The obvious next step for ebay?

RHemmings

How would it change things if ebay started up their own delivery service? Either by buying up an existing nationwide delivery service, or by entering into a partnership with one. Then, ebay would not only get a slice of the delivery charges, it would get all of them.

It would be easier for ebay to judge disputes, as they will have full information concerning the entire transaction (where paypal is used). From listing, to bidding, to payment, to delivery. They'd also be able to handle returns.

There would be fewer problems with fee avoidance with high mailing charges, as ebay would know exactly what the charge is. They could charge fees on both price and postage (as for books etc. now), but refund the fees on the portion paid for postage where Ebay deliveries is used.

Ebay would be able to give its own delivery service a considerable competitive advantage by only having the highest levels of buyer protection when Ebay's own delivery service is used. And, they'd be able to take more control over the portion of the service which at the moment seems to cause most trouble, which is delivery and returns of items.

For high ticket items, they could add additional services for additional payment, for example viewing the serial numbers on iphones etc. to ward off the substitute item scam.

I think there would be considerable advantages to ebay if they did this.

soolin

99.9% of my stuff goes via standard RM, one of my latest lines for instance goes at £1.04 large letter rate and the majority of my books go at £1.85 second class packet and there isn't a courier in the country that could offer better than that. I also go to the PO counter, I am not here all day every day so couriers would be no good for me, likewise as a buyer I prefer to buy things where seller send via RM.

Therefore that's people like me out of the scheme for a start as I couldn't get the rates i get now with a drop off point (post office) within 5 minutes of most places I go to work.

RHemmings

soolin wrote: »

99.9% of my stuff goes via standard RM, one of my latest lines for instance goes at £1.04 large letter rate and the majority of my books go at £1.85 second class packet and there isn't a courier in the country that could offer better than that. I also go to the PO counter, I am not here all day every day so couriers would be no good for me, likewise as a buyer I prefer to buy things where seller send via RM.

Therefore that's people like me out of the scheme for a start as I couldn't get the rates i get now with a drop off point (post office) within 5 minutes of most places I go to work.

Well, no, people don't use couriers for inexpensive items such as small books. I was mainly thinking of more expensive items. As most of the scams involve higher ticket items such as phones etc. An "Ebay" delivery service wouldn't have to get ALL of the delivery business to be a success, just a fair chunk of it.

TurkishDelight

RHemmings wrote: »

entering into a partnership with one.

It would be easier for ebay to judge disputes, as they will have full information concerning the entire transaction (where paypal is used). From listing, to bidding, to payment, to delivery. They'd also be able to handle returns.

There would be fewer problems with fee avoidance with high mailing charges, as ebay would know exactly what the charge is. They could charge fees on both price and postage (as for books etc. now), but refund the fees on the portion paid for postage where Ebay deliveries is used.

They have. Paypal postage... well, they're not doing it out of the goodness of their own hearts are they?

It makes zero difference to any paypal disputes/postage overcharges though.

Ebay would only insist on it though, and cause all kinds of trouble (like paypal).

soolin

RHemmings wrote: »

Well, no, people don't use couriers for inexpensive items such as small books. I was mainly thinking of more expensive items. As most of the scams involve higher ticket items such as phones etc. An "Ebay" delivery service wouldn't have to get ALL of the delivery business to be a success, just a fair chunk of it.

My phones go special delivery next day guaranteed usually at a cost of £.5.40 and again I doubt a courier would match that and allow me to drop off my items at my convenience.

Really what I was trying to say is that the people using couriers are probably a smallish percentage of the sellers on ebay overall, not the majority.

RFW

TurkishDelight wrote: »

They have. Paypal postage... well, they're not doing it out of the goodness of their own hearts are they?

It makes zero difference to any paypal disputes/postage overcharges though.

Think that's more down to the postal services than Ebay. In the US the standard printed postage has a 19cent surcharge that is for tracked delivery and is scanned when delivered and acknowledged by Paypal. Seems that if its possible across the US it should be easy in the UK.

arriva

... sounds like 1984... the beginning of the end.

RHemmings

I think this thread went in entirely the wrong direction. People are discussing what would be best for themselves. What will affect ebay's future decisions is what is best for ebay. The two are entirely different.

victoriajayne1987

but why would u care whats best for ebay?!? people are discussing whats best for themselves because this is a forum for discussing own experiences!! ebay are a business, doesnt matter to us what they do/make really!! and if they did have a delivery service i wouldnt use it or ebay, because they would no doubt charge even more than they do now...

RHemmings

victoriajayne1987 wrote: »

but why would u care whats best for ebay?!? people are discussing whats best for themselves because this is a forum for discussing own experiences!! ebay are a business, doesnt matter to us what they do/make really!! and if they did have a delivery service i wouldnt use it or ebay, because they would no doubt charge even more than they do now...

I'm interested in what's best for ebay, because that's the way you have to think if you want to predict what they might do next. Ebay have effectively established a monopoly, and can do more or less what they want. See free postage on books and media as an example.

All else being equal, you might not use Ebay's own delivery service. But ebay will know this, and if they introduced such a service, would find ways to make people use it. If not a blanket insistence that everyone must offer Ebay postage as an option (wouldn't work unless they completed duplicated the P.O.), then a situation where buyer and seller protection is less if Ebay's service is not used. Perhaps to a point where sellers who don't use it are left wide open to scammers. That wouldn't be too unrealistic as that seems to be the situation now, with item switch scams etc., and paypal refunding automatically (more or less) if the buyer returns "something" through tracked methods.

Just look at the number of posts here with people saying that they're going to give up on ebay because all the power/protection has gone in the buyer's favour. Ebay will be aware of this, and will certainly be considering strategies to counteract these problems. But, just giving power back to the sellers within the current structure won't work, because then we get back to the situation there was before, with items on watchdog etc. where buyers report how they'd been ripped off, and ebay wouldn't help them.

victoriajayne1987

well why do we need to predict what they will do?! it wont change anything now.

if they want to bring in something new then so be it, deal with it when it happens.

and if they did postage and insisted everyone used it, there would be a hell of a lot less ebayers, as im sure they would charge through the roof for their 'extra service'.

and if they didnt and we could keep using royal mail etc, that would not lower protection, and it would be exactly the same rules as now, if something goes missing u claim for it through royal mail!! and if u have the proof its been sent and delivered, then obviously they cant question it!!

if you are that bothered that ebay dont have a delivery service, and u feel that this will affect buyers and sellers protection and cause problems for u, DONT USE EBAY!!!!