eBay Should Implement a Policy for Lost in Transit

[1688store]

Hi everyone,

I personally think eBay should implement a policy regarding item lost in transit. We as sellers should not be held responsible for item lost in transit because our responsibility is to send the item off within a timely manner and if the item is lost in transit that is way out of our control.

Also eBay should implement a policy that if the buyer doesn't use any shipping method with tracking code the seller is not liable for any item lost in transit.

However if they selected a shipping method with tracking code and the item is lost in transit then the seller can help the buyer try to recover the goods or get compensation for the buyer.

[1688store]

As a seller you should never be negative to yourself and other sellers. Instead you should be thinking positive about how you can sell efficiently and worry less about how others sell.

[imastawka]

I'm not the negative one here.

You seem to be the one worrying about INR's, not knowing what self insurance is,

and complaining about competition for your items.

I don't have a problem with ebay's policies atm.  You just have to know how to work with them.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@1688storewrote:

As a seller you should never be negative to yourself and other sellers. Instead you should be thinking positive about how you can sell efficiently and worry less about how others sell.

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is that a quote from eBay according to Matt and Amanda?

Spoiler

or, eBay for dummies?

[imastawka]

OMG!!  Is that where the OP is going wrong?  is not comprehending?

Oh, forget it!  

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@imastawkawrote:

OMG!!  Is that where the OP is going wrong?  is not comprehending?

Oh, forget it!  

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it does look like a line from a 12 step guide to successful selling eBay 

Spoiler

who am am I kidding, it is coming here seeking indulgence and a steadfast refusal to accept plausible solutions

[digital*ghost]

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@1688storewrote:

As a seller you should never be negative to yourself and other sellers. Instead you should be thinking positive about how you can sell efficiently and worry less about how others sell.

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Here's the thing, though - no one here is worried about how you sell. Everyone is trying to show you some alternative strategies to deal with the situation you've brought up, because they want to help you sell in a way that doesn't lose you any sales, and mitigates the odd lost package.

Criticism of your methods, theories or ideas is not actually a negative thing, even though to many people it can feel like it because they take it personally. Well thought out and constructive criticism does not mean someone dislikes you, or doesn't want you to do well, it means they either disagree with a method or idea, or know / have different ideas, and therefore want to highlight some of the negatives in what they're disagreeing with, and the positives in the way they approach it. 

No one here expects you to listen to everything that's been written, and follow every last bit of advice given, they just expect or hope that it's treated with an open mind and that you take what you can find useful to you and improve your selling on eBay experience. 

Criticism can be one of the most positive things you will ever get from other sellers, because it shows you different perspectives to look at a situation from, and can provide ideas that help you improve. 

When you sell online, particularly when sending the items via large letter, you have to look at something called risk vs reward. That means you assess the risks involved, and work out whether those risks are worth taking for the reward. 

In this case, is the $6 you gain from all the sales of the item worth the risk of having to refund one every so often? If it's not, then you need to look at whether adding $4 for registered only postage options is worth the risk. It's already been established that it's not, because the result would likely be a sharp drop in sales and while there would be much less risk, there would also be much less - or no - reward. Does increasing the price to $6.30 instead make the risk worth the reward?

I can tell you right now, neither eBay nor PayPal will ever introduce an option that allows sellers to deny responsibility if they can not prove postage (or delivery), so you need to weigh up this risk:reward ratio and decide if you can accept those risks, and if you will, you then need to decide what strategies you'll implement to try and reduce those risks. 

[1688store]

This is all from own experience and I didn't copy any this information from anyone.

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@k1ooo-slr-saleswrote:

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@1688storewrote:

As a seller you should never be negative to yourself and other sellers. Instead you should be thinking positive about how you can sell efficiently and worry less about how others sell.

---

is that a quote from eBay according to Matt and Amanda?

Spoiler

or, eBay for dummies?

