USPS still in delay, countless INR cases being opened...

[spreadlovelikefire]

Here we are mid January and USPS is still in delay.  I had 3 item not received cases opened in the last 12 hours.  This does not include 4 additional item inquiries for delays.  One of the INR cases accused me of not delivering candy to her friend who died of Covid.  So I guess us sellers get to carry that burden as well.  Didn't you know, we are responsible for the entire process of the world?  We must pay and live in fear of every single persons transactions, deliveries, and health.  So if the person passes away prior to the item arriving (even if it is only 3 days late), it's on the sellers head!  Totally reasonable.   

[no_zero369]

I hear your frustration!  Yeah, this shipping snafu has been a real nightmare and a burden to sellers! Sorry it has hit you so hard!

On the items in transit, perhaps you could start the Missing Mail process with the USPS?  Seems like that sometimes get things moving?

On the ones that do show movement,  the new "enhancements" to the INR process could be of benefit?  See the Announcement here.

If any of your items are expensive and you had to refund before item was delivered, it might make some sense to use the Package Intercept to get item back.

Now all of that said, it is outrageous that a buyer would dump that stuff on you about their friend that passed away!  Sure the buyer may be upset, but to load a guilt trip on you is cruel.  I can't imagine that feels good and it is certainly understandable the frustration and anguish you feel!  You sound like a good seller with a good conscience, so don't let some thoughtlessness get you down!  Hang in there!😎

[feralcatz1]

I wonder why ebay doesn't temporarily give us buyers more than 30 days.   In most cases I'd be happy to wait patiently to see what the post office does but ebay doesn't really give me that choice if I eventually want a refund if the item never arrives.  

[powell-memorabilia]

That is capitalism.  You enjoy the most profit upside on your sales - but that means that you incur the risk of loss.  No one thinks that you are responsible to physically deliver items - but, you are accountable for the performance of your contracted carrier AND for managing buyer expectations AND for deciding on whether or not now is a good time to sell. 

You made a reasonable gamble that shipments would run smoothly - I would think that it was a calculated risk.  You decided that the potential profits were worth the risk that the USPS wouldn't deliver on time.  It is a risk that many of us take.  For me, the risk-reward of shipping during the USPS slowdown has paid off.  For some sellers, it won't.  

[spreadlovelikefire]

You can file a case up to 30 days passed the estimated delivery date.  Every single one of my cases has been opened 1-3 days after the estimated delivery date.  Then our money gets held up, I waste so much time opening and closing cases within usps and ebay.  It's a real mess.  Ebay can totally allow more time but they have chose not to.  Right now, mid-January, my items are taking 2-3 weeks to arrive.  I send out a very nice email to every single order explaining this.  Most people just message me if their item is running really behind but there is still a select few of people who open these things up right away.  Those people can be a bit more patient but they are choosing not to.  They are choosing to create a lot more work for me.  I would think it would be eBay's best interest to push the time back as well since I'm spending half my day on the phone with them.  I have to call to put the cases on hold then call back once it gets delivered.  It's just a waste of time and resources.  It's poorly ran and eBay has created way more problems than USPS.  Ebay has take the fire set by USPS and has added a bunch of fuel to it.  

I do all of the things that I'm suppose to do.  I ship within 24 hours.  I get a receipt from USPS.  I send out an email to every purchase explaining USPS delays.  I open countless cases with USPS.  And I still get the shaft.  Can't win on this platform.  Even if I personally delivered every single item I'd still be expected to pay or apologize for something.  I feel like I'm paying with my health now.  I've spent so many sleepless nights trying to save my livelihood and still maintain this mess.  Then to be accused of not getting a package to someone prior to their friend dying of Covid, it's just to much.  I am a disabled Veteran.  I gave my life to our country and it feels like my country just keeps taking from me when there is nothing left to give.  I think this may be the beginning of the end for me here.  I take pride in my work but there is only so much I can do.  

[dr.kenzo.tenma]

"You enjoy the most profit upside on your sales."

NO.

eBay is the only one who has a guaranteed profit in every transaction.

eBay is the one that sets an "expected delivery date."

eBay is the one that sets procedures for returns.

eBay is the one that dips its greedy little hands into your bank account to force refunds.

eBay is the one that immediately passed on the entire costs of chargebacks to you and offers no support in responding.

So why should I incur ALL the risk of loss again?

[powell-memorabilia]

ebay has a known proceed from your sales - they offer a service for a fee.  They have profit, but only  you have the ability to earn $80 on a $100 sale.  As SELLERS enjoy the upside on sales, they get the risks.  That is capitalism.  

There are ways to reduce your risk, but that decreases potential profit.  You can’t have it both ways.  Personally, I like my margins, and I use them to cover the risks of online selling.  I lose in some orders, but win on most.

[spreadlovelikefire]

Capitalism does have problems.  For instance, when the company that controls everything they only have interest within themselves.  So there is no room for compassion.  This is why our healthcare system is such a mess, because our country wants to profit off of illness.  And at some point, we will all be sick.  None of us gets out alive.  And at some point, you will want to have a say in your business.  You will want to have, at the very least, a balance.  If the answer is always "choose differently or you made the choice for this to happen", then what you are doing is creating an environment for tyranny.  Be careful what you wish for.  It is not my fault that usps is behind.  It is not my fault that Covid is the biggest contributor to that.  It is not my fault that eBay, who runs this platform and are paid to do so, have given unrealistic expectations for the current environment.  If my choices are to either take it how it is or pound sand, well, things would never change if that is the answer.  It sounds like you live in a black and white world when it's actually more gray.  What I'm asking for isn't ridiculous.  Nor does it deem the definition of Capitalism.  Just because something is one way does not mean it is right.  I sincerely hope you never have to be in the hospital.  Because when you are, when the bills start coming in, well, it's just Capitalism, right?  Or you are denied care, it's just Capitalism, right?

