Our support team has provided answers to some of the most frequently asked questions below. If you are having a problem, you can navigate to solutions on a specific topic below or search all the solutions. To search all the solutions use the Search box in the upper right of the page

ChannelAdvisor Complete » Marketplaces » eBay & Auctions »

eBay & Auctions Questions

I allow buyers to pay using specific options. How do I support that with eBay?

eBay has limited the payment options that are considered acceptable for buyers in the eBay Checkout.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/accepted-payment-methods.html

Payment methods other than those specified are not permitted. If you would like to use one of those options allowed by eBay that is not currently supported by ChannelAdvisor, please let us know and we can look at adding support for that additional payment method.

PLEASE NOTE: Using payment methods that are not supported by ChannelAdvisor could result in incomplete payment information imported into your order. All payment methods available on the posting template are fully supported. Payment methods not listed on the posting template should not be manually added to open listings as the buyer information may not be processed accurately.

Will there be any Checkout Report changes with eBay Checkout?

Orders are designed to look exactly the same. Shipping is controlled by the shipping mapping settings configuration, so if you have it mapped appropriately the orders should look exactly the same as they do in CA checkout.

When using eBay Checkout, why are orders showing "Custom-Custom"?

Any eBay orders that have "Custom-Custom" in CA (via "View Details-Shipped Status and Shipping Carrier") are not mapped correctly. The easiest way to resolve this issue is to review invoices that have "Custom-Custom" in CA and then check to see what carrier was selected by the buyer in Seller's Account. You will then need to map that shipping carrier found within CA via eBay Shipping Mappings page.

How do I charge extra shipping for areas such as Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico?

In order to charge more to the outer areas for eBay you will need to implement the eBay shipping surcharge table.
This is configured within your eBay account and then you need to select the option to use the surcharge table within your posting templates in CA.
You can find more detailed instructions on this process here:
http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/implementing-shipping-rate-table-ebay-listings

As for Amazon, the shipping is set up within your Amazon account also, but there is no need to alter anything within ChannelAdvisor.
Please go to the Settings > Shipping Settings in your SellerCentral account and you should see the region break down to charge more for the outer areas.

How do I stop the e-mails about "a payment has been received outside of your ChannelAdvisor Checkout"?

The notifications that "a payment was received outside of your ChannelAdvisor Checkout" can be disabled by removing the ChannelAdvisor checkout URL from within PayPal's IPN settings. (Prior to the switch to eBay checkout, it had been configured that way to ensure that buyers did not pay outside of CA checkout.)

When you edit the IPN settings in PayPal, be sure to leave the IPN option enabled, but enter "http://www.paypal.com" for the URL.

If PayPal will not allow you to save the page, you will need to contact them to have them remove or change the IPN URL for you. That should stop the notifications. However, the IPN setting should NOT be disabled.

In case you aren't sure how to find the IPN section in your PayPal account, you can follow the steps here:
(US) http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/how-configure-your-paypal-account#ipn
(UK) http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/how-configure-your-paypal-uk-account#IPN

How do I make the eBay shipping options match the shipping carrier/class options in my ChannelAdvisor account?

Use the new settings tool for eBay Shipping Carrier Mapping to configure the relationships. These will automatically apply to new orders imported after the settings are applied.

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/marketplaces/ebay-settings#eBayShippingMappings

More information on the eBay Checkout can be found on the SSC at the links below:

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/marketplaces/ebay-marketplace/enabling-ebay-checkout

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/marketplaces/ebay-marketplace/using-ebay-checkout

Can you add an item(s) to an existing eBay order (that has been imported processed (ie Payment cleared, etc) via Checkout Direct?

No. Because eBay processes orders and payment through their own checkout, it is not possible for us to alter the eBay orders that we import. Any alterations would cause issues with the integration between the two systems, resulting in errors in your Message Center and the inability to properly update the order at eBay with shipping/tracking information.

