Problems with combined shipping and tracking upload

[dehcraft77nr]

I would like to hear comments on my ungoing problem regarding a combined shipping debacle. The customer bid on two items originally listed as First Class mail and 2 items originally listed as Priority Mail. I sent her a combined shipping invoice with the economy shipping option (Fedex Smart Post) or the Priority Mail option (flat rate box). The postage difference was over $6.00. She paid for the economy shipping and the order was mailed within the upload time frame. However, I received two late shipper defects for the Priority Mail items and no defects for the First Class mail items in the box. So apparently half the box arrived on time and the other half was late. When I contacted e-bay I got the usual runaround, that's the policy, etc. Today I spoke to a supervisor and she said that unless I have proof that the customer e-mailed me and told me specifically that she wanted the Fedex option, the defects can't be removed. I offer combined shipping all the time and I never had anyone contact me about their options. They simply pay for the option they want and I send it. My argument is that if she paid for the Fedex service, it is implied consent for me to use it. I also have a copy of the invoice I sent clearly showing the 4 items with the two options offered. They say that that is not proof. However, if she paid the correct amount off the combined invoice, what more proof do they need? Any ideas?

[mr_lincoln]

@a_c_green  Actually, we HAD the @ symbol thing a while ago and then it stopped working ... but about two weeks ago it started back up agian (at least for me).

[tripp_the_lab]

It sounds like the buyer answered the on time delivery question "no". 

[fern*wood]

Did you get an acceptance scan within your handling time?  If so, I don't see this how this should be a deemed a late shipment.  Even when I have a package arrive later than the estimated delivery date, I am okay due to having the acceptance scan.

[d-k_treasures]

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@fern*wood wrote:

Did you get an acceptance scan within your handling time?  If so, I don't see this how this should be a deemed a late shipment.  Even when I have a package arrive later than the estimated delivery date, I am okay due to having the acceptance scan.

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That's the way it's SUPPOSED to work.

[fern*wood]

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@d-k_treasures wrote:

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@fern*wood wrote:

Did you get an acceptance scan within your handling time?  If so, I don't see this how this should be a deemed a late shipment.  Even when I have a package arrive later than the estimated delivery date, I am okay due to having the acceptance scan.

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That's the way it's SUPPOSED to work.

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Yeah, I know.

I saw where they claimed the tracking was uploaded ontime, which meets the one criteria, but I didn't see where they obtained an acceptance scan within the handling time.  Just wondered---that might explain why they didn't meet the ontime shipping criteria on the priority ones.

[scga912 · Accepted solution]

@dehcraft77nr

Has the buyer left feedback yet?

There are 3 prongs that can all make it "on-time"

1) Actual Acceptance Scan within your stated handling time.

2) Delivery Scan within the estimate delivery date timeframe.

3) Buyer selects to leave feedback and answers the question for on time (regardless of what the scans were or were not)

There still may be a shot if they haven't left feedback yet. 

The on-time metric has to be 97% to maintain TRS status.  It's a 12 month eval.  You can't fall Below Standard regardless of how low it goes, but you can lose TRS.  They can limit what shipping/handling time you can list.

Even if you stopped selling for 6 months, you'd likely still be fine.  Think about it - 3 out of every 100 won't hurt you.  How many transactions have you had in the past calendar year? 

[d-k_treasures]

The estimated delivery time should be taken from the order details(which the shipping type should be taken from the paid invoice), NOT the original listing shipping type.

If ebay isn't doing that, then they are doing it to us again.

[dehcraft77nr]

Thanks so much to everyone for your input, I really appreciate it. d-k_treasures, thank you for hitting the nail on the head. That was my exact argument, that the Priority Mail timeline should not be considered if the items were sent and verified Fedex, and delivered within the stated handling time for Fedex. I had an invoice, all was verified, and still the e-bay "team member" said I have no proof that is what the customer wanted even though she paid for Fedex. There is no record that she said the order was late. In fact, I have 4 positive feedbacks from her on these items and all are the same and include the statement "fast shipping". I know this seems trivial for 2 "defects" (I hate that word, by the way), but now I am arguing on principle. What more proof do they need?

