Aust Post Investigation Outcome as Proof of Delivery ??

[thecatspjs]

mmm .... still mulling over eBays new proof of delivery requirement.......

What will be accepted as proof of delivery? 

If a buyer opens a request about an item they haven't received, you can resolve the request by providing proof of delivery. We ask you to provide tracking information that shows:

• The delivery status of the item as delivered.
• The date of delivery (which shows you sent the item within your stated handling time).
• The buyer's address, displaying at least the town/city or postal code of the address shown on either the Order Details page or PayPal's Transaction Details page.
• For items valued at $750 or more, proof of the recipient's signature.

Oz Post has certainly increased its scans of tracking, however it is not something that is a given or low risk enough for me to leave to the postal gods and goddesses.

So what I think I will do each and every time a parcel does not track as delivered and a buyer opens a eBay money back guarantee case is open an Australia Post investigation, and request their written confirmation that item was delivered

Not sure what happens in the meantime as eBay seem to want to race these cases through a quick timeline, and Australia Post investigations are pretty slow in comparison .... and AP just might be getting a whole lot busier during November and December.

If eBay don't let Oz Posts due process take its course that will be interesting too

[digital*ghost]

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@curraone wrote:

For example, we're adding a new option to the Contact Seller form, allowing buyers to ask you a question about an item they've purchased or send you a message after the sale. This option won't be considered a request or case and won't impact your seller performance.

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Ok, I think I've just figured out how this works. It's only not a defect if the buyer selects the first option of "I have a question about my item or I want to send the seller a message".

If they select "I didn't receive my item" or "I received an item that wasn't as described", it's a request and a defect. Most people will choose the option specific to the issue they're contacting the seller about, so unfortunately my initial concerns remain. 😞

[dylan11235813]

From the previous post it seems like all the options are contact seller options and I wouldn't think they count as a defect to simply contact the seller. Do you have a link to info that shows contacting the seller about the options you mension will count as a defect?

[i-love-my-sheep]

About 3 weeks ago I received a message from a buyer that had used the "I received an item that wasn't as described" option. She didn't open a case, she just used that option. So far, no defect. In fact, over the last week or so, my defect percentage has dropped from 0.72% down to 0.66%. I would think that if I had been defected, that would have risen.

I think selecting that option gives the seller the opportunity to resolve the issue with the buyer. If it isn't resolved to the buyers satisfaction, then they open a case. Thankfully in my instance, it was resolved with the buyer (there has been no negative feedback left and no case opened, so I assume she was happy with the outcome).

[digital*ghost]

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@i-love-my-sheep wrote:

About 3 weeks ago I received a message from a buyer that had used the "I received an item that wasn't as described" option. She didn't open a case, she just used that option. So far, no defect. In fact, over the last week or so, my defect percentage has dropped from 0.72% down to 0.66%. I would think that if I had been defected, that would have risen.

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This doesn't come into effect until November, when the Money Back Guarantee is started.

I was wrong in my earlier post, however, a buyer will not be able to send a request regarding INR until one day after the ETA.

My apologies to cats for the thread topic veering off direction - at the moment (at least for me) the whole defect thing is intertwined with the requirements for eBay's MBG, as I personally wouldn't care about not being able to provide proof of delivery if I could just continue to resolve any issues my customers have without being 'defective'. 

[2106greencat]

I think it has all just got too hard (not to mention scary).

As most of you know I was a seller, now I am just a lurker LOL, but my son has an XBox 360 and about 30 games to sell, he asked me to list on this id because of the seller history etc, but seriously, I don't want to take the risk, too much can go wrong these days.

OK, pay the full postage amount for paypal (seller) protection, POD, signature, yada yada, and then wait...........

for INAD..........

INR.....and wait foreveer for paypal to decide in my favour (if they do)

or chargeback........

or guaranteed money back refund...........

how long is it before you can actually take the money paid to the bank so to speak??

