Changes to Second Class and Economy Delivery Speeds

[qualitycardsandgifts]

I have a Royal Mail business account and received this email yesterday.     I hope eBay will be adjusting their delivery estimates accordingly. I have a Royal Mail business account and received this email yesterday. I hope eBay will be adjusting their delivery estimates.

[darth_baggins]

Yup, I don't get what they mean by 5 days a week on alternate weekdays, makes no sense. I suspect it's a typo and should say 3 days a week.

It's also not clear if they count RM48 (tracked or otherwise) as 2nd class/economy.

I predict eBay will do nothing and I suspect RM are already operating like this anyway. It's all a ploy to make us spend more money and pay extra for 1st class IMO.

[bzmotman]

Not agreed by  Ofcom yet. This is RM giving notice in the anticipation/hope Ofcom agree. If they don't or agree something different RM have to give new notice.

Ebay won't change anything until new terms agreed & even then I wouldn't hold my breath - no doubt the phrase "Working as designed" will come back into use.

[darth_baggins]

Here's the relevant bit of the email in a slightly easier to read format.

Changes to Second Class and Economy delivery speeds
Second Class, Economy letters and Large Letters will be delivered 5 days per week on alternate weekdays (Monday - Friday). This change will go live from 7 July 2025, or the date Ofcom agrees changes to the Universal Service Obligation (USO), whichever is later. We will phase this change in from the go-live date. Service speed for these services remains unchanged.

This change reflects the Ofcom proposal to redefine the Universal Service Obligation to support the financial sustainability of the USO.

The changes will impact Business Mail, Subscription Mail, Publishing Mail, Advertising Mail including Catalogue Option Partially Addressed, Sustainable Mail and Response Services.

Delivery of First Class letters will remain unchanged.

Changes will be effective from 7 July 2025, or the date Ofcom agrees changes to the Universal Service Obligation, whichever is later.

[ruby*ryan]

It really doesn't make any sense at all. Apart from the 3/5 day bit, they also say, "Service speed for these services remains unchanged." How can it be unchanged if they are only delivering alternate days?
Also, it doesn't mention over the counter/stamped letters and large letters or RM online, like Tracked 48.

That's the 2nd email from RM that has been posted on here recently, the other was to do with having a private ebay account and not being able to use C&D - that also didn't make sense!

I really do think RM have totally lost the plot!

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Parcel services are not effected by this.  So RM24/48 etc is as normal.

[chasegreetings]

Having second class mail delivered 3 times a week would be an improvement! I'm lucky if I get 1 delivery of mail a week where I live. I just hope that eBay make fair and reasonable adjustments to the estimated delivery dates, although I can see that this is going to be a nightmare in reality.

Like many of us I have quite a few customers in the same boat, only receiving mail once or twice a week. I can see that delivering every other day or whenever they feel like it is going to be terrible for businesses selling online. Yet another thing to brace yourself for.

[qualitycardsandgifts]

So in effect, the postie will come to your house daily to deliver first class, but will only deliver second class on alternate days.    Surely this will mean more work in sorting etc.   

[therenewalworkshopltd]

But even if they do delivery daily for first class, out of all the mail, how much do you think is actually first class?

I know that I very rarely receive mail that isn't second class.

So it's unlikely that the postie will turn up daily.  🙂

What it does mean, is that the days were they only deliver 1st, will be much shorter days.

And staff can be repurposed elsewhere or simply go home early.

[infinibrix]

I don't really know what 5 days a week on alternate weekdays means but it sounds something like Mon, Wed and Fri one week and then Tues, Thurs and perhaps Friday again on following week??

Either way it would be useful to know exactly how the 2nd class routine is handled so you can avoid bending over backwards trying to get something out the door only for it to be handled no quicker than if posting the following day? That might even give people opportunity to have the odd day off from processing and shipping orders when nothing 1st class is required

[santlache_sales]

eBay haven't updated Royal Mail's pricing yet from April, and they never allow a penny for packaging even though it's called Postage and Packaging, so when they force their so-called Simple Postage I wonder how much we will lose then.

They sit well together, Royal Mail and eBay - both are an utter shambles.

[nutrafituk]

Do you really expect eBay to do anything right these days? 🤣

[superchallenge]

---

@santlache_sales wrote:

they never allow a penny for packaging even though it's called Postage and Packaging,

---

Where does it say "Postage and Packaging" or "P&P" on the site these days? I can only see it referred to as "postage", "shipping", or "delivery."

Genuine question, because if they do advertise the shipping fee as being "postage and packaging" anywhere then surely - I'm not a legal expert - it could be legally shaky if the fee doesn't allow for packaging.

[santlache_sales]

There are a lot of things shaky about eBay practices - like stealing 10% of P&P fees and the highly dubious way and reason they did it. I am surprised nobody has challenged this in a court.

They said it was to stop sellers selling an item for 99p, then charging £10 P&P thus avoiding eBay's FVF.

Like they couldn't police this themselves.

The real reason they did it was when they wanted everyone to offer free P&P (trying to copy Amazon again), but when sellers realised this just increased eBay's FVF, most people like me didn't bother and thus the expected extra revenue eBay hoped for never materialised.

So what did they do ?

They whacked out a 10% charge on those still charging P&P, so they got that extra revenue.

Then they tied up the pathetic discounts they now offer and the TRS Badge with this Free P&P.

Oh yes, eBay have some very highly suspect policies.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Seriously, your still complaining about something that happened years ago!  Why?  It's not going to change back.  Work with the change instead of complaining about it.

But you still haven't answered the question posed.  Where does it say "Postage and Packaging" or "P&P" on the site these days? 

[xyz307xyz]

There are some obscure references e.g.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/postage-rates/maximum-postage-costs?id=4655

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sellercentre/postage/postage-message

https://pages.ebay.co.uk/2023/add-on-delivery-services/

[superchallenge]

Yes, there is the odd reference there, but I was more thinking about through the actual buying and selling experience.

For example, as a seller, in my Postage Policies (not "Postage and Packing Policies") I see no mention of packaging.

As a buyer, on my listings, I see "Postage: Free delivery in 2-3 days" and even on a listing from a seller using SD, I see "Postage: £2.70 delivery in 2–3 days."

[books4uk]

Under eBay Shipping Policy they refer to posting and handling, and clarify that 

• Handling costs, including the cost of packaging materials and insurance

Shipping policy | eBay

[xyz307xyz]

I'm also not a lawyer nor am I particularly interested in packaging costs but you literally asked:

"Genuine question, because if they do advertise the shipping fee as being "postage and packaging" anywhere then surely - I'm not a legal expert - it could be legally shaky if the fee doesn't allow for packaging."

So I did a G##gle site based search to find some mentions.

[books4uk]

Also, because your postage is "free" the wording is different when you click on "see details" to that of a seller who charges postage but uses shipping policies to offer a combined discount.  eBay use the term "P&P"

It either states:

"Save up to £X.XX on P&P when you buy additional eligible items from (seller name)."

OR

"Save XX% on P&P for each additional eligible item you buy from (seller name)."