advertising handling time in TOS | Selling

That's great. It's also the way I operate elsewhere, not on ebay. I'd like to do better but I'm done ripping myself up inside over shortcomings. I do try to at least pack carefully.

I revised my TOS but now I think maybe it's too verbose. But I'll see if it seems to help.

sin-n-dex

·2 years ago

12196 View listings

@keziak wrote:
That's great. It's also the way I operate elsewhere, not on ebay. I'd like to do better but I'm done ripping myself up inside over shortcomings. I do try to at least pack carefully.

I revised my TOS but now I think maybe it's too verbose. But I'll see if it seems to help.

The way I see it, the time I have to process and list new things is the sum of all free time I have, less what I spent on packing and shipping. So when there's lots to pack and ship, that's what I'm doing, no time for new listings.

I find it a bit stressful to keep up on shipping, unless I'm anticipating I'll be doing lots and lots of shipping and just focus on that for the day (like on Sundays when auctions end, I anticipate lots of payments and people wanting their items fast, so I clear my schedule to ship Sunday afternoons).

I do read descriptions and TOS, but if I think it's too wordy then I tend to skim through it which means i might miss something important. But I also use a desktop computer on eBay, always... the phone is only for looking stuff up when I'm not at my desk at home.

C.

yuzuha

·2 years ago

I have a 3-day handling time. I state this very clearly in my listings.

I can't even remember the last time I got a "when are you going to ship?" question.

keziak

OP2 years ago

Thank you for sharing, I took the liberty of checking how you put the information in your TOS. I am going to try something similar.

yuzuha

·2 years ago

Hopefully it will help! I've found that making it clear that I ship twice a week really seems to eliminate the buyers who want something NOW NOW NOW.

sin-n-dex

·2 years ago

12196 View listings

@yuzuha wrote:
Hopefully it will help! I've found that making it clear that I ship twice a week really seems to eliminate the buyers who want something NOW NOW NOW.

I have 10 days handling all the time... it means I don't have to put the store in away mode when I can't ship for a few days. I have a full time job and family commitments. I am not going to keep changing my handling time or messaging buyers with the latest on what I'm doing with regards to shipping a package.

I get when will I ship messages sometimes... but realistically, despite 10 days handling, I ship most items in about 1-2 days. I get lots of "fast shipping" feedback because items arrive a lot sooner than expected.

Perhaps there's the odd person won't buy from me because they see the long handling time... but I'm busy enough (to the point of sometimes not having time to do anything but ship packages in an evening) that I don't worry about the odd buyer who wants it "right away".

I also sell stuff people don't need... and what I'm finding is most buyers of coins and stamps are reasonably patient people. I probably get a message once every 2-3 months from someone who's angry that it hasn't "shipped yet". The last message came 11pm on Sunday night for an item he bought at 4am Sunday morning. I also find it comical the the ones who complain have accepted an offer where I specifically state I only ship 2-3 times per week (realistically I ship 4-5 times a week because of volume... but I prefer to under promise and over deliver).

C.

pennpicker

·2 years ago

899 View listings

Had a guy, long ago, that I was disappointed with concerning packaging and time of delivery. Bought another eight or so paintings from. They later mentioned (after having a rapport) being confined to a wheelchair and had great difficulties shipping--appreciating my patience. Glad I held my tongue concerning their apparent lack of whatever one assumes to be timely service. Would have felt quite the heel.

redlinear

·2 years ago

I usually won't buy something if I think it's going to set there three days after I pay for it.
Part of your job as an online seller is ship asap.
For 99% of what a person sells online, it should be shipped within a day (weekends excluded).

keziak

OP2 years ago

Why is the job of online sales to ship immediately? I'm not trying to argue, just wondering why. Even on Amazon you get 2 business days to ship.

soh.maryl

·2 years ago

110 View listings

Not sure it's a case of online sales have to ship immediately. As I mentioned before, every listing has an estimated delivery date and the seller is more or less expected to ship so that the item arrives to the buyer before, on or just a little after that date.

Also, you will ALWAYS have the "When do you plan to ship?"
messages. Some buyers can order, pay and send that message in 10 minutes' time or less.

golfingaddict

·2 years ago

27172 View listings

You have been a seller for a long time and remember the days where you had to add everything in your description.

