New Shipping Templates

Thanks Gary and I did not know that each Area/Island did see a different pricing structure. After 15 years of selling on TM I was never aware of that :-)  But is that only if you use the actual courier pickup option that TM have been offering for ages. I have never used that as I have a good service via online booking through NZ Post website and don't use any other couriers.

Kate, I know there will be grumpy buyers, that's why I said in an earlier message that I won't want to "promise" a delivery timeframe. Now that we have the FAQ in black and white from Lucy (aka Trade Me), I can direct all grumpy buyers to the FAQ. I've also included a disclaimer in all my listings asking buyers to ignore any delivery "estimates" shown in my listings. Lastly, I'll just get Trade Me to remove red faces....haha

Looking at the problems everyone is talking about on here, I've decided to hold back switching until a few days before 31st Mar (to qualify for that lucky draw), hopefully some issues get fixed before that. It doesn't look like using the new template is going to do me any good now. I also can't work out how to work around the limitations.

Hi Robyn. That pricing based on location is only brand new and only for these new templates. It's never been shown before.

What's shown is only based on what you put in the new template and has nothing at all to do with what courier you use or if you use Book a Courier. It's entirely based on what you put in the new template. I don't specify what courier I use, but use the Generic option as there are a dozen variables that I take in to consideration, that I don't know until the actual order has been placed, before I decide what courier to use. Day of week, time of day, buyers address, size of parcel, rural or not, value of order, ease of packing, buyer requirements, combining options, weight, my schedule, etc. My brain does this in a couple of seconds, but the calculation flowchart needed would take me a day to draw.

Thanks Gary that's very informative. I haven't looked into all the variables as I don't need to use them. I have one sized pack and I just need customers to choose Courier, Parcel Post or Rural and I only use one firm so it's easy for me, but if they do bring in the Envelope option on the template then the annoying thing is, that will show as the cheapest shipping but the longest 3-5 days delivery and that's going to make some customers go away from my listings as they want 1-2 day courier . That's by beef with the shipping displays on listing details. Will go through the help section and add this query to the techs I guess to have a look at.

Thanks again.

Robyn, not sure if the new shipping template is working as WE thought how it should be working. I did a quick search and found listings from a particular seller are all showing up as "Expected delivery in 9-16 business days". But in the listings, the "promised" delivery time frame is 2-3 weeks (shipped from AU) for one and 2-5 business days for another, both from the same seller. So yes, it works both way, can be an advantage or disadvantage to the seller. But I still don't see how these information is going to benefit a buyer, since in this case, the "estimates" are no where near what a seller actually promises, it's just what a seller puts in the template.

Hi Arthur, yes it's all a bit of a mess isn't it. When I scroll through others listings I see a lot of sellers are not onto it with the changes made and there auctions are showing postage options that I'm sure they won't want to have to honor. Some have a actual 0.00 shipping charge not connected to the combined option and no free shipping on offer. Good time to go shopping and get Free Shipping, if it's on the auction details would the seller have to honor it ?  others are a $2.00 charge for large items which I'm sure is only supposed to be for small items which previously had text explaining this.

I'm all for change but this is going to upset sellers and buyer until it all gets fixed. I know I've already spent days altering my auctions, will trade me pay me for the hours spent fixing incorrect data they have implemented.

In that swimming pool one, the estimate of 9-16 business days, is pretty close to 2-3 weeks, so seems consistent to me.

They have probably selected the same template in error for the other one rather than create different free shipping templates. We'll probably see a lot more of this until people get used to how to set up the new templates correctly.

Why don't they just make it easy?

I'm laughing here Yvonne .... make it easy?  Trade Me?  when have they ever made it easy?  I gave them a list of over 20 things missing from the new sold page 15 months ago... they have added in maybe 2-3 of them since Oct 2020.

Months of testing these new shipping templates and they don't even use the word urban only nationwide.  Nationwide to me means the whole country... everyone!  NOT urban only.

Well, way back when I first joined Trade Me - it was easy. I learned to do it and had few computer skills, just enough to get by. I was reading Gary's instructions the other day in relation to shipping costs and it may as well have been in Chinese. All I want to do is to be able to list the courier/postage costs on my auctions - not complete a bloody degree!

123kitchens "nationwide" is a dangerous shipping option to use, some people probably don't know until they are caught out by the shipping cost to certain areas of the country...haha

Yvonne  Yes you are right, it was easy before they decided to change the layout 2-3 years ago then it got messy and complicated.  I guess the last new owners have a different (read other words that I can't use in here) way of doing things that don't include being user-friendly.

Arthur  I dislike the word nationwide as seldom does it really mean nationwide.  I only have one shipping cost. It includes urban, rural and PO Boxes... ie everyone.  BUT it would appear that if I was to use nationwide under these new templates then rural people won't see my listings.  At least that's what I'm gathering from comments in this thread.

here goes the first of the Nationwide interpretations. Just had a sale from a Rural customer. Would normally be able to read my Rural Text postage charge easy. Read the Nationwide Express charge and picked that, did not look further on for Nationwide Rural. 

I'm going to go through and bulk edit all of my listings back to my own template with Text instructions until TM get things working better.

I have no intention of emailing all customers and correcting there postage choices, not good business.

Robyn, Have you managed to go back to your own template - I don't seem to be able to?

Yes, you have to select the option in MP "Specify Shipping Cost". The only downside is you have to wait for your auctions to end then relist to have it auto updated. I'm actually opening up each auction (almost 500) then saving them to have the update happen right away. 

Robyn  You shouldn't need to open up all auctions to update them in MP.  Use the bulk editor, select all and then scroll to the bottom of the bulk editor menu, choose listing footer, add a full stop somewhere (any minor change will do) then click on update all current listings.

