ebay CSR hung up on me when asked about FVF on international postage

[asporty]

Seems like email to ebay option has disappeared. So I decided to open a chat session with ebay on the topic of FVF on international postage. The poor CSR tried to hedge around the issue before hanging up on me.

I would encourage everyone reading this post to to go to http://ocsnext.ebay.com.au/ocs/cuhome click on selling selling fees and then ask the CSR this question. Perhaps that may get the message across.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@*crikey*mate* wrote:

Ok

I get what you are asking.

Don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger/interpreter

What I say below does not mean I agree that it is right or fair, ok?

But those who use calculated shipping domestically are also in the same boat.

..............................

What eBay are saying is that you work out the maximum potential postage cost.

Then take 9.9% of that and include it in your item cost.

So for an item that could incur an $80 postage cost, this $8 will be added to the cost of the item.

After this, the cost of the item will never chance, regardless of who buys your item, whether it be someone next door to you, or whoever it is that incurrs the $80 postage.

The Fee on the postage PRODUCT component will be charged to your account immediately the item is sold.

Now for postage, depending on how much the person pays (and with calculated postage or different method of postage chosen from your postage options and will automatuically be shown to the buyer) so if domestic might be an $8 post charge and iceland may be $80.

If the domestic person buys, the $8 post charge will show

If the person from Iceland buys, then the $80 postage will show

(if you have set up your postage options correctly, I guess)

....................................................

From here there are two ways this could go.

1) If the buiyer pays straight away, they will pay the amount showing.

Upon payment the fee for the remainder of the contract (the delivery cost) will be charged to your account - so 80c for domerstic and $8 for Iceland.

If it is sold domestically, you now have an incr4eased profit of $7.20 as the buyer has already inadvertently paid this in the cost price of the item. (because you allowed for $8, but only incurred 80c)

What you do with that $7.20 is up to you.

Keep it in a jar to offset the ocasions where you may undercharge postage?

Pocket extra profit?

Refund to the buyer?

Donate it to the ATO in lieu of GST? (that is a joke)

Your choice.

...........................

2) If multiple items are purchased and you combine postage

you will be able to send an invoice with your combines postage price.

eBay will then charge you the fee on the amount the customer pays.

The buyer sees that you have discounted postage, the product cost never changes, you will make profit you hadn't counted on, even though the buyer still sees you have provided them with a savings and discounted their postagebcosts.

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fixed up my mistake in an earlier postv - I have crossed out the wrong word and inserted the right wors in red

sorry for any confusion.

[*lee42]

Iv'e figered out the CSR......but whats the FVF?

call me dumb....thats OK

[thecatspjs]

FVF Final Value Fees

Not dumb at all. Board regulars do tend to post in short hand sometimes,

[i-love-my-sheep]

There were a few shorthand terms that I wasn't sure of, but wasn't game to ask! I think I've got a lot them sussed out now. B&M had me going for weeks, then it finally dawned on me what it was. So simple when you know LOL!

[cherry*135]

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asporty wrote:
I am just trying to get the message across to ebay management. Never expected anything better (or worse) from the rep.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

How will that get the msg to eBay management?

It just causes grief to the customer service person who has a specifc job to do, and they are not responsible for management decisions.

[asporty]

So you think that main issue being raised by sellers with chat reps are not being discussed in thier internal meetings? Seems like you have never worked in a service organization.

I can assure you that ebay did not grow by remaining unaware of what its customers are saying to its frontline staff. They are simply gauaging the scale of this reaction, so if you sit back and accept it then things will remain as they are.

[harley_babes_hoard]

they would have known full well before they implemented these changes what angst it was going to cause. They don't go into these things blindly.

[dazzledayz]

No, not blindly, but bloody mindedly is an expression that springs to mind.

As soon as the new fee structure came in I pulled all my international post options.

For me it was really just a problem of too much additional expenditure for too little reward.

[*crikey*mate*]

Yeah Harley, it's not like they haven't done this before.

They rolled it out in UK who also have FVFs on International Post

So even if they didn't know then, they sure do know now.

[gec2002]

Its not that they don't know, its often the degree that they get wrong.  Microsoft's new Xbox 1 was going to have to have permanent internet connection and games that couldn't be resold.  They knew this would be unpopular, what they got wrong was the level of angst from customers, and they had to backdown.

The difference between ebay and microsoft is that the Sony PS4 got it right first up, and potential lost sales to the PS4 brought a swift turnaround from customer feedback, unfortunately it appears eBay don't have the competion to keep them in line or are just too arrogant to care.