[fern*wood]

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@dehcraft77nr wrote:

Thanks so much to everyone for your input, I really appreciate it. d-k_treasures, thank you for hitting the nail on the head. That was my exact argument, that the Priority Mail timeline should not be considered if the items were sent and verified Fedex, and delivered within the stated handling time for Fedex. I had an invoice, all was verified, and still the e-bay "team member" said I have no proof that is what the customer wanted even though she paid for Fedex. There is no record that she said the order was late. In fact, I have 4 positive feedbacks from her on these items and all are the same and include the statement "fast shipping". I know this seems trivial for 2 "defects" (I hate that word, by the way), but now I am arguing on principle. What more proof do they need?

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Technically these aren't defects.  There are two ways to get a defect and late delivery isn't one of them.

Did you look to see if an acceptance scan within your handling time was recorded for this package?

[ymeagainlord]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@a_c_green If the Buyer uses Cart or Checkout and the sold items get grouped under one order doesn't the tracking get uploaded to ALL the items on the order?  That's how mine works.  As for shipping cost, I have had to adjust shipping from say 1st clas to Pirority it a multiple item order exceeds the 1st class weight cap.  I adjust the shipping cost on an invoice back to the customer or refund if they have already paid.

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That's the way it used to work, but lately it's only been adding the tracking to one of the items.

[dehcraft77nr]

Yes, the acceptance scan was uploaded and everything in the stated delivery time was perfect if you are mailing a Fedex parcel, which it was, and is what the order details said it was, and it is what the customer paid for. The problem is that e-bay says it was late shipped for a Priority Mail parcel, which it wasn't. That is the gist of the whole matter. 

[mr_lincoln]

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@ymeagainlord wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@a_c_green If the Buyer uses Cart or Checkout and the sold items get grouped under one order doesn't the tracking get uploaded to ALL the items on the order?  That's how mine works.  As for shipping cost, I have had to adjust shipping from say 1st clas to Pirority it a multiple item order exceeds the 1st class weight cap.  I adjust the shipping cost on an invoice back to the customer or refund if they have already paid.

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That's the way it used to work, but lately it's only been adding the tracking to one of the items.

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@ymeagainlord  Mine seem to show all multiple items on one tracking shipment.  I had two multiple orders recently and I will double check but the one I looked at during reading this thread I found that when you click "View order details" it is only available under the main sale button (not sure what to call it) for the multiple purhcase NOT for each individual item.

[fern*wood]

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@dehcraft77nr wrote:

Yes, the acceptance scan was uploaded and everything in the stated delivery time was perfect if you are mailing a Fedex parcel, which it was, and is what the order details said it was, and it is what the customer paid for. The problem is that e-bay says it was late shipped for a Priority Mail parcel, which it wasn't. That is the gist of the whole matter. 

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If you have that acceptance scan by Fedex showing on your tracking time stamped within your handling time, then I would call with that proof.  I'm not talking about uploading the tracking number, which has to be done for the upload tracking metric, but that won't help in itself for the late shipment rate metric.

The method used, nor the delivery estimate, should matter if that scan was recorded properly. So whether you used priority, fedex, or passenger pigeon, it shouldn't matter as long as it was within your handling time.  The metric is late shipment rate---not late delivery rate.  

[fern*wood]

I copied the following from policy concerning late shipment rate.

"The late shipment rate is the percentage of your transactions that weren’t shipped on time. We’ll track how often your items were either shipped within the stated handling time or delivered after the estimated delivery date.

If the shipment receives a carrier scan within your handling time, it will count as being shipped on time. We won’t check whether the carrier delivered the shipment after the estimated delivery date.

If the shipment doesn’t receive a carrier scan within your handling time and the shipment was late according to the tracking details, it will count as a late shipment."

[mr_lincoln]

@ymeagainlord  Here's a better illustration of what the multi-item "View order Details" tracking should look like, 2 examples below from recent transactions, sanitized to protect the innocent.