eBay

somethums · ‎08-27-2016

I ship paid items on time, indeed even ahead of time, and yet my account is regularly dinged--not by the Buyers, who thank me on feedback for the fast shipments--but by ebay itself, who claims that the tracking shows late shipments!

Were it not for this "late shipment" fallacy, I would be a Top Rated Seller again, as this is the only marker against me (I have 100% feedback score).

If there are others out there who have this problem, too, would you please speak up?

Thank you!

mr_lincoln · ‎08-27-2016

@sin-n-dex

@sin-n-dex wrote:
When I had one day handling, I frequently got ratted out as late by the post office (because sometimes buyers would buy an item, then buy a second item they want shipped together, but take a couple of days to pay). When you are about to charge a buyer $14.30 on shipping that first item, you do not want to alienate them by doing it a second time to save your TRS status...

I decided enough with that, 10 days handling time. Most items ship within 3 days. Never ever a late shipment since this change was made. And buyers notice the long handling time and tell me how fast they got it when it arrives a week after they bought it.

Cheers, C.

Yep, THAT would take care of the handling time issue!

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

sin-n-dex · ‎08-27-2016

@mr_lincoln wrote:
@sin-n-dex
@sin-n-dex wrote:
When I had one day handling, I frequently got ratted out as late by the post office (because sometimes buyers would buy an item, then buy a second item they want shipped together, but take a couple of days to pay). When you are about to charge a buyer $14.30 on shipping that first item, you do not want to alienate them by doing it a second time to save your TRS status...

I decided enough with that, 10 days handling time. Most items ship within 3 days. Never ever a late shipment since this change was made. And buyers notice the long handling time and tell me how fast they got it when it arrives a week after they bought it.

Cheers, C.
Yep, THAT would take care of the handling time issue!

To be honest with you, it won't be necessary to take 10 days... I would have gone with 5, since I can't do 7 or 8. But if I ship my packages to Niagara on Monday this week, and someone buys from me the afternoon after I ship... let's say the next batch doesn't go for a full week (which is the longest it would be, but I only shorten it if there's volume, as it costs me to transport the items to Niagara). Then on day 8, Fed Ex is coming again next Monday, the items get to Pickering (near Toronto) on Tuesday, and arrive in Niagara on Wednesday for origin scan which would be day 10.

My solution to keep any buyer from waiting forever to find out what's happening with their shipment, is if the next trip to the courier's is more than 2 days away, I tell the buyer when their item is going (and why the wait). If I get paid today and know we're driving there tomorrow, I don't say anything, it will be in the buyer's mailbox before they question what's happening with their shipment, and tracking will show up online a couple of days after purchase anyway.

Cheers, C.

fern*wood · ‎08-28-2016

@somethums wrote:
Even with the 1-day there is a variable with the USPS scanning. I have discussed this with the postal service, and they admit that often a package is not scanned until it is out for delivery. One can do one's absolute best --which I do, as I am sure many sellers also do--but one cannot, by law, interfere with the postal service's procedures.

Even if a package is delivered well within the estimated delivery time, ebay will automatically ding you.

So, guilty until proved innocent, and even when you prove you are innocent, you are still shown as guilty.

So, thanks for the thought, but let's examine where the real problem lies.

I believe the po is required to scan upon acceptance. Luckily, my mail lady does when she picks up my packages, and if she doesn't, they get scanned at the post office when she drops them off at the end of her route. Others state they use scan forms to ease this step.

As stated earlier, if the package doesn't get this scan but still arrives within the delivery window, then it isn't late. If you have proof that you are getting dinged unfairly then I would present this to get it corrected.

I still think changing your handling time will help also because with same day shipping you are very limited with the set time of day to get than acceptance scan before it is too late to help you. With 1 day handling there is at least some wiggle room.

@somethums

terprov · ‎08-28-2016

HI, I have the very same problem, since the changes in February, I have watched my shipping go from 99 percent to 80 percent. I have called close over 10 times to ebay, I have a CA number for it, because there is a flaw in ebay shipping for many members, not just mine. I talked to them again last week, they said by Sept 20th this would all be straighted out and I would receive the extra money back they they have taken from me. Right and I am winning the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. All my items are mailed out the same day, my PO gal scans them right in front of my door, everyday, like it has been doing for 17 years. Every month I get the same reponds from ebay. It will be fit next month.

I wrote about this on the board about two to three months ago and everyone recommended GRIFF. So I wrote an email to Griff, what a waste of time that was, he told me to contact ebay CS. I got a three page letter about this from him and basically the end of it was to contact ebay. I have never seen someone who can bull **** himself out of having to help you. Looks like he just cut and pasted things from the ebay pages.

How much longer will I be on ebay, from the way it looks, not much longer at all, my sales on in the tank and most of the people go to my website, so why pay 250 a month for 850 that I made, that discount that took away from me basically kill it on ebay. What is really sad is I used to pay1000 a month to them, now it is just nothing

somethums · ‎08-28-2016

Thank you for your reply, I am so sorry you are going through this too.

I have contacted CS twice myself, and received a lot of boilerplate pseudo-advice that sounded quite scripted.

What truly upsets me is when I point out Feedback that thanks me for fast shipping for items dinged by ebay as late.

I am happy for people who can wait in line at the post office in their towns, and demand scanning, but in Los Angeles, that time truly is money.

You are right to point out that ebay is the one who will suffer because of the suffering it causes its reliable sellers who are made to feel as if they have done something wrong--and are denied their due.

May I see your original post about this from a few months ago?

And can we consider banding together to help fix this problem?

Thanks again,

sin-n-dex · ‎08-28-2016

Just to share with everyone...

