New Shipping Templates

Ah yes sorry. You are correct.

I have been having ongoing chats with Trade Me about this and yesterday I was informed that sending to PO Boxes through BAC using NZ Post is a no-no. I've been doing it for years?

I have entered two shipping options in my template - one for Aramex (which is the cheaper option), the other through NZ Post which includes PO Boxes and areas that Aramex classes as rural - as there is no clarification on my auctions on which one is which - guess which ones buyers will choose!

Hi Yvonne, 

You don't need to mention on your listings that you don't send to PO boxes as a PO box address cannot be used for pick up or delivery when using book a courier - this is stated on our help pages and you can check this out here. 

I'm not sure what you're referring to by the courier cost issue - no worries though if you can just reply back to this email and explain further. >From there, I'll be able to give you a hand. 

Cheers, 

Thanks Callum! That's handy advice. Cheers

It's quite untrue - so I wouldn't really on it too much.

That no PO Boxes should just be for pick ups.  Like Yvonne I've been delivering to PO Boxes from the beginning of BAC until I got a courier account about 6 months ago.

Hi everyone! Just a quick update for you all.

After taking on the useful feedback we've had from our members about the new shipping template, we've made a change for you. You can now continue to edit your old templates using the original style if you wish. Up until now, once the new template was rolled out and you tried to edit an old one, you were pushed to the new style. This change means that will no longer happen.

Please note that any new template you create will be under the new format. 

Thank you Lucy, that's very useful.

My main gripe with the new templates is the use of the term "nationwide" in the shipping description. That implies a parcel can be sent to any address (including rural) for the specified rate.

For me, it makes the new templates unusable. I've tried them, and it's causing too much confusion for my buyers, with an increase in buyers specifying a rural address but choosing the "nationwide" rate.

I would be able to use them if there was specifically an option for non-rural deliveries (in addition to the rural option).

Perhaps also keep the "nationwide" option for anyone who has just one shipping rate for both rural and non-rural deliveries.

I agree with David.  Put in an urban option to go with the rural one as that is what sellers use now.  Nationwide is just asking for confusion.

Also in relation to the no PO Boxes 'rule' for BAC... please note that not everyone uses BAC and that CourierPost actually DO accept PO Boxes deliveries.

Hi David. You're able to add more than 1 nationwide cost so can show one rural and one non-rural if you wish. Have a look at the Guide and you'll see the screenshot down the bottom.

The problem is that the nationwide cost does NOT specify urban only.

Hi Lucy, yes I know that you can have more than one shipping option to cover both rural and non-rural, but that isn't the problem with the new templates.

I end up with a shipping option with a description of "Nationwide 2-3 days, Standard" as my first option. Many buyers are, quite understandably, interpreting that to mean shipping to any address - rural or non-rural.

The description needs to say something like "Nationwide non-rural 2-3 days, Standard".

When trying the new templates, I got a significant increase in buyers picking the first option for delivery to a rural address, even though the second option says "Nationwide 4-7 days, Rural Standard".

For me, and for many others, it's just unusable as it stands.

Hi Lucy, where is the "non-rural" or "urban" option? I see only the rural option in the dropdown.

Will have to use the std Shipping options.

The shipping templates don't account for a few other delivery services & there's no way of restricting PO Box or Rural delivery's
There's only ONE courier that does PO box's & that's NZ Post.
There's NO direct Rural courier, it all pass's to the Rural service
No other courier or delivery agent is allowed to deliver to Po Box's

The options of estimated delivery times sounds great for buyers but the reality is that buyers will SEE it as a confirmed time frame & sellers will get shot at for slow delivery services, (even more so with this setup)

Da HECK. ....
To use the shipping templates ...

• It must be a Buy now only listing (i.e. no auctions)
  
  Looks to be a lot of work setting every single auction with shipping options

I have just gone into an old multi quantity listing in my products item to add stock,

and got greeted with the " you''re using an outdated shipping option", after reading through these comments, I am not going to update it,

as for having to disclose the carrier we use, I do not want to do that either, Just had a buyer demanding not to use Aramex,

because some one else told her to tell it to seller??, yet was not even stated on my auction that I use them,

this will turn people away from your auctions straight away as so much negative comments about Aramex plastered on message boards etc, yet I have no issues, I use a mix of Aramex & NZ Post (courier post), & my shipping costs set average in between, so if address is rural with Aramex, I will ship with NZ post where it maybe standard Urban & the extra cost is absorbed by me,

Yes if there are issues booking with one, then I just use the other, I have set my self up for flexibility, But if you have to state on auctions which carrier you use, but have to use an alternative for that address, I as a seller would be breaking the contract?, then buyer would complain as not sent by carrier they agreed on,