How do I combine orders into one invoice in my account?

You can combine your orders manually from your Sales > Orders/Transactions > All Sales view. From that view, select the orders that you wish to combine and click the "Merge Invoices" button located in the toolbar at the top of the page. You can then select a target invoice you would like all of the invoices to be added to and click the "Save and Exit" button. All of the items from the orders you originally selected will be added to the target invoice you chose.

You will not be able to combine invoices if one or all of them are checkout completed. If the orders you wish to combine are marked as completed checkout, then you must reopen checkout first in order to combine.

Warning: Manually merging invoices is not supported with eBay. eBay sends us the combination rules when they transmit the payment information, and the invoices will be combined at that time, based on whether the buyer pays for their items in a single transaction. Any unpaid invoices that are manually combined in ChannelAdvisor's All Sales view will enter a state where they can no longer be automatically updated with the payment information from eBay.

What payment methods are supported by eBay Checkout?

eBay has a list of the accepted payment methods allowed on eBay.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/accepted-payment-methods.html

Please note that not all of these are supported through ChannelAdvisor at this time.

Currently PayPal is fully supported and integrated merchant credit card (IMCC) is planned for the March 2011 update. Other payment methods may be considered for future updates.

More information on the eBay Checkout can be found on the SSC at the links below:

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/marketplaces/ebay-marketplace/enabling-ebay-checkout

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/marketplaces/ebay-marketplace/using-ebay-checkout

How do I contact PayPal to disable the PayPal Superblock (PFEI Block)?

The PayPal Superblock (PFEI block) should not be used effective 12/6/2010 and should be removed from any account that previously used it.

The PayPal Superblock (PFEI block) is known to prevent a buyer from completing the immediate payment process on eBay. If an item is submitted and the PayPal account has this block enabled, it will prevent all buyers from completing the payment process which means that no buyers can complete the purchase of your item.

If you are using immediate payment or moving over to the eBay Checkout, you need to contact PayPal at payments-block@paypal.com with a subject line of "PFEI Block" and have them remove the PFEI block from your PayPal account.

Can I use BIN on auctions with Immediate Payment?

With the addition of eBay checkout support, we can now properly process the auction purchases that are not BIN immediate payment transactions. The functionality to submit auction listings as BIN with Immediate Payment will be added in the March 2011 update.

More information on Immediate Payment can be found at the following link:

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/using-immediate-payment-option-ebay

More information on the eBay Checkout can be found on the SSC at the links below:

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/marketplaces/ebay-marketplace/enabling-ebay-checkout

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/marketplaces/ebay-marketplace/using-ebay-checkout

How can I setup a discount with eBay that will give free shipping for any additional item on a consolidated order?

To offer free additional item shipping on orders containing items from multiple listings, you'll need to create what eBay calls "Combined Shipping Discounts". This is something that has to be configured directly through your eBay account first.

The steps needed to add this option on eBay UK are:

- Go to My eBay > My Account > Site Preferences > Postage and packaging preferences and click "Show".
- Click "Edit" to the right of "Offer combined payments and postage".
- You must first ensure that "Combined Payments" is enabled.
- Click "Create" under "Flat-rate postage rule".
- Choose "Add an amount for each additional item" from the dropdown.
- Enter 0.00 in the given field for the Each Additional item cost
- Click "Next".
- Click "Save".

The steps needed to add this option on eBay US are:

- Go to My eBay > Account > Site Preferences > Shipping preferences and click "Show".
- Click "Edit" to the right of "Offer combined payments and shipping".
- You must first ensure that "Combined Payments" is enabled.
- Click "Create" under "Flat shipping rule".
- Choose "Add an amount for each additional item" from the dropdown.
- Enter 0.00 in the given field for the Each Additional item cost
- Click "Next".
- Click "Save".

Once the rule is saved, you will see it and there will be a "Shipping Discount Profile ID" next to it. Note this number as you will need to enter it in your posting template.

