eBay

chilloutgames · ‎14-03-2024

***********EBAY IS IGNORING CUTOFF TIME***********

My cut off time is 3pm.

Look at your listings just before and after midnight - the estimated delivery date changes at midnight not 3pm.

Its componded on Friday nights: eBay include Saturday in the calculation before the order can be posted on Monday.

So buyers expect Friday night 2nd class orders on Monday - Tuesday (2-3 working days)

If eBay included cutoff time , the expected delivery would be shown as Wednesday - Thursday and I would be happy

The "Postage, returns and payments" section of your listing shows estimated delivery date and that's then displayed to the buyer on their order as the estimated delivery date.

This bug means that the following statement is incorrect "The estimated delivery date shown on your listings reflects a range of factors including your dispatch time"

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/estimated-delivery-dates-sellers?id=4086

There are hundreds of posts/comments in the last six months about eBay estimated delivery symptoms - for me the cut off bug is the cause.

marco@ebay

Katie@ebay

Dave@ebay

the-nutwood-collection · ‎14-03-2024

It's been like this for a couple of years. I had a cut-off time of noon, and used to write the EDD on the packing slip. The EDD would advance by a day on the orders received after noon.

Then it stopped advancing. Orders received after noon had the same EDD as those received before noon.

As so many sellers have said on these boards - the EDDs are rubbish, and just cause disappointment and INRs - but it will never change, it's not worth getting riled up about. eBay wants to give the impression it's providing the same service as Amazon. All smoke and mirrors.

chilloutgames · ‎20-03-2024

All sellers that post same day need a cutoff time e.g. the latest time that they can receive orders to be able to hand over the order to the postman that day.

Ebay provides a setting for cutoff time in the seller account and my cutoff time is set to 3pm. So why does the eBay estimated delivery date stay the same after 3pm when the order is going to be posted the next day?

I raised this issue in the ebay community team chat today and received the answer:

So the answer is that there is a complicated formula which generates the estimated delivery date based on:

-shipping type which is irrevelent to this example as the shipping type does not change

-buyers location: wherever I view the listing, the delivery date estimate changes at midnight not at 3pm

-etc

In reality, you can pick a listing on eBay uk and watch the delivery date estimate change at midnight regardless of any complicated formula.

Whatever is included in the "etc" above, cut-off time which is the most important is not one of them.

chilloutgames · ‎05-04-2024

Ebay support earlier this week to let me know that the issue has been fixed.

Unforunately, I have been monitoring the issue since then and the issue has not changed which makes me think that there could be a timezone issue between the UK and whereever the EDD formula is being worked out.

Please think about it - it's really easy to understand. In the following example, we stop posting at 3pm today (BST). Orders received after 3pm can only be posted on Monday and all this information is easy to see.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266679203648

It is now 11am and the estimated delivery is showing "Free 3 day postage Get it between Mon, 8 Apr and Tue, 9 Apr"
If you look at the listing 5 hours later than the time of this email e.g. after we finish posting this week, it will still show the order arriving on Monday which is not possible.
The result will be that customers that order tonight between 3pm and midnight (BST) will expect the order to arrive the day that we post it.

messier44000 · ‎05-04-2024

EDD overrides any cut off points and handling time.

Makes you wonder if they should do away with setting own cut off / handling

times altogether.

Hope the updates / EDD team arn`t reading, or they`ll say Great idea !

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Astronomy is looking up

stormatic2015 · ‎05-04-2024

Same issue.

Cut off time at 3pm Yesterday. Two orders purchased after 4pm and both show dispatch by the 05/04/2024 11:59pm but one says Estimated delivery 06th - 08th and the other one says 08th - 09th.

Exact same item and both england customers and both delivered by RM 2nd class.

andybrussell · ‎05-04-2024

We have noticed this for a long time. Our cut off is 3pm, buyers are shown the same EDD for orders placed before 3pm and orders placed between 3pm - midnight, at midnight the EDD changes.

The only exception to this is Royal Mail Special Delivery, an order placed at 2.59pm is shown the EDD as tomorrow, orderes placed at 3.01pm are shown an EDD for 2 days time which is correct.

It appears Royal Mail 24, 48, 2nd class etc are effected by the cut off time bug but Special Delivery isnt for some reason.

Maybe they excluded Special Delivery from their dynamic EDD algorithm as it is a guarnateen next day service and so does not need an algorythem?

It is frustrating that this has been going on for years with no end in sight.

ducatimondo · ‎05-04-2024

@chilloutgames wrote:

Unfortunately, I have been monitoring the issue since then and the issue has not changed which makes me think that there could be a timezone issue between the UK and wherever the EDD formula is being worked out.

There is definitely something wrong in relation to time zone issues.

I can't remember where I found it, but was looking at when it shows items were dispatched and tracking numbers update, etc and it was showing them being shipped or tracking number added as like 3am or something, which is ludicrous.

Wish I could remember where I found the information now, but there is 100% definitely something amiss to do with the time things are happening versus when eBay are showing things are happening.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
- Albert Einstein

chilloutgames · ‎08-04-2024

It's..... a bit better! Thanks eBay but please finish it off as it still showing delivery on Monday which is impossible.

I monitored the orders that I received on Friday night after my 3pm cutoff:

Before eBay support emailed to say that it was fixed the Friday night EDD was:

"Estimated between Mon and Tues"

Last Friday night it improved to:

"Estimated between Mon and Wed"

It is definitely better but it is still incorrect and it is not possible for the order to arrive today Mon, 8th due to my cutoff and posting Monday-Friday.

The 7 orders that were received Friday evening are showing:

"Estimated delivery date shown to buyer: 8 Apr 2024 - 10 Apr 2024"

So, I still expect some customers chasing and confused that the order has not yet been posted when it is supposed to arrive today.

edaka · ‎08-04-2024

We have exactly the same issue with our Royal Mail Second Class and 48 (3 Day Service) . We post Monday to Friday and have a cut of time of 1pm Monday to Friday. However after 1pm the Estimated Delivery Date is still the same as it was before 1pm and then shows the delivery date for our Royal Mail Second class and 48 deliveries the same as our Parcelforce 24 date. (eBays system is basically completely ignoring the cut of time for Economy delivery services such as RM 2nd Class and RM 48 but working for next day services).

Because of this we are getting feedback to say our orders are arriving late (when they are not) and also getting items not received cases sometimes a day before our orders are even meant to arrive.

We have contacted eBay customer support and were told they have no issues and that it all depends on location of our customers (which is not correct as how can our free 3 day delivery service show a delivery date thats the same time as our next day delivery service for orders placed after our 1pm cut of time Monday to Friday). This is causing so much stress and also annoying our customers who will surely not shop with us again thinking that we are late on deliveries. I have no idea what to do.