Shipment tracking and seller protection—is it all more appearance than reality?
Summary: A retro-respawn-de expressed frustration over misleading information about eBay's seller protection for shipments with limited tracking. The participant criticized customer service in particular and called for clearer communication practices. Other users, such as kometenhuhn and perfect-sally, shared their experiences and opinions on the applicable policies and pointed out that seller protection is often tied to certain conditions, such as the value of the goods. The discussion also revolved around general dissatisfaction with eBay's service and the consideration of looking for alternative platforms. Some participants emphasized the importance of checking the services offered and the terms carefully in advance.
Hello dear community,
I’m really upset about this topic, and so please excuse me if the text comes across as a bit emotional. It’s about the following:
Ebay suggests on its labels that letters with a stripped-down tracking option offer the same “seller protection” as, for example, a €6.19 DHL parcel.
The only difference that is shown is whether the parcel is insured or not. Of course, insurance applies in the event of the parcel being lost in transit - I’m completely clear that in that case I don’t have seller protection and that I bear the financial responsibility if a letter shipment goes missing.
But how can it be that I lose a case in which the stripped-down tracking clearly says: The letter has arrived at the receiving center and will be delivered in 1-2 days. The customer service person I spoke to on the phone about this was absolutely awful, closed the case straight away, and didn’t want to understand my point that the way it’s displayed in the shipping menu is simply misleading.
There used to be a time when this was different, when there was no explicitly stated seller protection for letters and tracking said “No”.
If you can’t or won’t give us merchants, who pay for your shop here and not exactly a little, any protection for letters, then please don’t state it that way in the shipping menu, or train your staff. Then a letter is simply only covered with a signed return receipt - I’m absolutely d’accord with that, but then please display it that way too.
If case data is needed, feel free to get in touch with me - but I assume nothing will change anyway.
Regards
Pascal
grohbacher
·1 week agoHello, everyone, especially @retro-respawn-de and @bixtron
If EBAY writes that you have "seller protection", you should already read up on what EBAY means by "seller protection".
It's like when I say "I'm insured." Then I have to read the fine print, including the inclusions and exclusions, to find out what I'm insured for and against. Often, when the time comes, there's a rude awakening.
If you're already pasting the "shipping service overview" here, you should also read what it says right at the top there. It says "seller protection" and also includes a link to the details of seller protection. If you follow that link, you come to the realization that although you do have seller protection in almost all cases, it's only very minimal. You can also read everything in the EBAY help under "seller protection policy" and "buyer protection policy" as well as the further links there. By accepting these policies, you've automatically agreed to them in the fine print at the end of every listing.
The only exception to this minimal seller protection is the "extended seller protection" when shipping items with a total value of up to €20 in letters, if an EBAY shipping label was used for this and at least one postal scan is available.
I don't want to defend EBAY here, but you shouldn't look at everything from just one side.
Regards
Manfred
bixtron
·1 week ago · EditedMornin’,
here’s the link. https://www.ebay.de/verkaeuferportal/verkaeuferstandards/verkaeuferschutz#schutz-bei-versand-und-lieferproblemen
No information at all about the distinction with the stamps. In general, there are no details explained about maximum protected values or anything like that either. You can still take all of that apart in more detail if you want.
Protection for shipping and delivery problems
If an item arrives late, but the tracking information shows that you shipped the item on time, ratings and defects are automatically removed.
If severe storms or operational interruptions at the shipping company cause the item to arrive late, ratings and defects are automatically removed.
What do you need to do to enjoy this protection?
Use valid shipping methods with tracking.
Some of these eBay pages even exist twice / in different versions and, honestly.. the content is already AI-generated by now too...
grohbacher
·1 week agoHello,
as I see it, this "normal, minimal" seller protection is granted completely independently of any lower or upper value limits. It probably relates exclusively to removing ratings and defects.
Completely separate from that is the "extended" seller protection when shipping letters using shipping labels from EBAY, with a cap of €20.00, which would presumably be reimbursed by EBAY to both the buyer and the seller in the event of a claim; with the buyer naturally getting their payment back and the reimbursement for the seller being paid by EBAY.
These are two different "issues". It has to be admitted that this "extended" seller protection from EBAY should be communicated much better. So far, there has probably only been a single publication about it.
Regards
Manfred
sunrise1605
·1 week agoHello @retro-respawn-de
you need to look a bit further than just this overview from the shipping service.
Everything is written here in your beloved black and white:
https://www.ebay.de/verkaeuferportal/versand/internetmarke
You could actually also figure out that a shipment with a goods value of over €50 isn't covered by a postage stamp.
bixtron
·1 week agoHello @sunrise1605 ,
"That a shipment with a goods value of over €50 isn’t protected with a postage stamp could basically be figured out anyway."
Why? eBay offers DHL parcels with tracking, and I can also have my small parcels insured, for example. All of that is possible.
eBay advertises seller protection here. That’s misleading and lures unsuspecting people into the trap.
Anyway... why is it implemented so incomprehensibly then? Why no change despite years of requests from sellers? Why is it correct and not misleading?
