What happened to handling times on auctions? Approx 50% of auctions no longer show a handling time

[open_box_electrical]

This has happened to me twice now. I win an auction and the seller never ships it. I go to open an INR but can not see the option. The only option was to request a cancel. I just took a look at a large number of auctions from a random search and approximately half of the auctions I looked at no longer show any handling time information??? Has the handling time been moved for some sellers but not others? Handling time can be critical in deciding which seller to purchase from. What happened?

[wastingtime101]

When eBay added back handling times to listings a year or two ago, they added it exclusively to fixed price listings, not auctions.

If you've seen auction format listings that do show a handling time, is it possible they also have a buy-it-now option?

[slippinjimmy]

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@open_box_electrical wrote:

This has happened to me twice now. I win an auction and the seller never ships it. I go to open an INR but can not see the option. The only option was to request a cancel. I just took a look at a large number of auctions from a random search and approximately half of the auctions I looked at no longer show any handling time information??? Has the handling time been moved for some sellers but not others? Handling time can be critical in deciding which seller to purchase from. What happened?

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Handling time is generally only shown if it is extended (more than 2 or 3 days).

Usually you can't open an INR if the estimated delivery time shown in the listing has not passed.

Your first screenshot shows an extended handling time of 5 days so it is displayed.

[wastingtime101]

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@slippinjimmy wrote:

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Handling time is generally only shown if it is extended (more than 2 or 3 days).

Your first screenshot shows an extended handling time of 5 days so it is displayed.

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On fixed price listings, handling time is always shown, no matter if it's 1 biz day or 15 biz days.

Check for yourself, you should see a 1 biz day handling time on the shipping, returns & payments tab of this listing @slippinjimmy 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254763801694

[soh.maryl]

To me, handling time is not important.  What IS important is the last estimated delivery date.  Pretty sure that's seen in just about every listing.

[open_box_electrical]

Ah! That explains part of the problem. But I still don’t understand why in the first case the last estimated delivery date had passed by a week and I only had the option to request to cancel. In the second case the last estimated delivery date ways yesterday. Same thing, today, I could only request to cancel the order. I had to be transfer by eBay support 3 times before an agent was able to open an INR. 

[open_box_electrical]

I only wonder about handling time when 7 days has past since I paid, the seller hasn’t shipped the order, and the last estimated delivery date has come and gone. 

[wastingtime101]

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@open_box_electrical wrote:

Ah! That explains part of the problem. But I still don’t understand why in the first case the last estimated delivery date had passed by a week and I only had the option to request to cancel. In the second case the last estimated delivery date ways yesterday. Same thing, today, I could only request to cancel the order. I had to be transfer by eBay support 3 times before an agent was able to open an INR. 

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Interesting. I read another case this morning where a buyer did not see the option to open the INR when the estimated delivery date had passed.

FYI kyle@ebay, since you replied to that other thread I wanted to loop you in here. We may have a technical issue on hand.

In the meantime @open_box_electrical, here's the info I posted on that other discussion:

There's a big blue button on this page to report an item you haven't received - that might work for you:

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/returns-refunds/get-help-item-hasnt-arrived?id=4042

If not, you can contact CS on the bottom of that page, or by using the options here:

https://www.ebay.com/help/contact_us?id=4002&st=10

[soh.maryl]

Again, the most important part of that scenario would be the fact that the last estimated delivery date has come and gone.

The fact that 7 days had passed since payment and that the seller has not shipped doesn't mean a buyer could open a case.  

[wastingtime101]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Again, the most important part of that scenario would be the fact that the last estimated delivery date has come and gone.

The fact that 7 days had passed since payment and that the seller has not shipped doesn't mean a buyer could open a case.  

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All correct. But if I may offer an opinion?

OP might be giving sellers the benefit of the doubt as opposed to going straight to an INR which reflect on the seller's service metrics because of a number of reasons including:

- estimated delivery dates are based on a seller's historical shipping time, not their actual handling time. I've had situations where I extended my handling time (over the holidays) and eBay showed estimated delivery dates before that handling time expired, because they were looking at historical data.

- sellers are not required to ship with tracking, so OP may be offering sellers extra time for delivery if they see a longer handling time

Just an opinion, of course, but it's a solid reason why a buyer might want to double-check handling time in the situation the OP mentioned above when the estimated delivery date has already passed. It's something they can check on fixed price listings without bothering the seller or jumping into a claim.

[open_box_electrical]

There is also another thread about this happening with a few other buyers also having the same issue. The last estimated delivery date had passed but they do not see the option to open an INR claim.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Why-can-t-I-open-a-case/m-p/33751003#M447212