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

[tribalgiftsuk]

I sold exactly the same item in the early hours of this morning on Amazon and Ebay.  I have set a 2 day max dispatch time so really i have until Monday 18th and 2nd class post.

Amazon is showing the customer delivery between  18th - 21st

Ebay has shown the customer delivery 16th - 19th

If i click on the item now Ebay is still showing the customer 16th - 19th!

My cut off time is 11am but this item has a two day dispatch time as i make it to order. If im busy it will never go out the same day, when its quieter like now i can but thats not the point. I have set a 2 day dispatch for that reason and it is clearly not being taken into account. But even worse Royal Mail say 2 - 5 days 2nd class postage.

So in fact A is also wrong but at least they are showing a lot more realistic delivery window to the customers. It is actually starting to make me really annoyed that Ebay arent listening and acting on this.

I see everyones efforts in the weekly chat about this and surely they are reading these threads. Do they really want us to all post 1st class or RM 24 and increase our prices accordingly? Is that what they are trying to do? Then they will lose the customers to other platforms. Anyone who uses google shop will see the same product cheaper elsewhere and with the new price increases on RM coming in we would have to all increase our prices a lot! 

Is it time to start a seller petition on this or all add our names on a letter to the MD?

[4_bathrooms]

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@chilloutgames wrote:

The cut-off time bug affects all sellers, is simple for anyone to grasp and it is easy to replicate.

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What you have posted in that thread isn't a bug, cut-off times are designed to work the way you describe them working and have always worked that way.

The cut-off time specified only affects same-day despatch. If you set your cut-off to 3pm (like you have) and offer same-day despatch any orders you receive before 3pm will show "Despatch before 11.59pm today". Any orders you receive after 3pm will show "Despatch before 11.59pm the next working day". On the page where you set your cut-off time you also set your working days. If your handling time is set to one day it doesn't matter what cut-off time you set nor what time the buyer orders; you will always be told to "Despatch before 11.59pm the next working day" (i.e. the next working day according to your settings). 

The EDD problem is separate. It is claimed the EDD calculation factors in the cut-off time, handling time, stated carrier's delivery window, previous carrier performance, the buyer's address etc. However, it is clear none of these factors are actually used in the calculation with the EDD shown to the buyer being complete fiction in most cases.

[lincolnshiremarine]

Hi

"Is it time to start a seller petition on this or all add our names on a letter to the MD?"

I would sign this.

Best wishes

[station13thirteen]

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@litp*records wrote:

If it's working as intended as we are repeatedly told, then one can only assume is that the intention is to incur more late delivery strikes on sellers' service metrics causing them to be charged higher fees.  Or having to increase postage prices to factor in a faster delivery method, which again Ebay takes a cut of.  

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I really think this is the most likely scenario. Basically greed. 

Why do eBay even need to show EDDs modified by some algorithm in OUR listings? Just leave our bl**dy listings to show what we have specified ourselves as our postal policies and economy shipping EEDs.

Postage prices are already high enough, and with eBay fees, it is not easy to make a profit as it is. Yet they go out of their way with some silly algorithm to make life even harder for sellers.  Thanks ebay... wonderful job you are doing!

[best-range]

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I see everyones efforts in the weekly chat about this and surely they are reading these threads.

Do they really want us to all post 1st class or RM 24 and increase our prices accordingly?

Is that what they are trying to do?

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I don't think this is their intention as they completely ignore what type of service you offer along with your cut off time for the day or how many days dispatch you have set .

I still believe this is a serious coding error along with wrong time zone they refuse to correct.

But  if indeed this is their game, they'd first need to fix the EDD's , the one that always shows that the 2 class/economy services is either faster or equal to 1 class or even as fast as Express service - again something that been brought up to the attention of the ebay reps. numerous times for months.

So even if you advertise faster service it makes no difference as whatever postage or dispatch day you choose the item will always apparently "arrive either the same day or even a day before you post it or the very next day the latest ".

Any seller offering both 1 & 2 class show the same EDD's according to ebay, there is no difference, it's been like this for months:

[station13thirteen]

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@best-range wrote:

---

I see everyones efforts in the weekly chat about this and surely they are reading these threads.

Do they really want us to all post 1st class or RM 24 and increase our prices accordingly?

Is that what they are trying to do?

---

I don't think this is their intention as they completely ignore what type of service you offer along with your cut off time for the day or how many days dispatch you have set .

I still believe this is a serious coding error along with wrong time zone they refuse to correct.

But  if indeed this is their game, they'd first need to fix the EDD's , the one that always shows that the 2 class/economy services is either faster or equal to 1 class or even as fast as Express service - again something that been brought up to the attention of the ebay reps. numerous times for months.

So even if you advertise faster service it makes no difference as whatever postage or dispatch day you choose the item will always apparently "arrive either the same day or even a day before you post it or the very next day the latest ".

Any seller offering both 1 & 2 class show the same EDD's according to ebay, there is no difference, it's been like this for months:

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Yep, we have 4 postage choices available on our listings, with some having a cost difference of around a fiver, yet eBay give all EDDs for these different services as the same. Absolute bl**dy madness.

[tribalgiftsuk]

Working as it should be LOL 😂 for an item i have 2 day dispatch on 2nd class postage. Tonight is showing the same delivery date for this item as it did at 1 am this morning.

