Canada Post Strike

[salvadord]

I am a little confused as to why eBay is still showing a "ship by" date for sellers in Canada, shipping via Canada Post.  First off, the suggestion that we update our listings to show a longer "handling time" is not realistic.  Most seller have hundreds, if not thousands, of listing, and they expect us to change those listings?

Second, since eBay is well aware that there is a postal strike with no pick up or delivery of mail, why are they not eliminating the "ship buy" until this issue is resolved?  Many sellers will not want to drop envelopes in mailboxes that are not being serviced, and often these mailboxes become overloaded.  It would be much safer to drop your mail off at a postal outlet, once the strike is over.  However, then a seller will be penalized for not meeting their "handling time" - "ship by" date.  Why is eBay not taking action to protect sellers from being penalized for not meeting shipping times?

I will be inclined to mark my sold items as shipped, even though they are not shipped, and once the strike is over, drop the mail at a postal outlet.

[mrdutch1001]

changing handling time is easy...bulk edit and you can get them all done in very short time...

BTW, It is pointless for anyone, not just sellers "to drop envelopes in mailboxes"  as there are NO CP mailboxes being serviced...and most if not all drop off locations are NOT accepting pieces of mail at all...

eBay has no control over this CP strike...so why should eBay be held responsible for it?

all eBay can do is ADVISE sellers what they can do and offer options...and eBay has done that...

[salvadord]

I understand that quite well, however, I do not understand why eBay still insists that we have a shipping date to ship by when they know we cannot ship at this time.  They should suspend the "ship by" requirement until the strike is over.  That is an option eBay HAS NOT OFFERED.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@mrdutch1001 wrote:

changing handling time is easy...bulk edit and you can get them all done in very short time...

BTW, It is pointless for anyone, not just sellers "to drop envelopes in mailboxes"  as there are NO CP mailboxes being serviced...and most if not all drop off locations are NOT accepting pieces of mail at all...

eBay has no control over this CP strike...so why should eBay be held responsible for it?

all eBay can do is ADVISE sellers what they can do and offer options...and eBay has done that...

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@mrdutch1001 

What might be helpful was if eBay were to advise BUYERS of this current situation. It should not be too difficult to add some kind of banner to listings on dot ca. (I agree buyers should know what is going in Canadian news like strikes or weather situations but that may be being overly optimistic.) Banners have been added on dot com listings for various reasons in the past. I think even direct mail to buyers in olden days. Basically best surprise is no surprise. As per another post, eBay is adding an extended window for delivery times. In reality that may window may be complete optimism. First who knows how long it will take for the CP situation to be resolved and secondly once it is, it will take time to clean up any backlogs and then the sudden surge of new packages.

[mrdutch1001]

sellers have options to extend handling times and adjust their shipping options, which is not overly difficult IF they want to put themselves at ease and/or put their buyers at ease...it is all doable...but sellers do need to accept, adapt, adjust and carry on with whatever shipping strategies work for them.

I have done what I feel is necessary for my online selling...other sellers will have to do what is best for them,  but all sellers need to work with the situation as it is, not with the way they want it to be...

Best wishes to all...

[byto253]

I assume that is because there are other shipping options for a lot of sellers, if you have Stallion, Chitchat (Select service) or Sendle available to you and do not require Canada Post.   I have that option, so there is no way I want eBay to show buyers that I may not ship until who knows when. 

For some sellers who do not, or rely on lettermail, the strike is a real problem and I think most have put their listings on time away. 

[pjcdn2005]

We are each responsible for our own business. If we cannot ship within our handling time than eBay expects us to either change our handling time or use an alternative service so that the item is shipped on time. Some sellers prefer to deal with it on different ways such as putting their stores on time away or accepting pick up only. 

I doubt that it it is possible for eBay to eliminate the ship by date for some sellers and keep it for sellers using alternative methods.  If there is no ship by date there is no arrive by date and most buyers, especially at this time of year,  want to have an idea of when to expect their item.  

