why buyer can leave less than five stars on shipping

[mamadont]

Selling to USA.

Sold and shipped an item to USA.

I shipped the same very day the buyer paid for the item.

Shipping options were clearly stated in my listing.

The buyer had many choices and he opted for the lowest shipping cost wich is also the slowest.

He,the buyer, could have choose a faster shipping options but he didn't and now,thanks to the new Ebay rating system, the buyer has the power to say I didn't ship fast enough...or slow shipping...or what else!

At the post office, I took a picture of the package as a proof of date and shipment.

This item was then processed to postal services.

 I have no control over Canada Post or USPS  slow delivery time.

Still this buyer was able to leave me a less than five stars rating on shipping time.

 I received a less than 5 stars rating for delivery time from this buyer because ,in his opinion, he did not received the item fast enough.

So now; I am held responsible for Canada Post or USPS postal services poor and slow job at delivering my item to the buyer.

This hurts my seller rating and there is nothing I can do about it.

Bravo ebay owners and managers for working agains seller !

Maybe you should re-think this issue again !!!

That is absolutely not fair to the seller.

[cumos55]

Given an option,  the buyer will almost always choose the least costly option

It is the seller who should choose the option and have only one option for postage, to each destination.

If tracking and speed is important... then seller chooses the appropriate option....

Buyers do not see shipping time as the time from payment to the post office... handling time on the part of the seller.

They see the big picture....  and if it is slow  seller gets hurt...

That is the way it is....   Buyer's perception

Communication is also important... Buyers assume that transit time is the same for all parcels...

Once a buyer pays  the buyer gets an email indicating how long the parcel will take to get to its destination... and there is also an indication that that is not absolute....

----------------------------------

My email ---to US buyers.

Thanks for purchasing this book

Your purchase will be in the mail on Friday, July 4.

Should take about 10 to 14 days, and sometimes longer if it gets caught up
in the postal system or in customs....

-------------------------------------------------------

If the parcel was mailed on June 30... I would also state that the parcel was travelling over July 1, a Canada Post holiday, and then July 4, a US postal service holiday.

also if the parcel is going from Winnipeg to a state immediately south of Manitoba  I would remind the buyer  that the parcel has to go through customs in Toronto in the east or Vancouver in the west.....  This is unexpected for these buyers.

Florida  also takes a bit longer... sometimes...

Tracked parcels from Winnipeg to Washington sate on the west coast have been going through Toronto.......

What I have done is given the buyer a time frame for delivery... and many times  it is considered by them as '''' fast delivery"

If everything is done right....  the seller has control over the buyer's perception of "fast delivery"

A low rating for shipping time will not be a defect in the future,  based on the last seller update....

But... that does not mean  once should ignore shipping time in the future.....

[cumos55]

also...

Note how much more easy it is to read what I have written,,, as opposed to a situation  when everything is packed together without spacing....

Many sellers do not realize  that if they want someone read what has been written... what they have written it must be in a easily readable form....  This was indicated in a discussion only a few days ago....

[cumos55]

I have no control over Canada Post or USPS  slow delivery time.

True....

But a seller does have a measure of control of the buyer's perception of how long delivery will take....

This I have found over the years....

and.. even to the US  I get feedback with"fast shipping" indicated....

[mr.elmwood]

Parcel is in the seller's control until the buyer receives it. Shipping company is an agent of the seller. Seller chooses the shipping option, not the buyer.  Seller makes all shipping decisions.

Buyer can pay least cost method, actual method is still within the seller's control. Seller is not prevented from using a faster method, seller chose not to.

This false: "I have no control over Canada Post or USPS  slow delivery time".  I find I have a lot of control. Proper formatting of the address, using Paypal shipping, proper parcel sizing and materials, proper service choice. By doing a lot of things better, my parcels go through to the USA quite fast.

[pjcdn2005]

The sellers have always been held accountable for shipping time. I agree that it isn't fair but as cumos mentioned, we can help to prevent possible problems by messaging buyers after their package has been mailed and giving them an approximate arrival date. U.S. buyers tend to expect their parcels with a few days and often don't notice the seller is in another country so I always give them a heads up about delivery time and possible delays.

Not a perfect system but it helps. 🙂

[pjcdn2005]

A low rating for shipping time will not be a defect in the future,  based on the last seller update....

I think that you mean a low rating for shipping cost will not be a defect in the future...

We do receive a defect for a shipping time of 1

The defect rate is simply the percentage of a seller's successful transactions that have one or more of the following transaction-related defects, the top predictors that a buyer will leave eBay or buy less:

• Detailed seller rating of 1, 2 or 3 for item as described
• Detailed seller rating of 1 for shipping time
• Negative or neutral feedback
• Return initiated for a reason that indicates the item was not as described
• eBay Money Back Guarantee (previously known as eBay Buyer Protection) or PayPal Purchase Protection case opened for an item not received or an item not as described
• Seller-cancelled transactions