Postage and packaging Each additional item To Service Delivery*See Delivery notes

Free postage	Free	United Kingdom	Economy Delivery (Royal Mail 2nd Class Letter / Large Letter)	Estimated between Sat, 16 Mar and Tue, 19 Mar to CO12 4EF
£1.00	£0.30	United Kingdom	Standard Delivery (Royal Mail 1st Class Letter / Large Letter)	Estimated between Sat, 16 Mar and Tue, 19 Mar to CO12 4EF
£12.00	£2.00	United Kingdom	Express Delivery (Royal Mail Special Delivery (TM) 1:00 pm)	Estimated between Sat, 16 Mar and Tue, 19 Mar to CO12 4EF

[litp*records]

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@station13thirteen wrote:

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@litp*records wrote:

If it's working as intended as we are repeatedly told, then one can only assume is that the intention is to incur more late delivery strikes on sellers' service metrics causing them to be charged higher fees.  Or having to increase postage prices to factor in a faster delivery method, which again Ebay takes a cut of.  

---

I really think this is the most likely scenario. Basically greed. 

Why do eBay even need to show EDDs modified by some algorithm in OUR listings? Just leave our bl**dy listings to show what we have specified ourselves as our postal policies and economy shipping EEDs.

Postage prices are already high enough, and with eBay fees, it is not easy to make a profit as it is. Yet they go out of their way with some silly algorithm to make life even harder for sellers.  Thanks ebay... wonderful job you are doing!

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Yep I really believe this is the case.   Community chats every wednesday, Ebay roadshows where people have complained (including myself personally) and countless complaints to customer services, the tech team etc.  If it was really something they were gonna "fix" it would be fixed by now.  

The least sinister explanation is that it's Ebay USA forcing it on us, and there is nothing anyone in the .co.uk team can do about it (and of course they won't bad mouth their own company)

[station13thirteen]

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@tribalgiftsuk wrote:

Working as it should be LOL 😂 for an item i have 2 day dispatch on 2nd class postage. Tonight is showing the same delivery date for this item as it did at 1 am this morning.

Postage and packaging Each additional item To Service Delivery*See Delivery notes

Free postage	Free	United Kingdom	Economy Delivery (Royal Mail 2nd Class Letter / Large Letter)	Estimated between Sat, 16 Mar and Tue, 19 Mar to CO12 4EF
£1.00	£0.30	United Kingdom	Standard Delivery (Royal Mail 1st Class Letter / Large Letter)	Estimated between Sat, 16 Mar and Tue, 19 Mar to CO12 4EF
£12.00	£2.00	United Kingdom	Express Delivery (Royal Mail Special Delivery (TM) 1:00 pm)	Estimated between Sat, 16 Mar and Tue, 19 Mar to CO12 4EF

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Yep, working perfectly... nothing to see here!  (insert Banging Head Against Brick Wall emoji)

What gets me is that eBay actively encourage you to give '1 Day Dispatch' and a 24hr or 'Next Day' in your listings in order to get extra eBay Brownie points and so raise your status as a seller... then they bugger it up completely and make us look like unreliable or incompetent fools!

[sagr2519]

Working as designed? Then let me use your time machine!

[best-range]

I need to borrow Time Machine as well!

as according to eBay, 2 class RM48 economy post to Northern Ireland will be delivered today !  - same day as dispatch day - or the very next business day the latest.

Royal Mail collects my post late afernoons & it takes them 5 working days on average to deliver to & within NI, so this is not going to happen.

Totally insane EDD's ! - "working as intended".

[insidethe93]

Good one.

If I may suggest? - maybe change "...our control" to "my control". It'd sound more personal and be in keeping with the rest of your "I" message.

[qualitycardsandgifts]

Another INR for an item posted by second class 12th March, eBay promised it would arrive 13th - 14th, so wants refund.    Another one to add to my rapidly growing blocked buyers list.

[station13thirteen]

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@qualitycardsandgifts wrote:

Another INR for an item posted by second class 12th March, eBay promised it would arrive 13th - 14th, so wants refund.    Another one to add to my rapidly growing blocked buyers list.

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Yep, thanks to eBays ridiculous, unwanted and intrusive EDDs we are noticing that our near perfect seller ratings are now gradually on the slide due buyers indicating late delivery in their feedback.  And like you we have also decided that any unreasonable buyer petty enough to feel the need to give us grief for something that turns up a day later according to eBay's EDDs, but within that specified by ourselves can see themselves blocked.

Thanks eBay... not sure what we would do with all our spare time if you weren't giving us all this grief!

[sagr2519]

Ebay consistently sets the wrong EDDs. Now why would they say 13th-14th for your RM second class but 10th-12th for my Evri standard, when they're both supposed to take the same amount of time and both of us were told to post on the 12th? At least in your case it would have been possible to arrive by 14th. I hope yours arrived by now.

[qualitycardsandgifts]

No word from the buyer so either it's not arrived, or they've had a free card.    

[sagr2519]

Why don't you check the tracking number in the courier's website?

[qualitycardsandgifts]

It's letter post and Royal Mail don't provide tracking. 

[theelench]

If it wasn't for ebays FDDs you wouldn't have to.  The buyer would be satisfied with what YOU say on YOUR ad.

The answer is :-   BUTT OUT EBAY. 

[sagr2519]

@qualitycardsandgifts Untracked post is a risk that sellers can choose to take. It's cheaper than tracked but you don't know whether it actually arrived. If you take that risk then it's your loss when a customer complains INR. Don't blame eBay for that, blame eBay for their fantasy EDDs and FDDs which sellers can't do anything about.

It is a shame that there's no cheap tracked service (as far as I know) for anything smaller than Large Letter.

@theelench Regardless of what eBay and sellers estimate, it's a good idea as a seller to check the tracking if you're not sure whether it arrived.