eBay

njrtsr · ‎10-31-2018

I'm trying to increase my handling time to avoid misleading my buyers on the "fast and free guaranteed" thing and I've been playing around with the handling time settings. Currently with my 1 day handling, an item says "Free delivery in 3 days". That makes perfect sense if I ship something out to my town tomorrow. But then I change the handling time to 3 days, and the listing updates to say "Free delivery in 4 days" (!)

Using that as an example, if I get paid today (Wednesday) and I use the full 3 business days to ship, not including today since that's "same day shipping", I'm shipping the item out on Monday. That's five days from now! Allowing a day to process in the system, the item will get to the buyer in my town's door on Tuesday. Meanwhile buyer expects it on Sunday, because ebay says "Free delivery in 4 days" without mention of business days or my 3 day handling time! Buyer complains that they were mislead and nobody is happy because of the unrealistic promise ebay made to the buyer.

How does it make sense that the shipping estimate is even more unrealistic if I extend my handling time? I may just have to change to a 4 day handling time and get the nasty warning flag on my listings that says seller is a slowpoke! Or I may just have to go back on my free shipping policy and add a slight shipping fee, if only to bypass the ridiculous guarantee. If only I can opt out of the "Fast and Free" thing while offering free shipping and a short handling time.

For what it's worth I ship most of my items out with stamps, and buyers hardly ever complain. Then again, I'm not "guaranteeing" that my items will arrive in record time, like I will be soon if I don't change something. But if buyers do complain just because it said "guaranteed" I'll have to issue refunds out of my pocket.

Anonymous · ‎10-31-2018

@njrtsr wrote:
Would I still have the current protection where if tracking shows delivered to buyer's address and I ship within my handling time I win a "not delivered" case?

Hi @njrtsr, of course! Delivery confirmation protects a seller in the even of an item not received request being opened. Nothing changes about the protections currently offered to sellers, we would simply be providing additional protections if Fast 'N Free was displayed in the listing.

njrtsr · ‎10-31-2018

That's great! I think I'll call and see if I can opt out of the Fast and Free then, since at least I have that protection in place for the more valuable items I sell.

joesoucie22012 · ‎10-31-2018

You can buy discount postage stamps on eBay, say $50.00 in stamps for $30.00 or whatever.

Anonymous · ‎11-06-2018

@njrtsr wrote:

I'm trying to increase my handling time to avoid misleading my buyers on the "fast and free guaranteed" thing and I've been playing around with the handling time settings. Currently with my 1 day handling, an item says "Free delivery in 3 days". That makes perfect sense if I ship something out to my town tomorrow. But then I change the handling time to 3 days, and the listing updates to say "Free delivery in 4 days" (!)

Using that as an example, if I get paid today (Wednesday) and I use the full 3 business days to ship, not including today since that's "same day shipping", I'm shipping the item out on Monday. That's five days from now! Allowing a day to process in the system, the item will get to the buyer in my town's door on Tuesday. Meanwhile buyer expects it on Sunday, because ebay says "Free delivery in 4 days" without mention of business days or my 3 day handling time! Buyer complains that they were mislead and nobody is happy because of the unrealistic promise ebay made to the buyer.

How does it make sense that the shipping estimate is even more unrealistic if I extend my handling time? I may just have to change to a 4 day handling time and get the nasty warning flag on my listings that says seller is a slowpoke! Or I may just have to go back on my free shipping policy and add a slight shipping fee, if only to bypass the ridiculous guarantee. If only I can opt out of the "Fast and Free" thing while offering free shipping and a short handling time.

For what it's worth I ship most of my items out with stamps, and buyers hardly ever complain. Then again, I'm not "guaranteeing" that my items will arrive in record time, like I will be soon if I don't change something. But if buyers do complain just because it said "guaranteed" I'll have to issue refunds out of my pocket.

