eBay's false estimated delivery dates, now several messages from buyers not happy.

[lincolnshiremarine]

I have been going on about this issue like a broken record.  I have reported it several times and even been on the community chat several times.  Ebay claim the EDD's are working fine.  They are not.

Ebay are giving buyers delivery dates as same day deliveries, next day deliveries.  Even when buyers have  have selected the free, three day delivery, they are including non working days as delivery dates being Saturday and Sundays.

I know that other sellers are being affected by this too, and have reported it too.

However, I am now spending hours replying to buyers whom think their parcel is late based on ebays estimated delivery dates. 

This leaves my business open for negative feedback and the issue of asking ebay to remove it.

The messages I am getting from buyers are:

" Hi not to pleased due to the fact I ordered this part from your company because of the delivery time and it’s not happened! Hopefully this item will turn up soon"

"parcel not arrived yet ??"

Both of those cases where when they purchased over a weekend, and they were dropped of at the parcel shop for collection the same day of purchase. However, this was over the weekend.  Ebay tracking has said to expect the delivery on Monday, which is wrong, as they included weekends as the courier collection and delivery days.

When you look on the couriers webiste the delivery dates are correct and ebays are incorrect.

We have had the same issue with Royal Mail tracked on ebay too.

How many more sellers are now getting messages like this on a daily basis, and what are you telling the buyers.?

I have been selling on ebay for 16 years and we dispatch the items on time, but, this ebay EDD are on another level now.

We look like we are fabricating delivery dates just to obtain a sale, and although we have tried tweaking the postage days etc, it does not help.

marco@ebay

Katie@ebay

Dave@ebay

[johnwash1]

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@the_book_seekers wrote:

ebay's EDDs applies a pressure. I have a disability which is why I have a 5 day dispatch as sometimes its difficult to get out of the house. I could easily manage buyer expectations and keep them happy were it not for ebay's EDDs. When ebay introduced EDDs I lived 2 minutes from a post office with easy parking and could even manage same day posting at times. I've since moved to a rural address in sleepy Devon post offices are either a 16 or 20 mile round trip. My posting routine has changed but it hasn't been reflected in the EDDs which seem to be set in stone. For the most part my customers have been really good and the odd grumble I've had I've managed to deal with so far, but as I say its an unnecessary pressure. 

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Are you not using RM's Click and Collect service?  It works fabulously well for me.  I purchase direct from RM, not ebay, which is why I'm very unhappy with what may happen next year.

[station13thirteen]

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Are you not using RM's Click and Collect service?  It works fabulously well for me.  I purchase direct from RM, not ebay, which is why I'm very unhappy with what may happen next year.

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Oh-O!  We also purchase direct from RM, but we drop at the Post Office 5 min walk away. So what might be happening next year? 

If it was a 16-20 mile round trip to post we would likely need to use collection... but aren't there certain stipulations - number of packages/sizes, etc?  And don't RN now charge per package... or is that what  the new year holds?

[station13thirteen]

Always very confusing when trying to find the answer to any specific question relating to postage - just seem to go around in circles never finding the answer we're looking for.

RM state this in one Q & A:

QUOTE 'Is there a limit to the number of parcels I can have collected?

 
Yes, there is a limit to the number of items you can have collected with Parcel Collect. The maximum permitted items is 25, however, we recommend if you are sending more than 20 parcels a week, please speak with us about a Business account.' END QUOTE

Even this is badly phrased; is the maximum permitted 25 items per day or week? The fact that they then recommend a business account for more than 20 parcels per week, suggests 25 per week max, but it is not clear.   And 25 items per week will be too little for even most small eBay businesses.

And as we understand it, to get FREE business collections you have to buy £20,000 of postage a year! Fail to reach this £20,000 in postage purchases and you will be billed for a year of collections...

[station13thirteen]

Just found this: Royal Mail Business Collection Prices... WOW!

Business collections prices

  Price per annum (exc. VAT) Time of collection

Weekday collection	£955	Allocated by Royal Mail
Timed weekday collection	£2,195	Chosen by you
Saturday collection	£295	Allocated by Royal Mail
Timed Saturday collection	£595	Chosen by you

If you spend more than £20,000 a year with Royal Mail from that site:

  Price per annum (exc. VAT) Time of collection

Weekday collection	FREE	Mutually agreed by Royal Mail and you
Single collection	£16.25 (one-off fee, exc. VAT)	Allocated by Royal Mail

Please note, extra charges may apply depending on individual situations
 

Floor fees

For businesses that do not qualify for free collections, an additional fee of £245 per annum (exc VAT) will be charged per floor that our collection staff need to travel to, if the mail collection point isn’t at your first point of access.

[the_book_seekers]

Too unreliable. We have a mobile postage van for the area, but that only stops in the next village over one day a week. 

[lens-sage]

I usually get on ok with these dates, but I have had a few clangers. I had one the other week where the delivery window began 2 days before the dispatch deadline.....madness.

I find I get the opposite problem a lot where the EDD can be overly pessimistic. It makes me worry they see that when they checkout and think better of it and don't go through with the transaction.

