 Good Ebay Letter Sent from a Seller
I was doing some searching and reading in the Ebay Forums and found this letter that is well written and I agree 100%. This is not written by me.
BooMer
"Letter to ebay:
I am concerned about your rating system and policy rollouts regarding shipping. I have sent several e-mails and have yet to receive a response. I am concerned about my account on e-bay and am contemplating on moving to another forum for selling my items due to the constant changes in policy. I often ship my items within 24-48 hours (unless the item is fragile and takes extra care in packing) and contrary to what your site states parcel post takes 7-10 days for delivery according to my post-office. Granted dependent upon your location to mine, it will take less but your calculations do not state that. I am being rated on a determination that is completely false or incomplete. Your calculations also do not seem to match that of the 3 post offices I have checked in my area and often find myself losing money on shipping yet I often get a warning when I list stating my shipping looks high compared to other items in the category and I risk the item being pulled due to this. Perhaps a seperate entry for handling charges would be recommended so we sellers can offset your calculations. Boxes, Peanuts or Bubble Wrap are not free and after purchasing these items for an item that sells for $1.00-25.00, it really is not worth it once you subtract handling and seller fees. I also recently went to list a large and heavy book and was told that for this category (books, antiquarian), I cannot charge in excess of 4.00. If the book weighs 5lbs or greater, what category shall I choose to list this book so I may reach my target audience and cover shipping and insurance? The reason I joined e-bay a decade ago was due to its ease and concept. Over the years, it has grown to become a controlling empire set-up with the buyer in mind although there would be none with out us sellers. Also, us sellers pay fees to operate on e-bay so we should have some input and protection. When I go to a Flea Market, the operator does not tell me what I can or cannot charge for their primary concern is renting space which should be your only concern. Please revise your shipping policies and rating system leaving the packing and shipping to the professionals. E-bay is not in the business of shipping, we sellers and the post are and have more experience with it than an associate in a cubical. Every month I get a change in policies and have to revise my 300 listings which is becoming a full-time job. E-bay is not my only source of income but is growing and until it grows more, I cannot quit my other jobs to address every policy change that affects me. I also do not have time to attend forums to speak my concerns. I suggest we get back to the basics and start taking care of us sellers or we will slowly dwindle away and there will be no buyers to speak of. Before rolling out policies, perhaps a suggestion would be to send a select group of Power and non-Powersellers an e-mail stating proposed changes asking their feedback. I pay up to 500.00 in fees a month to e-bay which adds up to 6,000.00 yearly. I should have a say in how these policies affect me and I should receive a thoughtful response in return. In a recent documentary featuring an ebay CEO stating "e-bay has no intention of being big-brother, we merely provide a forum for people to sell their collectibles and encourage people to communicate together to resolve their issues..." What made you change your mind? "
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