eBay and Calendars

Yes, this is a post about selling calendars, but there's also a point in here somewhere about customer service.

We've got a few boxes of 2006 JamBase Wall Calendars left here at the office. If you haven't bought one (or three - think gifts!) yet, be our guest: http://goods.jambase.com

I had the shower thought this morning that maybe we should try to diversify where the items are available, so I figured I'd experiment and put them up on eBay at a slightly reduced starting price to see if people were interested.

I went through the entire eBay Sellers process, signed up, got verified (extra $), put the item in, fiddled with the description and photos and made it live.

I then got prompted to associate the item with other "like" items, and in doing that accidentally entered the item again. Since it costs money to list an item (eBay needs to make money too), I think this triggered another charge in my account.

I tried to figure out how to cancel this but couldn't, so I went to "Help" and opened a live chat session with an eBay Customer Service agent who helped me.

Below is the log of the chat - pretty amazing that I was able to have this over the internet with someone live without having to call, but equally amazing at the steps and loops I had to jump through to deal with this. I'm wondering if there isn't more automation that can be put into place here for these people to deal with this as well as more clarification from them on how to work within the system, which appears to be engineered from the group up.

Maybe because I'm an engineer I know how easy it should be to go into the database and deal with stuff like this...but then again, this was supposed to be a post about selling calendars:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4836061393

By the way, all the profits go to Charity!


While waiting for your chat to begin, you can start typing in your question. To help us address your questions as quickly as possible, please include your email address, eBay User ID and any other pertinent information such as item numbers, error messages, etc. (if available). We may also require your name, address and phone number for verification purposes.

Your entries will become visible to the agent once they have joined the chat. Thank you for your patience.

andygadiel: hi, i accidentally re-submitted a second duplicate item and need to change it
andygadiel: remove it, actually
Your chat session has started..
andygadiel: hello
Michelle M.: Hello and welcome to eBay Live Chat. My name is Michelle. Just to let you know, there should be a short survey at the end of this chat to provide you with an opportunity for your important member feedback.
Michelle M.: I'll be happy to help you with this.
andygadiel: okay
andygadiel: thanks
Michelle M.: May I have the item number please?
andygadiel: 4836063892
andygadiel: it is an exact duplicate of: 4836061393 - which i want to keep
andygadiel: i got confused in the "similar items" set-up section, sorry
Michelle M.: Thank you. One moment please while I look into this for you
andygadiel: it would be great if i wasn't charged for submitting the second item, too :)
Michelle M.: What I suggest you do is end your listing early.
andygadiel: am i still going to be charged the $4+ for the second submission?
Michelle M.: I will give you a link to contact Billing Department.
andygadiel: you can't help me resolve that here?
Michelle M.: I will transfer you to a Billing representative to best assist you with this matter.
Michelle M.: Please hold, I'll transfer you now.
andygadiel: okay, thanks
Please wait while you are transferred to another agent.
Johnathan J.: Hi, welcome to eBay Live Chat! My name is Jonathan and I invite you to please share your feedback with me about our chat today by filling out a brief survey when we are finished. How may I help you today. Please hold while I'll read the previous communication you have had with my colleague.
andygadiel: ok
andygadiel: i just revised the item in question to end in 1 day, and it appears the charges were reversed?
Johnathan J.: For the duplicate listing, if you can please end this immediately, I will be able to help credit the fees to you.
andygadiel: how do i end it immediately?
andygadiel: (sorry, it's not obvious)
Johnathan J.: No worries. To end your listing, please click on site map at the top of the eBay page. Next, scroll down the center column and click on 'end my listing'. Then follow the directions provided on the site.
Johnathan J.: Also, when you have a chance, can I please have your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes only.

andygadiel: ok, the listing has ended
andygadiel: i'm logged in, my name is my username - do you really need my address anad phone number?
andygadiel: oh, i guess for billing - sorry, not trying to be a pain: **********
Johnathan J.: Andy, thank you for helping me in verifying your account.
Johnathan J.: I'll go ahead and credit the listing fees to you.
andygadiel: thank you
andygadiel: feel free to buy a calendar too if you're interested ;)
Johnathan J.: You're welcome. Andy, I'll take a look at your calendar listings. :)
Johnathan J.: Andy, do you have any other questions that I may be able to help you with?
andygadiel: i think i'm good to go - the item wasn't appearing in a search right away, but i think it's there now
Johnathan J.: Excellent. Andy, it's been a pleasure chatting with you. Thanks for your time. Have a great day!
andygadiel: Thanks Jonathan!
Johnathan J.: You're welcome again. Take care.