[station13thirteen]

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@the_book_seekers wrote:

Too unreliable. We have a mobile postage van for the area, but that only stops in the next village over one day a week. 

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We tried RM collection just once. RM had us anxiously waiting and wondering all day when they would collect... and no one ever turned up. So immediately we were a day late on dispatch. Took everything up to the Post Office the next morning and haven't tested RM collection since. 

[dch2112011]

Torrington post office is 5 miles from Stib  which is near in North Devon terms and I believe Langtree has a mobile service 2 miles from stib - we operate a few miles from you and have been in the area for 30 years 

Does anyone else post from Stib - you may find someone local or a local business doing post runs  - have you tried the local community pages -  Maybe take it in turns - we live in a friendly area 

Luckily we have daily timed collections from RM  

[xxxxxvalkyriexxxxx]

Sold 5 items yesterday, E bay has given them all a guaranteed delivery BEFORE Christmas, my items are due to be posted on Wednesday. E Bay has given an EDD of 18-23rd of December . Royal Mails last date for Christmas delivery is tomorrow. 

Submitted yet another ticket linking them to these postings telling them over 500 people are complaining, plus gave them a link re Royal Mail fined millions for late delivery.

Time to find a different outlet than e bay to sell on ...

[johnwash1]

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@station13thirteen wrote:

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@the_book_seekers wrote:

Too unreliable. We have a mobile postage van for the area, but that only stops in the next village over one day a week. 

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We tried RM collection just once. RM had us anxiously waiting and wondering all day when they would collect... and no one ever turned up. So immediately we were a day late on dispatch. Took everything up to the Post Office the next morning and haven't tested RM collection since. 

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Of course collection doesn't work for everyone.  For me, it's ideal, because I have an enclosed porch with an unlocked outer door.  My postie will pick up two parcels later today, without even needing to ring the bell.

[a45heaven]

Whilst interesting, politely, are we getting a tad off main topic now? 

I feel that if a main thread doesn't exist, maybe one should be started for this extension.

[station13thirteen]

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@xxxxxvalkyriexxxxx wrote:

Sold 5 items yesterday, E bay has given them all a guaranteed delivery BEFORE Christmas, my items are due to be posted on Wednesday. E Bay has given an EDD of 18-23rd of December . Royal Mails last date for Christmas delivery is tomorrow. 

Submitted yet another ticket linking them to these postings telling them over 500 people are complaining, plus gave them a link re Royal Mail fined millions for late delivery.

Time to find a different outlet than e bay to sell on ...

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Now that's what I call pressure! What are the chances you will spend Christmas dealing with INRs from unhappy and disgruntled buyers that did not get the item in time for Christmas!

One of our customers in Scotland is still waiting for a 2nd class delivery from us that was dispatched over 2 weeks ago. He used to be a postie and one of his working postie contacts told him that it is currently a nightmare at RM!

Merry Christmas eBay... thank you for all your understanding and support.

[theelench]

I posted a parcel to Wiltshire this morning, sent it RM 2nd Class as I usually do.  It'll get there I'm sure, as is the buyer.  When exactly neither of us care.  Neither do we care what stupidly optimistic FDD ebay would have told us it would have arrived on because we are both ex-ebay sellers and the item sold elsewhere.

Not only does that site never poke its nose into the details of our transaction, it treats us as adults and doesn't give us any delivery dates at all.  Neither does it take a slice of the postage I charge the buyer and expect me to make up the difference.

Did not being harassed by ebay make me couldn't-care-less about getting it to the post office ASAP?

Not a bit of it, there was a spring in my step as it sank-in that I'm probably never going to have to worry about any of ebay's nonsense ever again.

Really, really, really LOL  🍾 🎆

[a45heaven]

Selling despite ebay - much better all round 🙂

[sup51707]

We have the same problem. We send all our items via Royal mail 2nd class post, large letter. Ebay shows 2-3 days for delivery including weekends. Royal mail 2nd class post is more like 3 to 5 working days for delivery. We state this on our adverts. ROYAL MAIL 2ND CLASS DELIVERY CAN TAKE UP TO 5 WORKING DAYS FOR DELIVERY. However, dull customers still think they are buying from Amazon. Ha ha

[station13thirteen]

With Labour now approving the sale of Royal Mail to a Czech billionaire I daresay we are in for even more posting and delivery fun in the near future. 

[johnwash1]

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@station13thirteen wrote:

With Labour now approving the sale of Royal Mail to a Czech billionaire I daresay we are in for even more posting and delivery fun in the near future. 

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Sales to Eastern Europe should arrive more quickly though!

But my sympathy goes to our lovely local postie, always cheery and helpful in all weathers.  I hope he doesn't get made redundant.

[station13thirteen]

I suppose there is a possibility that everything will be kept pretty much the same but with improvements made to increase performance and efficiency... but I won't be holding my breath. 

[a45heaven]

I suppose there is a possibility that everything will be kept pretty much the same but with improvements made to increase 'something' or give idle hands something to do.

could be worse - least it wasnt ebay buying the Post Office 😉

[station13thirteen]

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@a45heaven wrote:

could be worse - least it wasnt ebay buying the Post Office 😉

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That would be too scary... doesn't bear thinking about! 😧