eBay sellers: How do you combat low DSRs for shipping?

[DougLaurieSports]

We ship an average of 100 items per week and Terry, the store owner, handles it -- and he is a fanatic. We ship at least every other day and the cards are packaged very, very well.

We leave feedback for each buyer as soon as the card ships, stating the date of shipment. Our auctions are clear as to charges and timeframes.

Still, we are getting enough low DSRs to cancel out our 20% Top-Rated Seller bonus. I suspect it comes from people living in the States who are unhappy with the delivery time (nothing I can do about it) or the $4 charge (that's what it costs).

Do any of you have any special tips you can give for making these customers happy, or is this the way it is now?

 

[Ferris]

You write eBay about having a crappy DSR program.

I think part of the problem is the 'estimated shipping time' that eBay provides based on the shipping service and processing time(s) you choose. If the item is received outside of that (and we all know that picking an arrival date for letter mail is like playing roulette, at best) then I think the buyer equates this with "poor delivery time". I also believe in most cases the buyer is providing what they think is an honest representation of the transaction as a whole (ie: the eBay buying experience) and not necessarily trying to hammer the reputation of the seller.

It's a messed up system, plain and simple.

 

[Hama]

I've noticed one seller that I use for Oilers singles offer free shipping - it avoids the DSR for shipping but may end up costing more in absorbing the shipping charge. So if you took that tack - is it worth the added cost to retain that status?

 

[Ferris]

Another thing I do ... if I'm shipping within a week or two of a major holiday (Thanksgiving, Easter) and/or any time in the month of Dec prior to Xmas I will contact the buyer when I ship and remind them that there may be delays and to keep in touch. It eats up a lot of time but it's the only way around the low DSR's. On the flipside it usually gets me a very positive response.

 

[qwas]

It's kind of funny that American buyers will hit you with low dsr on shipping time and cost and then turn around and charge $6.95 to send a single card back to Canada and think we should be grateful. I have seen this many times and I only charge $2.75 to ship to the states. Maybe only ship to Canada and then you can eliminate the problem.

 

[SNobles]

I kept my shipping cost at $3 even with the increase in costs from Canada Post. Most of the time I am using recycled mailers in new craft envelopes so the cost there is minimal but I am also not shipping in the volume you are.

Sadly as has been stated all of the power is in the buyers hands even if you are doing a great job we can't control the postal system.

 

[RGM81]

I've noticed one seller that I use for Oilers singles offer free shipping - it avoids the DSR for shipping but may end up costing more in absorbing the shipping charge. So if you took that tack - is it worth the added cost to retain that status?

If they're moving out 100 packages per week, it is definitely worth it to them to retain that Top Rated Seller status. The fees they'd be providing to eBay, even if it's as little a buck per transaction, on each of those sales piles up very quickly. Saving 20% can be a matter of hundreds of bucks being retained.

Unfortunately, this is how it is with eBay now. There's so many "new" buyers that were never around in the good old days of eBay when things were more balanced in terms of the buyer/seller relationship. They don't understand the fees eBay & PayPal charge and especially that eBay & PayPal BOTH take a cut of your S&H fee.

Let that sink in a second.

The money that you charge to the buyer to pay for covering your costs of shipping and handling gets eaten into by eBay. If you charge $2.00 in Canada, congratulations you're officially losing money on shipping and handling because eBay takes .20 and PayPal gets a few pennies as well.

Will offering free S&H help you out? Probably only in terms of saving that one DSR star portion. I've had international buyers nail me for shipping time because it took six weeks for them to receive a package I had sent out literally the morning after they purchased something at 7pm the previous night. As if I can control international shipping organizations.

A lot of very good sellers have soured on the experience there because of the fees and the garbage that they have to deal with. You haven't known frustration until you've spent an hour on the phone with eBay customer service getting a bogus negative feedback rating removed.

 

[malsk]

I can speak from person experience. I was charging $3.75 shipping and had 4 low DSR on shipping (everything else was perfect) about 2 years ago.

Ebay limited my account to 9 items and $500 per month. I had to wait for a year until they fell off. I have been selling on ebay since 1998 and have over 1700 rating. I called ebay and they do not care. Read that sentence again....they do not care! I was told to work harder and improve. Can you imagine how mad I was?

My advice is lower your shipping rate. It is not worth it!

I am now back to normal once all those low DSR's fell off after a year. I now charge $2.50 shipping.

 

[foley2k]

You cant please everyone, and most of those people are on ebay. So many people expect the package there within a time frame that is unreasonable. Ive seen so many negative comments on sellers feedback with the auction only over in under 10 days. Ebay is about the buyers, not the sellers.


Personally I dont look at the shipping charge DSR crap when I buy from ebay (its broken). I go by the overall feedback.

 

[OT Sports]

Checked out your ebay page and it says 50cents for every additional item won. That might be hurting your DSR shipping ratings.

 

[Ferris]

There's always COMC. Yes they don't have the same traffic but I like the concept.

OR ... make it 'go' time and build yourself a website at GoDaddy. It's really not that hard.

ps. I have never bought/sold on COMC.com, but I plan to.

 

[Fred Bear]

It's kind of funny that American buyers will hit you with low dsr on shipping time and cost and then turn around and charge $6.95 to send a single card back to Canada and think we should be grateful. I have seen this many times and I only charge $2.75 to ship to the states. Maybe only ship to Canada and then you can eliminate the problem.

You realize it's a 'requirement' of the eBay system, not the choice of the American seller... The $6.95 price to Canada covers the Paypal tracking requirement which they push pretty hard. I don't think anyone would expect you to be grateful, but possibly understanding. It's not to say that you can't ship outside of the requirement, but then you're left to the 'discretion' of the buyer...