ETA: it will update all listings that are actually listed and all not listed as well.

Robyn - Thank you so much for that. :)

Thanks 123 kitchens. will the adding a . or something extra help make the changes right away ? I've done the bulk update but the postage changes only update once the auction relists not immediately. 

Robyn  The only ones it won't update is the MQLs that have had a sale on them since the last relist, but manually wouldn't have updated them either.

Cool thanks for that tip. makes it much easier.

We have had no notification of any of these changes, and are more than unhappy with the lack of communication from the platform owners.

In fact several of our customers enquired as to how we would be dealing with the changes, and what did we think of them( changes)

We would like to see this "template" it seems to be a fait accompli?

How do we see it?

Perhaps a senior person may care to drop us a note, sooner rather than later would be good.

Come on TradeMe, up your game.

Confused of Christchurch

Stefanie, IMHO, the only option for those who have not switched and after reading the posts in this thread, decided to not switch now, is to NOT click that "Update to new template" link in My products (this is IRREVERSIBLE). Try to hold off for as long as you can, but don't expect this feature to get fixed before Trade Me forced all of us to switch to the new templates. In the meantime, start thinking about ways to work with the new templates, so we don't get caught off guard when they switch everyone over.

Thanks Arthur for the advice. We are small sellers (and now with all the transitioning from analog to digital, very infrequent buyers). I think after reading the confusion that other sellers are experiencing we will step back just a little, and perhaps do a website on our own, or consider shopify, we have been cosidering this for some time.

It would now appear to be more user friendly to us and the costs are significantly less on a per anum basis than the existing overall fee structure, moreso since the commision hikes a few weeks back.

We seldom have any issues with NZ Post or courier dispatching our goods other than:

a) Rarely, not often buyers fail to make the required postage or courier contribution. and we have to email to get this to complete the transaction. Having to make a payment to complete the sale, moreso from the basket will help us.

b) NZ Post seem to have a disproportionately high loss rate, a significant percent of our sales utilise the postal system and our loss rate is consistant at no less than 3% to no more than 5% per week. All our envelopes carry a return address, rarely do we get a return well less than 0.00001% for the past 12 months, and the customers tell us the goods are not received, or are slow to arrive. Where do they all go?  They, the buyers love issuing red or blue faces because of this too, it seems to be a NZ thing........

No amount of tampering with algorithyms will ever fix or reduce the human error element in what we as sellers do, because we are all exposed to a third party to complete the transaction by delivering the goods.

Just my two cents worth, going off topic here, sorry readers.

Stefanie  My advice based on your post above... don't offer standard post.  Courier is as cheaper if not cheaper these days and so much easier and faster to deliver and recoup losses from if needed.  I have only had 1 parcel not make it to it's destination in the last 18 months and I was very easily paid out for the loss.

Also don't offer bank deposit, it's not needed as ping covers internet banking, debit and credit cards.  It makes selling sooo much easier and faster.  No waiting for deposits to show and having to follow up when they don't.  What other website can you buy from without paying for it at the same time?!

PS Shopify is great and very easy to use.

Thanks for the feedback 123kitchens. Standard post is an integral part of what we do, distributing rare and hard to find perennial seed, and mature plants. It is our weak link, but overall the small losses are absorbed by us at the minute.

Like you, in the past twenty years we have ever only claimed for one damaged parcel delivery, and we only accept PING.

We are serious looking at shopify and perhaps may run this in tandem with Trademe. 

Having been watching it (shopify) for sometime it appears to be more professional in presentation, not so messy visually, and easier to navigate and manage,  where our current marketing platform TM has lost the user friendliness, whether a buyer or seller. The comments preceding ours above would indicate that customer service from the TradeMe "team" and management has long flown the coop, 

Stefanie, it's good to diversify and try out other platforms and not put all your eggs in one Trade Me basket. There's always a risk but you might also be pleasantly surprised.

I refuse to use these templates. I will only do so when forced to. I will add to my listings "If you need to know how long delivery will take, simply ask me via Q&A" or something like that. I'm in books and I don't think not being boosted will hurt me much. Book buyers will find the book they want to buy and buy it, no matter how deeply buried in the depths of TM's punishment. I'm deeply disappointed by this new change, partly because of the lack of consultation, partly because I don't think the old system was broken. I don't believe that sellers have particularly asked for this information. It also presupposes that buyers are stupid and cannot ask for themselves. I may be wrong but I think the new owners' of this business are just making change for the sake of it. Mind you, they all have since Sam (Sam who?) sold up.

 I haven't noticed a drop in sales, so I think I'll just carry on. Another point - what is the point of having good feedback. Scroll down mine and you will come across more than one stating 'fast delivery'. I'm certain others are the same.

Final point - I use Aramex because they are cheap and I can pass on that saving to my customers ($4.00 for a small Urban parcel leaving me the princely sum of 13c for packaging); and our local franchise (New Plymouth) is far superior than CourierPost (that's just my opinion). The very few problems I have had have been sorted out quickly. However, some see Aramex as an inferior choice and if I am forced to say who I am using I can see a drop in sales then, unless we can quote a price for both of them and let the buyer decide. Someone may like to answer this.

 Righto, I don't think I've broken any community rules this time.

Guy. You certainly can have 2 courier companies. Or even more if you like. I've added a mock-up picture with a price for both Aramex and NZpost. This is actually useful because that way you can have NZPost for those wanting delivery to a POBox that Aramex can't service.  And as you say, some don't like using one provider, so having another option for them can be advantageous. People can be prepared to pay a premium to use the courier of their choice. You can load the price on your less preferred courier if it means more work or hassle for you.

From what I've seen on my brief look... it doesn't tell the buyer which company you use, does it?