Hi everybody, I just wanted to stop by and say that we will be broadcasting a webinar this upcoming week regarding the benefits of Guaranteed Delivery. You can find the registration link here to sign up for a time that works for you. We are excited to provide some more information on this program to our sellers as we move into the Holiday season

njrtsr · ‎05-04-2019

@Anonymous wrote:
@njrtsr wrote:
I'm trying to increase my handling time to avoid misleading my buyers on the "fast and free guaranteed" thing and I've been playing around with the handling time settings. Currently with my 1 day handling, an item says "Free delivery in 3 days". That makes perfect sense if I ship something out to my town tomorrow. But then I change the handling time to 3 days, and the listing updates to say "Free delivery in 4 days" (!)

Using that as an example, if I get paid today (Wednesday) and I use the full 3 business days to ship, not including today since that's "same day shipping", I'm shipping the item out on Monday. That's five days from now! Allowing a day to process in the system, the item will get to the buyer in my town's door on Tuesday. Meanwhile buyer expects it on Sunday, because ebay says "Free delivery in 4 days" without mention of business days or my 3 day handling time! Buyer complains that they were mislead and nobody is happy because of the unrealistic promise ebay made to the buyer.

How does it make sense that the shipping estimate is even more unrealistic if I extend my handling time? I may just have to change to a 4 day handling time and get the nasty warning flag on my listings that says seller is a slowpoke! Or I may just have to go back on my free shipping policy and add a slight shipping fee, if only to bypass the ridiculous guarantee. If only I can opt out of the "Fast and Free" thing while offering free shipping and a short handling time.

For what it's worth I ship most of my items out with stamps, and buyers hardly ever complain. Then again, I'm not "guaranteeing" that my items will arrive in record time, like I will be soon if I don't change something. But if buyers do complain just because it said "guaranteed" I'll have to issue refunds out of my pocket.
Hi @njrtsr, no need to increase your handling time as our Customer Service teams are happy to simply opt you out of Fast 'N Free. Touch base with them if you would like to be opted out. I do want to point out that this announcement essentially only changes the wording in the Fast 'N Free logo and provides a seller with additional protections than what they would normally have, so would recommend allowing some time before making any changes as this update will likely have a positive impact on your business.

@Anonymous Sorry to bump an old post, but several months ago I followed up on your advice in this thread and called CS and they successfully opted me out of Fast N Free delivery. Well today I got a feedback saying that an item arrived 1 day after the "guaranteed delivery" so I'm a bit upset that my listings were recently opted back into Fast N Free. I called CS this afternoon and the agent wasn't sure that she would be able to opt me out of Fast N Free, even though you said it could be done.

So in a nutshell I was wondering if you could opt me out of Fast N Free or set the process in motion. Your help would be appreciated! I really don't want to add a penny handling fee to all my listings just to artificially remove it.

njrtsr · ‎05-04-2019

As a reference please see listing 173878368823 since some of my auctions don't have the guarantee on it.

Shipping:
Estimated by eBay FAST 'N FREE FAST 'N FREE
Guaranteed by Fri. May. 10 | See details

I want to remove the "Guaranteed by Fri May 10" bit. It's disingenuous for me to offer any sort of guarantee unless I hand deliver the item, and I don't want to give any more buyers false expectations about this level of certainty.

ittybitnot · ‎05-04-2019

Well today I got a feedback saying that an item arrived 1 day after the "guaranteed delivery" so I'm a bit upset that my listings were recently opted back into Fast N Free.

I don't think "fast and free" badges are the same as "guaranteed delivery". Guaranteed delivery, is not an "option" anymore that a seller is able to remove. eBay sticks it on there. As far as "fast and free"...charge two cents for shipping and that will go away. If "free shipping" is important in your category, you may need to think this over.

Don't worry about resurrecting an older thread... We get to see how "things have changed" since the last discussion and replies by the "blues"....

pink.fish.rule · ‎05-04-2019

I'm a little po'd that ebay has now seen fit to add GD to my listings when I specifically went from 1 to 2 day handling to avoid this.