To the OP, is eBay offering any of their 'stock' solutions - offer free shipping, 'mark' as shipped faster, use their shipping labels? As a seller, I've often worried about low DSRs because they can be extremely variable and you can get hit by a simple buyers remorse issue rather than 'real' problems. I'm curious what 'suggestions' they give you as I've never gotten to a point where I'm moving 100 packages a week... As a US buyer, I can't really imagine leaving low DSRs for what you describe. $4 is within my personal 'limits' (I usually expect $3-5 depending on number and type of card - graded/non-graded) and I'm often delighted with anything less than a two-week wait from Canada (even on trades). Three-to-four weeks can get frustrating, but not worth killing a guys DSRs. I think the only time I've left low DSRs is the legitimately poorly packaged (card in an oversized top-load with no team bag) or the excessively over-priced $5 for PWE with the $1 stamp on it...

For the amount that it will save you, I'd probably contact eBay and stress that you want to do what you can while still making it worth your while to sell there.

 

[losman#99]

I have moved all my selling to sportscarddirect.com no final value fee charges and far less headaches with buyers and shipping issues. The money saved on FVF paid for my year subscription withing the first 2 weeks.

 

[gallinator]

As a buyer, there is a big jump in satisfaction for me between paying $3 and $4 from a Canadian seller. Add in a few additional cards at 50 cents a pop and it gets out of hand fairly quickly.

Yesterday I received a card in a #000 Canada Post bubble mailer with a $1.20 stamp. It arrived safely, promptly and did not have a Customs form. Many cards arrive with similar postage in similar packaging, so it can be done. $4 seems like an excessive charge in comparison, no?

I generally avoid sellers where I see a $4 shipping fee, but I will buy if I need the card and the total cost is within my limits. Just because I agree to the fee, however, doesn't mean I like it, and I will generally take a star off when leaving feedback. This seems unfair to some people, but it is a clear indication of my satisfaction level with a specific part of an otherwise successful transaction - and it is EXACTLY what eBay intended to have happen when they implemented the system.

When I sell, which is admittedly at a much lower volume that the OP, I now go with a FLAT shipping fee of $2 USA and $2.50 Canada/ROW in a nice DVD mailer containing the standard card/penny sleeve/top loader/team bag/decoys combo. No problems, no chargebacks, 5 stars all the way. I'm sure I'll take the occasional ding at some point and may even run into a few dishonest people who say they didn't get the cards, but those are just blips on the screen.

I hope this perspective of someone who wins 100-200 auctions per year - 99% hockey cards - helps!

 

[malsk]

Just because I agree to the fee, however, doesn't mean I like it, and I will generally take a star off when leaving feedback.

This statement really bugs me about buyers. You agreed to buy the item, you knew the cost and shipping going in. Why ding the buyer? How is it his fault you bid on it? If you didn't agree with the shipping cost don't buy it.

 

[losman#99]

As a buyer, there is a big jump in satisfaction for me between paying $3 and $4 from a Canadian seller. Add in a few additional cards at 50 cents a pop and it gets out of hand fairly quickly.

Yesterday I received a card in a #000 Canada Post bubble mailer with a $1.20 stamp. It arrived safely, promptly and did not have a Customs form. Many cards arrive with similar postage in similar packaging, so it can be done. $4 seems like an excessive charge in comparison, no?

I generally avoid sellers where I see a $4 shipping fee, but I will buy if I need the card and the total cost is within my limits. Just because I agree to the fee, however, doesn't mean I like it, and I will generally take a star off when leaving feedback. This seems unfair to some people, but it is a clear indication of my satisfaction level with a specific part of an otherwise successful transaction - and it is EXACTLY what eBay intended to have happen when they implemented the system.

When I sell, which is admittedly at a much lower volume that the OP, I now go with a FLAT shipping fee of $2 USA and $2.50 Canada/ROW in a nice DVD mailer containing the standard card/penny sleeve/top loader/team bag/decoys combo. No problems, no chargebacks, 5 stars all the way. I'm sure I'll take the occasional ding at some point and may even run into a few dishonest people who say they didn't get the cards, but those are just blips on the screen.

I hope this perspective of someone who wins 100-200 auctions per year - 99% hockey cards - helps!

I just have a hard time understanding this highlighted statement from your post. So as the buyer once you bid and have read all the details in the auction regarding the shipping prices, etc you still ding the sellers DSR once the product has been received 100% if you think their shipping is too high? I want to make sure I understand your statement correctly.

 

[gallinator]

This is where we have a fundamental difference in what a marketplace is and what constitutes a satisfactory experience. Again: Just because you agree to something does NOT necessarily mean you like it; nor does it mean you give up your right to express your dissatisfaction!

People in sales and marketing understand the difference and increased value between getting a one-time sale and earning a repeat customer. History is littered with the bodies of companies that were great at the former and poor at the latter.

 

[gallinator]

Losman: Yes, you understand perfectly. As I stated, many people do not agree with this and I don't think we'll ever bridge that philosophical gap.

 

[losman#99]

This is where we have a fundamental difference in what a marketplace is and what constitutes a satisfactory experience. Again: Just because you agree to something does NOT necessarily mean you like it; nor does it mean you give up your right to express your dissatisfaction!

People in sales and marketing understand the difference and increased value between getting a one-time sale and earning a repeat customer. History is littered with the bodies of companies that were great at the former and poor at the latter.

I am not going to get into all what is wrong with your take on this situation other then to know I have one more ebay ID to add to my list.

 

[Burner]

It's kind of funny that American buyers will hit you with low dsr on shipping time and cost and then turn around and charge $6.95 to send a single card back to Canada and think we should be grateful. I have seen this many times and I only charge $2.75 to ship to the states. Maybe only ship to Canada and then you can eliminate the problem.

That's pretty much what it costs to ship a 2oz package to Canada now.