- In CA, go to Marketplaces > eBay > Posting Templates.
- Open the posting template to which you want to apply the discount.
- Under your Domestic Shipping Configuration, enter your code in the field next to "Domestic Shipping Discount Profile ID".
- Click "Save and Exit" at the bottom of the page.

Please keep in mind that these discounts apply to each level of shipping (economy, expedited, etc.) as well as each shipping carrier. You do, however, have the ability to create a separate one for international shipping, which would be entered in the "International Shipping Discount Profile ID" field.

This is covered in more detail here: http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/using-ebay-shipping-discount-profiles.

Why am I getting the error "eBay responded with the message: Code: 21917100 Short Message: No rate table has been created."?

You are seeing this error because you have the option "Use Domestic Shipping Surcharge Table configured at eBay" ticked on your posting template, yet you do not have a surcharge table configured within your eBay account.

To correct this you will need to configure the rates table as outlined here: http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/shipping-costs.html#tables; or alternatively you can unselect the option on the posting template if you do not want to charge an extra rate (surcharge) for outer areas.

How do I override eBay's shipping calculations with a specific shipping amount for one buyer?

If you have a special case for a single user that needs different shipping rates than the standard calculation methods, you can override the shipping amount for that buyer by manually configuring the shipping rate for that order in your eBay account. This is only available before the buyer has completed the eBay Checkout process. In order to apply a special rate for the transaction:

* Go to the seller's My eBay at ebay.com and find the specific transaction
* Click the "Send Invoice To Buyer" option
* Select the approrpiate shipping option and enter the amount for shipping/postage

The buyer will receive an email from eBay with a link for the eBay Checkout. When they follow that link and go through the checkout process, the special shipping rate will be applied to the transaction. That shipping carrier option and rate will be imported with the order details into your ChannelAdvisor order record.

Why aren't the Bank Transfer or Money Order payment methods showing on my eBay customers' checkouts?

eBay only allows Credit Card and PayPal as payment options. All other payment options you may have enabled including check, money orders, purchase orders, etc are hidden for eBay orders.

Will all eBay orders appear in CA or just paid eBay orders?

All eBay orders, both paid and unpaid, will show in the Sales > Orders/Transactions > All Sales page. Once a buyer wins an auction or commits to buy a fixed price item, an order will be created at eBay and imported into CA. Once the buyer goes through eBay's checkout and pays, payment and shipping information will be updated on the order.

When will payment and shipping information from eBay be added to my order in ChannelAdvisor?

Once a buyer has completed eBay's checkout process, the information they have entered is stored at eBay and is ready for import into your ChannelAdvisor account. We check several times an hour for buyer checkout information and will import the new data as soon as it is detected. Generally you should see all information imported within a hour, often faster.

Can I use Best Offer with Immediate Payment?

With the addition of eBay checkout support, we can now properly process the fixed price best offer purchases that are not immediate payment transactions. The functionality to submit fixed price listings with Best Offer and Immediate Payment will be added in the March 2011 update.

More information on Immediate Payment can be found at the following link:

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/using-immediate-payment-option-ebay

More information on the eBay Checkout can be found on the SSC at the links below:

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/marketplaces/ebay-marketplace/enabling-ebay-checkout

http://ssc.ChannelAdvisor.com/howto/marketplaces/ebay-marketplace/using-ebay-checkout

Can eBay notification emails be excluded/turned off and not affect the notification emails set for Checkout Direct and Website customers?

As of the Julne 29, 2011 release eBay notifications are now configured separately from Basic Webstores and Checkout Direct notifications.

The following notifications will NO LONGER be sent to eBay buyers.

Send an email when buyer completes checkout page
Send an email when auction closes and an invoice is created
Send an email when payment is cleared

Refund and shipping related emails can still be configured for eBay orders on the Marketplaces > eBay > Settings > eBay Settings > Sales Notifications page. We do recommend, however, that you disable all email notifications for eBay orders within ChannelAdvisor and use eBay's automated emails to prevent confusing your buyers will multiple email messages.

