Late Shipment Rate

[so-much-out-there]

Although I have religiously shipped my items either on the same day or the next day as per my listings, sundays excluded, ebay ranked me 6.50% late shipping on my seller's dashboard!!! And there's a lot of sellers with a similar problem! The USPS many times don't bother to scan the tracking number when they receive the packages, and ebay seems to rely solely on the USPS "efficiency"! Many times as a buyer I've received packages that were scanned at all!

[jbbowers12012]

HI, there have been many discussions on this subject. the only way to assure that you get your acceptance scan from usps on time is to take your items to your p.o. - stand on line and ask for a receipt when dropping off your packages. scanning generates your receipt. believe me I know what a pain this is but it seems to be the only way. we also had a few late dings until doing this...….best of luck!

[disneyshopper]

Make sure you print out the SCAN sheet that is available and have the clerk at the post office scan it for you.  I print out the SCAN sheet even though I only have one package, and my upload rate is 100%.

[dirk12955]

How can a seller be sure the late dings on his or her metrics isn't from the buyers themselves marking the orders late?

[berserkerplanet]

>>How can a seller be sure the late dings on his or her metrics isn't from the buyers themselves marking the orders late?

If shipped and scanned within handling time or tracking shows delivery on or before the EDD, the buyer shouldn't be asked the question, and if they are asked and mark it as late it isn't late.

[dirk12955]

Berserker,     I was thinking in terms of items sent without tracking.    Many of my items go with a forever stamp and I ship many items overseas with no tracking.     I also buy many items from ebay sellers that are shipped with first class postage and no tracking.

When I leave those sellers feedback,    I'm asked if the item arrived on time.     I've always assumed if a buyer claims that an item was delivered late,    and marks it as late when giving feedback,   that it must count against a sellers metrics.   

[so-much-out-there]

If the USPS would scan the tracking number the way they are supposed to, the buyers wouldn't have this option... 

[kensgiftshop]

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@berserkerplanet wrote:

>>How can a seller be sure the late dings on his or her metrics isn't from the buyers themselves marking the orders late?

If shipped and scanned within handling time or tracking shows delivery on or before the EDD, the buyer shouldn't be asked the question, and if they are asked and mark it as late it isn't late.

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A couple years ago I got hit with a late delivery because buyer said it was late.

According to tracking, it was scanned on time and delivered on time.

[berserkerplanet]

Ok. A PWE mailing without tracking boils the chart above down to 3 lines

If buyer is asked and responds it's whatever they say it was. If no buyer response the transaction isn't counted in the metric at all.

Thus, if a particular untracked PWE transaction is flagged as late, it's because the buyer said it was - there is no other reason (except ebay error). Late shipment reports on seller dashboard show transaction level detail.

So yes, if untracked and buyer says it's late, it counts against metrics.

(However, I don't know if international sales part of the metrics follows the same rules. I think it does, but not sure. I don't have an international section on my dashboard any longer so it's unclear how that works these days)

[berserkerplanet]

>>A couple years ago I got hit with a late delivery because buyer said it was late.
>>According to tracking, it was scanned on time and delivered on time.

That would have been one of those eBay errors (not providing automatic protection for on-time shipping or for on-time delivery - either is sufficient to overrule the buyer input).

I had one a couple of years ago (not sure it was the buyer say so or what failed), and did the phone time getting it removed.
(actually only took about 10 minutes IIRC)

[so-much-out-there]

So, to make sure that the item's tracking number is scanned, I'm supposed to go to the local P.O. and make sure that the package is scanned??? Meanwhile, ebay will keep sending me me emails to bring my collectibles prices down, and bringing my shipping rate down...

[berserkerplanet]

If that's what it takes then yes. Or you extend your handling time, or you just take your chances the carrier will perform and deliver by the EDD or that the buyers will mark items as on time if asked.

I don't like it either, but it is what it is.

[collectfest]

I do not stand in line. NO WAY. I have had more than a handful of these issues and have ALL of them removed from my metrics. I do one day shipping. So far, cross my fingers, my packages have all arrived on time. Several were NEVER scanned. I called eBay and proved my point. They have ALWAYS been reasonable with me. An example is an item delivered delivered in 3 days. I prove the item could not arrive delivered if I did not do one day shipping. I guess there is truth the only 100 percent proof is standing in line for a print out. Having said that so far the past few years I’ve been100 percent ok.

regards

[dirk12955]

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@so-much-out-there wrote:

So, to make sure that the item's tracking number is scanned, I'm supposed to go to the local P.O. and make sure that the package is scanned??? Meanwhile, ebay will keep sending me me emails to bring my collectibles prices down, and bringing my shipping rate down...

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When I have a problem with tracking scans.     It's the pit stops my stuff make where they sit 

for a 2-3-4 days without movement.    You and I are judged (And we pay)  based on the performance

of the United states postal service and their employees.  

[berserkerplanet]

>>When I have a problem with tracking scans. It's the pit stops my stuff make where they sit
>>for a 2-3-4 days without movement.

If you get an acceptance scan of some sort within your handling time it doesn't matter how long it sits in a sorting center along the way - you are protected against a late shipment ding no matter what happens after that.

>>You and I are judged (And we pay) based on the performance of the United states postal service and their employees.

Yep. That's the deal. A non-issue if you get an acceptance scan, if the delivery is on or before the EDD, or the buyer says it's on time when leaving feedback.

That may not be "fair" but "fair" isn't the deal - I suspect eBay's (correct in a brutal business sense) approach is that there are luckier sellers who don't have USPS (or other carrier) issues, don't have "I don't want to stand in line" issues, don't have family emergencies, whatever, and can demonstrably (acceptance scan within handling time) get purchases shipped on time in order to have the best chance to meet EDDs.