Now all of the information can be found in the item specifics and shipping information.

I sometimes change my handling time and I do not want to have to revise each item description. I can edit the handling time all at once. The same for calculated shipping. USPS changes their rates? Boom, that is taken care of.

Maybe it is being lazy or maybe it is remembering days of revising listings because something changed and I had the info in the description area.

redlinear

·2 years ago

@keziak wrote:
Why is the job of online sales to ship immediately? I'm not trying to argue, just wondering why. Even on Amazon you get 2 business days to ship.

I see it as the path you chose. If you were a daycare, you would have to change diapers (as opposed to just waiting till the parents got there later...just part of the job).
For selling and shipping? Selling online / ebay means shipping. Just part of the job.
People want their stuff yesterday. It's ALWAYS been that way.
That's what happened to ebay auctions....takes too long (how much to end the auction and sell it to me now?)
If it's not going to be there the day before they bought it? Well, they have probably made other plans and expect it "asap" instead of yesterday.
The best way to do that is to get it done now, get it out of your hands, do your job now instead of later...and let USPS or FedEx mess it up. (If you ship in two days, and fedex has a delay...you're going to take the blame on that, not fedex). But if you shipped within 24hrs? You might be able to convince the customer that You Good, FedEx Bad. And keep them as a customer.
The longer you wait to ship, the less return customers you get.

I don't mean to sound harsh. I started at a salvage yard that was connected to thousands of other salvage yards all over the country. That was 35 years ago and the MOST important thing was Ship it NOW! And if you delayed a bit, you would lose accounts, BIG $$ Accounts (insurance companies, body shops, and other salvage yards).
And a delay on your part? These places would call you and chew your butt up one side and down the other. And I mean $100k a month accounts would simply go somewhere else. Somewhere that could get the job done.
As for now, and ebay? I don't know all the reasons a person chooses me/ebay over local. But if local is an option, and they choose me? I'm going to do everything I can to baffle them with how fast I shipped their stuff.
You take your car to the shop on Monday. The shop says it'll be ready Friday. They order the parts Monday or Tuesday. Parts show up Thursday all is good. Parts show up Friday, somebody's not getting a lunch break. Parts show up Monday? You may be taking your car somewhere else and have nothing good to say about that shop. If you didn't ship as soon as you could have, The shop blames you and starts ordering parts from somewhere else.

If you sell and ship, you can only assume. That assumption should be "somebody bought something from me because for some reason, they needed it". And if they actually did need it? They probably need it now.

For everybody that thinks 2 day to 10 day handling is fine?
I'm taking your sales.

my-cottage-books-and-antiques

·2 years ago

3637 View listings

@redlinear

Auto parts for a repair? I tend to agree with you.

My kind of stuff? Most people don't NEED it right away. I send within one business day or same day, because I know my customers like to get stuff quickly. AND because it is no huge inconvenience for me. I ship USPS. My local small town PO has great staff and if I don't have much to drop off, it's within walking distance...I can drive or walk. If I also had a day job, if the PO was far away and pick up wasn't available, etc...I would probably have a longer handling time.

So , sure, better to ship quickly than slowly. But a lot depends on a seller's circumstances and on the stuff being sold.

redlinear

·2 years ago

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
@redlinear

Auto parts for a repair? I tend to agree with you.

My kind of stuff? Most people don't NEED it right away. I send within one business day or same day, because I know my customers like to get stuff quickly. AND because it is no huge inconvenience for me. I ship USPS. My local small town PO has great staff and if I don't have much to drop off, it's within walking distance...I can drive or walk. If I also had a day job, if the PO was far away and pick up wasn't available, etc...I would probably have a longer handling time.

So , sure, better to ship quickly than slowly. But a lot depends on a seller's circumstances and on the stuff being sold.

I seem to think that anybody that's sold even a few things on eBay would already KNOW how customers are:
Where's my item?
Where's my tracking number?
When will this ship?
Can I pay for faster shipping?
Hey, can you ship this today? I need by the weekend.

