As we’ve reported before, eBay will be reforming their seller standards and defects system come next Spring.
As of today, the 5th of November, you have the opportunity to see how you’ll perform against those new criteria that come into force in February 2016. To find out more, visit this page.
As eBay say: “We’re updating our seller performance standards to recognise when you deliver a great buyer experience. This means relying more on objective data instead of subjective buyer inputs, making it easier for you to manage your performance.” Here’s eBay’s new policy explained in a graphic:
We broadly support the direction of travel from eBay on seller standards. It has seemed in the past that sometimes eBay has sought to unreasonably punish sellers doing their best.
So, let us know. You can now check out what your Seller Performance will under the new standards when the new system arrives. But you’ve also got to live through a Christmas rush under the old regime. How will you be faring next Spring and is it a move in the right direction?
Only one question remains. If they can judge you now on the new system, why will it take nearly nearly 4 months to implement it?
Edited to add:
We’ve spoken to eBay and the new dashboard is definitely coming but not live yet. We’ll let you know the minute it is live so that you can check your stats!
37 Responses
These changes are still unfair.
Sellers who are totally reliant on Royal Mail are doomed to fail these standards, even if the 92% RM promises to deliver next day actually arrive.
Again, if the seller has sent out promptly and it the Royal Mail or courier which is at fault, why penalise the seller AT ALL ???
Tracking is also not an option for many low value items on Ebay, as it is too costly.
Therefore sellers will be reliant on Ebay buyer “honesty”.
We sold 500,000 items on Ebay over a twelve year period and we estimated 1,500 items were claimed to have not arrived.
We have now sold 100,000 of the same items using the same delivery service via a website
The loss rate to date is 42 items.
We can only conclude that Ebay buyers are 7 times more dishonest than other buyers.
It’s common knowledge you can buy on Ebay and get your money back, unless it’s tracked.
Which is why we left.
This creates a need to send all parcels tracked.
Relying on ebay buyers to confirm the receipt may
Not be a good idea as many don’t even bother to
Leave feedback.
As Prabhat said, the use of non tracked services is going to ‘cost’ sellers.
I am a small seller and the vast majority of what I ship goes by untracked post for £0.74 in the UK. I use the Post Office Drop and Go service so all the post is processed by them and they date stamp the manifest which shows the full address BUT …
because none of this is in electronic form, it does not count.
I am not yet convinced that eBay/Amazon ‘prefer’ larger sellers but there is no doubt that they find it harder to deal with smaller sellers and this latest change to the metric for on time delivery illustrates the point.
I have often wondered what Royal Mail would charge if they made the radical move to a 100% tracked service. Surely with the volume would come savings…. but my £0.74 would be a distant memory.
Ebay can go and fu themselves….i aint sending anything tracked as buyers wont pay for it…enough said
Agree with JD about those who don’t confirm receipt.
The misconception put out on this board is that it won’t hurt sellers if customers don’t confirm receipt.
But actually it does, because you will need ALL those positive confirmations to get any where near the ridiculously small defect rate now proposed by Ebay.
These changes may be good news for some sellers, with premium courier services.
But for most sellers it will mean being downgraded despite them having done nothing wrong.
But that has been Ebay’s ethos all along.
were realistic we dont strive for the holy grail of instant delivery,
we put a 5day handling time on our listings, though often ship in 1 day,
were fortunate not to have containers and pallet s of imported stock where the only differential we can offer to the stock of other sellers and markets can be price or delivery time
I think eBay should give an option to sellers. Same as they did with next day delivery in the past. If you want to sell top rated product you must offer tracked delivery for a little extra or for free. Ebay even can display the tracked delivery as the main delivery option in a listing. They can also add an option for buyer to choose non tracked delivery and save a bit on his purchase (example: if it is free tracked delivery the buyer will see -70p off the price if he chooses non tracked one). But if the customer chooses standard non tracked cheaper delivery option, seller shouldn’t be judged on buyer confirmation of arrival as many buyers wouldn’t be bothered to confirm arrival of the item.
Ebay dont care! ,they know.. if the dosh is there, ..we will all do the Dance ! …its that simple
“From 5 November 2015, you’ll be able to preview your performance against these updated standards via your seller dashboard.”
Where is this on the seller dashboard? Am I blind or is it not there?
So, with all this 2D barcode thing with Royal Mail, am I wrong in thinking that a certificate of postage will be included with the barcode? Can this not be used as ‘acceptance scan’
Not tracked but definitely proof of posting and therefore not go against the seller.
Proof of postage is not proof of delivery and ” Delivery” is the point of the whole thing
Where do you have to go to see the new dashboard? All I can see is the old one…does someone have a link?
