topic Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period in Selling

Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

*tippy*toes* — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 13:40:12 GMT

I know a lot are shutting up shop over the Christmas New Year period, but for those of us that aren't, how do we get around the AP week off between Christmas and New Year? Many buyers would know the PO will be closed because they'll go to post something and find it's closed, yet they still expect sellers to post quickly and receive their item yesterday before they even bought it. Like we have full control over the postal system.

Given the ridiculous estimate won't allow for all the public holidays and closures, is our "no" count going to go through the roof for untracked items? Last year I sold quote a few things over the holiday period and sent each buyer a message saying there would be a delay in postage due to AP closures, but I'm not sure this year will be enough now they have that stupid question to answer when they leave feedback.

Does anyone have any strategies in place to try and prevent getting too many "no's" for that stupid feedback question for untracked item? Should I temporarily up my handling time to 10 days?

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

kopenhagen5 — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 15:17:22 GMT

You mean to say they are not open the 29th and 30th?

If that is the case I think your strategy of sending each buyer a message is good and perhaps a hand written reminder of the same on the invoice enclosed with the package.

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

designers*n*more — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 16:27:37 GMT

I would up the handling time to 10 days, you could also add this in your listing that due to the PO closures over the Christmas holiday period handling times will be longer than normal (or something to that effect).

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

lyndal1838 — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 19:02:45 GMT

Tippy, according to the website AP will be open on 29th and 30th and there will be mail delivered.

There will also be extended post office hours and parcel delivery on Saturdays during December.

It may well be different in country areas though.

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

clarry100 — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 19:25:29 GMT

We drop all our outgoing large letters into our local red street box.
Has anyone seen any info that says which days these will NOT be cleared?

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

lyndal1838 — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 19:54:22 GMT

As far as I know the red boxes will not be cleared on the Public Holidays and the designated Picnic Day as on the website.

That is the way it has always been.

I would say that means that the boxes will be cleared on the 29th and 30th but not the other days between Christmas Eve and the 2nd January.

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

clarry100 — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 20:02:41 GMT

Are they likely to be cleared on 24th, Xmas Eve?

If so, then the mail will just sit in the sorting centres for a few days until 29th not going anywhere.

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

harley_babes_hoard — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 20:12:59 GMT

I think if anyone gets No's over the christmas period, I'm pretty sure I read they would remove them under those kind of circustances.

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

robinsonmarineparts — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 22:49:21 GMT

@*tippy*toes* wrote:
I know a lot are shutting up shop over the Christmas New Year period, but for those of us that aren't, how do we get around the AP week off between Christmas and New Year? Many buyers would know the PO will be closed because they'll go to post something and find it's closed, yet they still expect sellers to post quickly and receive their item yesterday before they even bought it. Like we have full control over the postal system.

Given the ridiculous estimate won't allow for all the public holidays and closures, is our "no" count going to go through the roof for untracked items? Last year I sold quote a few things over the holiday period and sent each buyer a message saying there would be a delay in postage due to AP closures, but I'm not sure this year will be enough now they have that stupid question to answer when they leave feedback.

Does anyone have any strategies in place to try and prevent getting too many "no's" for that stupid feedback question for untracked item? Should I temporarily up my handling time to 10 days?

I've decided to put my store into holiday mode for about aweek during that season, people will still buy, they always do, but aleast i'll or should be covered by / from Ebay against defects.

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

*tippy*toes* — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:17:51 GMT

I'm not sure why I thought they were closed the whole week between Christmas and New Year. Maybe I read about the picnic day in my sleep deprived state and got confused (not hard for me these days!). It looks like Express will be impacted the worst as obviously there will be no next day delivery, the earliest will be Jan 4 if posted in the down week. Very few of my buyers select Express, so if anyone does, I'll send them a message and direct them to the AP site.

I might still up my handling time, just to play it safe. I know some buyers will still tick no regardless, but it might stop others automatically going for the no button. I'll also do what I did last year and send a message to each buyer explaining that it will take longer than normal for their item to arrive. It's more the untracked large letter items I'm worried about.

I was surprised yesterday when I got up to find 2 parcels at the front door. I know they were doing Saturday parcels last year, I wasn't expecting anything on a Sunday!

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

lane-ends — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:33:19 GMT

Its not just buyers ticking a no. If you use prepaid parcels without counter lodging within handling time, and tracking shows it as late delivery, even if buyer does not leave feedback or tick anything then its a late shipment strike. The default for late delivery is a strike unless buyer says otherwise. Its a higher risk than even letter rate.

I have maxed out my allowance and non of them have come from buyers ticking no. All have been shipped same day.

Christmas period is going to see an avalanche of strikes being handed out.

And yes weekends are classed as business days with estimated delivery windows being quoted as between friday and monday. not sure yet if your handling time for verified lodging also includes weekends when it is impossible even if you do go to PO everyday they are opened.

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

lane-ends — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:35:54 GMT

@harley_babes_hoard wrote:
I think if anyone gets No's over the christmas period, I'm pretty sure I read they would remove them under those kind of circustances.

They are open to removing defects under existing DSR system, but if you query them under the "new" preview system they act like they don't exist as its not in effect yet

Re: Delivery and Defects Over The Christmas / New Year Period

jawsnine — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 01:38:54 GMT

@lane-ends wrote:

@harley_babes_hoard wrote:
I think if anyone gets No's over the christmas period, I'm pretty sure I read they would remove them under those kind of circustances.

They are open to removing defects under existing DSR system, but if you query them under the "new" preview system they act like they don't exist as its not in effect yet

Well that's wrong then isn't it? All records including tracking will have disappeared by the time they implement it. We'll have to take screenshots of the tracking and hang on to them until February to prove that we did send on time.