eBay UK Sellers Say Post Offices Refuse Simple Delivery Packages With Incorrect Labels
UPDATE
A seller in the eBay UK community forum has received more information from a contact they have at the Post Office.
I have this evening managed to speak with the manager of my local post office. I mentioned simple delivery and he has informed me that he has now received infomation regarding incorrectly sized and weighed packages.
What follows is straight from the horses mouth so to speak.
Hi mate … yeh it’s a weird one … we have been told any marketplace sellers that regardless of size weight etc post office can accept them ! However the label will say ‘marketplace seller’ so to make it clear the ones we can accept … had one the other day 3kg package, label said 500g small parcel but also on the label bottom right said ‘marketplace selller’ so we accepted it then RM sort it out with eBay! It’s a change just recently come in about couple weeks ago to help customers avoid delays in getting stuff sent out....
So it appears that as long as your postage label says 'market place seller' the post office will accept them and RM will be dealing with feebay for any discrepancies.
If this is true then it would appear ebay have sorted an agreement with ebay. Maybe when Marco stated earlier that the PO's must accept. he may well have been correct but not party to all the information, i.e. 'market place seller' on the label.
If ebay could for once actually launch something with all the details required by the service users there would not be so many worried sellers etc...
Once again I got this info from a post office manager so hopefully this info is correct.
Another seller provided a screenshot of what the Simple Delivery label looks like, showing it does say "Marketplace Seller."
However, it's clear the message has not gotten out to all Post Office locations yet, so sellers may still encounter some resistance when attempting to drop of Simple Delivery packages.
The expansion of eBay Simple Delivery in the UK is not going well as sellers report Post Offices are refusing to accept packages with labels that include incorrect weight and dimensions due to eBay using estimated parcel details.
The managed shipping program, which is set to become mandatory for all privates sales of eligible items in the UK by April 15th, uses AI and existing data from similar items across categories to estimate a size/weight range for the item to determine what the generic standard or express postage rate shown to the buyer will be.
Liz Morton
eBay's Simple Delivery FAQ provides the following information about how the rates are determined:
Confirm the package size
We'll suggest the package size based on items like yours, so you don't have to worry about getting out the tape measure and scales. Just confirm the package size and we’ll do the rest. Your buyers can then choose a standard or express delivery option at checkout.
Can I adjust the size and weight details of my item?
If we're unable to determine the size and weight of your item accurately, you'll be asked to specify these details when you list it. This ensures you receive a suitable postage label when your item sells.You may also choose to update the size and weight if you believe our estimate is incorrect. Just make sure to report accurate measurements to avoid additional charges.
And most importantly eBay explicitly tells sellers if the parcel exceeds the automatically determined weight and dimensions, they can use the label any way without having to worry about paying any extra costs as eBay has made sure the carrier will still accept the package.
What if the label provided is not appropriate for my item?
If your parcel exceeds the maximum size and weight of the label, and you listed using our recommended size and weight for your item, you won't have to pay any additional costs. Just go ahead and use the Simple Delivery postage label, as we’ve made sure the carrier will accept your package for delivery.If you provided the size and weight of the item yourself, and these happen to be inaccurate, you’ll be responsible for covering any additional costs.
However, sellers who are using labels based on eBay's suggested package sizes are finding that when trying to drop off Royal Mail packages at Post Office locations, the parcels are being refused due to not having precise and accurate weight and dimensions.
Concerns sellers are posting about their experiences in the eBay UK community forum.
Post Office and Simple Delivery
Just come back from my local Post Offices (yes 2 as I had business in both places), and thought I would just post on here that both have now instructed their staff to refuse eBay parcels if they are labelled incorrectly.
As SD is automated, it guesstimates size and weight based on other items in category, many parcels will now be 'mislabelled'.
In the CC earlier it was mentioned that these parcels have to be taken, yet eBay fail to realise that RM and Post Office are 2 separate companies, further compounded by many Post Offices being contracted out to small shops where a dedicated Post Office has closed (as in the case of my local).
I asked a question of the clerk at one PO why this was happening and they stated, that due to audits on packages sent, any wrongly labelled packages can result in failure of said audit, multiple failures can lead to financial losses and could also have implications on whether or not the service is continued (as in PO will pull contract from the shop). They didn't divulge the levels that are set for audit.
As I have already stated am not keen on the idea of being dictated as to how I send an item, however this information I have gathered now puts a new perspective on things.