I had two late shipments that were wrong (back when I had a one day handling time). And after six reps on the phone and 90 minutes wasted, the American rep I got said "It's not going to happen, we will not remove this because we don't consider it a defect" and then went on to explain it's just a metric, you can't get kicked off for having a few late shipments, so they're not obliged to remove or change what's on the dashboard.

Extend the handling time, that will solve a lot of problems. If you insist on trying to stick with TRS, you will find lots of valuable time wasted being stressed about a situation that ebay flat out refuses to help sellers with.

Cheers, C.

fleur--de--lis · ‎08-28-2016

Do not use Standard shipping or Ecconomy shipping. They give you 1 to 4 day shipping delivery time.

The only advantage to using those made up terms.(Standard shipping or Ecconomy shipping) is if you offer FREE SHIPPING.

You get 1 to 4 day shipping time and you will qualify for fast and free logo. Since there is no such thing as Standard or Ecconomy you can ship anyway you want that is cheapest.

petra2009blue · ‎08-28-2016

I had a first class package shipped from New Jersey to California by way of Alaska! Ebay said they couldn't do anything about it , even though it was the post office's fault.

sin-n-dex · ‎08-28-2016

@fleur--de--lis wrote:
Do not use Standard shipping or Ecconomy shipping. They give you 1 to 4 day shipping delivery time.

The only advantage to using those made up terms.(Standard shipping or Ecconomy shipping) is if you offer FREE SHIPPING.
You get 1 to 4 day shipping time and you will qualify for fast and free logo. Since there is no such thing as Standard or Ecconomy you can ship anyway you want that is cheapest.

I use "economy shipping from outside USA" for anything international (as I'm in Canada), and the maximum transit time is 20 days. If it's destined for the USA, I use First Class (which is the actual service I'm paying for), but with 10 days of handling to get my items to the USA which is 120 miles from where I live (or 2-3 days transit using couriers). Being that I often have only a couple of items sell during the day, I do not want to pay for couriers every day to transport items... we try to do this twice a week if volume permits, or once a week at minimum.

Cheers, C.

fleur--de--lis · ‎08-28-2016

I live 300 miles from Toronto.. A package takes 20 to 30 days. Canadians can not understand why its so expensive and takes so long.

aprilmoviebuf2000 · ‎08-28-2016

I too received a notification that I am in danger of losing TRS due to "late shipments" that are not late.

My percentage is currently at 76.47%. So I ran the report.

Thing is, the 4 transactions that are showing as "late" are not even due to ship until tomorrow. They sold Friday evening. They will go out first thing in the morning.

Now, I know this will straighten itself out by the next evaluation. But it is just frustrating that the reports and dashboard don't recognize that I don't ship on weekends, nor am I required to. I have 2 day handling time. I almost always ship before that 2 day time. I always get acceptance scans.

Trying to keep up with this shipping metric to make the dashboard gods happy is just not something I can concern myself with any longer. I do have a life, the only dashboard I care about nowadays is the one in my vehicle. (it's a pretty cool dashboard).

twnpopcards · ‎08-28-2016

@aprilmoviebuf2000 wrote:
I too received a notification that I am in danger of losing TRS due to "late shipments" that are not late.

My percentage is currently at 76.47%. So I ran the report.

Thing is, the 4 transactions that are showing as "late" are not even due to ship until tomorrow. They sold Friday evening. They will go out first thing in the morning.

Now, I know this will straighten itself out by the next evaluation. But it is just frustrating that the reports and dashboard don't recognize that I don't ship on weekends, nor am I required to. I have 2 day handling time. I almost always ship before that 2 day time. I always get acceptance scans.

Trying to keep up with this shipping metric to make the dashboard gods happy is just not something I can concern myself with any longer. I do have a life, the only dashboard I care about nowadays is the one in my vehicle. (it's a pretty cool dashboard).

@aprilmoviebuf2000

You say the items that are showing up late are not even scheduled to leave until tomorrow, are you looking at Tracking and Uploaded or at Late Shipment Rate??

The Tracking and uploaded is the rating that you only have to have 90% on time uploading of tracking information to be okay for TRS status. This one will adjust as items get tracking information uploaded and then get a scan anywhere along the route and is only based on the last 90 days. This one will fluctuate drastically and seems to always catch up shortly after month end.

The Late Shipment Rate is the one where you are only allowed to have 3% late deliveries to maintain your TRS rating. This calculation depending on your number of transactions is either based on your last 3 months (400 or more transactions per quarter) or the previous 12 months if under the 400 per quarter. This calculation is based on information received AFTER the package has been delivered so it either has defects that you earned or need to call to have removed or has no defects.

Again from the way you were describing your issue it sounds like you are talking about the Tracking and Uploaded data and you only have to have 90% to maintain TRS status.

David

Twnpopcards

lilbama911 · ‎08-28-2016

My Post Office does not scan items at the counter but the agent assured me that the system is updated at the end of the day to show scans. Fortunately, they have an automated postal center which I use.

The following is Ebay's Shipping Metrics:

Shipments will only be considered late when: • Tracking shows item was delivered after the estimated delivery date, and there’s no acceptance scan within your stated handling time or there’s no confirmation from the buyer of on-time delivery, or • Buyer confirms item was delivered after the estimated delivery date, and there’s no acceptance scan within your stated handing time or there’s no delivery confirmation by the estimated delivery date

Is it possible that the buyer's who claim "Fast Shipping" in feedback is telling Ebay that the Item Arrived Late?

somethums · ‎08-28-2016

Thanks for these thoughts, however the only problem is that even when the item is delivered well within the estimated delivery date and the buyer honestly reports fast delivery, ebay automatically counts the package late when the scan report from the usps does not meet ebay's expectations.

I am looking for others who have had this same problem. I wish to gather a group as there is strength in numbers when you wish to right a wrong.