Handling times-I think this backfired on eBay

[rocket2retro]

Ebay keep reminding sellers that 'Same Day' or '1 Day' handling times are best for sellers and for the past few years I have had 1 Day handling on my listings.

However from these boards, it seems that many sellers are now pushing out their handling times to 3-4+ days to adhere to the the recent "Did your item arrive on or before...?" and also to compensate for Australia Post slower letter delivery timeframes.

I have also changed my handling to 3 Days and may extend it further if necessary (BTW I post every day & most days twice)

In summary this is another example of eBay implementing a scheme without much apparent thought and you would have to say it has backfired (insofar as their quest for every seller to post everything 'yesterday').

[*tippy*toes*]

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@lane-ends wrote:

Ultimately buyers will avoid ebay because according to Ebay (due to sellers pushing out handling), it takes too long to recieve items. All because sellers are paranoid about the 5% of times they may not meet estimates.

Still dont understand how ethically late delivery=late shipment unless seller can prove otherwise, and a sellers standing can be compromised as a result.

What next assumption that buyers have paid unless sellers can prove otherwise.?

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I'm not so sure about that. My sales didn't go down at all when I blew my handling time out to 5 days. I think that most sellers who extend their handling time from same or next day will still post same or next day, because that's what they've already been doing any way. It just gives it more time to arrive as far as the estimate goes.

It's also a lovely surprise for the buyer when it arrives before the earliest date of the estimate. I've had quite a few messages from buyers saying how impressed they were that it arrived before the earliest estimate date (like I have control over postage speed!).

[Anonymous]

Earlier this month i changed from 1 day to 3 days (and lost my premium seller badge)

My sales took a nose dive and i was well below average for that week

As soon as a changed back to 1 day and got my badge back my sales picked up and went back to where they were before

so i concluded

1) it was a coincidence. 1 week isnt a proper test period but i didnt want to go a month and have terrible sales

2) extending handling times turned people off because they didnt see "fast and free" and my premium badge

3) handling times make a difference in my category

To this point since the Jan 4 changes i have not had 1 person complain about postage taking too long. All my feedbacks make mention of how quick postage was, so i have no need at this point to worry about my handling time of 1 business day (and im not using the priority labels.. all my sales are large letters)

I'll worry about handling times again if it becomes a problem

[jfmgray]

At this stage I will keep with my 1 day handling time as I have only one late shipment defect so I have no need to react and change.  Will keep a very close eye on things and make a change if I get anywhere close to 5%.  All large letters without tracking but I do email all buyers to explain the unfair impact on sellers of this measure as late arrivals are totally out of our control.

[*tippy*toes*]

Sadly, having Fast and Free and a pretty badge isn't going to protect you from postage defects if AP decide to take longer than the estimate to deliver your items.....which we know they can do. Sending most as large letter you are at the mercy of your buyers, as they will all have the question staring at them when they leave feedback. A lot don't know that sellers are getting defects if they tick no for arriving within the estimate. They think it's a survey type thing, so don't think it's an issue if they tick no.

Hopefully it all works out OK for you! Keep an eye on your dashboard though once this new system comes in next month.

[springyzone]

Lane ends said:

Ultimately buyers will avoid ebay because according to Ebay (due to sellers pushing out handling), it takes too long to recieve items. All because sellers are paranoid about the 5% of times they may not meet estimates.

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It's hard to say.

There are a lot of other online retailers around now, not like a decade or so ago, so I guess that will take some of the market.

But other sites don't necessarily have any quicker or better postage than ebay sellers.

I'm currently waiting on a pineapple slicer/corer I ordered from Groupon on 6th Jan. It says shipped on 8th Jan but the name of the listed company makes me think it is coming from China. Didn't say that in the ad, I assumed they were already imported.

I have to say I am finding the long wait a bit tiresome yet it's not as if I desperately need it, I don't even have a pineapple in the house.

