Question For Sellers About Delivery Times

when I bid/buy items on ebay, I usually get an "estimated delivery" time frame (usually 3-10 days). when I receive the item and go to leave feedback, it will ask if the item arrived before the last date of the "estimated delivery." if it doesn't, and I check "NO", does that have any bearing or repercussions on the seller?? I know a lot of times it isn't the sellers fault if the postal system is slow.

case in point. today I received a package (sent from Serbia), with an "estimated delivery" of 11-30 to 12-06. Of course, today being the 10th, it didn't fall within the time frame. but, the package was post-marked 11-21 (I purchased on 11-20, so there wasn't a delay in them posting the package), which puts the blame on the postal system (either US or Serbia, or perhaps somewhere in between). In situations like this (yes, it has happened before), I usually just don't check anything.

is it possible that the seller has programmed into his profile that shipping to US should only take 7-14 days, versus the reality of it taking 18-25 days?

As far as I know the shipping time 'guess' comes from ebay. Not sure what they use for a guide though. As a seller, the only thing I specify is how long it takes me to get the item out the door. Which normally for me is 1 day. I do recall looking at one item once that the seller specified 14 days for shipping and ebay had listed a warning that it would take longer than normal to receive the item.

I agree with John.
happens to my mail quite regularly, as Aust Post have restricted delivery times.
I answer honestly, say NO if appropriate, but always give "fast service" in the feedback.

I rarely get anything above 2 days later than specified.

No, "estimated times of delivery" are entirely ebay's fantasies.

In my 20-year experience as a buyer and a seller on ebay, these are based on official estimates by USPS, which are as far from reality as anything government officials predict. Delivery of a letter containing stamps, especially of a valuable, registered or insured letter, from the US to EU or back, can take as long as 6 weeks in many cases. Lately, UK customs and Latvian customs are playing dirty games, delaying packages for 2 months or more, charging recipients unlawful customs fees, and engaging themselves in the usual sadistic games of petty officials abusing their pathetic powers.

Answering "No" to ebay's question about the item's arrival before the last date of the "estimated delivery" apparently doesn't influence seller's ratings, as long as his letters and packages are finally received. I often have to sooth the anxiety of European customers, trying to explain to them that, as long as tracking shows that I mailed their stamps on time, I do not have any further control over postal services. Most of the time it works, and people happily receive their stamps later. In some cases I have to deal with hysterical, neurotic individuals, but this is to be expected on the worldwide market.

I must observe, however, that stamp collectors are mostly sane, rationally thinking individuals capable of self-control; among stamp collectors the proportional share of tantrum-throwing precious snowflakes is much smaller than in general population. The self-cheating desire to see a rarity where there is none is a much bigger problem in philately.

As long as I get the item within a reasonable time, even if it is out of the ebay range, I still say yes because I still got the item and did not have to launch a not yet item received claim.

When leaving feedback, I deliberately do not answer the "Did it arrive by..." question. It's my way of protesting the idiocy of eBay/USPS delivery estimates and windows.

If the shipment was a tracked shipment, you doen't need to ask me if it arrived. You KNOW whether it did or not.

If I'm leaving feedback on a date within the delivery estimate, you don't need to ask me if it arrived. DUH!

I laugh any time I see the signs in the post office that claim that 1st class delivery is 3-5 days. Depending on where you live and where the letter or parcel is coming from, a 1st class letter/parcel can take 1-2 weeks to arrive.

ebay and USPS are creating the entitled mentality that so many buyers have whereby if they have not received their purchases in 3-5 days from when they click the BUY button, that they should file a complaint/dispute. Additionally, so many buyers now think that "If Amazon Prime can get me my goods in 2-3 days, then everyone should be able to do it!"

BAH! HUMBUG!

And keep your stinking reindeer off my lawn!!

FWIW, I cannot think of an instance when I did not receive an item within the specified delivery time, even when coming from outside the US.

Yesterday, December 10th, I received an ebay lot mailed from Edmonton, Canada on November 4th (and clearly postmarked). That's 36 days in transit from Alberta to Michigan. Well beyond ebay's estimate.

Late shipment is one of the ways ebay punishes sellers.

It is counted as a defect for the seller and if they get too many, they will lose their TRS status, their discount, and could face other repercussions as well.

It is not so bad if you have tracking on everything but if sent without tracking, it can be a real burden on sellers through no fault of theirs.

Actually, I find ebay's domestic estimates - taken from Royal Mail - accurate. In normal circumstances, 1st Class arrives the next day and 2nd Class in two days.

GeoffHa, England is relatively small. The times ebay gives here in the States are ridiculous at times - I have had delivery estimates of up to three weeks for a first class letter. A regular letter from Florida to Georgia sometimes takes over a week lately! Then again, I had a package coming from Las Vegas to Georgia just this past week, and it only took two days. The whole shipping thing is extremely unpredictable now.

Peter

It is not just ebay. All vender rating systems (ISO or otherwise) will negatively rate a sellers performance if the shipping company used does not perform.

While this may appear 'unfair' on the surface if you think about it makes sense. It is the seller who is paying the shipping company. It is the seller who has influence with the shipping company as the paying party.

The seller also controls, and is therefore responsible, for the terms of the shipping arrangements. For example, if their is a history with poor service with Shipping Company A, then the seller can switch and use Company B.
Don

Wait a minute. Doesn't "late shipment" as an ebay penalty refer to too much time between completion of the buyer's payment and marking the item as shipped? Carrier transit time or delays has nothing to do with the penalty.

The buyer's later report of the actual shipment time, meaning carrier transit time, merely tunes the algorithm that ebay uses to estimate delivery times for purposes of buyer satisfaction. Long carrier times don't penalize either party.

If I'm wrong, cite the ebay rule, but let's be accurate here, please.

Chris

Lets start with this info

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinforma...b=summaryTab

I will only leave a NO on this if the supplier did not ship within his stated shipping time. After it leaves the place of business it is out of his control. IE: Just received a package from Guadalajara, MX that took over 30days to get to GA. The seller shipped the day after I ordered. It was opened by border inspection of some sort. Not the sellers fault so why should they get dinged.

Don

Not all of us have a choice to change shipping due to cost.

In Canada, cheapest tracking is around $15.00 for anything, including a letter.

We don't all have cheap tracking like the US does!

With ebay, you can lose your selling privileges for any carrier's issues.