Seller Account at risk due to late Delivery

[theglo-68]

Hello,

I am posting as we use different account for selling. We recently noticed a mark under Seller Level indicating Late delivery too high.

We usually get all our items ready a night before so we pick them up and usually post parcels via Evri and small items via Royalmail. I am not sure what happened as looking at full excel report we see lots of items with delays 1-2 days.

What can we do to recover our account as it will be the same- with me being full time at work I usually get all my items ready a night before so is this causing issues or there is something else.

Please share your experiences.

[missdollydaydream]

Give yourself a longer despatch time buffer.

[zoomingmouse]

To add... In addition to auto removals of defects, you can appeal a late defect on your account if you have the required proof:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/selling/seller-performance-overview/transaction-defect-rate?id=4... 

[theglo-68]

We are using ebay recommended suppliers Evri /Yodel but they are delaying most of our items. Can we appeal this defect or is this not ebay's problem?

[zoomingmouse]

Usually, the only time Ebay will protect sellers from delays caused by couriers is when there has been bad weather or something extreme/out of the ordinary.

They will announce this information, like this one affecting deliveries between 17 January to 27 January 2024, due to storms, here in the link:

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Announcements/Seller-protections-for-deliveries-affected-by-Storms-I... 

Other than that you have to be able to prove with tracking, or delivery confirmation <ordinary Royal Mail 1st 2nd class parcels> that the parcel arrived before the estimated delivery date as given under the order details.

Personally, I've set my dispatch time to 3 days, yet post next day, to give a little extra time to arrive, but I'm not a business. <I buy postage online, direct from RM as I'm lucky that I live near a RM depot so can drop them off myself, having auctions ending on a day I am able to post next day.>

You have to weigh up what's the best course of action to avoid/minimise your risks of getting these defects, as these do really harm you account. 

If you need to contact Ebay to appeal any of them, I would suggest calling early morning for the best chance of getting the Dublin team, as they are better trained & understand the system better.

Good luck.

[a45heaven]

ebay recommendations should be taken with a pinch of salt.

As mentioned by 'Missdollydaydream', extend your handling time and maybe consider that the tracking info you post on ebay could be used against you in demerits.

Whilst the inclusion of tracking assists buyers, if it is used against you, balance its benefits.

Having your defects rise as a result of the actions of the Delivery company is unfair to me.

[rjwilmsi]

Late delivery defects should be removed automatically if the tracking shows that you dispatched the item on time. The defects are not removed straight away, it can take a couple of weeks I think (some background process that runs periodically).

However, if you use a service without full tracking e.g. Royal Mail small parcel (only gets a public scan on delivery) and do post box drop off (so no Post Office acceptance scan) then there is no scan on drop off to prove on time dispatch, so if tracking shows delivered late eBay assumes you dispatched late and gives you the ding.

In the bigger picture, with the whole situation on Estimated Delivery Dates (see other threads), eBay are creating increasingly difficult standards for sellers to meet around delivery. eBay seem to want sellers to magically have all items arrive next day, without really thinking about what that costs, especially given that (in my perception) a lot of internet sales are relatively low value so sellers can't afford to use premium delivery services (Royal Mail Tracked 24, DPD etc.) on those sales. So sellers use economy services - Evri, Royal Mail 2nd class etc. - and unsurprisingly those services frequently have some delays.

[osalk49]

I know exactly what the issue is.

Ebay normally, if you dispatch the order on time and upload the tracking number before the midnight of your order cut off date, they used to remove the defect caused of the courier's late delivery since you did your part. 

Now Ebay stopped removing the defects caused by the late deliveries for Evri and DPD but not for Royal Mail. I have many examples of it since I use the three couriers.

For example: I packed the 2 parcels in the same minute. One Evri one Royal Mail standard. and marked as dispatched them together. Evri passed the estimated delivery date by 1 day and Royal Mail by 3 days. Evri parcel was counted as defect and Royal Mail wasn't. Same as DPD. DPD parcel delays a day, Royal Mail standard parcel delays 5 days. Ebay removes the late delivery defect for Royal Mail standard but not for DPD.

This wasn't like this before last November. I don't know if it's an error by Ebay or did on purpose but caused me to lose my Top rated seller status for two months and it's clearly and unfair practice. Either remove the defects for the late deliveries for the all couriers or don't remove.