Estimated delivery dates shown to customers
Summary: rt-suppliesltd reported an issue regarding incorrect estimated delivery dates on a selling platform, specifically for a seller's item with reference to the standard shipping option. The problem arises from the platform's delivery estimation algorithm, which incorrectly computes delivery timing due to the 0-day handling time configuration. rt-suppliesltd raised the concern with customer service and escalated it to the technical team, who are now reviewing the calculation rules. There is frustration over the advice given by the service team, which seemed to misunderstand the system's operations. The situation is being monitored, with hope for a resolution.
Hi everyone,
Just wondering if anyone could give me there thoughts on the estimated delivery dates currently showing on orders?
I post all my orders by Royal Mail tracked 48 and my dispatch is set to 2 working days.
Ive had an order just now bearing in mind that it’s the end of the business day and the post office is shut. It’s saying despatch by 15th January at 23.59 but it’s giving the buyer an estimated delivery date of between 15-16th Jan.
How does this even make any sense? Surely this will create dissapointment for the buyer if they are needing it for the 16th
Any thoughts would be appreciated
Thanks
rt-suppliesltd
·1 month ago · EditedJust to update - I raised this with customer service during a phone call 3 weeks ago. They opened a case. I heard nothing.
I called earlier this week - a case hadn't been opened - now one is and there is some back and forth.
HOWEVER - they still seem unaware of how their own system work, advsing me to change handling time, which of course will have the same effect on the standard free shipping as on express shipping.
Then they also give me some BS about how they use a dynamic system for estimating delivery dates where they look at courier performance through the tracking details a seller inputs.
Clearly that cannot be true, or it would be picking up on the issues in their estimation algorithm and making dynamic adjustments based on real time tracking.
Anyway, it is with their technical team, so hopefully something will happen.
jlovie
·2 months agoHow about this for RM 2nd class:
Dispatch by 26 May at 11.59pm BST
Estimated delivery date shown to buyer: 26 May 2026 - 27 May 2026
rt-suppliesltd
·2 months agoI'll have a dozen of them
rt-suppliesltd
·2 months agoI've raised this before and I've just raised again with Ebay customer service because a customer who ordered 18:00 on Wednesday was given an expectation of Friday or Saturday delivery by Ebay when the service was Evri.
Day 1 Ordered
Day 2 processed and taken to drop off point.
Day 3 collected.
Day 4 pass through hub.
day 5 delivery depot and with customer.
So even if allowing Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday as days, Sunday would be earliest delivery.
So I logged in as a customer to have a look on a "what if I ordered today".
Standard Evri 2-3 day = Wednesday 27th to Friday 29th.
DPD Next Day = Wednesday 27th to Friday 29th.
Work that one out. I am not expected to ship until Tuesday.
So I switch my free postage economy option to "Other Courier 5 days" and it offers Wednesday 27th to Monday 1st June.
STILL offering 27th as a possibility even with a 5 day service!
theelench
·2 months agoAs a buyer, yesterday (Saturday morning) I've had very similar nonsense from ebay.
Bought coin at 7:53 a.m.
Ebay's Fantasy Delivery Dates: Wednesday 27th - Friday 29th.
My EDD. is that I'll be very lucky to get it by Friday, Saturday is reasonably possible, more likely it will arrive on Monday. AND I'll be more than happy with that delivery date. I wish ebay would stop asking the impossible of its sellers and stop over-promising to its buyers. All it's doing is making the seller appear unprofessional and ebay look stupid for lying to the buyer.
theelench
·2 months agoHere we are one week later, Saturday 30/5/26 and I have an email in my in-box from RM which says "Expect Delivery Monday 1/6/26" of the above parcel.
Just as I said a week ago without the aid of any complex dynamic system, just a little common sense.
Who do I think is showing me the correct EDD ?
The fools at ebay or RM ?
Who will I trust more going forward ?
