The ongoing labor dispute between Canada Post and the Canada Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have come to an end. Canada Post has resumed service on Monday, June 26, 2011.

For more information, visit here. 

We’re proud to announce a new layout of our Rules and Support (formerly “Help”) pages. We’ve reorganized the pages to provide a more streamlined way of getting information. Have a question? Go to Support. Want to know what the rules are, just click “Rules” and everything’s there . Check out these pages and let us know what you think!

We have a lot more in store as we continue improving Listia for everyone. Thanks!

Due to the ongoing labor dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Canada Post announced that operations are suspended until further notice. This impacts both buyers and sellers as mail will not be accepted or delivered to or from Canada. Other courier services, such as UPS or FedEx, can be an alternative solution during this time.

With this unforeseen incident, we ask that our users consider the following options:

CANADIAN SELLERS WITH AUCTIONS ALREADY ENDED:
Please communicate with all of your Winners to inform them of this issue and both parties can agree to:

• Wait for this lockout to resume service (unknown time)
• Use an alternative courier service to ship your items
• Refund the credits to the Winner per Seller’s request. If credits are given back to the Winner, a negative feedback rating cannot be granted to the Seller.

CANADIAN SELLERS WITH CURRENT AUCTIONS THAT ARE ENDING SOON:
If you have current auctions that will be ending soon, we ask that you inform the bidders of this situation and continue with the auction, or you may request to have Listia delete the auction. If you plan to resume your auction(s), please make note of the alternative courier services for shipping. Subsequently, auction deletion can be done through request by submitting at support ticket at www.listia.com/help

CANADIAN SELLERS WHO WANT TO LIST AUCTIONS:
Canadian sellers can continue to list auctions on our site, but please make modifications on your shipping methods (ex: using other courier services like FedEx or UPS)

DOMESTIC OR INTERNATIONAL SELLERS SHIPPING TO CANADIAN WINNERS:
Due to this unforeseen situation, we ask that our U.S. and/or international sellers communicate with your Canadian winners on one of these options:

• Sellers can wait until further notice to ship the item to the Canadian address using the United States Postal Service (USPS)
• Sellers can ship the auction item(s) to the Canadian residence using alternative courier services (ex: UPS or FedEx)
• Sellers can refund credits back to the Winner and then re-list the item. Negative feedback cannot be granted to either parties.

In response to this situation, if credits need to be refunded or auctions need to be deleted, send a support ticket at www.listia.com/help. We appreciate everyones cooperation!

Hi everyone! We’ve heard your feedback on our proposed shipping timeframe change and have decided to cancel the scheduled change.  In its place, we have created a survey that will let everyone voice their opinions on both buyer and seller timeframes.  Check out the survey by clicking the link:

Listia Shipping Times Survey

Please take a moment to complete the survey (should only take a minute) to let us know how you feel.  We’ll come out with a formal rule after we go through everyone’s responses.

Keep in mind that all we want to do is improve the overall experience for everyone involved, so think about how you would want to be treated in both cases (remember, we are all buyers AND sellers).  The most common complaint is that some buyers take too long to send shipping info and some sellers take too long to ship items.  In these cases, its hard to settle disputes… so we need something in place to help everyone give and get in a timely manner.

Thanks for everyone’s feedback thus far! It’s really opened our eyes on certain issues and hopefully this survey will make sure we are doing the best thing for everyone.

THIS POST IS OUT OF DATE – THE SCHEDULED CHANGE HAS BEEN CANCELLED – FOLLOW UPDATES HERE

Beginning Monday, June 20, 2011, we will be setting a deadline for a Seller’s shipping time frame. Items must be shipped within 3 business days from when the Seller receives the Winner’s shipping address and applicable payment information. Failure to do so may result in a refund to the winner if a dispute is filed after 3 business days, and the item has not been shipped.

Once you receive the Winner’s shipping and any applicable payment information, you have 3 business days to send your item. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

MONDAY: Item must be shipped by THURSDAY
TUESDAY: Item must be shipped by FRIDAY
WEDNESDAY: Item must be shipped by MONDAY
THURSDAY: Item must be shipped by TUESDAY
FRIDAY: Item must be shipped by WEDNESDAY
SATURDAY: Item must be shipped by WEDNESDAY
SUNDAY: Item must be shipped by WEDNESDAY

This rule has been put in place to provide a better time frame for delivery. As always, we encourage sellers to provide delivery confirmation on all items listed in an event that the auction is disputed or if the item is still en route to its destination.

