Ebay Sellers Delivery dates:

[jcut6405]

I recently had a purchase, where the seller had a estimated  delivery date which was not met, when I enquired I was informed they were away, and the Ebay ad had been flagged.

I looked at the Ad and yes there was a small print note high on the left hand corner of the ad, whilst the estimated delivery date was clearly evident in bold large print. below the item for sale

As a result I cancelled the order as instead of having to wait 7 days to receive it would have been 30 days.

This was an annoying waste of my time.

Why does Ebay allow absent sellers to list and item for sale with an Estimated delivery date prominently shown, when the seller has no intention of meeting this delivery time.

Why is a seller even allowed to list on Ebay at a time when they are away and cannot despatch the goods as advertised on the Ebay site.

I believe Ebay needs to have a look at this practice, if they wish to retain their buyers.

[jcut6405]

The issue appears to be that sellers do not post the estimated delivery date, this is to the detriment of both the seller and buyer. This is an issue that buyers and sellers need to take up with Ebay. I as a buyer would appreciate an accurate estimate of the delivery time, when making my buying decision. I have already made a formal complaint to Ebay about this matter. NB: The away message is not immediately obvious and does not provide a delivery time frame so does not meet my needs as a buyer.

[enigmabear]

Sellers have no way of knowing how long Australia Post is going to take to pull their finger out

I have had things sent to me from friends in the same state and sometimes they take 2 days,sometimes 2 weeks

It is very unfair to expect sellers to just know how long AP will take, if there are going to be postal disruptions/strikes/accidents involving mail trucks (which there were a few big ones last year)

Especially when the seller is just a 'regular joe' with no knowledge of the inside outs of AP or whichever postal service may be used

I'm sure if the shoe was on the other foot it would be a very different story

[jcut6405]

As this issue is obviously causing problems for you as a seller and me as buyer in that buyers are not being provided with accurate delivery information and sellers appear to have no control over posting the delivery dates. Perhaps the sellers need to voice their concerns with Ebay. I have already done so.

[jcut6405]

Thanks I will shop elsewhere in future,

[brerrabbit585]

In this particular case the seller should have altered their handling time to reflect the fact that they're away, otherwise a buyer could easily think that the seller isn't actually away from home but is just taking a break from selling and will send orders before they officially return, but not necessarily straight away.

To have items still available for purchase when a seller is set to away only leads to confusion.  To me it always sends mixed messages and I've avoided buying items while sellers were away.  I remember that when I first encountered it I wondered what was going on and it didn't make sense to me that they'd still have things for sale when they were away so I assumed they were actually at home, or had some sort of emergency that meant they may not be home at short notice.  Either way, I've walked away and they've lost a sale.

[lyndal1838]

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@jcut6405 wrote:
The issue appears to be that sellers do not post the estimated delivery date, this is to the detriment of both the seller and buyer. This is an issue that buyers and sellers need to take up with Ebay. I as a buyer would appreciate an accurate estimate of the delivery time, when making my buying decision. I have already made a formal complaint to Ebay about this matter. NB: The away message is not immediately obvious and does not provide a delivery time frame so does not meet my needs as a buyer.

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Your needs as a buyer seem to be beyond what ebay sellers can meet.

They are entirely dependent on Australia Post doing their job in a quick and efficient manner and as most buyers and sellers will tell you that is not happening and not going to happen anytime soon.

If timing is so important to you I suggest you do what most of us do if we want some certainty in our delivery dates.....buy it at the local shops.  That way you do not have to wait for a seller or Australia Post.

[brerrabbit585]

Just to add to what I said above, while AP's delivery speed is beyond the seller's control, it was well within their control to adjust the delivery date to a more realistic time by adjusting their handling time while they were away. To not do so is to create false expectations for buyers, which only creates problems for themselves in the long run.

[jcut6405 · Accepted solution]

Thanks, that was the point I was trying to make, I understand Australia Post Delays, but if the seller doesn't intend posting an item for 20 days after the order is placed , if the seller is able to adjust the handling time on Ebay to reflect the delay then the buyer would be able to make an informed choice. NB: It appears, that the Ebay sellers who have replied to my post are not aware of this capability, which would resolve the issue I raised.

[gutterpunkz05]

I just love buyers who make all kinds of mistakes and then put the blame on the seller or ebay.  Have heard just about every excuse

under the sun,  from buyers.  In this case your seller has indicated that they are away.  That is why there is a yellow flag and message advising of delays at the top of their 2300 odd listings.  I can see it quite clearly, even without glasses.  How can a seller

insert a delivery date, estimated or otherwise on a listing unless we waste our sphycic abilities to predict when someone is going  to buy an item.

[gutterpunkz05]

Thanks, that was the point I was trying to make, I understand Australia Post Delays, but if the seller doesn't intend posting an item for 20 days after the order is placed , if the seller is able to adjust the handling time on Ebay to reflect the delay then the buyer would be able to make an informed choice. NB: It appears, that the Ebay sellers who have replied to my post are not aware of this capability, which would resolve the issue I raised.

If you can not see, or take note of the Yellow Flag and message at the top of the listing, then I can hardly see you checking for a

handling time.  As you have said, you went off the estimated delivery date, which has nothing to do with any input from the seller.