Shipping options no longer exact
Summary: lidor3073 had issues with a platform's shipping options, where a buyer paid for Hermes shipping but selected DHL. They reached out to the buyer, received no response, and decided to switch the shipping label to DHL. Other participants, including stubenkram and goldeifel, discussed similar experiences, suggesting adjustments in listing order and questioning the platform's reliability. lidor3073 expressed frustration with the platform, noting incorrect shipping costs displayed and challenges with entering shipping details. The discussion highlighted inconsistencies and the need for sellers to manually ensure correct shipping settings.
Hello everyone,
I have completely deactivated the framework conditions for myself and excluded delivery locations, only Germany and post offices / shops can be served.
I’m no longer happy with the app’s new settings tool. At least not with the output either. I’m happy to offer 2 different shipping providers (Hermes and DHL). I adjust the size and dimensions of each provider to my listings. Now, for one item, I had selected Hermes S package (online 5.79 euros) and alternatively DHL up to 2 kg (online 6.19 euros).
When I had sold the item, though, “shipping selected by buyer: DHL” was displayed and the amount paid was for Hermes! And before this gets misunderstood again or I’m accused of selecting it wrong - that’s not what happened. So the day before yesterday I wrote to the lady and asked whether she would be okay with Hermes - of course there was no reply. I then cancelled the Hermes label and bought a new one via DHL and entered the new tracking number as well as informed the lady.
Now, it’s not the end of the world, but it is my cost. If that adds up, it becomes quite a bit.
Here are the excerpts from "Purchase details":
And while we’re on the subject: when I buy Hermes labels and want to enter the tracking number, Hermes isn’t shown as an option anywhere! Only DPD Germany, and then I always have to manually replace DPD with Hermes.
hasjana
·6 days ago@lidor3073
if it’s this item https://www.ebay.de/itm/407156189873
... there you listed DHL at 5.79 euros, and Hermes at 6.99 euros
for this one, for example https://www.ebay.de/itm/407176791654
only Hermes shipping costs are saved, DHL is free
so you also need to check all ongoing listings
lidor3073
OP6 days ago@hasjana
Thanks. The plates that were sold have now been sent for 7.69 euros via DHL, since the buyer no longer responded and I went over the 2 kg limit.
I’ve now corrected the other active item via the browser.
I don’t think it’s great that eBay says you’re responsible for shipping costs, but then offers a tool that doesn’t work and spits out completely wrong shipping options.
For example, with supposedly free shipping: I enter the second shipping service provider (DHL) and the costs (buyer pays). See screenshot. And then it shows “free shipping.” I would offer that if I could create and print my shipping labels myself and also deliver them.
stubenkram
·6 days ago · EditedHello @lidor3073
The tool is obviously not working properly in several respects. For whatever reason.
It’s clear that in the offer you want to show buyers the cheaper shipping method first. But that doesn’t help if later at checkout there’s no choice for the buyer and the first shipping method is automatically charged.
I’d really try it the other way around. Put in DHL first and Hermes as the second option.
No, it’s different for me: unfortunately I can’t send anything with Hermes because there’s no Hermes station left in our little town. It’s now a bit outside town. That would be way too far for me to walk, especially with larger packages.
I receive a lot of parcels via Hermes, but I usually prefer DHL because I have the feeling that packages are handled more carefully there.
Most sellers probably work out exactly which parcel is cheaper to send with Hermes or DHL, depending on size and weight - and then offer only that one shipping method. Maybe you should do it that way too; it would be easier.
lidor3073
OP6 days agoGood morning @stubenkram
Sure, that would be easier, only then I get “bad” stars in the detailed ratings for “reasonable shipping costs” - offering alternatives is very good from a business perspective, because then buyers think just as economically and look at what they still have to pay on top of the item price. eBay tells me, for example, when listing: “Offer free shipping! Buyers are more likely to buy items with free shipping!” I could do that, but the calculating is too much for me, what would I have to add on to recoup the shipping costs? I’d rather look at the size/weight of the items and have already muddled through with Hermes/DHL... It had also worked absolutely perfectly until eBay rolled out this new AI listing tool, which I can’t even turn off and now have to revise everything from top to bottom. Including the shipping costs. And in my opinion, a tool that also specifically offers the various options has to work properly!
lidor3073
OP6 days agoHello everyone,
thank you very much for your two contributions. Before I write more in detail now, I just wanted to add briefly:
I’m happy to offer two different shipping providers. I have the following reason for that:
I’ve kept reading that there are people for whom, for example, Hermes doesn’t deliver or doesn’t know where the package should be delivered to, and that there’s a shop hundreds of km away where Hermes then drops off the parcel.
If I remember correctly, @stubenkram is in a region where Hermes doesn’t deliver - and so they ALWAYS choose DHL. Other people who live in urban centers like HH, NRW, the metropolitan areas, and for example Berlin, like to choose Hermes because it’s cheaper.
But I’ll get back to you! 😊
goldeifel
·6 days agoHello @lidor3073 ,
exactly for this reason I don’t offer any shipping selection options, especially since before listing the item I try to determine the shipping option as precisely as possible.
(Shipping box size, total weight,...)
If you still want to offer a choice, then if I were you I’d send the package with the shipping service whose shipping costs were paid by the buyer.
In this case I would have shipped with Hermes and informed the buyer at the same time, because he didn’t respond to your inquiry.
You could conclude from that that he doesn’t care, as long as he gets his goods.
As @stubenkram already says, make sure that the “more expensive” shipping is shown in a prominent place. (Good idea)
Obviously you can’t rely on Ebay to display/assign things correctly and show the options reliably.
If there’s chaos there, then they brush you off with the justification:
"The seller is solely responsible for the correct information in their listing
alone"
And the thing that when you enter the tracking number and shipping service
you automatically get DPD shown instead of Hermes has been like that forever.
A correction in that regard seems to be an insurmountable problem.
stubenkram
·6 days agoHello @lidor3073
It doesn’t seem like anyone here knows what it could be that makes DHL appear as selected by the buyer, but the price for shipping with Hermes was calculated?
Since the buyer didn’t get back to you, you don’t know for sure whether they were even shown an option when paying. I actually have the maybe wrong impression that selecting the shipping company for buyers during checkout doesn’t work at all. Maybe it’s only because of the auction format if that doesn’t work?
A few months ago I was the highest bidder in an auction and I’m pretty sure I didn’t see any choice when paying. The seller contacted me shortly after, told me that I had selected DPD, and therefore wanted my email address. Since I don’t like DPD, I definitely wouldn’t have selected that on purpose. As I suspect, at checkout the cheaper and the first-listed shipping method was simply charged.
In your auctions, the cheaper Hermes shipping is shown first. If you click on More details for shipping, the price for the slightly more expensive DHL appears.
Have you ever tried entering DHL first and Hermes only as the second option? Maybe that way buyers will automatically be charged the DHL price and you won’t have to cover the difference.
lidor3073
OP6 days agoHello @stubenkram
Thanks for your message and I'll get back to you. Unfortunately I have to go now and sort something out. I've already told you everything else, but I'll still get back to you!