Sellers had the opportunity to ask eBay questions through this month's chat session on Wednesday about shipping challenges they faced, though the responses from the eBay shipping team were at times vague.
eBay sellers are currently adjusting to two major issues - one involves the USPS transition to Ground Advantage, and the other involves eBay's transition to the eBay International Shipping (EIS) program. Some sellers also had questions on cubic pricing and on eBay Standard Envelope.
eBay International Shipping - Combined Items before End of Year?
One response to an issue a seller asked about received a somewhat specific response, though it may not be what sellers wanted to hear. The seller asked, "With EIS right now nothing is combined so buyer pays separate full ship cost (domestic + international) for each item even when they pay for items together in the cart." (We wrote about the shortcoming in
this blog post in July.)
The moderator from the shipping team thanked the seller for the question and replied, "We are aware of pain points around combined shipping and are working on a solution. Please be on the lookout for an announcement later this year." As far as we know, that's the first indication eBay provided that it may fix the issue before the end of the year.
A seller replied, "I don't expect a precise date, but could you at least tell us whether "later this year" means "in time for the critical Q4 Holiday Season"?" The question went unanswered.
Challenges Transitioning to USPS Ground Advantage
eBay requires sellers to manually update certain listings to the new USPS Ground Advantage offering. A seller asked why eBay couldn't provide sellers with a list of their listings that contained First Class shipping that had to be changed Ground Advantage. The seller noted that eBay praised a third-party developer for providing the information - "Why can't/couldn't eBay do it," the seller asked.
The shipping moderator replied without seemingly answering the question: "Thank you for your question and for the feedback. In order to provide buyers with the most up to date shipping information, eBay is asking that sellers update their listings as soon as possible. eBay will not take any action on listings with First-Class package service until after the end of 2023. We are aware of challenges sellers are encountering with bulk editing listings and are investigating potential solutions, however at this time we do not have a timeframe for a resolution."
Another seller also chimed in on the issue, explaining it was a costly problem and writing, "Why was there no fix for Sellers in this position by your IT dept. You seem to have no issue raising fees and implementing promoted listings on the fly."
The moderator thanked the seller and pasted the identical response they had provided to the previous seller.
That did not sit well with the seller, who wrote, "Since I am spending thousands of dollars which should have been a simple IT fix on your side of the fence I think a real answers and apology is in order."
The seller also pointed out that the USPS is only extending its grace period for packages sent First Class through the end of September, wondering why eBay was telling sellers they could wait until the end of the year to edit their listings. That question went unanswered.
eBay International Shipping - Ability to Set at the Listing Level?
When asked if eBay would provide sellers with the ability to enable and disable EIS at the listing level and the business-policy level, the shipping moderator replied, "Thank you for the suggestion, we will review this request and keep you informed about any updates."
Cubic Options for Priority Mail, Ground Advantage?
A seller asked, "Will eBay be introducing USPS cubic shipping options for priority and/or ground advantage?"
The shipping team moderator did not commit to adding the option, writing, "Thank you for your question. We are always looking for opportunities to provide competitive pricing options for eBay Labels services including cubic pricing. We will communicate any updates as soon as they are available."
Retail Ground to Ground Advantage
A seller asked "Is eBay automatically converting "Retail Ground" to "Ground Advantage"? If not, is there any reason not to if the Shipping Type is "Calculated"?
The moderator responded: "eBay is not converting Retail Ground to Ground Advantage - listings with Retail Ground will need to be updated to Ground Advantage and won't automatically relist unless the update is made. There would be a reason not to update listings with Retail Ground to Ground Advantage."
eBay Standard Envelope Limitations
A seller asked eBay to raise the limits on its eBay Standard Envelope offering for lightweight goods in a small number of collectible categories. Another seller also said they'd like it to be extended to other categories - "How about for greeting cards," they asked.
"Thanks for your suggestion," the shipping moderator replied, "we are continuing to explore expansion to additional categories but do not have a timeline for this."
Another seller said the eBay supplies store no longer offers the 10" x 5" envelope that eBay recommends when using eBay Standard Envelope. "The other 2 envelopes mentioned for use that are still in the store are too stiff. Is there any chance of eBay encouraging the supplies store to restock the 10" x 5" envelopes?" The shipping team moderator replied, "Thank you so much for your feedback, I will send this information to our team that manages the supplies."
You can find the complete chat on the
eBay discussion boards, let us know what shipping issues you're experiencing, and if you have any suggestions for dealing with the issues sellers raised during the chat.
eBay Chat Highlights Shipping Challenges Sellers Face
by: iheartjacksparrow 
by: toolguy 
by: Bill