Why does eBay get to Change Guaranteed Delivery Dates?

[rebell45]

Order something last Saturday, the 14th that showed a Guaranteed delivery date of Nov. 20th. All week it showed that date, until yesterday, the 20th, when it suddenly changed to the 21st. It was delivered today the 21st, so I'm glad I got it and all, but it doesn't breed confidence in their operations when they will change something like a date to avoid, what? A five dollar coupon?

[tigercatt-16]

I’ve had that happen several times but it’s only been a few days usually. One was 4 days.

I just figure with the deadly pandemic going on all around us that things are really hectic right now. With Christmas coming up probably more people sending packages this year due to not visiting in person I think there will be some delays.

A day or two here or there doesn’t shake my confidence in buying here at Ebay. I’ve learned to adjust and am just glad I’m still alive and able to afford to order stuff.

[mtgraves7984]

I'd say it's both. 1) It's in recognition of the slowed shipping. 2) It's to save on those $5 coupons.

Not a big win for sellers that 'opted in' to the GDD program, huh?

[mudshark61369]

@rebell45,

Did you run the tracking through the USPS site or only the Pitney Bowes based eBay tracking? The USPS site might show an acceptance by a facility then a delay or no out processing scan until much later.   Usually those delays are caused by a Covid cleaning crew shutting down a facility for however long it takes to clean it.  Sometimes mail will be routed to another sorting facility, or to a nearby local P.O. and your carriers have to wait until that P.O.'s carriers have loaded before they can start loading.  The delay is noted somehow causing the delivery date to change. 

Why ebay hasn't suspended the GDD with the new surge in Covid and early holiday shopping rush, only they know.

[rebell45]

It was sent FedEx ground, Irving TX to Tucson AZ.  And your right, they should just suspend the GDD. I wasn't really looking for GDD when I bought the item, just looking for the quickest delivery.

[rouleur · Accepted solution]

Given the state of the mail service, it would be sensible for eBay to end ‘guaranteed delivery’.  Instead, they shift guaranteed delivery dates farther out or change a guaranteed delivery to an estimated delivery, thus avoiding any penalty.  When a guaranteed delivery date has been missed, the drop down menu option, ‘Report late delivery,’ now leads to the nonsense error message, ‘There is still time before your item should be delivered.  If you don’t have your item by the guaranteed delivery date you can try again’.  When contacted about this, eBay representatives have been the opposite of helpful.  It seems eBay feels no obligation to abide by its own policies and no embarrassment about the absurdity of a guarantee that isn’t a guarantee.          

[donsdetour]

eBay has this arbitrarily idea they can bypass shippers rules and regs and guarantee the delivery date;

This has failed due to the problems of the covid times.

So a solution to paying out: is to extend them times to cover their assets....

Not much you can do about it at this time.

[jonathankirkland]

The guaranteed delivery dates are a joke and means almost nothing to me. It's pathetic.