Label printed (then sit for days and days) & Shipped are two different things; ebay needs to address

[krys888]

Very frustrating as a buyer to see “shipped” on my items, but then they just sit in “label printed” status for days and days and days as part of seller’s handling time. Ebay really needs to add another status step that actually says “item sitting” or “item in handling time” or “ready to ship” instead of “shipped.” Sorry but a package that has a label on it but is still sitting at the seller’s house is not “shipped,” and it is frustrating. Right now I have about 10 orders marked shipped for days but have yet to be received by post office. I’ve got one that sat for four days before it finally reached the post office. As a buyer, its getting annoying.

[bonjourami]

Are your pkgs arriving by the estimated delivery date? Thats all that matters.

[this*old*attic]

Just hope you're not blaming the sellers?

[krys888]

No!

[bigdeals.etc]

You could call ebay to complain to them about it, but not to the seller if the packages arrive to you by the ETA.

This is why ebay should have never removed the seller's stated handling time. No idea why they ever got rid of it... they claim because buyers need to be hand-fed and not be overwhelmed by "useless information."

[krys888]

No, I’m saying that label printed and shipped are two different things. Ebay needs to add a notification step for the buyers that says, “ready to ship” or “label printed” instead of “shipped.” If its at the sellers house and not at the post office, then by definition, it is NOT shipped. Its terribly misleading for buyers. If one seller ships the same day he prints his label and another seller ships three days after printing the label but they notify the buyer that it is shipped, then unfortunately it does give the buyer a bit of “huh?” A printed label on a box is not the same as shipped. And it throws off the delivery time. 

[krys888]

If the items arrived by the expected delivery time, it wouldn’t be a problem and I wouldn’t care. But arranging for neighbors to watch for packages when you’re out of town or having someone stop by to check and what not for those of us who travel frequently is a big deal.

[trustedbasset]

There is a time limit for the printed postage. I think it’s 48 hours but it isn’t enforced.
USPS warns online shippers that if they don’t mail on the date printed on the label there could be tracking problems.

[richard1rst]

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@krys888 wrote:

No, I’m saying that label printed and shipped are two different things.

Not necessarily. I have seen times when the FIRST scan was by the buyer's delivering post office several days after I did in fact drop it off at the post office.

The post office has offered several explanations for this including:

The darkness of the label (I,e, too light print) didn't register on the scanner. Interestingly there was a post today by another seller asking why his labels printed so light and how could he fix that.

The post office does not in fact scan a package "at every step along the way" as they advertise. I have seen posts by others sellers that even though they have dropped off the package there is no acceptance scan unless they make an issue of it. (And if the line is long well, too bad)  And some sellers have said that their PO simply doesn't do it - fuss or not.

I just had a package that was showing "received in Los Angeles customs facility" and nothing more. A week later I got a note from my buyer in Australia thanking me for the prompt delivery. But the scan still showed it in Los Angeles.

It's not always the seller.

[krys888]

I was told 24 hours because the system bases the expected delivery on the assumption that the package will be at the post office within 24 hours. Each day delayed, adds days to the delivery. In the past few weeks, I’ve had very few actually arrive on the expected delivery date because of this. I’m to the point where I’m tempted to ask the seller BEFORE I buy when it will actually SHIP. But it sounds so pushy that I don’t want to sound pushy lol! But I would like to know the real expected delivery date so we can arrange for pickup or to be home that day.

[krys888]

I know its not always the seller. That’s why I suggested ebay add a notification step for the buyers. Ebay makes a lot of assumptions about buyers understanding of their process. Not complaining about the sellers because they don’t have the option of “ready to ship” or “label printed” notifications to buyers; sellers only get “shipped,” and that’s my point. Ebay’s notification system is the problem. 

[bigdeals.etc]

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@krys888 wrote:

If the items arrived by the expected delivery time, it wouldn’t be a problem and I wouldn’t care. But arranging for neighbors to watch for packages when you’re out of town or having someone stop by to check and what not for those of us who travel frequently is a big deal.

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There's also the issue of many packages I drop off stay in the "pending acceptance" status for a day or two. Some don't even have any tracking updates at all until it's delivered at their doorstep. Chalk that up to USPS' incompetence. So basically it's all a big mess. If you purchase alot online and run into these issues all the time, my suggestion would be to get a PO box or something similar. Yes it costs some money, but might be worth avoiding all these headaches.

[krys888]

I’ve been selling for two years and only found out about handling time within the past few weeks lol. Oops. And I found out because of this very problem I was having and am still having. The purchases I’ve made that actually shipped within 24 hours of printing the label all arrived on time. All the purchases that didn’t ship within 24 hours of the label printed were and are late late late by days and days. And because I’m also a seller and am aware of my own shipping and handling times (now) so if I know I can’t get to the post office the next day, I wait to print my labels. It would just be nice if ebay added a notification step for the buyer saying, “your item is ready to ship” or something, that would be fine. Its just an unmet expectation lol.

[myboardid]

You could get  a PO box and have the post office (or private box company) hold your packages when you travel - easy to do and not terribly expensive. 

Buy only guaranteed delivery items, then complain to eBay and get a reward if the package arrives late.  Also, I think - not sure - you can open a case for a refund for late delivery through Paypal, although you may have to pay for the return shipping. 

It is eBay who tells you the item has shipped just because the label has been printed.  It is not the seller doing that.  Many sellers who use automated software print their labels and packing lists the moment they receive an order.  They are not required to inform you whether or not your package has been sent yet, although I personally think it is a good idea to do so, and I send all my buyers a message to that affect. 

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

Im a buyer and don’t buy anything time sensitive on eBay, I buy it from amazon or locally. I’ve been on eBay since 1999 and remember when it was weeks between purchase and receipt. I cut sellers a little slack and don’t even start wondering until about 3 weeks out.

furthermore I’ve bought a lot of other mail order items lately and barring ll bean they all seem to ship a week after purchase. Fortunately I’m buying boots and sheets not insulin.