I get those several times a week.
And the best answer is...I'm sorry, your item has already been shipped and is on the way to you.
Here's your tracking number.

yuzuha

·2 years ago

@redlinear wrote:
I seem to think that anybody that's sold even a few things on eBay would already KNOW how customers are:
Where's my item?
Where's my tracking number?
When will this ship?
Can I pay for faster shipping?
Hey, can you ship this today? I need by the weekend.

I get those several times a week.
And the best answer is...I'm sorry, your item has already been shipped and is on the way to you.
Here's your tracking number.

I can honestly tell you that I don't get those kinds of questions at all save for on occasions such as when there's a Monday holiday and the PO is closed on that day. Once I remind the buyer that it's a postal holiday and I couldn't ship even if I wanted to, they're fine with it.

fern*wood

·2 years ago

10492 View listings

@yuzuha wrote:
@redlinear wrote:
I seem to think that anybody that's sold even a few things on eBay would already KNOW how customers are:
Where's my item?
Where's my tracking number?
When will this ship?
Can I pay for faster shipping?
Hey, can you ship this today? I need by the weekend.

I get those several times a week.
And the best answer is...I'm sorry, your item has already been shipped and is on the way to you.
Here's your tracking number.
I can honestly tell you that I don't get those kinds of questions at all save for on occasions such as when there's a Monday holiday and the PO is closed on that day. Once I remind the buyer that it's a postal holiday and I couldn't ship even if I wanted to, they're fine with it.

I agree, I can't recall a question about shipping time in years and I have a 3 day handling time. As mentioned, some items just aren't necessities.

When I hear that buyers ask all these questions about when is something going to ship, I always think back to things I used to order. Granted, they were from catalogs or fan photos from magazines, but they always stated something like allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. I'm sure those things didn't get shipped next day.

redlinear

·2 years ago

@yuzuha
USPS Holidays? I get clobbered with shipping messages the next day.
I don't dare get sick and miss a day.
I've got buyers that don't understand Christmas.

my-cottage-books-and-antiques

·2 years ago

3637 View listings

@redlinear I agree that any experienced seller has a pretty good idea how his customers are. And mine? I rarely get questions about shipping, perhaps because I do ship pretty quickly. But I've had things get balled up somewhere, and even then, not all customers are contacting me about it.

So, yes, it IS important to know your customer base. But it's also important to NOT assume that YOUR customer base is MY customer base. As sellers have been trying to explain to ebay for years: one size does NOT fit all.

stacy_pme

·2 years ago

3891 View listings

YES! My small town post office is 1 block away.... Sometimes I walk down there 3 times a day.... If orders keep coming in, I will keep walking them down there, no matter how many times a day.... I literally think it's good for me too... to get out there and walk. My customers are almost always very happy with my shipping. And if they are close and actually receive it in 1 or 2 days, they accuse me of witchcraft ðŸ˜„

keziak

OP2 years ago

Again, not trying to bicker but sounds to me much like the statements (which you also made) about auctions being no good for sales. Auctions are the bulk of my ebay business. I have no idea if my sales volume is a lot or mid-range or pitifully low, can't say as I care. Between my two sites I am pretty much maxed out on how much I can ship on any given day. Maybe I am losing customers left and right, not sure how I would know.

redlinear

·2 years ago

@keziak wrote:
Again, not trying to bicker but sounds to me much like the statements (which you also made) about auctions being no good for sales. Auctions are the bulk of my ebay business. I have no idea if my sales volume is a lot or mid-range or pitifully low, can't say as I care. Between my two sites I am pretty much maxed out on how much I can ship on any given day. Maybe I am losing customers left and right, not sure how I would know.

Up until about 12 years ago, We listed 1,200 new Auctions each week. Along with about half that many re-lists.
5 day duration.
$9.99 starting price.
No reserve.
I'm not sure if bidders hated it, or loved it. But it worked.
Filled a UPS truck every week day. Many days UPS would have to send another truck.
Did that for about 10 years?
The question "How much to end it early, I can't wait that long" got to be non-stop every day.
So did, bid retractions.
It got to the point that if somebody wanted one sooner, there were enough "Buy it Now's" out there, that they didn't have to bid.
And the bidding wars ended. An item would no longer get bid higher than another sellers "buy it now" price.

