eBay

hillbillymedia · ‎06-05-2020

The screenshot above is from a sale today. The likelihood of the item getting from TN to MA 1st class mail in this time frame is slim to none in my experience. I`m thinking that I`m going to have to ship this tomorrow (Saturday) and even then it`s going to, more than likely, be over the estimated date. Why bother with handling times if they aren`t going to be taken into consideration? I understand what "estimate" means but many customers don`t seem to. As a seller, it`s always been my goal to lower customer expectations but ebay seems to continue to raise them. Sure, I could bump my handling time a day but why should I? What say you?

"There`s always barber college" - Dalton - Road House

inhawaii · ‎06-05-2020

I agree with you.

I would rather have my customers expect it in 5 days and get it in 3 days than expect it in 3 days and get it in 5 days.

I always ship in 1 day but i have my handling time set to 3 days just to give myself a "cushion".

Telephone Line - Electric Light Orchestra

fuzzface50 · ‎06-05-2020

Yep, I am another one that agrees with you. Don't know why ebay does this and it doesn't help having people wanting everything right now.

Isn't just ebay though. I ordered a part from napa and they gave me a delivery date 2 days later but on that date they said my part is delayed. I finally got it last night just 28 days late. I put a claim on it when it was 14 days past due and again they said I would receive it in 2 days. I was about to update my claim when I was notified it was shipped. actual days when the shipping co. got it still took 5 days to get to me.

thought I was living in the past when I was a kid you always patiently waited 4 to 6 weeks for things.

tanarri69 · ‎06-05-2020

It's a terrible system which seems designed to collect more fees from sellers that don't meet benchmarks.

Ebay seems to base their estimated delivery times on whatever the mail carriers say. This means that sellers are paying the price because the USPS/Ebay make up their own deadlines, hold us accountable, and then fail to meet them. It's a system created to pass the buck and screw the little guys.

richard1rst · ‎06-05-2020

I have an incoming UPS package. I just checked the delivery scan and it says:

Civil unrest has delayed your package in transit. Delivery will be rescheduled. Check back for updates.

Not even an new ESTIMATED delivery date

So much for eBay's "promised" delivery date.

"Laissez-faire capitalism (AKA The Great Material Continuum) is the only social system based on the recognition of individual rights and, therefore, the only system that bans force from social relationships." ~ Ayn Rand

buyselljack2016 · ‎06-05-2020

Not sure about yours, but for many the estimate is given based on "your historical date". If you normally ship quickly the actual handling time may be ignored.

buyselljack2016 · ‎06-05-2020

At least yours has the possibility of making it if you ship sooner than your listed handling time.

Then there is this "flip side".

This would be unlikely to get there when expected following the guidelines given.

ship by after.jpg

buyselljack2016 · ‎06-05-2020

@buyselljack2016 wrote:
Not sure about yours, but for many the estimate is given based on ~~"your historical date".~~ If you normally ship quickly the actual handling time may be ignored.

Your historical data.

bigdeals.etc · ‎06-05-2020

Yup.

I'm totally with the OP on this, as I've complained about this many times. Even the historical data is incorrect... and ebay expects you to just "trust the system" despite the fact that many parts of the system are clearly broken.

Ebay just loves to push and push and push sellers to the point of cracking.

hillbillymedia · ‎06-05-2020

@buyselljack2016 wrote:
Not sure about yours, but for many the estimate is given based on "your historical date". If you normally ship quickly the actual handling time may be ignored.

I`m guessing you are 100% correct. History has shown I ship "faster" than I claim so they give these crazy estimates. I`m trying to: A) keep my TRS+ discount B) buy myself a little buffer in case I can`t do my "norm" C) try to deliver better than advertised service. Ebays system unfortunately isn`t allowing me to do that.

