eBay Spring Seller Release

[michelleoz@ebay.com]

The place to post your comments or questions about Spring Seller Release.

[glenbankloel]

Postage and delivery seem to be two of the biggest gripes both from sellers and buyers on Ebay. Completely understand your grief and angst about this. We have found that the only way we could help ourselves was by extending the handling time to 4 days, and this will extend the delivery "guaranteed" a bit. However must stress here that we NEVER take that long to post.

It just provides some breathing space and then if your parcel arrives early you are a hero, but also gives you some breathing room if it is delayed a bit.

But of course won't help with any of the other possible problems or delays that could occur once in the system and out of your hands. 

All we can do as sellers is presume that the process will work and if not give excellent customer service.    

Good Luck, wish you well, by the way do we have choice about opting in or not?

[glenbankloel]

Ok I have gone back and re-read the offer from Ebay, and can see that this is an opt in option, but I wonder for how long?

One thing that does concern me about it is that they don't seem to be covering a consequence of postal delays, they do cover weather, but not just getting through the postal system.

Maybe they are wanting/trying to get sellers to start using Express bags?  Wow, bit of Extra costs coming up there etc......

Interesting concept wonder what their end game is?

[gec2002]

The trick with these gimicks is to have an idea of the "failure" rate so you can build the cost into your price.  Of coarse with a new scheme no one knows what the number of claims will be.  I am tempted to join just to see how effective it will be.  By my reading you don't need to apply it to all sales, so may try on a few hundred listings.  I mainly use letter post so would need to change to tracked, and I will use Express Post which itself has a delivery guarantee, increase my inbuilt postage price plus put a loading to help cover the ones that go pear shaped.  All this will add to the price, but if the listings are higher and promoted by eBay, and buyers really want them in a guaranteed time, they may sell.

The problem of Express post its not to all locations but it seems that you can exclude, the regions you don't want to guarantee.

At least giving it a try I will have an idea what the real cost will be if forced on all of us.

[go-tazz]

Most of it seems geared towards couriers as AP can't guarantee that a parcel will get anywhere on time,

(especially seeing as express service is only good for city type areas as most country areas aren't in the

express "network").

Adding express would also make the sale of a high number of items unviable,

I've never used it as it's not an option for me.

[gec2002]

I offer express now but at a premium price as I do them as one offs and need to go to the PO.  I must admit I am surprised by how many I actually do.  I think most are "Goodness I forgot my mother, sister, boyfriends birthday which is in 2 days time, hang the cost just get it to them quick".

As for outside the express network area I would exclude them.  Even now if a buyer requests Exress and they are not in the network I email them saying that won't get it Express do they want me to send it standard letter rate.

[the4masters2013]

I have my handling/postage times set for 3 days. Usually I post the next day but it is those black holes that get to me.

I've seen other people on the boards thinking that it could be that eBay is pushing for free postage. If that is the case, why not just say so???

It won't be long and we won't have a choice of opting out. I'm stuck with the seller hub (just as well I don't mind it!) even though I originaly opted out.

A waiting game, I feel.

[lm-entertainment]

i already send all of my items via Express Post and cater for it in the price of the item. the problem for me being that the Express Post guarantee doesn't apply because i'm in WA and outside of the Perth CBD. while 90% of my items are delivered within 2 business days, there are times when sending to rural QLD or rural NSW can take anywhere from 3 business days up to 6 or 7. 

[dazzledayz]

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@glenbankloel wrote:

Ok I have gone back and re-read the offer from Ebay, and can see that this is an opt in option, but I wonder for how long?

One thing that does concern me about it is that they don't seem to be covering a consequence of postal delays, they do cover weather, but not just getting through the postal system.

Maybe they are wanting/trying to get sellers to start using Express bags?  Wow, bit of Extra costs coming up there etc......

Interesting concept wonder what their end game is?

---

Only problem with Express is AP won't guarantee delivery unless the destination is within the "Express Network" so neither can we.

Remote locations are still serviced by pony express lol.

Yet another corporate brain fart!

[the4masters2013]

But no thought has gone into it!!

[glenbankloel]

Yes do agree, that think this is the thin end of the wedge!

If the guarantee is selected by lots of sellers it will be rolled out as compulsory I am guessing. But in the meantime will hang on with all my might to the option that works for us.  If it comes to pass that becomes compulsory then so be it, but doesn't mean will be happy about it. 

Have never wanted to be part of the "free postage" society as there are too many hassles with returns etc.......(lucky we have very few) but we like to keep postage clear and simple and keeping it as a separate item keeps it very clean. 

But sign, Ebay don't ever seem to tell you what they are really trying to achieve, just start the ball rolling and we all have to adapt and continually change the way we do business. Honestly the constant changes do our head in!

ps you can get out of the hub if you want to, had it a couple of weeks ago and was able to change back.