ it and it is vague.  I sell new and used together, so am I compared only to sellers who have the exact same mix.  In which case just sell a few new or a few old and no one will ever be the exact same and problem solved. 

"They probably compare your returns for used items with other seller's returns of used items " in other words you don't know (or anyboby else except eBay) and thats the problem the whole thing is set up so they can increase you fees as they please because there is no way of knowing what the exact criteria are.?

[artlover74]

Hi Digi,

thanks for that info...I'm running at very high 86% with that very scenario where eBay 'automatically credited' a buyer and after I proved my listing was described correctly, they returned the money to me via an eBay credit to spend on eBay ...however, it has remained one of the 2' the other arrived broken over the Christmas period so I asked the buyer to open a request in order to get my fees back...

when I called them about the 1st incident, I wondered why the CS person said to always refund the buyer first in these incidences and then ring them to get my fees back...it seems like a win win situation for eBay at the expense of sellers...

thank you 

Jenni

[digital*ghost]

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@artlover74 wrote:

eBay 'automatically credited' a buyer and after I proved my listing was described correctly, they returned the money to me via an eBay credit to spend on eBay

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I can't really think of anything to say beyond that shocked smiley, but taking your money and then giving you a credit instead of your money back is dodgy as. 

[dontmissthese]

All sorted.... but hard to check.

When it was pointed out that the metric used was inaccurate and we shouldn't have been

hit with the extra 4% FVF eBay, credited the fees but checking it was a nightmare.

You can download account activity as a CSV file but the dollar amounts are in AUD$ format

( eg AUD$ 0.45 ) which can't be sorted in Excel.

Just wondering if anyone knows an easy way to convert AUD$ 0.45 to $0.45

Currently I have to create a new 'currency formatted' column and manually add the figures.

[digital*ghost]

Would find and replace work? i.e. Find AUD, but not enter anything to replace it. 

[gec2002]

Several ways you can do it.  As Digi said use Replace AU with blank. On your ribbon at top of the spreadsheet click on Find & Replace (on the far right), , from dropdown choose Replace, into the "Find What" enter AU (or AUD)  and in "Replace" nothing leave blank, click replace all.

Alternatively go to Data, highlight the column, click Text to Column, select delimited, Next,  tick space, Finish.  Make sure there is nothing in the next column as your numbers will replace it.

[dontmissthese]

YES !!

Thanks heaps good people.

Find 'AUspace' and replace with 'blank' worked perfectly

[dontmissthese]

First up the CS reps credited all the extra 4% FVF's but then when we called ( because

all the subsequent transactions were copping it ) CS about it they said, essentially, too bad.

We are now being pinged the 4% extra FVF.

I think the big problem in selling used clothing is that our 'peers' include

sellers of new clothing as well.

A 0.40% return rate as a baseline can only be dreamed about in the real retailing world.

Oh well, it appears we will have to ride it out and refund outside of the Dispute system

until the rate drops. It really does stink and is little more than an easy cash grab based

on a 'peer' system with no quantification at all.