That was the end of the auction days.
I used to bid on items all the time. But now, I scroll right past auctions.

sin-n-dex

·2 years ago

12196 View listings

@redlinear wrote:
@keziak wrote:
Why is the job of online sales to ship immediately? I'm not trying to argue, just wondering why. Even on Amazon you get 2 business days to ship.
I see it as the path you chose. If you were a daycare, you would have to change diapers (as opposed to just waiting till the parents got there later...just part of the job).
For selling and shipping? Selling online / ebay means shipping. Just part of the job.
People want their stuff yesterday. It's ALWAYS been that way.
That's what happened to ebay auctions....takes too long (how much to end the auction and sell it to me now?)
If it's not going to be there the day before they bought it? Well, they have probably made other plans and expect it "asap" instead of yesterday.
The best way to do that is to get it done now, get it out of your hands, do your job now instead of later...and let USPS or FedEx mess it up. (If you ship in two days, and fedex has a delay...you're going to take the blame on that, not fedex). But if you shipped within 24hrs? You might be able to convince the customer that You Good, FedEx Bad. And keep them as a customer.
The longer you wait to ship, the less return customers you get.

I don't mean to sound harsh. I started at a salvage yard that was connected to thousands of other salvage yards all over the country. That was 35 years ago and the MOST important thing was Ship it NOW! And if you delayed a bit, you would lose accounts, BIG $$ Accounts (insurance companies, body shops, and other salvage yards).
And a delay on your part? These places would call you and chew your butt up one side and down the other. And I mean $100k a month accounts would simply go somewhere else. Somewhere that could get the job done.
As for now, and ebay? I don't know all the reasons a person chooses me/ebay over local. But if local is an option, and they choose me? I'm going to do everything I can to baffle them with how fast I shipped their stuff.
You take your car to the shop on Monday. The shop says it'll be ready Friday. They order the parts Monday or Tuesday. Parts show up Thursday all is good. Parts show up Friday, somebody's not getting a lunch break. Parts show up Monday? You may be taking your car somewhere else and have nothing good to say about that shop. If you didn't ship as soon as you could have, The shop blames you and starts ordering parts from somewhere else.

If you sell and ship, you can only assume. That assumption should be "somebody bought something from me because for some reason, they needed it". And if they actually did need it? They probably need it now.

For everybody that thinks 2 day to 10 day handling is fine?
I'm taking your sales.

If eBay is your number one priority and your main income source, you'd do whatever you have to do to make as many sales as possible.

I earn good money at a full time job and eBay is a side gig. If others who ship faster weren't taking some of my sales maybe I'd have to quit my job to keep up on shipping.

Although I stated 10 days handling, realistically I ship within 1-2 days most of the time. Sometimes people ask, does it really take 10 days to ship... I explain that's just how long I have on eBay before the shipment is late, but realistically it should never take that long (unless of course I'm away on business for the week... that is, business at my full time paid job).

C.

yuzuha

·2 years ago

@redlinear wrote:
I usually won't buy something if I think it's going to set there three days after I pay for it.
Part of your job as an online seller is ship asap.
For 99% of what a person sells online, it should be shipped within a day (weekends excluded).

I truly don't understand this mindset. If I need something right away, I don't order it online, I go to a nearby store and buy it there.

lisa5768

·2 years ago

1858 View listings

It can't hurt to try adding it and see if anything changes. I have my 2 day handling in my description so buyers know if they read it. I don't get the "when are you going to ship" questions. Not sure if it is because they see it in the description or if I ship fast enough they don't have time to wonder. I don't sell books or other items that buyers are used to having things delivered the next day by the other sites.

stainlessenginecovers

·2 years ago

5401 View listings

Just use 5 days- then it shows with a yellow banner right below 'buy it now' or 'bid' buttons. Then, if you ship 'earlier'- you will be a hero (to some)- but I STILL get messages with 'when are you going to ship' yet my item has that banner, the 'handling item' on the shipping tab states 5 days and in my Written Description it is VERY clear that we 'build to order and ship in 5 business days'...but some/many (who knows) buyers don't bother scrolling down to read the written description (and those on a phone have to click a button 'see seller description' (which is REALLY horrible).

chapeau-noir

·2 years ago

No bad meows!6569 View listings

I have two day shipping (which I don't detail) but usually ship the next day. If I had three day shipping I would say something.

chariot_badges

·2 years ago

384 View listings

Every store is different.

