estimated arrival date in listings

[buyselljack2016]

My sales dropped off after last Monday. Basically flat in two accounts with the exception of 1 sale.

Not a big seller, but generally at least 2 items each 3 days in each account.

Had sales today, and have now discovered the reason for the lull.

Potential buyers are being shown an estimated delivery date 23 to 29 days out for 1st Class mail in the same state.

In a chat with eBay CS I was directed to contact the courier, as the courier is setting the estimate. The CSR quickly ended the chat while I was typing suggesting that I must have left. Basically a "hang up". 

CSR did ask if I could revise the handling time, so that led me to see that is where the issue lies.

My handling time has been 3 days for a long time. More than a year.

Now suddenly a 3 day handling time is causing an estimated delivery date 23-or more days out with the yellow warning that the estimated delivery is over 15 days.  Revising to a 2 day handling drops the estimated down to 10 - 17 days.

I do not believe this has anything to do with the "courier", but is a direct result of eBay coding.

I suppose that I will have to revise my handling time.  Buyers do not want to purchase from a seller that has a month lag time.

We need some help from eBay where they show unrealistic short estimated delivery, but 3-4 weeks is not the answer.

Even Priority is showing delivery in state 3 weeks out. The "courier" is not doing that.

 

[aldente28]

Check your past orders. Have any of them arrived in this elongated time frame?

It seems to me that would be a reason for the estimated delivery revision. If there are zero carrier delays on the order of 20-something days, I would tend to guess it is some kind of error, but that's just a guess.

[buyselljack2016]

There were a couple of carrier delays, but at a rate of less than 2% it wouldn't seem that this nonsense would pop up.   I can't be the only seller experiencing some delays.

I am 100% with tracking uploaded on time and validated.

Have an "out for delivery" failed to update, but after a month and a half with no screaming from the buyer (knock on wood) I suspect the item was delivered. This is in the USPS Michigan "black hole" as was one of the delayed items.

Just crazy that 2 day handling vs. 3 day handling makes a difference of 12-13 days on the estimate.

My listings with free shipping have been displaying "fast 'n free" GD for many on Thursday- mid day Monday each week.  Monday mid-day they have been adding a week to the estimated arrival showing a somewhat realistic delivery estimate which results in the "fast 'n free" GD going away for a few days . 

"fast 'n free" GD again comes back as the days count down, because the estimated delivery date does not change daily as one might expect it to. Each Monday mid-day it jumps out a week. This is an improvement from a while back when it was jumping out 2 weeks, and counting back down from there.

I suppose the "band aid" for this is to change my handling to 2 days. I don't want to, but when sales drop 90% I have to do what I can.  A simple process on my 2 accounts, as I can edit in bulk, but the wife will have a bigger chore.  Her account is strangely different in that she has multiple (20-30) "shipping policies".

They can be changed a bit "in bulk", but knowing which were under the same "shipping policy" is a burden.  It's really odd.  Each listing where the buyer pays some flat rate shipping is a different "policy" if the amount is not the same.

Her bigger problem at the moment is a 2-3 day Priority that made it to Carson CA in only 7 days, but even though it is less than 20 miles, it can not seem to make it the rest of the way to LA in another 7 days.   30 X 6 X 9 box. It isn't hiding behind some bubble mailer.

Well above her normal sales, at over $100, it will be a costly refund.

[corvettestainless]

When printing USPS labels, it's now saying, per ebay' "pick another Carrier as this one is f'd up" (paraphrasing). So, basically pick Fedex and take to them (get labels on ebay) or whomever....

[fresh-allure]

I ship with Australia Post International and even its express service uses USPS.

I have  a dozen items I shipped to the US. All with tracking and shipped within 24 hours and all sitting at the Los Angeles USPS facility for over 2 weeks now.  I'm getting refund demands from buyers but this is out of my control. Anyone else having this problem?

