Late shipment defects

[jimmyjoejoe_jnr]

I just looked at my seller dashboard and I have 7 late shipment defects,it is ticked as carrier says late not buyer.How does what the carrier says count as a defect.Five arrived within the time and two the buyers asked me not to post until they returned from holidays.

Can someone enlighten me to how this works.Thanks

[amber-eyed-girl]

Yes, I can understand that.

But you need to see why, this is happening. 

I've been on eBay as a buyer (and a little while, seller) for around ten years.

In the early days...I paid by bank deposit and Western Union (for overseas purchases).

I generally, received my items how I expected them to be.

It was great- some amazing things from amazing sellers.

When something didn't arrive, there was an eBay guarantee that cost 20$ to file a claim and it was a nightmare to do.

If I believed a seller had sent, and the item had gone in the post, I was out of pocket as I didn't think the seller should be.

After a few things went missing, I paid for insurance/signature on everything to ensure (as best I could) stuff wouldn't disappear in transit.

Before parcels were pretty much routinely trackable.

This cost me a bundle, but I kept buying.

After a while, I was now and then receiving items just this shy of rubbish from sellers. With increasing frequency. So not as described, to put it mildly. Or nothing at all and no communication. Sellers who decided that eBay buyers were fair game.

This kind of stuff ruined it for buyers- sure, there's Paypal, the new eBay MBG and credit card chargebacks. All of these take hours on the phone etc. ... just because there are people who are cheats and liars. They ruined it for everyone.

My buying here has shifted mainly towards the Big name sellers and away from those I used to buy from. eBay is trying to get people like me, back into buying from any seller.

Yes it's very flawed if just one or two cheating buyers can ruin a good seller. That's not right, at all.

It might be worthwhile, to compose a detailed letter, and send it to the eBay bosses and post it on eBay's Facebook page. The more who do the more the chance eBay will see the system has swung too far the other way if this can happen.

[collect247]

I have been on ebay for a long time.

I never ever had any problems until all these new policies came into play that allows a buyer to lie and then get away with it.

And then a seller gets suspended without any evidence as to why they received defects and there isn't really anything that 

can be done about it.

Well I'm trying to do something about that as it's not fair.

For example a seller gets suspended due to too many defects and the ridiculous part about it is that all other family members

are also suspended,now this is in no way justifiable and ebay should not be allowed to do this.

Buyers can buy anywhere but sellers don't have to many choices with a great platform like ebay(one good thing about ebay) so something needs to be done.

Sellers should be given a better chance than they are getting at the moment,fair enough if it's a sellers fault then ok but when

it's 100% a buyers fault that a seller gets defected then ebay needs to look into a better way than just taking a buyers word.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Yes, they do. I agree with that 100%.

[mystical4573]

I just noticed the same on ebay after I had a customer in Perth complaining she did not get her item within the 4 days suggested on my items listing page which was put on by Ebay.I noticed that it was my buyers  making the complaints not the carrier.

I thought to myself how can this be 9 times out of the 10 I do post within the 1 day handling time I have put on my listings.

When looking into it because I also list with free listings I get put into the fast and free category so what that means is that buyers are under the understanding that they will receive their item within 4 days of purchase.

.IMPOSSIBLE!! We live in Cairns FNQ there is no way we can get a parcel from here to Perth in 4 days it would even be pushing it even if it was posted express post and I have marked all my listings as posted standard post.

Got in touch with ebay and their defence is they go by Australia Post's recommended postal times and it also does not include extra time needed during public holidays.

So sellers make sure you increase your handling time because the Australia post/Ebay estimated postal times are way out and we the sellers are the ones who get to deal with our upset customers.

[*tippy*toes*]

I've had absolutely no issues since blowing out my handling time to 5 days. The only difference I've noticed with the extended time is buyers being really happy that their item arrived before the first estimate date (I still post same or next day).

Are you posting parcels or letters? If you're posting parcels, make sure you get a lodgement scan at the PO and upload the tracking into eBay. That way the buyer doesn't get the choice of answering whether it arrived on time or not.

[negron18]

I recently also had a late shipping defect but marked carrier only. I got it erased from ebay only because the tracking number showed that there was an attempted delivery made 10 days earlier. I had to call to get this removed. Was told over the phone that the tracking information ebay only read when the parcel was delivered. They don't read when the parcel arrived or if there was an attempted delivery before that date. That is why their is an appeals process.

I tried to to explain the logic of these defects to the trust and safety ebay phone assitant asking how can a seller be responsible for a late delivery when it is out of our hands? One thing which is fair game is if we post something outside of the time frame which we promise but to punish a seller for something that is out of our control and in the hands of the courier is wrong and i'm sure the more this continues the more the department of fair trading/ombudsman will be contacted.

The assistant was understanding and said they are always trying to improve their methods but basically agreed that we don't deliver the goods, we don't drive the trucks or fly the planes to manage the parcels arrive by a certain date therefore how can we be held responsible!

[*tippy*toes*]

I'm expecting 3 defects. Not sure if I should have got them already if I was going to get them. 3 items to 3 different buyers, posted well within my handling, but never scanned as being delivered. Last tracking event shows their local sorting centre. They were all repeat buyers (that don't usually leave feedback for sellers), so I'm sure I would have heard if they'd not arrived by now. One had an ETA of early May, the other 2 towards the end of May.

[clarry100]

When you say posted well within your handling time....

Was this over the counter with a lodgement scan event?

If this is the case then you will be protected against any late shipment defect as after that it does not matter when it actually arrives.

The fact that you lodged inside your handling time is good.

If they do issue the defects they ought to be easily removed with the tracking evidence.

Not too sure how you would go up against a claim of INR when the tracking does not show delivered tho.

You would have to get AP to find out where it went.

[*tippy*toes*]

I always lodge over the counter because I pay as I go. I don't use eBay labels or C&S. The rare occasion I use a satchel I'll wait for a lodgement scan.

I'm sure if these parcels didn't arrive, the buyers would have been onto me now. I would hope so any way!

[samjess54]

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@jimmyjoejoe_jnr wrote:

I just looked at my seller dashboard and I have 7 late shipment defects,............Five arrived within the time and two the buyers asked me not to post until they returned from holidays.

Can someone enlighten me to how this works.Thanks

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I had two defects several months ago due to buyers requesting delayed posting of items - I phoned ebay and had no trouble getting the defects removed - the ebay rep checked the emails from the buyers while on phone to me.  Only downside was that both buyers had left positive feedback which was deleted along with the defects.