Estimated Delivery Dates in Fantasyland
Summary: adamcartwright is frustrated with eBay's unrealistic estimated delivery dates, arguing that even with immediate shipping, it's impossible for a package to travel from California to Pennsylvania within the given timeframe. partsharbor_ca explains that the estimates include handling time and are not guaranteed, suggesting adjustments to the listing settings. nyr134 shares their experience of fast shipments from New Jersey to California, noting that packages move quickly from their local facility. adamcartwright acknowledges this but stresses the issue with eBay's immediate shipping assumption.
California >>> Pennsylvania -- Ground Advantage
Even if I shipped it today Friday 9/18 at the moment of sale, there's no way it would be delivered by the earliest estimated date of Monday 9/21, much less arrive on 9/24 if I shipped on 9/23.
Really cockeyed.
Yes, I know the estimate will revise when I ship, but they shouldn't give the buyers false estimates.
nyr134
·2 weeks agoMy recent shipments to California from New Jersey sent Ground Advantage have been delivered in two days from the acceptance date. I send small (under a pound) packages from a location near Philadelphia. When they get to Philadelphia they must leave the ground because they are in California by the next day.
adamcartwright
OP2 weeks agoSounds like your local NJ facility moves fast.
I've never had a package make it coast to coast in 2 days.
But even if that is possible for me shipping out of CA, eBay's estimate assumes I ship at the time of sale, not even next day.
partsharbor_ca
·2 weeks agoYou’re right that eBay’s ETA can look unrealistic when the handling window is included. For California → Pennsylvania, Ground Advantage transit is an estimate, not a guaranteed date; the displayed range combines the handling time in the listing with carrier estimates and can change after acceptance. If the listing’s handling time or service is wrong, revise those settings and compare the USPS acceptance scan before promising a buyer a delivery date.
adamcartwright
OP2 weeks agoThe issue here is that even with zero handling time, if my package were magically shipped at the moment of sale, there is no way it would sell in CA on Friday 9/18 and be delivered to PA on Mon 9/21 -- at least based on my own experience shipping from CA to the East Coast.
partsharbor_ca
·2 weeks agoAgreed — that was the part I should have stressed more. Even with handling set to zero, Friday CA → Monday PA on Ground Advantage isn’t a realistic transit window in my experience either, especially with the weekend sitting in the middle. The ETA still looks like a calendar promise to the buyer, which is why these “ship by” / earliest dates feel like Fantasyland when they ignore how long the lane actually takes.