tracking without lodgement proof backfires with new system

[lane-ends]

Just checked my details on which items are showing as 'late delivery" via new dash board. Out of last 5 slaps, only one is showing as buyer ticking box. The other 4 are simply because tracking is showing late delivery..

Does this mean if there was no tracking then it would not be an issue as its not buyer selected initiation?

Does this mean if you use tracking and dont counter lodge  (as per Ebays promoted method) you are leaving yourself open to late delivery even if buyer doesn't select late deliver?.

All my late items are VIC to WA, all show same day label processing which I know means same day posting, and leaving vic distribution center within 2 working days of payment, hence they MUST have been posted within 1 day, but without lodgement proof its not enough.

Do I have to stop shipping to WA and remorte areas because Ebays estimates are out of line with reality?

This is just plain stupid..Do they not kno whow their own promoted service works.

As far as extending your handling time to increase margin...what business under promotes their services deliberately..?? Who provides prompt services but promotes themselves as average..rule 1 of marketing= sell your strong points. Do Pizza shops adervertise that your meal will arrive eventually, when in reality they dispatch within minutes... have Ebay mangement actually been to business school??

Did AP & Ebay go through all this effort to develop online postage prepayment and easy posting....to get more people to queue up in store?? I dont think so. The idea is to prevent the need for people to go instore.

So no its not just a large letter issue. In fact untracked letters will not have this non buyer initiated issue

[lane-ends]

If I had parcels that size and a local drop off point I would do the same...To most people a couriers drop off point is most likely further away than the nearest PO

From Ebays pages:

"Post quickly

Buyers typically want their items quickly, so the faster you can get your items posted, the happier your buyers will be. Consider offering either same business day or one business day handling, and tell your buyer when an item posted."

&

"To create a postage label in My eBay:

1. Click the button to create your label.

2. Follow the steps to print your label.

3. Get your package ready to go then drop it off at an Australia Post retail outlet or street box"

So being a conscientous seller you follow Ebays instrauctions, and it arrives one day after Ebays estimated delivery date, even though buyer is not fussed..What happens?

[*tippy*toes*]

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@joethenuts wrote:

i tell you how it works  couriers have safe spots for pick up , but i take it to them takes me 2 minutes and because my parcels are 15 to 20 kg normaly i dont have to line up with my arms falling off . i drive up to the stand at my couriers they have bays there i dont even turn off the engine ,i then place on bay and off i go 20 seconds on a slow day my van is stopped . it gets scanned on tracking about 5.30 every day and put on the right interstate runs . can it get any easier than that.   by the way i usally drop off about 3pm.

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The courier might scan it after you've left, how then do you upload the tracking number to eBay to prove that it has been sent within your handling time, to hopefully protect you?

[everard6920]

The whole thing is just stupid - like, I've just had one of my regulars ask me to hold off posting her (paid for) order because I'll be updating next week and she wants to buy some of the items in my update . . . under the new rules I'd have to say "no" because I'd receive a defect for holding off posting her order.

There are just so many pitfalls.

[*tippy*toes*]

I've had buyers win several items at auction and pay straight away. If they still have bids on other items, I send them a message and request they not pay for anything else until they have finished buying. I always ask them if they would like the already paid for items sent, or wait until they've finished. They all say they will wait.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to do that any more for the reasons mentioned. They'll end up paying twice the amount of postage for no reason. They'll pay twice as much because they were trying to be a good buyer by paying straight away. By having to send already paid for items before they have finished buying then risks me of getting bad feedback.

I've got a buyer at the moment who has been buying for the last 2 weeks. When she first put her bids on, some were finishing that night, some weren't finishing for 6 days. I sent her a message before her first auction finished requesting that she didn't pay until everything had finished. Thankfully she got the message in time. She has since bid on more things, which still have a few days to go. She was grateful for being allowed to hold off payment, I was grateful she didn't pay after each auction!

[lane-ends]

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@everard6920 wrote:

The whole thing is just stupid - like, I've just had one of my regulars ask me to hold off posting her (paid for) order because I'll be updating next week and she wants to buy some of the items in my update . . . under the new rules I'd have to say "no" because I'd receive a defect for holding off posting her order.

There are just so many pitfalls.

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Good point, all those combined orders that are held pending further purchases would fall under this late shipment ruling autmatically.

At least at this stage it has no actioned effect, so hopefully the preview period just demonstrates how futile it is and the drip it or modify it.

[clarry100]

Does this mean if there was no tracking then it would not be an issue as its not buyer selected initiation?

Yes... If you have no tracking (ie large letter) and the buyer never answers the question at all there is no problem for you.

Where the problem arises is that if you have no recorded answers (ie no YES's) then your very first single NO answer will cause you to have a 100% late delivery point because of the way its calculated. (x1 NO's / x0 YES's = infinity = 100%.). So the idea is to have plenty of YES's to help water down the NO's. Because the TRS cutoff threshold is 5% then for evey NO answer you get you need to have a minimum of 20 YES's to keep under that magic 5%. 1 in 20 = 5%.

Does this mean if you use tracking and dont counter lodge  (as per Ebays promoted method) you are leaving yourself open to late delivery even if buyer doesn't select late deliver?.

Yes... if you don't have an acceptance/lodgement scan then if the tracking shows delivery after the ebay Estimated Delivery Date (EDD) you will score a late delivery point regardless of the buyer's answer.

If either the lodgement scan event (if you have one) is inside your handling time, or the delivery scan event shows delivery inside the EDD then the buyer will not even be asked the question since it's then irrelevant.

But if you DO have a lodgement scan event that clearly shows it was posted inside your handling time then it does not matter when it was actually delivered you are still safe. Even if delivery shows 3-weeks later (its been on holidays in Chullora). So the trick is to always have that lodgement scan event as then you will not be burdened with Aust Post (or carrier) delivery problems. I know that's not possible for some sellers who live far away from a postal centre. If this is the case then what's the point of having tracking at all as it offers very little seller protection much like large letter?

Also avoid red street boxes if possible as you will never have a lodgement scan event this way.

Do I have to stop shipping to WA and remorte areas because Ebays estimates are out of line with reality?

We are considering doing this too as most of our delivery problems are from WA.

So no its not just a large letter issue. In fact untracked letters will not have this non buyer initiated issue

True... but you are 100% reliant on the buyer's answer with large letter as there is no tracking defence. The buyer will always be asked the question if/when they leave feedback. So you better hope you are able to get plenty of YES answers in the bank (20 as a minimum) before your first NO answer comes along. Then after that you need to maintain a ratio of no less than 20 (YES's) to 1 (NO's). The way I understand it is that if you get down to 10 to 1 (10%) then you can expect a call from ebay to discuss ways to improve that figure. Who knows what "improvements" they might suggest? Selling sanctions is one thing that comes to mind.