I never got the E-Mail either, I have been back through and checked,

but after reading here, I am sticking with my old set up shipping templates, delivery time is out of our hands, once it is shipped,

I will not be held hostage, if delivery takes a day or 2 longer than stated,

Sorry Trade Me, but some changes or not well thought out, I want flexibility as to what carrier I use & not have stipulate only one,

so I always have a back up carrier to use, without breaking a contract between buyer and seller,

This shipping being an estimate bothers me. It seems to contradict T & C's where it states the listing must be accurate, keep it honest.....so the instant you buy you have a contract where you are obliged to go ahead and complete the trade. Then the shipping cost goes up? So you instantly have to have complications with the seller, or the buyer, as the case may be, after purchase. And we all want that don't we.

How can the listing be accurate when the shipping can be ramped up after purchase? T & C's also say the buyer pays the purchase price and any 'agreed' shipping. Is agreed shipping the price shown in the auction you won in good faith as being accurate and honest? Seems messy. 

flossy63   I hear you, I'm the same.  I use mostly one company but occasionally another one.  BUT if you look at the people who have made these changes already it actually doesn't say which company they use on their listings.  Unless TM are still yet to add the part on which wouldn't surprise me.

flossy63, yep, don't click that "Update to new template" link if you have no urgent need to switch, don't be a free tester (aka guinea pig), that'll save you a lot of headaches...haha

Thanks Arthur, yes I read enough comments with alarm bells ringing saying back away,....!!!!

My multi quantity templates have shipping laid out for number of pieces they buy, why does Trade Me want to confuse us, what works for one, may not work for another, my personalized template has worked fine for years, why try and fix what is not broken?, I can see more and more just going to be arranged in the future on auctions if it gets rolled out across the board,

This is one of the auctions I use Multi Quantity, I do not want to change that shipping Template,

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/toys-models/lego-building-toys/duplo/listing/3430029510?bof=WOhKP2JO

It has got individual shipping cost for number of pieces, so buyers can select what applies to them,

Oh my oh my, I see trade me has this under my combined shipping

Shipping more than one item  No extra Charge, that is wrong !!,

when I have "Combining with other item, Seller to confirm cost" in line above,

flossy63, that's definitely not something the new templates could handle. You can put a bunch of shipping options in your listing, but there's no way to tell a buyer what each option is for.

It's really easy for the data scientists at Trade Me to run a data analysis to see how sellers are currently setting up their templates, but doesn't look like they have tried looking before making those changes...haha

In its current state, it really is quite unworkable and is already causing headaches. The worst thing is there's no going back...

Also switched to the new templates and am also now dealing with rural buyers (understandably) picking 'nationwide' instead of 'nationwide - rural'. Guess I should have checked the forums before switching :) 

The advice from Trade Me was to email them asking for the extra shipping - that'll go down like a cup of cold sick.

Right, a possible solution at least in the short term & forget about the templates
Once you have created your listing & used the custom shipping options, Duplicate the auction & re-edit the details
Not tried it yet to see if the custom shipping options will carry through without a duplication process

David  I hear you, it is turning into a massive headache, They should have just left it alone, some of us do not use apps, we do not like apps, so just stuck to the old usable Desktop, even on our devices,

now they made it look like apps, Why oh why?, It was one massive backward step, I hate the new format, fonts big line spacing, things hidden so have to open up pop up boxes etc, so much more unnecessary clicking,

Lol - yes, I foolishly assumed that the new standardized shipping templates would be TradeMe finally putting a stop to rural buyers picking urban shipping by only displaying options valid for their chosen delivery address. I didn't realise (but probably should have guessed) they were actually just making things unnecessarily complex and confusing for everybody.

Yvonne  that is wrong info from Trade Me,

The general consensus is, the buyer as agreed to shipping on auction when they bid forming a contract,

therefore if a seller goes back asking for more shipping they are breaking the contract, so the seller should not be going back asking for more shipping, where have Trade Me got their heads? buried in the sand?, they need to wake up and wise up,

But will TM listen to the useful comments above?  As Flossy63 has said... we are all different and operate our businesses differently.  What works for one does NOT work for another.  Please listen TM.

Flossy I agree with you.

I also enter a contract with Trade Me in listing with them - to accurately portray the information that I give them - by not including 'urban only' they are omitting important information that I am happy to provide. They are receiving fees for this service and I am not receiving the service I should be able to reasonably expect. 

If I sell a book for $5.00, how can I reasonably be expected to pay a further $4.50 for rural postage out of my own pocket, that doesn't make any financial sense at all. 

Been with Trade Me for 23 years and I am very disillusioned with the way they are heading.