[dylan11235813]

I usually get about one buyer contacting me a week for INR and they have never counted as a defect. I think ebay should block contact for such things until the quoted time for delivery has elapsed, at least give it 4 days or something. Most of the time the item arrives the next day and everyone is happy.

[2011.narelle]

As far s I've read in the U.S,the moment a buyer clicks on any option except Other to ask a seller a question,it auto opens a case & gives a defect.

It will not be removed even if a buyer is sending a msg saying "i got it & i love it,thank you" 'cos eBay thinks buyers are such delicate little flowers that they shouldn't need to contact you about anything.

I've seen that a some U.S sellers add to their listing something like-If you need to contact me about anything,please choose Other.

eBay has said in the Weekly Chats that eBay will not educate buyers about defects,contact with sellers.That the buyers do not want to be educated.I think it just means that the whole defect idea is working as intended.

Defect if you do,defect if you don't.

[jensmanchester-australia]

DG - I spoke to my AM today about the new policy and according to her a buyer sending an email does not trigger a defect, regardless of the topic they choose. A defect is not triggered until an actual case is opened.

I also spoke strongly on behalf of the smaller and casual ebay sellers. I mentioned to her that with the recent new defects policy being introduced and now these latest changes that selling on ebay has become too stressful and uncertain for the smaller type sellers who provide buyers with the unique shopping experience ebay was known for. I brought up also that the smaller sellers are also some of ebays best buyers and it would not be good for ebay for them to go.

I was told that the main reason that ebay have introduced this policy is because research (don't I just love that word as results can be so easily manipulated to suit) had shown that buyers were leaving ebay due to a bad experience with a small percentage of sellers on the site. My reply to that was that why should the majority be punished due to the actions of a minority. I also pointed out that for years and years ebay had implemented change after change to supposedly protect buyers but at the end of the day there will always be dishonest buyers and sellers out there and ebay will never be able to stop it totally.

I think she was rather surprised about how strongly I supported the smaller casual sellers but they are an extremely important part of the ebay system.

[fetzerveeble]

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@thecatspjs wrote:

So what I think I will do each and every time a parcel does not track as delivered and a buyer opens a eBay money back guarantee case is open an Australia Post investigation, and request their written confirmation that item was delivered

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Who says AP will produce written confirmation?  Is that something they promise as part of the tracking service?

Just curious.

[digital*ghost]

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@jensmanchester-australia wrote:

DG - I spoke to my AM today about the new policy and according to her a buyer sending an email does not trigger a defect, regardless of the topic they choose. A defect is not triggered until an actual case is opened.

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I really hope that is the case, it's my biggest concern with the upcoming changes, despite the fact that I currently don't have very many issues that need to be resolved (the one good thing about large letter items is that, on average, they seem to travel up to a few days faster than parcels, so despite not having a tracking number, very few buyers query the whereabouts of them). 

I agree 100% with all your other sentiments, too. My take on eBay as a site has always been as an ecosystem, one that needs diversity to thrive, and I don't just mean in the types of items or sellers that are here, but in supporting a diverse range of markets (eg there are buyers who like free post and buyers who don't). 

I don't understand the strategy to minimise the number of sellers who can acheive TRS etc, and treat the rest as disposable in favour of what seems to me a desperate attempt at trying to win/keep buyer loyalty to ebay. 

Defects, and/or anything else that can so easily and seriously affect a seller's capacity to sell, IMHO should be reserved for instances where the seller has provably and willingly let down a buyer, and I honestly don't think it would be hard to reserve them for when it can be shown a seller didn't meet their obligations, and was not willing to do anything to resolve it, because that's what genuinely results in a bad experience - it's not the "I'm a bit disappointed it's smaller than I thought" or the "I didn't receive my item" scenarios that drive buyers away, it's when the buyer has to fight to get a resolution, or doesn't get one at all. The fact that how a seller handles a problem can make all the difference between gaining a loyal customer for life or never hearing from them again is testament to that. 

Thanks for giving voice to a lot of these kinds of concerns. 🙂