As a reminder, the Seller is fully responsible for securely packaging and shipping the item to ensure against damage or loss from normal shipping practices. 

To help Sellers and Buyers understand this new rule, please read the Q&A information below:

Q: I offer free shipping, but only send out once a month. What are my options?
A: First off, thank you for offering free shipping on your listings! In cooperation with this new rule, we ask that Sellers list their auctions closer to when they are able to send out the item. For example, if you get paid once a month at the beginning of each month (ex: July 1st), and want to list a 7-day auction, then the earliest we’d suggest you begin your listing is June 24th. Planning when to list your auction will help eliminate situations like these.

Q: What about those who charge for shipping? How can I protect myself when we don’t hear back from the winner?
A: Sellers still have the option to charge shipping, however, once you receive the Winner’s shipping address and payment information (if applicable), then you must send the item within 3 business days.

Q: What if I don’t hear back from the winner?
A: You are not responsible for shipping an item until you receive shipping information from the Seller.  After 10 days from the close of an auction, if the winner has not responded or taken any action, then the seller can keep all the credits and you may re-list the item if you wish.

Q: Does the 3 business days deadline mean that I have to guarantee that the item will arrive within 3 business days?
A: No. The 3 business days applies from when the Seller receives the Winner’s shipping address and shipping payment (if applicable). Once that information is gathered, the Seller has to send the item within 3 business days. Depending where the item will be sent (whether domestically or internationally), it may take more than 3 days to arrive.

Q: Are Holidays considered in the 3 business day time frame?
A: No, if a Holiday lands on a weekday, then you get an extra day to ship your item (assuming you’ve received the Winner’s shipping address and applicable shipping information). For example, if you receive shipping info on a Friday and Monday is a Holiday, you have until Thursday to ship out the item.

We hope this information was helpful. We have a lot more in store as we continue improving Listia for everyone. Thanks!

photo credit via DafneCholet

We’ve all listed items on Listia either currently or in the past, and we’re always pleasantly surprised when an item goes for more credits than we think it will go for. Is there a secret formula to getting more credits on your listing? We’re dedicating this blog post to sharing tips on “how to earn more credits on your listings”. Here are the three basic concepts you should always keep in mind:

List: To ensure you get the most out of your listing, the first step is simple and straight forward, but also very important: Creating a great listing. When listing your item, you’ll want to make sure you have a clear and direct title, detailed description, and clear photos.

• A clear and direct title will help potential bidders find you through search or browse. Although it may look appealing, consider avoiding the use of symbols in your title (!@#$%^&*()=+[]{}). It’s hard to search when there are a lot of symbols in your title. (ex: “NEW” vs. “**^NeW!**”)
• The description is the meat of your listing. What is the condition of the item? What’s the dimension or size? What kind of shipping do you provide? Providing as much detail as possible will help potential bidders understand what you’re listing so they can better decide if they want it.  A good rule of thumb is to put as much information as you’d like to see if you were bidding on your own item, but at the same time keep it brief and concise.
• A picture is worth a thousand words and the same thing applies to your listings. A good picture can show off your item and attract more bidders. If you upload a blurry or out of focus picture, it won’t convey the item properly and may distract bidders. Experiment with your camera’s features (e.g. flash on/off, macro functions), make sure you’re not taking the photo in a dark or dim area, make sure your item is ready, and place your item  to see what provides the best results for you. 

Share: Exposing your listings will generate interest among other Listians and attract more bids! Connect your account to your Facebook and/or Twitter! It will expose your auctions to people outside of Listia and bring in a new group of bidders you may not have otherwise encountered.  You can also use the Bold and Premium listing features for even greater exposure.

Be Active:  We reward users regularly for being active members of the community! You will randomly receive bonus credits when you least expect it for doing activities such as listing, bidding, commenting, leaving feedback, and checking in.  However, you don’t receive credits every time, and there is a limit on how many you can get in one day.  The more you do an activity though, the more chances you have of gaining those bonus credits.  Remember, we do check for abuse of these features, so leaving comments randomly everywhere isn’t going to work.