Not the idiots at ebay who evidently can't add 2 Sundays, 1 BH, a couple of days handling time and RM's delivery estimate together and get the right answer.
I'll trust the seller and the company doing the job.
padanpcparts
·2 months agoConsidering Royal Mails current statistics on delivery targets, it could easily be both of them showing the wrong date.
theelench
·2 months agoTo add the final chapter to my story.
True their Estimated Delivery Time and Date, RM delivered my purchase today Monday at 11:25. 11:25 being almost exactly in the middle of RM's EDD time of "Between 8:30 and 1:45".
If I can get it right on the day I made the purchase and RM can, a week after the purchase, predict to within minutes of the middle of their estimated delivery time, one has to ask oneself just how can ebay get it wrong by 2 days with all its clever dynamic calculations?
As I've said before, they're just making themselves look foolish.
vintagechinashop
·5 months agoI had a sale at 01.22 on the 27th I’m dispatching my orders this morning and noted that delivery is expected on Tuesday 03/03 I have a 4 day handling time and postage paid by the buyer is for RM standard so that’s 2 days at best. So eBay are expecting me to post within 1 day of the order and also expecting RM to deliver in 2 days. Essentially that means from order to delivery 3 working days. According to my postage policy the delivery date is still within my handling time (although it’s set to 4 days I normally post earlier)
Honestly how are we supposed to keep up with these ridiculous EDD EBay are gaslighting us on a huge scale
typo_lee
·5 months agoIt’s like eBay are intent on trashing sellers metrics which ultimately can lead to the collapse of their business and selling account. When you sit back and think about the control eBay has over you it’s quite frightening
lord_and_lady_m
·6 months agoAlso, Ebay and their made up dates don't sync with Royal Mail at all. They've had delays showing ever since xmas as they've stopped all over time (according to posties).
This is just the worst areas. Presumably worst means longer than 2 weeks wait, as it's defintely 1-2 weeks for many postcodes NOT in the list below.
We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week. In a small number of local offices, this may temporarily not be possible due to local issues such as high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors. In those cases, we will rotate deliveries to minimise the delay to individual customers. We also provide targeted support to those offices to address their challenges and restore our service to the high standard our customers would normally receive.
We're sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. We will regularly update customers on the offices most impacted here:
lord_and_lady_m
·6 months agoFinally, got rid of my last neg from XMAS 2024 at Xmas just gone.
WE all know the post for 2nd class has been slow. I even contacted my buyer to advise giving time for them to cancel. Nothing.
Gets a neg just after ebay's fictional dates says "never arrived". Why do people do that but don't open up an item not received case? Baffles me. I would ask for a refund if something never arrived and I wouldn't go to the effort of leaving a neg, but not go to the effort of opening a case.
I have stopped getting so annoyed by stupid negs, but when it's almost instantly after ebay's made up dates, I want to give ebay the negative feedback as I have no doubt the item will arrive with a week.
RANT ENDED 😂
vintagechinashop
·6 months agoThere is absolutely no reasoning behind this and trying to understand it is a waste of time. EBay continue to gaslight us with its working as intended in the good old days you could look at the post before day and if you posted by that date all would be good. Now when I see that date I have to look behind it to see what fantasy date it should arrive by
padanpcparts
·6 months agoThat's nothing....I've had a few over the years that said dispatch by the 15th, estimated delivery date 14th-15th.