Email notifications for Basic Webstore and Checkout Direct orders can be configured on the Sales > Customer Service Console > Email Templates page by creating a new email template or editing a template on that page.

Why was my eBay Shipping Discount Profile not applied when I revised the listings?

Firstly, please make sure the profile ID you supplied matches that which you have configured in your eBay account.
Please see here for direction on where to do this: http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/shipping-discounts.html

Secondly, profiles must be configured for each eBay country where you will be listing items as a seller and the profiles configured in one eBay country cannot be used for listings submitted to another eBay country. For example, profiles configured on eBay US cannot be used for new listings created on eBay UK even when using the same eBay seller ID.

Lastly, revising the shipping requires ALL of the shipping information to be resubmitted when not using the automatic revision process. Individual fields cannot be changed, so if you want to add, change or remove the shipping discount profile you will also need to resubmit the other elements in the Shipping section to revise the open listings.
If you are using the automatic revision process, then all details for the shipping will be resent by the system.

If all of these steps have been adhered to and the Shipping Discount Profile is still not applied, please open a support case for further investigation.

Is the shipping rate configured on my posting template what buyers will be charged?

If you are using eBay Checkout or Immediate Payment, yes, the shipping rate configured on the posting template is what your buyers will be charged.

If you are not using Immediate Payment and you have not transitioned to eBay Checkout, no, your buyers will not be charged the shipping rate configured on your posting template. For CA Checkout, the rate defined on your posting template will only be used for DISPLAY on your eBay listings. Your buyers will be charged the shipping rates that are configured at either the SKU, class, or Global level per the Sales > Shipping > Account Shipping Rates page.

How can I setup automatic positive feedback to be left for my buyers?

Your automatic feedback settings can be found within the Marketplaces > eBay > Settings > Feedback page. Here you can enable positive feedback to be left to your buyers based on the following events:

Item Shipped
Payment Received
Payment Received or Item Shipped
When buyer leaves feedback

Please note:

-Only when the "Enable automatic feedback on" option is enabled with "When buyer leaves feedback", ChannelAdvisor will automatically give positive feedback when positive feedback is given to you by the buyer.

-If "Enable Feedback Rotation" option is enabled or disabled, you should have at least "Message 1" field populated with a positive feedback response.

How can I disable the copies of the feedback notifications I receive?

In the your ChannelAdvisor account, go to the Sales > Email Templates view and then click on the "Setup Automated Email Notification Events" link at the top of the page. At the top of the following page you will want to select the "Buyer Only" option under the "Send Email to..." column on the "When seller leaves feedback" row. Also in the "Feedback Reminder Notifications" section you will want to uncheck the box for the "CC Seller on feedback reminder" option.

What does posting error "Attribute Set Id '2135' does not match category" mean?

The "attribute set ID 2135" message refers to the return policy portion of the posting template. If you receive this message it usually indicates that you are posting to a category that does not support the return policy and you currently have that option selected in your posting template. You will want to assign a posting template without the return policy to the ad and then try posting the item again.

Why am I getting posting error "Checkout Instructions too Long"?

Generally this means that your instructions are over the 500 character limit set by eBay. However, in some cases it may appear that you are under the 500 character limit.

If you do not have 500+ characters entered and you are still getting this error, then what is most likely happening is that when you submit your items, eBay converts your payment instructions from text into HTML. This means that certain characters and spaces will be converted to the HTML equivalent, i.e. a space can become " " and a & will become "&". The trick here is that eBay counts the characters on this field after they convert it to HTML, so in most cases this doesn't make a difference, but in this case the HTML is adding 5 characters which can put you over the limit. To work around this you will simply need to limit this field so that you are under the 500 character limit even after eBay converts your text to HTML.