Listing cool stuff, along with these helpful tips, is the fastest way to earn more credits. What other helpful tips or tactics have you used? What categories do you think are most popular? Leave a comment and share your ideas with others!

photo credit via Dave Dugdale

Happy Friday!  We’ve been working on a new dedicated feedback page and are finally ready to roll it out.  Starting today, you can click on any user’s feedback rating to view details broken down by how recent they are and separated by whether they received them as a buyer or seller.  To check it out, just click on the numbers next to a user’s profile pic.

The page has a chart at the top so you can see how much of the feedback was received in the past 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, or all time.  This is a great way to see if a user has been improving or getting worse.  Below that, we also made it easier to browse the actual feedback that has been left by the other party.  

We hope everyone enjoys the new page… and remember, we have lots more in store as we continue improving Listia for everyone.  Thanks!

June is a special month with lots to celebrate. There’s graduation for all the kids finishing school (both young and old), it’s the beginning of the summer season and there’s that one Sunday of the month that celebrates Dads… Yes, Father’s Day.

Father’s Day is next Sunday, June 19th, and with that date just around the corner, I realize I haven’t given much thought about what I’m doing or getting my Dad. Luckily, he’s pretty easy to shop for and I know I can always rely on ties, dress shirts, slacks, or anything golf related (like this auction here).

This year I want to do something different, but I’m having a hard time thinking of something creative. What plans do yo have for this upcoming Father’s Day? Whether you’re planning to buy something, make something, or take your Dad somewhere, share with us your current ideas and plans, or something you’ve gotten your Dad in the past. Maybe you can give me some good ideas for this year! 🙂

Father’s Day: T-minus 12 days and counting

From,

ListiaRosie

photo credit trevorhpittman

Last week, we announced the new Shipping Address feature which is in effect today allowing users to store and save their shipping address(es) on their management page here: http://www.listia.com/account/addresses

This new feature was a hot discussion topic and got a lot of feedback and comments. Since this is new to everyone, we’d like to address some frequently asked questions. Below are the top 5 FAQ’s about shipping addresses:

1. My address is not correct! Why is that? What should I do and how do I make sure it’s saved correctly?

Right now we’re using Google Maps to help us clean up the addresses. So far we’ve seen a few instances where we aren’t able to detect our users’ address(es). If this happens to you, make sure you enter your correct shipping address in Step One to verify, then click on the “Need Help? Tips and advanced options” link in Step Two for more options (like PO Boxes etc). Once an address is saved, if it is still not correct (e.g., wrong zip code, city, etc), send us a support ticket at www.listia.com/help and we’ll be able to fix this for you quickly.

2. Can I save more than one address?

Yes. This feature allows users to store (add and/or remove) individual or multiple addresses.

3. Can I still communicate with the buyer/seller once the auction has ended?

Yes. This feature does not eliminate communication between the buyer and seller. It only provides a feature to pre-select a saved address, eliminating typos and saving time!

4. When I “add a field” under the “Tips and advanced options” link, it shows up in front of the street address? Why? (e.g., Apartment 123, 100 Main Street, City, State, ZIP)

When you “Add a Field” such as a P.O. Box or an apartment/lot/trailer, that field will be displayed in front of the street address because it’s a custom field. The formatting may look foreign to some people, but the US Postal Service is still able to ship items using this address format.

5. Is this feature optional? If not, why?

No. It is MANDATORY for all users (international and domestic) starting June 1, 2011. Users must save their address(es) in the new Shipping Address feature here: www.listia.com/account/addresses. The saved shipping address field will become the only means through which a buyer should share his or her address with the seller. In the event of a dispute, if we discover that a buyer or seller has not used the proper method for sharing shipping information, it is unlikely that the dispute will be resolved in their favor.

Saved shipping addresses were designed to achieve a few things: 1) Saving buyers time by storing addresses they reuse over and over, 2) Checking these addresses for spelling mistakes and other errors, and 3) Providing sellers with the comfort in knowing that buyer provided addresses have been approved by Listia.

We built this feature with only our users’ best interests in mind, and we hope this was helpful information and results in a more positive Listia experience for everyone!

photo via dcjohn