Marty — you've gotta come with me — back to the future!
nutrafituk
·6 months agoUnless you're ready to go all the way there in no point to challenge ebay. They are full of it and you're wasting your time trying to work it out.
kath3735_wxmjn
·6 months agoWell i think the estimated delivery dates (given by E Bay) are highly amusing and completely unbelievable! I have just ordered an item off here, states 'free delivery RM 2nd class estimated 3 - 4 Feb' the other option is RM 1st class (cost of £2) estimated 3 -5 Feb..... Now let me think, should i choose 2nd class for free and possibly get it delivered earlier or pay an extra £2?? Good job i never believe them and i am not in a hurry for the item anyway.
ropeseller23
·6 months agoSad fact of Royal Mail business strategy.When volume is high all Second Class and 48hour services ,even tracked, get kicked back and end up sitting in a depot until someone decides they can be shifted.The pile just gets added to,so last in is usually first out.I am only 30 miles from our main distribution depot where mail is first sorted and it leaves our local delivery office about 6p.m. daily but it can take 24 hours for my tracked items to become "active " during "normal " service.!!
kath3735_wxmjn
·6 months agobut it is not RM i am commenting about, it is E Bays impractical and pointless estimated deliveries. They obviously do not even look at any of them to check what is being thrown out! No way should an RM second have a shorter date than 1st class, only in E Bay world....
parsley2003
·6 months agoI had one EDD send by 17th EDD 17-18th. Was second class. They are a nightmare, i'm sure years ago it just showed the buyer posted within so many days
insidethe93
·6 months agoIn my limited experience I do receive an item earlier when I've felt the need to opt to upgrade the postage.
With 2nd class post taking longer and longer these days, I'm glad to have a upgrade option. I thank the seller at check-out for having the option, though I can't tell whether they had the options decided by eBay or willingly chose to have them.
kath3735_wxmjn
·6 months agoI was not actually commenting on the ACTUAL delivery time in regard to 1st and 2nd class but on E Bays 'expectations'. No one with any intelligence would actually expect the 2nd to beat the 1st (although i am sure it will have happened at some point!). I have also nothing against optional upgrades, if I want something faster then i would be prepared to pay for it. The comment was about the futility and stupidity of the E bay EDD. Unfortunately there are some naive people out there that actually believe those estimated dates (I am not one of them.
kath3735_wxmjn
·6 months agoas an update, the item i was referring to was ordered on the 31st (afternoon) and arrived monday 2nd, kudos to the seller!
insidethe93
·6 months agoI was and am with you!
At the least the "estimated" in "estimated delivery date" should be highlighted as much as poss. Short of flashing lights and klaxons, as that'd drive people away.
fibrafort16
·7 months agoThe same here and is something you would expect and demand they get right.
Exactly what is point of stating a 2 or 3 working day despatch time by 2nd class post (unless upgraded) and then finding eBay give an estimated delivery date of just 1 or 2 days later, hopeless and gives the buyer totally unrealistic expectations.
It just confirms what I have long believed, that they have zero experience in ever running an eBay shop, absolutely clueless, which is why I never bother to challenge anything they impose. The few times I have spoken to them was an absolute waste of time talking to somebody with zero ecommerce experience, just sat at a PC drawing a salary.
stoney-racing
·7 months agoIt's dumb, it's been this way for ages, eBay won't change it. They want to promise Prime level service to all buyers regardless of what they are buying or who from, to entice buyers. They don't seem to realise that it only works when you offer Prime level service, which eBay sellers generally can't do, especially if you have 2+ day dispatch set, and RM's own delivery aims for 48 are 2-3 days, not 1-2 days.
typo_lee
·7 months agoOur days of online selling are numbered tbh. Our items are low cost so we can only afford to send 2nd class post which really is such a poor service now being delivered only on certain days of the week.
typo_lee
·7 months agoThis is why our INR metrics are now classed as 'Very high' and ebay have added 10 days onto our delivery time! Obviously orders through the floor now. The service metrics is not fit for purpose especially when sending low cost items 2nd class which ours are sent by as I dont believe 2nd class is being delivered until up to 10 days by postie! Amazon are fantastic as long as you buy your post via their 'Buy Shipping' and 'ship on time' they do not penalise your metrics. They remove the ODR automatcially. Ebay are killing sellers by trashing their metrics for INR cases because of ridiculously short est delivery dates. Something needs to change and quick as ebay will lose sellers.