"There`s always barber college" - Dalton - Road House

zamo-zuan · ‎06-05-2020

@hillbillymedia wrote:
The screenshot above is from a sale today. The likelihood of the item getting from TN to MA 1st class mail in this time frame is slim to none in my experience. I`m thinking that I`m going to have to ship this tomorrow (Saturday) and even then it`s going to, more than likely, be over the estimated date. Why bother with handling times if they aren`t going to be taken into consideration? I understand what "estimate" means but many customers don`t seem to. As a seller, it`s always been my goal to lower customer expectations but ebay seems to continue to raise them. Sure, I could bump my handling time a day but why should I? What say you?

Yup! I have been reporting this for a year and a half now. EBay keeps saying their line of "Their system estimates based off the data they have and is very accurate"... meanwhile often times the shipping time doesn't even match the shipping type.

All it does is upset customers if things aren't there on time, and the lack of visibility for "Handling time" or "Shipment date" makes it worse, as every Monday we have multiple messages of customers upset that "They ordered Saturday and they wouldn't have ordered it if they knew we were going to ship late!"... Meanwhile it's still on time to be there as 1 day handling time dictates the order will arrive on time as long as it's shipped on Monday.

I don't know why they're so stubborn about this. The only positive seems to be that buyers might be convinced to buy if they see a faster ship time than reality? But that will backfire once it ends up arriving late... And likely ruin trust with who may otherwise be a repeat buyer.

buyselljack2016 · ‎06-05-2020

@hillbillymedia wrote:
@buyselljack2016 wrote:
Not sure about yours, but for many the estimate is given based on "your historical date". If you normally ship quickly the actual handling time may be ignored.
I`m guessing you are 100% correct. History has shown I ship "faster" than I claim so they give these crazy estimates. I`m trying to: A) keep my TRS+ discount B) buy myself a little buffer in case I can`t do my "norm" C) try to deliver better than advertised service. Ebays system unfortunately isn`t allowing me to do that.

Well, we can't have TRS+ discount, and a "buffer", as handling time dictates eligibility for the plus(+).

I understand the annoyance of what they are doing. I am on the East coast so I went away from one day handling as midnight to 2:59:59 AM sales had to go the same day. Went to 3 day for internet/phone/weather/seller outages.

Thing is, eBay shows many of my items as fast 'n free GD(not enrolled) part of the time. Each Monday they push the estimated delivery out a week, and then that date remains the same as the days count down until they once again pus it out 1 week. It is an improvement. They were pushing it out 2 weeks.

AK, HI, and PR were showing 3 weeks to a month for estimated delivery. Reported it. No action taken to correct it. I have stopped looking. I have given up on the standard lip service about sending the info on to be looked at. I have a disclaimer about eBay arrival estimates in the condition section. It is wasting valuable allotted character space.

buyselljack2016 · ‎06-05-2020

Right now Fri the 5th, in the evening, with 3 day handling,(ship Wed the 10th) eBay is displaying GD on the 11th for a buyer in Zone 5. On Monday the 8th that estimate will jump out to the 18th. I don't know who is writing the code at eBay, but I do know that it is flawed.

They even claim GD by the 11th to an APO in Germany

Hawaii/Alaska 1st Class would be the 24th- 29th.

pinksakura2000 · ‎06-05-2020

I think we all have the same problem as US sellers. eBay never adjusted the estimated shipping time for sellers during the covid-19 situation but allowed longer time for buyers to return their items, how unfair is that?

However, as a buyer, if I want to buy something domestically and see a 10days to 2 weeks estimated delivery time, I probably won't buy at all.

bigdeals.etc · ‎06-05-2020

@zamo-zuan wrote:

I don't know why they're so stubborn about this. The only positive seems to be that buyers might be convinced to buy if they see a faster ship time than reality? But that will backfire once it ends up arriving late... And likely ruin trust with who may otherwise be a repeat buyer.

Yea I thought about this too, as to why ebay is so adamant about misleading buyers this way. The only solution I came up with is that eBay values baiting the buyer to pay up more than retaining them as a repeat buyer if the buyer has an issue with the delivery time. And of course they leave it to us sellers to do damage control and pick up the pieces.

Classic set up for failure.