However fast I ship "historically" should have nothing to do with estimated delivery times.

jason_incognito · ‎05-04-2019

@Anonymous wrote:
@njrtsr wrote:
Gotcha. I just don't want to put the word "guaranteed" on my listings, because I don't want to make promises that I can't keep, nor do I want to give buyers unrealistic expectations with the holiday season coming up.
Totally understandable that you would want to provide the most accurate information to your customers, @njrtsr. I do need to stress that a buyer is always provided with an estimate for delivery based on their location, your location, the shipping service and historical data for shipments and this is an expectation that sellers are responsible for. You can work to meet this expectation by continuing the shipping practices you have already been applying to your business; shipping on time and using the service that the buyer selected at checkout. The Guarantee for Fast 'N Free delivery would only serve to provide additional protections for you and draw attention to your listing, resulting in increased sales.

"historical data for shipments" This is unfortunately something you cannot get around. If you regularly ship in 1 day, eBay will use that info to tell the buyer that the can expect you to ship in one day even if you have a 3 day handling.

It's a horrible catch 22.

"Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything" Colin Kaepernick the new face of NIKE

Anonymous · ‎05-06-2019

@njrtsr wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@njrtsr wrote:

I'm trying to increase my handling time to avoid misleading my buyers on the "fast and free guaranteed" thing and I've been playing around with the handling time settings. Currently with my 1 day handling, an item says "Free delivery in 3 days". That makes perfect sense if I ship something out to my town tomorrow. But then I change the handling time to 3 days, and the listing updates to say "Free delivery in 4 days" (!)

Using that as an example, if I get paid today (Wednesday) and I use the full 3 business days to ship, not including today since that's "same day shipping", I'm shipping the item out on Monday. That's five days from now! Allowing a day to process in the system, the item will get to the buyer in my town's door on Tuesday. Meanwhile buyer expects it on Sunday, because ebay says "Free delivery in 4 days" without mention of business days or my 3 day handling time! Buyer complains that they were mislead and nobody is happy because of the unrealistic promise ebay made to the buyer.

How does it make sense that the shipping estimate is even more unrealistic if I extend my handling time? I may just have to change to a 4 day handling time and get the nasty warning flag on my listings that says seller is a slowpoke! Or I may just have to go back on my free shipping policy and add a slight shipping fee, if only to bypass the ridiculous guarantee. If only I can opt out of the "Fast and Free" thing while offering free shipping and a short handling time.

For what it's worth I ship most of my items out with stamps, and buyers hardly ever complain. Then again, I'm not "guaranteeing" that my items will arrive in record time, like I will be soon if I don't change something. But if buyers do complain just because it said "guaranteed" I'll have to issue refunds out of my pocket.

Hi @njrtsr, no need to increase your handling time as our Customer Service teams are happy to simply opt you out of Fast 'N Free. Touch base with them if you would like to be opted out. I do want to point out that this announcement essentially only changes the wording in the Fast 'N Free logo and provides a seller with additional protections than what they would normally have, so would recommend allowing some time before making any changes as this update will likely have a positive impact on your business.

@Anonymous Sorry to bump an old post, but several months ago I followed up on your advice in this thread and called CS and they successfully opted me out of Fast N Free delivery. Well today I got a feedback saying that an item arrived 1 day after the "guaranteed delivery" so I'm a bit upset that my listings were recently opted back into Fast N Free. I called CS this afternoon and the agent wasn't sure that she would be able to opt me out of Fast N Free, even though you said it could be done.

So in a nutshell I was wondering if you could opt me out of Fast N Free or set the process in motion. Your help would be appreciated! I really don't want to add a penny handling fee to all my listings just to artificially remove it.