• USPS FACILITY
• LOS ANGELES, CA 90009

[buyselljack2016]

USPS is pretty much my option here.

No FedEx, or UPS local enough to make it practical.

[corvettestainless]

I get it; if possible, use Priority, no 1st class for the time being. 

[mam98031]

You are correct.  It is Ebay that sets the ETAs.  To my knowledge the information comes from the carriers, but the carriers have no ability to actually change what the Ebay site says, that is Ebay that does that.

With that said I see a big extension on my listings too.  Lets see if we can get some information on what is going on.  It is likely that this is Ebay's response to the big delays, especially in the USPS system.

brian@ebay 

tyler@ebay 

[buyselljack2016]

A little relief from the short estimated delivery times is appreciated by sellers, but these current estimates do not make any sense, and as in my post, the huge disparity popping up with the difference in 2 day handle vs 3 day handle makes no sense to my tiny tech mind.

That, and how the estimated deliver date stays the same for days, and days, and then jumps out a week again has to be a coding thing that is beyond my ken.  Seems that estimated date should extend out as each new day pops up on the  California calendar, not mid-day on Monday.

[frodobagginskennedy]

I had one ETA show DECEMBER 31st.  This was with a 3 day handling time.  WTH?  I know I had extended my handling time out to 15 business days about 3 weeks ago as I was helping my Mom clear out the house after my Dad's passing.  I changed everything back to 3 days when I returned.    BUt still December 31st????

Something is weird with e bay's coding........as usual.

[mam98031]

The United States Postal Service continues to be strained, and we realize the burden this puts on our sellers. Delivery and scan delays persist, and we are monitoring not only the delays but ongoing negotiations in Washington. 

As your partner, we will continue to protect you and ensure you’re covered for any shipping defects and delays beyond your control. 

Here’s what we’re doing now and how we’re looking to the future:

Handling time

We are automatically extending estimated delivery dates as necessary to give buyers a more reasonable expectation of when their items will arrive. We recommend that you don’t extend your handling time. Our extended estimates should give you enough buffer, and additional handling days could lead to the appearance of your items shipping slower than they actually are. 

Seller protections

Last month, we announced seller protections against shipping defects through August 31, and we will continue to extend these protections as long as strains on carriers affect delivery dates.

“Item not received” cases

If a buyer opens an “item not received” case, and you provided valid tracking and shipped the item within your promised handling time, we will wait to evaluate the case until after the extended estimated delivery date.

1. We will recognize that you uploaded valid tracking and met your handling time commitment, and you can still qualify as a Top Rated Seller.
2. If the item shows up late because of a carrier delay, we will remove the shipping defect for late shipment.
3. If the item is delivered after the extended estimated delivery date, we will remove shipping-related negative or neutral feedback on your behalf.

We are continually monitoring shipping developments and USPS delays. We are working on other affordable, more reliable delivery options for sellers. Stay tuned for important developments in this area in the coming weeks.

As always, thank you for selling on eBay.

Marni Levine

VP of Seller Operations and Engagement

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/How-we-re-responding-to-USPS-delays/ba-p/31134359

[gwzcomps]

Could be worse.  You could have eBay up your handling time from 5 business days to 24 business days.

[buyselljack2016]

The announcement seem to be in line with the extended estimates that I am seeing.

Had just spent hours making changes to get the eBay generated GD off the listings.

Now I will need to go in to my accounts to adjust my handling time back to a level that sales may actually occur. 

I understand that there has to be a break point, but the break between 2-3 days  causing a 12-13 day estimated difference seems to defy logic.

[buyselljack2016]

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@gwzcomps wrote:

Could be worse.  You could have eBay up your handling time from 5 business days to 24 business days.

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Well, they sort of have done that.  3 day handling item showing that an Aug 11 purchase could take until Sept 9th to be delivered. (1st Class, and Priority)

[gwzcomps]

Ah so you got hit with the same nonsense I did.  Funny with how eBay likes to screw things up.