"Model Train Market is Live"

[thomasjmdavis]

Pretty clear that eBay needs to install a feature that will automatically email a seller anytime their customer receives the 80016 error code (so they are aware, and so they are getting insulted just like the buyers.  Also need to add the information about the use of the message center, although why it blocks the message if you send it one way, and not the other, doesn't make much sense to me.

I have sold on eBay, but not for years.  I am sure there are others like me out there.  eBay changes its rules so often, I would no doubt have to virtually start all over.  Which maybe I will do over Christmas holidays.  But can a little guy selling off old trains even break even anymore, with all the fees and this and that?

[Maletrain]

The message that started this for me was that the seller had already discounted the items, so I could not request a total. 

I don't think that is the same "error".  It doesn't say that the seller does not allow combined shipping, it simply refuses to let the buyer ask the seller for it, using a ridiculous excuse.

The message itself is an illustration of the stupidity.  I ordered 5 items, with uncombined shipping that was 31% of the total of the selling prices, which were stated to be "discounted 12%" in the listings.  So, clearly that 12% savings is more than offset by the refusal to combine shipping.  The final combined shipping charged by the seller was only 8% of the items' cost, once he refunded the rest to me.  So, he had to pay the eBay fee on a fictional 23% markup, or spend a lot of time talking to the Philippines to get that fee overcharge back.

[peteski]

The message that started this for me was that the seller had already discounted the items, so I could not request a total. 

I don't think that is the same "error".  It doesn't say that the seller does not allow combined shipping, it simply refuses to let the buyer ask the seller for it, using a ridiculous excuse.

Like I mentioned in one of the posts I linked to earlier, you need to outsmart eBay and go to one of the listings you won and use the "contact seller" or "ask seller question" (whatever it is nowadays)option  in the listing itself. Then when presented with a list of possible topics choose "other" or whatever they call it (to contact seller directly). Then ask them if they combine shipping and to send you a new invoice which combines shipping.

I was in this situation few times and in all the instances the seller has reduced the shipping cost.

Bottom line is that I now always check the listing to see if combined shipping option is clearly stated. If not, I contact the seller before the auction ends and ask them about combined shipping.

[w neal]

Ebay:

[pmpexpress]

The message that started this for me was that the seller had already discounted the items, so I could not request a total. 

I don't think that is the same "error".  It doesn't say that the seller does not allow combined shipping, it simply refuses to let the buyer ask the seller for it, using a ridiculous excuse.

The message itself is an illustration of the stupidity.  I ordered 5 items, with uncombined shipping that was 31% of the total of the selling prices, which were stated to be "discounted 12%" in the listings.  So, clearly that 12% savings is more than offset by the refusal to combine shipping.  The final combined shipping charged by the seller was only 8% of the items' cost, once he refunded the rest to me.  So, he had to pay the eBay fee on a fictional 23% markup, or spend a lot of time talking to the Philippines to get that fee overcharge back.

Have also seen this issue in the past.

The eBay Message Center is a buyer's best means of dealing with this situation.

The seller used eBay's mark down manager to initiate a sale, but did not have any existing shipping policies in place.

Not particularly intuitive, the eBay shopping cart AI interprets the invoice request as being an additional discount request.

As the added 10% fee on a seller's shipping costs boosts the venue's bottom line, there is no reason to fix the ongoing issues unless there was an unsustainable loss of site users; which apparently there is not.

Now publicly held, eBay's management answers to its stockholders, not its users.

Besides, the venue has innumerable Chinese and enterprise sellers engaged in marketing popular consumer commodity goods.

 

 

[pmpexpress]

Thanks for the explanation Neville!  Now we know exactly why this problem occurs. I agree that while it is an oversight of the seller, eBay is really to blame for poor coding of their interface, allowing this problem to occur.

You're welcome.

Used to setup eBay stores and train venue buyers and sellers.

That was a long time ago, when the site was actually profitable for its users.

Now, not so much.

[peteski]

You're welcome.

Used to setup eBay stores and train venue buyers and sellers.

That was a long time ago, when the site was actually profitable for its users.

Now, not so much.

I've been on eBay since 1999 and sold my share of items (as an individual using eBay as a online flea market, not as a business).  But I have not sold anything for quite a while.   EBay has become "Amazon Jr.", which is too bad, because I miss the old "flea market" eBay from the early 2000s.

[Maletrain]

I already knew about using the "contact seller" feature in an individual listing, and that is how I contacted the seller in this case.  However, the seller stated that eBay prevents him from sending me a combined invoice under the circumstances of "price reduction" items.  So, eBay forces him to pay the extra 10% fee on the fictional "shipping cost" 23% total price markup in the cart, as I stated before.

As you stated, eBay makes a profit by doing this, and thinks it can get away with it.  But, it really is killing itself.  It arrogantly says that there is nothing anybody can do about it, but that is far from true.  For example, I decided to not sell anything on eBay.  I decided to buy a lot of things elsewhere.  I am now going to develop direct communications to my favorite big sells, bypassing eBay entirely, since I don't need them any more to contact sellers that I trust more than I trust eBay.

And, if they think they have refuge from U.S. customers due to their large Asian customer base, wait until they find out how expert and cut-throat the Asian market can be to avoid paying taxes, duties, and silly fees.

[peteski]

For example, I decided to not sell anything on eBay.  I decided to buy a lot of things elsewhere.  I am now going to develop direct communications to my favorite big sells, bypassing eBay entirely, since I don't need them any more to contact sellers that I trust more than I trust eBay.

Unfortunately, I suspect that you are very small minority and your choice not to use eBay will not make a difference.  Most "sheeple" will keep on  using eBay without even blinking an eye.  I'm also much less active on eBay and if I decode to use them, I make sure I do not get screwed.  I have also bypassed eBay with few sellers the same way you are doing it.

[Maletrain]

Peteski, you are certainly right in the short run,which seems to be all that businesses think about these days.

But, eBay's major feature used to be creating an auction site where there was a broker that could enforce honesty between buyers and sellers.  Ironic that now it is eBay itself that has turned dishonest.  With their hallmark trust being thrown-out for short-term profit, it would appear that they may be willing to let anybody cheat anybody, so long as they profit from it.  As you said, you take steps to make sure that you don't get screwed -  at least not twice by the same scam.  But, if there is a sucker born every minute, there must be 10 scams born every second in today's business climate.  Hard to see some of them coming.

Fortunately, RR modelers seem to be pretty much "old school" and usually pretty honest.  I like dealing with most of them.

[migalyto]

Like I mentioned in one of the posts I linked to earlier, you need to outsmart eBay and go to one of the listings you won and use the "contact seller" or "ask seller question" (whatever it is nowadays)option  in the listing itself. Then when presented with a list of possible topics choose "other" or whatever they call it (to contact seller directly). Then ask them if they combine shipping and to send you a new invoice which combines shipping.

I was in this situation few times and in all the instances the seller has reduced the shipping cost.

Bottom line is that I now always check the listing to see if combined shipping option is clearly stated. If not, I contact the seller before the auction ends and ask them about combined shipping.

Good advice! I always ask as well if there are multiple items I'm interested in. If they say they cant combine at this time I state if they wont combine I would want them shipped in separate boxes. Most of the time I find they are more than willing to combine. I also love the listings that say If you don't wait for a combined and pay early Ebay wont allow them to credit back overages!