Problem with estimated handling time

[2005brears]

I'm having problems with Ebay's estimated delivery date given to buyers. I have changed my handling time to 2 days. The delivery service offered is Other courier (3 to 5 days). I do this because 2nd class post and tracked 48 are very unreliable and can take 5-7 days to arrive. Ebay is giving the buyer an estimated delivery date 2 days from order date! So I am having to send by 1st Class post or Tracked 24, which is just not viable with my selling price.  Is there anything I can do I change this? I am considering setting my handling time to 5 days, but as I send all orders out within 24 hours, I'm worried Ebay might estimate based on what I actually do! Has anyone found a way around this?

[technthread]

You can withhold tracking but it means you can’t buy postage on eBay, buyers can wrongly tick the box to say items arrived late when they didn’t and you run the risk of eBay suddenly asking for proof of delivery en masse in future, eg as part of an MC011. 

I go to the delivery office now with a 6pm close or use the priority postbox / parcel boxes with a 6:30pm collection. If anything is still late well there’s nothing I can do, everyone is in the same boat, eBay say the EDD is dynamic, working as intended and there are no plans to change it.

[brainuk]

You can change it but when this stupid SD comes on line fully and 'properly' it is going to give everything a blanket time for delivery.

[technthread]

The OP is a business seller so it SD won’t apply. Having said that, maybe down the line eBay will try to introduce it for businesses that wouldn’t surprise me.

Going back to what I said earlier, as eBay are overriding the EDD anyway based on what the seller has done historically, there is an argument to reduce the dispatch time to <1 day and show accurate postage rather than ‘other courier 3-5 days’ as it may help with being placed higher up in the eBay search. Some buyers will also check the dispatch time of 3 days and it could put them off buying…. each way I look at it,

I don’t see the benefits.