This approach of "you just have to click through the help pages and read properly" or "you should have checked whether eBay automatically advertises your new listing with 80% advertising costs" just makes you question their general credibility and drives even more people away.
Just take 5 minutes and make it like this: "eBay seller protection up to max. €20 incl. shipping costs". Instead of once again applying for some kind of loans for us...
sunrise1605
·1 week agoThat's exactly it @bixtron , as with contracts, you have to find out in advance what services are behind an offer.
And I stand by the fact that a package with a value over €50 is not insured with a postage stamp.
Then you wouldn't need packages anymore.
Quite apart from the fact that TE is neither a newbie, and on top of that is also GVK.
That sets the bar for awareness a bit higher for me.
bixtron
·1 week agoYeah, sure...
but I'm assuming full seller protection, because I’ve already received it with the other services too.
So either properly or really only according to expectations....
bixtron
·1 week ago · EditedEdit: If we act like this, we can also do without article photos and the description - the customer just has to know what to expect properly
sunrise1605
·1 week ago...... above all, expectations should be realistic 😊
bixtron
·1 week agoExactly. And that just doesn't work :D
Subjective stuff has no place here - it has to be unambiguous.
turbotuentchen
·1 week agoIn the pilot project, the point is: to frank DHL parcels via eBay so that delivery is shown, and not about liability. Tracking works the same as with packages. There is no liability for parcels, neither with DHL nor with eBay.
As a commercial seller, you are always liable for shipping, regardless of whether you frank through eBay or somewhere else.
bixtron
·1 week agoI know that; it wasn’t about liability either - it was about possibilities outside the expected norms. Or whatever... :)
turbotuentchen
·1 week agoCheck your expectations, check out the possibilities beforehand ......
bixtron
·1 week agoYeah, or just go to the competition, which doesn't need stuff like that...
turbotuentchen
·1 week agowhy are you still here?
retro-respawn-de
OP1 week agoYou can actually work with that and live with it too. I don't want to have to "figure it out"; it should just be clearly understandable and easy to grasp somewhere.
Ebay is the service provider, we're the customers - business or not. Everyone pays a lot of money relative to their revenue here - so you can rightfully complain about things that any small business owner would implement better and more transparently in order to save themselves discussions and resources.
And then to be insulted by a listless phone support, that's the cherry on top.
But probably it's just a matter of perspective and personal expectations. I guess I'd have to work full-time for an extremely customer-friendly service provider that treats customers in support with €400 annual revenue exactly the same as those who generate €40,000,000 annually.
bixtron
·1 week agoYou actually used to be appreciated here...
kometenhuhn
·1 week ago · EditedHow much was the value of the goods? In general, seller protection should apply for items whose value does not exceed €20 and for which a scan was made.
These are the key details, for a stamped letter, via eBay, with a matrix code - that was how it was not long ago. Has that been changed? Maybe someone knows more.
The phone customer service is not recommended - that’s putting it mildly.
retro-respawn-de
OP1 week ago · EditedThe value of the goods came to €54.95. If the colleague from phone support from yesterday worked in my company, he would have been fired for what happened yesterday. So contemptuous and condescending, great job.
Is there another way to contact eBay that would be more recommended?
EDIT: I should say that I ship 99% of the time by letter because otherwise it simply doesn't pay off, thanks to the great conditions on the platform.
bixtron
·1 week agoHey,
save yourself the time, it won't do any good. This incompetence will even get worse.
perfect-sally
·1 week agoSeller protection for such shipments generally exists when the value of the goods including postage does not exceed €20. But that is not a worry-free package for sellers.
retro-respawn-de
OP1 week agoI come from a world where everything is always written down in black and white somewhere, so there are no gray areas or room for negotiation - where does it say that?
perfect-sally
·1 week ago · EditedUnfortunately, I can’t say because I never ship that way and I’ve never really looked into it.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·1 week agoHi @retro-respawn-de
The topic of basic shipment tracking and seller protection has come up quite a few times here in the forum already. And Ebay’s statements were always that with basic tracking, seller protection applies if the value of the shipment including shipping costs does not exceed € 20.00.
Where that is written down, the lovely @miriam@ebay can certainly tell you, thanks Miriam. ❤️
Warm regards from the Baltic Sea
Peter
retro-respawn-de
OP1 week agoThen I find the design of the shipping menu so misleading and also stupid to tie it to some value, since I also have higher fees proportionally. Well, in the medium term I'll look for other platforms; anyone who treats their customers like that doesn't deserve my money. As a side business I can easily afford a lower frequency, but then with partners and not some random enemies in the hotline.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·1 week ago@retro-respawn-de
Well then, good luck with the search and especially with finding the right partner.
And I personally think talking about enemies in the hotline is over the line.
gebraucht-ist-gut
·1 week agoHello @retro-respawn-de ,
by the way, purely legally speaking, seller protection with basic shipment tracking doesn't really do you any good as a commercial seller either.
In case of doubt, you can't prove delivery and are therefore liable to the customer.
And shipping goods worth over EUR 50.00 as a letter, well, that's grossly negligent on your part to me.