---

[davewil1964]

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@1688storewrote:

You have to understand that buyers like cheaper price and if someone is selling a same item as you for only $10 and you sell for $15. In this case no one will buy from you because your items are too expensive and not competitive on eBay.

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My prices are never the cheapest for similar items, even aginst Australian sellers.

People still buy from me. I don't give an express post option that is standard postage PLUS $12, though. An express letter is not $13.

If you sold 6 stickers at $5 each, that included at least $6 towards postage. At the very worst, they would probably have been able to go as a large letter for $2. Add $4 for registration and you're square compared to 6 separate sales. In fact you're ahead, as you won't have paid the extra $1.50 in Paypal flagfalls 6 sales would have incurred.

A good kickstart for your self-insurance fund.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@1688storewrote:

This is all from own experience and I didn't copy any this information from anyone.

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@k1ooo-slr-saleswrote:

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@1688storewrote:

As a seller you should never be negative to yourself and other sellers. Instead you should be thinking positive about how you can sell efficiently and worry less about how others sell.

---

is that a quote from eBay according to Matt and Amanda?

Spoiler

or, eBay for dummies?

---

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now Sheldon, maybe you I need these

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sarcasm-Adult-Funny-Wooden-Coaster-The-Supreme-Gift-Company-Shipping-Inc...

[countessalmirena]

@1688store

Option 1: sell items that are low-cost and which cost as little as possible to send.

Hazards

• Most people (9,999 out of 10,000 - at the very most) will not choose your expensive tracked (express post or courier) option.
• Some buyers will falsely claim that the untracked sticker/P-plate/etc did not arrive.
• Some untracked enveloped will genuinely go missing in transit.
• Sometimes you'll think you've sent off an envelope, but will actually have misplaced it or forgotten it.
• etc

(These are just a very few of the hazards. Be honest and thorough in writing down every hazard, even if it's not a very likely hazard. You can't do a proper risk assessment unless you list all the possible hazards.)

Risks

(Do a risk matrix as part of your risk assessment once you've identified the risks.)

Work out how best to control the risk. Can you eliminate the hazard itself? Can you substitute something for the hazard? Is there an engineering control you can put in place? Perhaps there is a policy or guideline or administrative change you can make in your own procedures/workplace? Are there other protections you can put in place?

Document the process. (This must be thorough; include your risk matrix,  your hazard identification, your checklists, your potential solutions, start date and end date of any changes, etc.)

Monitor the situation and review it. If your changes/controls have been effective, great. If they have not, begin again; you may have to re-think your approach to risk control.

Option 2: sell items that are low-cost but use tracked postage of some sort.

Once you have determined what price gives you an acceptable profit margin but still allows you to send by tracked postage, that price will be your starting point. Go through the steps here just as before - identifying hazards, identifying risks, assessing risks, etc., etc.

The obvious benefit is that if you're sending by tracked postage, the risk of buyers saying that their item didn't arrive will fall. That's one hazard whose likelihood of occurring you can immediately reduce. (100% of your items via tracked method means your item price must cover tracked postage method if you're sending with free postage; alternatively, send with, say, $4 p&p so that your item price is covering PART of the tracked postage method and the buyer is paying e.g., $4. Adjust as required.)

Option 3: sell items that are higher-priced ...

etc. (You know the drill. Hazards, risk identification, risk assment,...)

I don't think that more-or-less speciously offering a tracked postage method at a price that is likely to discourage buyers is your best way forward. You may have to play with the numbers a bit; use MS Excel or something similar to test out what is going to work for you. What profit margin will you need? What are your ongoing costs? What are the costs associated with your risks? What if you charge [insert amount] for this sort of postage or that sort of postage?

Tackle it with a positive and sincere approach, and you will be half-way there. The rest is just number-juggling, and you can manage this. Don't forget that you are the one with the inside knowledge of how your business works - your wholesale prices, your competition, your market, and so on. Armed with that knowledge, you have the tools to turn this around to your advantage.