Listings pulled / removed due to "excessive shipping" - Ebay "handling time" required

[Modee]

Ridiculous. EBAY routinely pulls some of my listings because they claim the S&H&P are excessive. On my listings, I painstakingly itemize exactly what the box will weigh, its dimensions, and how much insurance I will place, and then step by step indicate how much this will come to at UPS, for example. Then I even include the link to calculate for yourself on the shipper's website.

Most of the time I am okay, but occasionally, like today, one of my listings was jerked and I got the stupid canned email about how I am charging too much for S&H&P. I write back and try to point out - hey - stupid! - I am actually undercharging, calculate for yourself, and check out the itemization on my listing, but of course they don't want to hear it and write back with another automated answer. You see what we're dealing with here?

And in the back of my mind I don't even want to rock the boat since these communiques come from T&S, but I feel compelled - I am already losing on S&H&P and if I relist for the same amount, they might pull again and even suspend me.

[Modee]

My listings are no reserve, starting price one dollar. They end in the thousands. I was thinking maybe the computerized system sees a price of a dollar versus much more for shipping and just pulls it without further investigation.

[Modee]

EBAY has automated programs that pull listings based on an algorithm.

The solution is to just claim the item is in some HUGE box, and allow the system to calculate your postage based on zip code. Add a few bucks for H&P, and any other special fees. The end result will probably be even more cash for you, and EBAY is happy. Go figure.

[emanon]

I always thought it was a competitor reporting my ads.

[Modee]

Not really. In this case it is an automated EBAY system that pulls down listings for this sort of thing. You will notice for example that at the moment you start entering auction listing information sometimes EBAY will warn you that your shipping costs are high.



Then you might get a second alert when you go to list.


So that alerts the system and later on a separate system might use that tag to look into the matter more closely.

EBAY also scans your listings for words like "bank wire" and "money order" and so on, because these are no longer allowed for most categories:
Bank Wires, checks, money orders - allowed only in certain categories on EBAY now - Free EBAY, PayPal, Business and Law Forums - Ebay Suspension, PayPal Limited

One way to get around all this is to post an IMAGE that states the same thing, for example an image (JPEG or GIF) that has the words "Bank Wire only for out of U.S. buyers" or some such. The bidders can still see this, obviously, but then the EBAY automated system cannot.


I mean of course we have become a nation of rat finks, and YES your competitors can be the ones to point out your transgressions to EBAY, but in most cases it takes an avalanche of complaints or a more serious fraud type matter (or certain types of VERO issues) for EBAY to take action based on what some other member messages them.

[Modee]

On a related topic - EBAY now requires you to enter a "handling time" on all listings. I recommend putting down three business days.

I usually ship even faster than that, but I can point to it when I get busy and am not able to ship right away, when some whiny buyer complains.

I don't recommend putting down longer than three days - after all, this does not include weekends and Holidays - because any longer might turn potential buyers off.