eBay Guaranteed Delivery

[retrogamestoreau]

What are everyones thoughts on eBay's new Guarenteed Delivery program? For those that don't know about it information is available here:

https://sellercentre.ebay.com.au/content/ebay-guaranteed-delivery

I have mixed feelings about it at the moment. I think this might be a way of combatting overseas sellers that lie about the items locations in their listings as it would be very unlikely that they could meet the postage time requirements.

However, if I'm understanding this correctly it seems like genuine Australian sellers with premium listings may need to offer Express postage as the default method of postage on all their listings in order to comply, (for example if someone from a remote/rural location purchased one of your items.) This would obviously mean you would need to increase all your prices which would result in higher eBay fees and less competitive pricing.

I'm interested to hear other opinions, so let me know what you think.

[brerrabbit585]

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@retrogamestoreau wrote:

For those that are choosing not to opt-in, are you concerned that this might effect your best match ranking and sales as you'd most likely be competing against people that do offer the guarentee?

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Apart from the fact I doubt I'm high in best match anyway, there's absolutely no point in trying to compete with others if it means I end up selling at a loss. 

[whoisbiggles]

I believe this eBay's way to compete with Amazon Australia.

Sellers who accept this "offer" will bear a high cost when Auspost doesn't deliver on time. I like many others will have horror stories of parcels travelling Brisbane to Sydney via Adelaide and Melbourne.

Easy pass

[davewil1964]

Amazon won't have a fulfillment centre for many months yet. Even then it will only work for Amazon's own stock and thrid party sellers who are mug enough to give their stock to Amazon.

Doesn't Amazon charge buyers extra to access their Prime offering? I can't imagine eBay doing that, so once again they are tilting the playing field and claiming they are levelling it.

[melbourneclearance]

It is an easy pass until we see our competitors' stuff ranking better and raking in the sales. Then the devil called ebay has won again.

This surely is another way for ebay to screw sellers, but I will be sitting on my hands for the moment. What can sellers do when ebay tells them to bend over? It's a tough world out there.

[zanadoo_56]

I filled out the survey on that one (mine is solely from a buyer's viewpoint)....and I thought it was hilarious.

Unless eBay is delivering stuff themselves, there is no way to 'guarantee delivery ' as long a Aust Post is ultimately in charge.

Even in my area where AP is pretty good, as long as a parcel goes through Sunshine West, Chullora and all the other Black Holes of Parcel Death, delivery guarantees are hit and miss at best.

[rosenzweig456]

Yes, I am worried about this. I also sell to international buyers, so that wouldn’t work either. Just another way of eBay trying to control everything.

[brobogan]

Amazon is going to eat ebay alive. Watch and see. Ebay wont last long.

[*tippy*toes*]

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@broboganwrote:

Amazon is going to eat ebay alive. Watch and see. Ebay wont last long.

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Really? What makes you think that? They certainly haven't eaten eBay alive in other countries, what makes you think they will here? The items I buy aren't available on Amazon. Same for lots of other people. EBay is still doing well in the other countries that Amazon has been existing for years, so I don't think they have anything to worry about.

[countessalmirena]

brobogan, as *tippy*toes* says, I am not sure that that's going to happen.

Amazon AU doesn't list the items that I wanted to see listed, and which I still end up purchasing from Am.com, Am.co.uk. Am.de, Am.fr, Am.it, and Am.es. At first they had not a single Emile Henry item on there; now some are listed, but at frankly ridiculous prices! The large tajine (grand cru/burgundy) is priced at an amount that makes one's eyes water. Equally baffling is the price for the chicken roaster, whereas direct from Emile Henry in the US or from France I'd be paying about 2/3 of the AM AU price. Even less expensive are those shown on Amara, but I don't like the red (which is actually brick red rather than the richly luscious burgundy red that pleases me right down to the nerves of my fingertips).

eBay even has a seller in Italy listing that item in my desired colour (for a good price, too, although admittedly he/she hasn't specified the postage to Australia).

Basically, eBay's goose isn't being cooked by Amazon AU (not at this stage, at any rate), but my chickens will be - and in grand cru style!

[davewil1964]

I stir fry mine.