Every owner is different.

I am not a slave to my side gig.

I set my ship time at 4 days, and I (usually) ship every three. That means that many ship the same day they order, and some ship the next day.

I sell exterior auto body trim parts.

There are usually no emergency needs in what I sell, but I do have a couple of body shops that are regulars, and I don't want them waiting on parts from me so I get THEIRS out right away.

nobody*s_perfect

·2 years ago

145 View listings

@keziak wrote: .... I get too many questions from people like "when are you going to ship?" ....

Well, including a comment about your 3-day handling time MIGHT help to avoid some of those questions. IMHO it's one of those "can't hurt, might help" situations. Buyers are accustomed to most eBay sellers, and other venues like Amazon, shipping on the same or next day so one way or another you want to adjust their expectations.

But keep in mind that if a buyer is asking that in the first place, it might be an indication that they aren't reading the listing closely enough to see the estimated delivery date, and might not see your explanation about handling time either. If you do include it, give an example to illustrate that it's 3 BUSINESS days, such as "For instance, if you pay on Thursday, I will ship by Tuesday."

keziak

OP2 years ago

That is actually a perfect example because I have many auctions end Thursday and end up shipping by Tuesday but some people may not think in terms of business days. When I brought this up in response to one query recently the buyer wrote back, embarrassed that they didn't think of it.

soh.maryl

·2 years ago

110 View listings

Have never been able to understand why "handling time" makes a difference to a buyer.

Each listing includes an estimated delivery date.

When a buyer makes a purchase, he is shown that EDD. If it's too far in the future for his needs, he simply should not buy.

But after he buys, there is no reason or need for him to ask when the seller will ship.

Hopefully, the seller will ship so that the item arrives before, on or within a few days of the EDD.

If that doesn't happen, the buyer (hopefully) knows what to do.

nobody*s_perfect

·2 years ago

145 View listings

@soh.maryl wrote: ... Each listing includes an estimated delivery date.
When a buyer makes a purchase, he is shown that EDD. ...But after he buys, there is no reason or need for him to ask when the seller will ship.....

And yet they do ask.

I suspect that either these impatient buyers just don't pay attention to the information that's provided in the listing, or maybe they saw it on the day of purchase but then two days after purchase they forgot about that info and are wondering why they haven't gotten the "shipped" notification.

keziak

OP2 years ago

It's interesting because if I get the "where's my book?" query I respond pronto by giving the latest date I'll ship and people almost always thank me. For what, being slow? Apparently for answering.

soh.maryl

·2 years ago

110 View listings

Most eBay transactions are not a life-or-death matter. If a buyer urgently needs something immediately, they need to purchase locally.

pjcdn2005

·2 years ago

3879 View listings

Some people probably worry that if it isn't shipped right away, they will not get it in time. People tend to check tracking every day too. I don't really understand that either but it is just the way some people are.

redlinear

·2 years ago

@soh.maryl wrote:
Have never been able to understand why "handling time" makes a difference to a buyer.
Each listing includes an estimated delivery date.
When a buyer makes a purchase, he is shown that EDD. If it's too far in the future for his needs, he simply should not buy.
But after he buys, there is no reason or need for him to ask when the seller will ship.
Hopefully, the seller will ship so that the item arrives before, on or within a few days of the EDD.
If that doesn't happen, the buyer (hopefully) knows what to do.

Where's my tracking number?? (as if that's going to get it there faster..LOL)

my-cottage-books-and-antiques

·2 years ago

3637 View listings

I don't mention handling time in my TOS. (In fact, unless its an old listing, I don't have a TOS). But my handling time is one business day, and depending on when the sale is made and how much time I have, I often send same day. So it's generally not an issue. I also leave feedback when I come back from the PO that notes that the item is on its way, so if the buyer is the type who keeps an eye on their feedback, they'll see I sent the item.

We are all in different situations. I think if I were doing a three day handling time, I'd consider 1. Having it in my TOS and 2. sending an email to the buyer after their purchase, thanking them for their purchase and letting them know their item will ship on "x". You could create a template email to do that, so you'd only have to insert the correct date, rather than retype the message for every sale.

keziak

OP2 years ago