[pooh333piglet]

What Ebay has done to sellers at this time is unethical.

I don't care about this, that and the other thing that someone wants to defend away. What happened to the world, US and USPS is life. 

How ebay has responded... horrific to those who sell here. Yes, eventually they have helped in some manner. It was late and it wasn't enough. It's still not enough. 

In saying this I'm going to be honest. I've not lost a penny recently. Im very experienced here and did whats needed for me. It paid off AND I got lucky. I wasn't as lucky in the beginning of the pandemic. I see tho what other sellers are going through who dont know the ebay game. 

Dont take 1 oz of a buyers grief. Write it out or say a prayer or however you get rid of negative energy and Let it Go. Hopefully writing it here helped.

How the heck is someone who can't taste it or breathe supposed to enjoy candy before their death? That is so utterly ridiculous! 

It's so tough your situation with cases, etc. Your doing too much is my opinion. Dont fear a buyer. What happens is a part of selling although your getting hit at once. Do what you need to do according to Ebay's guidelines and it will work out. If you end up having a forced refund appeal it when package is delivered. USPS recent delivery times are much better so I think your INR cases will be over soon. Your taking it very personal and that part is on you. I know you may disagree with that but no one controls your mind but you.

[spreadlovelikefire]

Thank you!  I am taking it way to personally.  I have good days and then I have days like today.  Where they just keep coming, one after the other, one worse than the last.  Sometimes it weighs on me.  I think it weighs on me most because eBay doesn't have my back.  I'm a fairly big seller.  I've been selling full time for a decade now and I've been able to mitigate and manage everything they have ever thrown at me.  But this past year, their response to Covid and how they took forever to throw us any type of  a life line was just to much for me.  I see now that I'm feeding the cooperate pig.  They don't care about anyone.  And by they, I mean the board and the investors.  As long as their bottom line isn't decreasing then they don't care.  Ethics is absent.  And I feel I'm feeding that beast.  I use to work for a coorperation and it was exactly the same.  Just numbers with no human feeling.  At the end of the day you are either an asset or a liability.  Until eBay starts hemorrhaging sellers they will continue to be unethical.  What incentive do they have to change?  But I do not see that ever happening, until a comparable platform comes around maybe.  I also sell on another platform and it hardly has any traffic. 

My packages were starting to be held up in Mid November.  I called ebay a ton and was told "it's my fault, choose a different shipper".  So, after trying to do that I called back and had the rep explain to me why when I got to choose another shipper it wasn't giving me the option.  Turns out, Puerto Rico only has USPS option.  Well, half my sales are to Puerto Rico so there's that.  I didn't have that option.  It took them a month later to help us sellers, and it's a minimum help as you know.  

[powell-memorabilia]

Hey, I appreciate all of the perspectives, and you look at things the way that you want to.  I think that my viewpoint helps me to be avoid stress - I look at eBay for what they are, and the deal that they are offering to me. 

If I want to sell on eBay, great.  If there is another option that I think will present a better option, I'm free to take it.  That doesn't mean that I like everything that eBay does, or that I'm foolish enough to believe that their actions are in my best interests.  However, we all know what the deal is on eBay.  If you have a way of affecting eBay's actions and decisions, by all means, take those actions.  If you don't think that you can, what is the point of continually expressing outrage that they aren't complying with your view of how things should be?  

There are a lot of options - plenty of sites for selling anything and everything.  Even your own website.  

[spreadlovelikefire]

I think the collective whole of outrage is what promotes change.  If no one ever said anything then things would just continue to get worse, and worse, and worse.  Because, like any cooperation, their only interest is their bottom line.  And I do sell on other platforms as well.  Make no mistake, voicing displeasure isn't the issue here.  I served our country to be able to do as such.  How do you think change happens?   It sounds like you have a problem with anyone expressing any type of outrage.  

[golfingaddict]

This thinking is why we are in trouble over the slowdown of the post office in the last many months.

Every single one of the packages I sent were delivered.  Were some late? Of course, Were some very late, absolutely.  But all of them showed movement, I filed lost mail/research cases when some did not show movement for more than a week.

Would I refund if the package never arrives? Of course I would.  In fact, two buyers got refunds when I first saw serious delays and before ebay made their announcement.  

I suppose I could say it was a gamble to use the US postal service that was established over 200 years ago and reorganized 50 years ago.

But ebay takes it out of my hands to take care of my customers.  They allow ebay buyers to harm our accounts and our livelihoods by opening cases because ebay insists on ignoring handling times and ignoring what is going on in the world (Covid, holiday crush, lack of Dejoy)  and promise buyers that items will get to them in 2-3 days when it was taking 7-10 and is still taking 4-7 days to arrive.

Did it pay off for me to use the US Post office?  Sure, my other choice was to not sell, not earn money, not pay my bills.

I just wish that ebay would respect us enough to take care of out customers without the threat  of losing our accounts hanging over our heads.

[oldold-timer]

USPS will not allow a lost Priority Mail claim before 15 days from mailing date and no later than 60 days from mailing date.  How about eb follow that example or something similar before INR claims can be filed?

[powell-memorabilia]

I don’t know how you got onto healthcare - but I can see that you are passionate about this issue.  Fro me, the necessity of healthcare lands pretty far from 99.8% of the importance of eBay items, mine included.  

my main point is that the majority of risk falls on the sellers, as we enjoy the majority of the upside potential (on an individual sale).  ebay doesn’t make much in comparison to what is sold.  They can’t take on risks for the sellers.