eBay

wkndshop · ‎02-06-2018

I recently shipped an item by regular letter post from Ontario, Canada to Florida. After only 10 business days, the buyer opened an “Item Not Received” case against me. I was really wondering how Ebay could allow this to happen so i did a little digging. Please see my photo with the screenshot compilation that i have included showing Ebays estimated shipping times with the corresponding level of service.  

Right, right, i didnt get a tracking number because of the low cost of the item and for how easily it will slip into a paper envelope. Obviously i dont want to alienate any customers by forcing them to purchase a tracking number.  

In Ebay.ca :

 Shipping from Canada to USA by Economy Intl Shipping estimate -> 5 to 12 business days.  

Shipping from Canada to USA by Canada Post USA letter-post -> 6-10 business days.  

Shipping within Canada by Economy Shipping -> 2 to 16 business days.  

In Ebay.com 

Shipping from Canada to USA by Economy Shipping from outside the US 11-23 business days.  

To me this is unfair and unrealistic expectations from Ebay.

  From Ebay.ca shipping within Canada is allotted 16 days but international cross border shipping is 12 business days max? That just doesn’t make any sense. 

But from Ebay.com the allotment is 23 days max , almost double.

  Delivery to the US by regular mail could be anywhere from 5 to 23 business days.   

Something that i noticed is that in Ebay.com when selecting a shipping service, the estimated delivery time is displayed in the drop down menu beside the service listed. This is not the case in Ebay.ca . In Ebay.ca i had to select a service , list the item, then go to the listing page and read the estimated delivery time from the shipping tab.
If the estimated delivery time was displayed in the drop down menu it would be more helpful.  

I really am at a loss here, in more ways than one. Your thoughts, comments and suggestions are much appreciated.

momcqueen · ‎02-06-2018

This flaw/discrepancy with estimated delivery dates on untracked lettermail was identified as soon as the Seller Performance metric changed to include Items Shipped Late. The prevailing advice from ebay itself is to adjust your handling time (by adding extra business days) to pad your estimated delivery dates (EDDs) until you see a number with which you are comfortable showing your buyers.

bpl521_sell · ‎02-06-2018

But then doesn't Ebay complain that having lengthy handling time as a negative with buyers. Can't win either way.

zee-chan · ‎02-10-2018

Whenever I ship I always send a message saying something like your item has been shipped on Feb XX from Canada with international letter post / small packet air and it'll take 2-4 weeks to arrive, please note that potential delays could occur due to weather etc.

I haven't had any "where is my item" messages or INR opened unless it's close to that 4 weeks mark (less than 5 messages last 2 years). I had only had ONE buyer over the years who said 2-4 weeks is too long (I then replied that usually it should take less time, but that one was mailed before Xmas so it did end up getting stuck for 4 weeks so the buyer gave me a late detect... And yeah I blocked her afterwards). That particular buyer was arguing that she bought something from Japan around the same time and that arrived within 10 days so she didn't think it should take longer from Canada. When she gave me a late defect I asked if she saw the post date stamp that I shipped within two days and of course she ignored me lol, so I blocked her. Ah well, can't make everyone happy. It was back in 2016 December.

I think buyers do read that personal message and I think my message serves as a good reminder that it *is* an international sale, and I can't do anything about weather delays.

I do sell books so usually people aren't in a rush to get them, so I guess they're more patient? And I also hand write a "thank you for buying from me" message in each sale so I think they recognize that I'm a personal seller and not a store so maybe they're less critical?

I do have 5 days handling time set. I work full time so occasionally I do need that extra time to pack orders... Like when I just want to go to bed when I get home lol.

reallynicestamps · ‎02-10-2018

With the cost of tracking so high, I find it uneconomic for most shipments. So I use Cookie Jar Insurance instead .(Self-insurance)

One problem is also a saving grace.Buyers Don't Read.

So it is just as unlikely that a customer will be put off by a stated five day shipping period as they are to notice it at all.

I use Feedback to leave a note about date of shipping and service used.

"Thank you for your prompt payment. Shipped 10/1/18 Canada Post Air Mail."

Like zee-chan I find it useful and gives some meaning to the otherwise meaningless FB.

miked2000009 · ‎02-28-2024

First and foremost I personally will not send anything without a tracking number because even with a tracking number sometimes you have issues as a seller. As for economy shipping it tells the buyer upto 2 months for delivery. And Canada Post is awful in terms of timing when shipping to the US. FedEx and UPS are the only way to go in my opinion. I understand that everyone has a specific market or niche but that's my 2 cents.

mrdutch1001 · ‎02-28-2024

@ miked2000009

You have responded to an old thread from 2018, which may no longer be relevant and/or may not provide information applicable to current time frame

ZOMBIE THREAD FROM 2018!

mrdutch1001 · ‎02-28-2024

@kh-phdan

This is a zombie thread from 2018...

marnotom! · ‎02-28-2024

@miked2000009 wrote:

First and foremost I personally will not send anything without a tracking number because even with a tracking number sometimes you have issues as a seller. As for economy shipping it tells the buyer upto 2 months for delivery. And Canada Post is awful in terms of timing when shipping to the US. FedEx and UPS are the only way to go in my opinion. I understand that everyone has a specific market or niche but that's my 2 cents.

As @mrdutch1001 has mentioned, this is a pretty old thread that you dredged up here, @miked2000009. It's generally not a good idea to exhume dead threads as they often refer to policies or procedures that are no longer in effect. For example, with this thread, the OP refers to sending merchandise to the US by letter post, a procedure which is no longer supported by the Universal Postal Union (no customs documentation) and this is periodically enforced by Canada Post and US Customs and Border Protection.

For what it's worth, my experience is that Canada Post generally gets packages and parcels down to the US pretty quickly. Unfortunately, many of the US entry points for international mail can get pretty bogged down and this may affect items' overall transit time.