Not only are eBay forcing me to do things their way, but they are potentially placing the livelihood of others at risk, people that have nothing to do with eBay or the dilemmas SD is causing
Not surprising and can't blame the Post Offices for this. Ebay trusted their sloppy AI to get weights and sizes correct and it hasn't delivered.
My Sister took 3 packages to her local Post Office today, 1 had postage paid for via click and drop, that was accepted, the other 2 were Simple Delivery and both were refused as the label sent by Ebay did not cover the cost of the size / weight of the packages.
The cashier said they would be refusing all SD items with immediate effect.
So, you use what Ebay insist on, Post Office won't accept it. What a bloody shambles.
Concerned sellers broached the topic in today's weekly community forum chat with eBay staff, only to be told repeatedly that the Post Office must accept these packages - despite their personal experiences to the contrary.
The eBay pages for Simple Delivery include the following quote:-
"If your parcel exceeds the maximum size and weight of the label, and you listed using our recommended size and weight for your item, you won't have to pay any additional costs. Just go ahead and use the Simple Delivery postage label, as we’ve made sure the carrier will accept your package for delivery."
I have raised this with both my usual drop-off points, a sub Post Office and a Crown Office Post Office and neither has had any instructions to accept inappropriate labels.
In fact, they advise me that they have already turned away many such parcels as they would be fined by Royal Mail for accepting them.
So my question is, if the AI has incorrectly guessed the dimensions and weight of my parcel, or overridden my choice of service or the buyer has chosen, say, a Large Letter price when it should be a small parcel, am I best cancelling the order, relisting and asking the buyer to buy again with the correct postage?
Marco@eBay replied:
They will definitely be accepted, you don't have to cancel it, which is why we are stating that in our Simple Delivery page.
The seller pushed back asking when that will acceptance start, relaying that they had witnessed packages being refused by the Post Office just hours earlier.
When will this acceptance start? Because not 3 hours ago I stood behind someone in the Crown Post Office whose Simple Delivery small parcel had a Large letter label and she was turned away even though she protested that "ebay said you'd take it". They got the manager, who also said definitely not.
Marco@eBay said "once it goes live" their agreement with Royal Mail will require these packages to be accepted and it can be reported if a Post Office refuses.
Once it goes live, they have to accept it. If they don't accept it, let us know, and we can record that and report it.
However, that answer makes no sense since Simple Delivery has technically been live in some categories since May 2024, with the voluntary expansion rolling out since last October - it is only the mandatory use of Simple Delivery for all eligible items from private sellers which is "new" and will begin rolling out between April 7th-15th.
That is more than enough time for eBay to have sorted out the details of how Simple Delivery will work with Royal Mail and the Post Office.
If those details have not been sorted (as sellers are clearly experiencing), then eBay should not allow the printing of Simple Delivery labels with Royal Mail and not force mandatory use of Simple Delivery until they are.
Sellers in the weekly chat session continued to push back on Marco's answers, sharing their actual experiences at Post Offices today and demanding answers for how eBay will handle this situation which is clearly causing problems.
Marco,
I was in the post office this morning and I witnessed wrongly labelled packages & parcels being refused by the post office.I can assure you that you are wrong when you say they will accept them...
...Please try and understand that Royal Mail and Post Office Counters are two different companies. ebay may have a deal with RM but I can assure you it does not have a deal with the post office!
I am not even sure if ebay realise that the post office, and royal mail are two separate companies as I know no sub postmaster would accept a wrongly pre-paid label on a parcel, Each post office would be fined by RM for this breach and part of their monthly targets on correct segregation.
Every post office employee would say either get a new label or buy the correct postage. You cannot pay the difference over the counter. We wait with baited breath.
Marco@eBay only offered the same repeated non-helpful answer, saying they must accept the packages and if they do not, sellers can report it.
As advised before, this is an agreement we have. If it goes live, and they're not accepted, please report it, so we can take actions accordingly.
Presumably he means report it through eBay's labyrinthine customer support system since having users directly reporting it to him within the chat was clearly going nowhere.
Meanwhile sellers are left with packages with unusable labels from a program they have been forced into and no reassurances about what will happen to their accounts if/when buyers complain about delays that are completely outside the seller's control or how they can resolve the issue to get a label that will be accepted by the Post Office without having to pay for it out of pocket.
If you're stuck with a Simple Delivery package you can't drop off at the Post Office, I'd love to hear about your experience - drop a comment below or contact VAR.
Seller5428