P.S I like fireworks
I agree with all of the comments above. On top of which, even for tracked delivery, it will only be considered on time if it shows as delivered. What happens when the customer isn’t at home to accept it, and the parcel is either left at the depot or delivery attempted the next day. The delivery time frame will be missed, even if you do everything right. Another unworkable solution from eBay.
but acceptance by the carrier is one of the criteria above that will count your item as being ‘on time’ so at least it wouldn’t go against your ebay account
Where do I find this? Can I have a link?
God my ears are burning up at the anticipation of seeing this new dashboard.
I may have to get my ice hat on and cool myself down with all this excitement!.
i wish everyone a happy bonfire night !!!!
*giggles*
T-L
I can see the fear about non-tracked stuff, 90% of ours is. But has anyone actually checked their real performance using the new metrics in seller dashboard? – it is live now.
We always missed out on Premium Seller by about 0.5% every month, these new metrics allow us to achieve the new standard comfortably.
eBay need to get back market share, so surely they have now woken up to the fact they have to support sellers more, these changes seem to go some way to addressing that.
Its up now.
I’ve got 2 defects for ‘late’ deliveries. Neither were late. One guy was out when the courier came, the other ordered it on Thursday evening and it arrived on the following Monday (next day courier DPD).
Roll on more defect appeals….
At least everything else is at 0%, so TRS once more. Currently running at 3.35% defects due to the useless returns system…….
I gave up with the several hours it took a week to keep my TRS, arguing the toss with ebay CS. I lost too much hair. Hopefully I’ll not get kicked off before the new ratings kick in.
Having good success with Amazon anyway these days after moving my inventory over there when eBay brought in the current defect nonsence.
Too little, too late!
last month i was at 6% in global and uk, because of a malicious buyer who had proven to be hard to please for a few friends so i blocked him (we all sell similar items, collectables) he pops up under another name, and coz he sent best offers, i could only see his name and a postcode (presumably to make sure i accept or deny a fair offer to his region).
his address and name come through after i accept and i sigh because it is him!
i gave special delivery so i KNEW he would have to sign and to give me some protection. he left bad ratings on all metrics!
ebay after a bit of digging about gladly removed them for me, and this month i am at 2.2% and falling by the day.. they did tell me at the time i would be fine under new rules, but as i was 6% when this went on it wasnt much help – facing a ban or 6 months of hair pulling hoping id make it to the new system
today i log in and under new rules i am 0.00% all the way
WHY ARE YOU PUTTING UP WITH IT?
Seriously, such rubbish. Do this, do that. Bullied into this and that, while the outlets/chinese rule. Vote with your feet.
A year ago I left eBay. Paid $29 to Shopify monthly (Who GOOGLE LOVES) and sales have never been better. Type my product into Google and bang there I am. In under a year!
Now I AM my own boss. No playing to eBay’s tune, who prefer the Chinese sellers over me.
Ask yourself this…. when you want to buy something…. most people go to GOOGLE. Pay Google the £2400 a month fees and get your product out there. eBay CAN and WILL drop you whenever they want. No stability. All these managed marketplaces want you to believe they are bringing you customers…. Google does this better than anyone and cheaper!
~
I can only protect myself from all this crap by listing nothing.
Is that what eBay want?
Buyers will NOT PAY for any sort of tracked service in my category.
The end.
This is great, will ebay now reinstate all of the sellers it has suspended under its old impossible to meet policies that led to my suspension after 16 years and with a 99.8% positive feedback rating?
For the first time in my life I fail o meet TRS. Because my cancellation rate 0.1% of the maximum. The only cancellations I have done are always for customers who email after paying, saying would like to cancel their order and have it refunded. I always “Buyer requested cancellation” so why should I be punished for this and lose my 10% discount?
Is there a way round this?
100% feedback I send second class same day by 3pm
2000 orders per month and 4% are clicking not received on time.
I believe eBays estimated delivery time for royal mail is totally unrealistic.
DSR ay 5 out of 5 and less than 0.2% in other faults.
4% mean I will lose top seller status and these leave on time 2nd class. What the hell are eBay playing at!!
Why are ebay only counting transactions where people click answer the question it was delivered on time. What about the other portion of customers who are 100% happy.
2 out of 90 transactions have been delivered ontime. I have posted alot more than 90 items in that period???
The total is only so low at 90 because thats how many customers bothered to give the feedback saying it was delivered on time.
What about the customers who ALSO got it delivered on time but DID NOT give feedback???
Ebay need to consider transactions that the customer does not leave feedback or answer the question ‘was it delivered ontime’ as 100% successful.
Have I got this right?? this is my summary:
Transaction defect rate You: 0.00% (0 out of 1,129)
Cases closed without seller resolution You: 0.00% (0 out of 1,129)
Late delivery rate You: 2.22% (2 out of 90)
So why is the late delivery only out of 90 and not 1129?
surly 4 parcels out of 1129 is acceptable?
If I get 4 late deliveries it will mean i don’t get ebay top rated seller??