At a guess, I would say most people (unless it is an urgent item for a special occasion) would be happy enough with a 5-10 day wait, after that it's a bit of a drag.

I have noticed though a bit of a trend amongst some buyers now to base feedback on the estimated delivery date. Or to use it as one of the factors, anyway.

 I was reading one comment that specifically said they were marking it down (they gave a neutral) as it didn't arrive till a couple of days after the due date.

And I have seen similar things on a couple of other comments.

It's not really fair, but if ebay prints in an ad that an item should arrive by a specific date or range, that is what people will expect.

[*tippy*toes*]

I've also seen quite a number of negs and neutrals saying that the item arrived one or 2 days after the estimate. I still believe there are plenty of buyers who think the seller puts that estimate in, plus the seller has full control over delivery times. It was seeing an upward trend of those feedbacks that made me decide to blow my handling time out to 5 days. ALL my tracked items have arrived before or a day or 2 into the estimate since doing that. None have arrived after.

There was no way I was going to risk my reputation and selling privileges because buyers assumed I had full control. If I've lost sales, so be it. I know 1 or 2 negs is no big issue, but any more than that starts to look bad. I am not going to risk falling below standard because eBay puts these unrealistic expectations on us, especially as we have no control whatsoever on how long it takes something to arrive.

So many buyers place more emphasis on those dates than anything else. They are more concerned about those dates than the actual quality of the item.

[digital*ghost]

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@*tippy*toes* wrote:

I've also seen quite a number of negs and neutrals saying that the item arrived one or 2 days after the estimate. I still believe there are plenty of buyers who think the seller puts that estimate in, plus the seller has full control over delivery times. 

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One seller I know received a message from a buyer accusing the seller of "causing it to get lost in the post". 

There's a chance it was poorly phrased, but I do have to wonder just exactly what goes through someone's mind sometimes. 

Then you get the really special ones, like I got recently. Requested a refund for INR, eBay's ETA hadn't passed yet, but...you know...they just wanted it to arrive before the ETA. 

[amber-eyed-girl]

It's expectations fed by the service the major online retailers give. None I have purchased from will refund while the item is in transit, without it being officially well-past reasonable delivery, investigated, and deemed lost for good. Your buyer was expecting too much.

eBay does have a lot to answer for with their estimates. I have seen some that I know to be impossible.

[digital*ghost]

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@amber-eyed-girl wrote:

It's expectations fed by the service the major online retailers give. None I have purchased from will refund while the item is in transit, without it being officially well-past reasonable delivery, investigated, and deemed lost for good. That's expecting too much.

eBay does have a lot to answer for with their estimates. I have seen some that I know to be impossible.

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I wish I could say that particular story ended that way - it doesn't, sadly (not actually ended yet, but I will say if I thought the buyer who returned nothing to get a refund was bad, someone decided to show me I was very, very wrong). >_< 

Without giving out any particular details at all, let's just say I ultimately asked eBay for what I genuinely needed - a short and sturdy plank so I could tell said buyer to take a long walk off it. What I got was an old paddle pop stick, frayed at the end and which maybe kinda tickled the buyer, or - at best - annoyed them a little, so a bit dismayed and jaded with everything eBay at the moment. 

Earlier in the year, I bought an item on a Saturday - the following Monday was a public holiday, yet that was eBay's ETA (no date range, it actually said on or before Monday, and the item location was a different state, even  ). 

[*tippy*toes*]

You just can't pick it. Posted parcel last Thursday, regional NSW to city Victoria. It went via Sunshine West, arrived today. EBay's estimate, 2nd - 8th Feb. Yet, one posted the same day to same state, hasn't arrived yet and I thought it should have arrived today, going on previous sales going to that area. Same estimate as the Vic parcel, so not worried at all. It has made a stop at Chullora and no update since then. The last parcel I posted to WA took 7 calendar days. It was going to a fire affected area too, so I was surprised.

If these times continue, I'll knock my handling time back to 3 days.