The light packet and small packet ETA times that ebay generates do not reflect the reality of the service for international shipments. For the US this system makes sense as sellers have the option of cheap tracked first class shipments, and the standardization of tracking for all US logistics means that there is reliable and accurate data regarding averaging shipping times by shipping methods. There is zero reliable data for Canada Post shipping options as few people use tracked packet for shipments outside of North America, and Small and Light packet shipments often get sent by surface to save Canada Post money, which if you spend anytime with a Canada Post sales rep they will tell you. The entire purpose of this program is to create satisfied buyers by managing customer expectations in the form of ETAs. Ebay does not provide Canadian sellers with any ability to do this, save for larger retailers who have heavily discounted courier and Canada Post contracts.
There should be a simple editable shipping method which allows the seller to define a stated ETA range. This would allow for simple country based exceptions to be setup, while allowing the seller to actually manage buyer expectations. The ETA range settings for the more generic options that a seller may elect to use an alternative to light and small packet are also horribly broken and make no sense. You simply can not shoehorn Canadian sellers into a program that is clearly designed to reflect US logistics. By implementing this you are setting up a system that guarantees friction between buyer and seller. Can someone from ebay please explain to me the business logic behind this?