Hi @njrtsr, while it was possible to opt out of the Fast 'N Free banner appearing in your listings in the past, now that eBay Guarantees any shipments that would qualify for the Fast 'N Free program, the option to opt out is not available. When this Guarantee is available in the listing, additional protections are available to the seller if a shipment arrives late and the seller got the item out within their stated handling time. Without this Guarantee, a seller would be responsible for resolving the buyer's concern and potentially paying for return shipping costs if the buyer would like to send back what they ordered. With this Guarantee, eBay can step in to offer a voucher for a future purchase or to cover the cost of return shipping costs if the buyer wishes to return their purchase.

We announced this change here, and Customer Service should be able to discuss any concerns you have about a specific transaction in more detail.

njrtsr · ‎05-06-2019

@Anonymous I don't use tracking on my cheaper orders and they almost always arrive. The real problem is managing buyer expectations when ebay is using tracking numbers to "guarantee" arrival and track my performance. My business is just not set up to promote stuff like that and I will do whatever it takes to remove the guarantee on my listings.

Can you confirm whether adding a 1 cent shipping fee with remove the guarantee? I think I will try that first.

njrtsr · ‎05-06-2019

@Anonymous also I started this thread because of the announcement you linked and I was able to opt out of Fast N Free and the guarantee after that. So this is a much newer change that happened in the last several weeks and was NOT announced by ebay. They put me back in the Fast N Free program without my consent very recently. Please if there are any steps you can take to opt me out I would appreciate if you take them.

Anonymous · ‎05-06-2019

@njrtsr wrote:

@Anonymous also I started this thread because of the announcement you linked and I was able to opt out of Fast N Free and the guarantee after that. So this is a much newer change that happened in the last several weeks and was NOT announced by ebay. They put me back in the Fast N Free program without my consent very recently. Please if there are any steps you can take to opt me out I would appreciate if you take them.

Hi @njrtsr, tracking is not required for every transaction, we only ask that delivery confirmation be provided when a buyer is letting you know they did not receive the item. If you are not going to send an item with tracking, you may want to send your buyer a notice that you have shipped the item out, perhaps with an template message that explains tracking is not obtained on every order but that the estimated delivery date is xx/xx. This could be a reactive message you use when a buyer has contacted about delivery.

Quick delivery has become a top priority for many buyers in today's market, and our move to guarantee deliveries that we identify as arriving within 4 business days is in an effort to meet this expectation. As I mentioned before, there is no option to remove this beginning last October when eBay made the decision to guarantee listings that qualify for Fast 'N Free shipment. You can review qualifications for this program here.

While the FAQ on our Seller Center page for Guaranteed Delivery does cover both the Guaranteed Delivery program and the eBay Guarantee provided on Fast 'N Free listings, these guarantees do carry some differences. Primarily, the references to opting in/out would only apply to the Guaranteed Delivery program where a seller promises to either meet their handling time or provides a door-to-door guarantee. This would not apply to eBay's Guarantee on Fast 'N Free listings.

I'm touching base with the appropriate teams on this topic to ensure that any necessary updates are made to the resources we have on the site. Keep in mind, any changes you make to your listings that remove the eBay Guarantee that is displayed may not change the expectations of your customers, and would remove any of the additional protections available to you from eBay should the item arrive late.

minibangbus · ‎05-08-2019

I set mine on 2 days just cause you never know if you’ll run into a issue and need that extra day.

teenyteenyc · ‎05-18-2019

I think eBay should set up the guaranteed date more accurate, especially if the seller state the handling time is 1 BUSINESS day, means if the buyer placed an order on Friday evening, the next shipping date is Monday and the Guaranteed date should be state more accurate (as Amazon do) considering the Sat. & Sun is not included in the BUSINESS day.

For example, my buyer ordered on 5/17 (Fri. ) 4:30PM with 1st-class option and eBay shows the guaranteed delivery date is 5/23.

Now, the buyer want us to confirm the delivery date by 5/23. We don't guarantee the delivery date for 1st-class but eBay do. We can guarantee the shipping date (1 business day) only.

Then, the buyer tells that if she does not receive it by 5/23, she return the item.

We don't know what reason she can open her return request.

Item came too late and it is handled as SNAD?