A banner as suggested by @lotzofuniquegoodies is an interesting idea but since not all sellers are in the same situation or coping in the same way, the banner might only apply to some.  It is just a bad situation.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

eBay in the recent past is routinely more proactive when it comes to dot com issues. Look how long it took for the last quarters shipping supply coupon issue to get fixed. It never did include an explanation or any sort of an apology for the inconvenience.

[pjcdn2005]

What does that have to do with the topic? 

[musicyouneed]

I just put all my listings on time away until Nov 30.  This way most of my US customers will still be sent their parcels.  Everyone in Canada I contacted over the past few weeks before the strike just told me to put it in the mail.  They fully understood that there will be delays.  Now if the strike goes on past Nov 30 I will have to put on a new end date.  Too bad that this is all happening at our busiest time, but that what the PO is counting on to make a deal. 

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

They instructed sellers specifically to edit their handling times for Canada Post. If you are offering Canada Post without extended handling time, you're not going to be able to fulfill orders on time. If you do fulfill the orders and wait to drop them off, there is a small risk that a buyer could open an INR when it is in transit and before it arrives. 

There is no reasonable way for them to suspend the ship by time. I think extended handling time+offering alternate carriers is a fairly responsible response. Imagine the position that no ship by time puts buyers in if they cannot technically cancel an order, but their item they ordered is in limbo for perpetuity. At least with extended handling times of 20 or so days, they see that it might not ship for almost a month. 

If you forgot to extend your handling time, I would just message the customer and let them know that you printed the label or marked it shipped but it won't go out until after the strike. If they want to cancel, cancel for them. Or, you could ship it with a different carrier if you have one available to you at a similar price. 

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

FYI from dot com announcement board.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/Canada-Post-Strike/ba-p/34781531

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) are on strike as of November 15, 2024. This will disrupt normal delivery schedules throughout Canada. 

If you use eBay International Shipping, you are automatically protected from late or no delivery claims and your seller performance standards and service metrics won’t be affected by international shipping.  Any negative or neutral feedback from handling during international transit will be removed from your account. 

As eBay International Shipping has the capability to pivot and leverage multiple carriers around the world, eBay anticipates only minor disruptions to eBay International Shipping deliveries in Canada at this time. 

If you have already shipped or are shipping directly to Canada, you are protected from late delivery claims as long as you meet your stated handling times. 

We are continuing to monitor the situation and will adjust estimated delivery dates for Canadian buyers as needed. 

You can monitor updates on the Canada Post website.  

As always, thank you for selling on eBay. 

The Shipping Team 

[intimewithmusic]

Lotz, I think when you put your store on vaca your private messaging also went down.

"You have reached the limit for number of private messages that you can send for now. Please try again later."

l followed your link ... Quote:  "If you have already shipped or are shipping directly to Canada, you are protected from late delivery claims as long as you meet your stated handling times. "

It's not possible for us on this side of the line to meet our handling time if we can't ship. I've kept in contact with my customer in Ontario. She chose for me to hang on to the item and she would cancel the order.

She ordered it yesterday. No label has been printed.  I have a 2 day handling time & eBay says to ship before Tuesday. the buyer msg'd me and said "When I tried to cancel the order an eBay error message appeared. It said "It Is Too Late to Cancel This Order." It hadn't been shipped and no label had been printed. 

Under their system any order can be cancelled until the label is printed (shipped) . It looks like I'll have to cancel it at my end using "Problem with address".  she doesn't want an alternate shipping method. I looked into UPS anyway. Its $9.00 more than Expedited Parcel. I won't make any money on the item.  If sellers use UPS or Fedex to substitute for CP eBay makes more money on fees as the shipping is higher.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@intimewithmusic 

For sellers switching to alternate methods even if that includes  UPS  there can be issues with residential deliveries. They tend to drop and dash. According to their FAQ items are supposed to be dropped in a secure location. That doesn't always happen from personal experience. Apparently if you want a signature for secure delivery with eBay labels if additional 6.30. (UPS)

As for shipments from US sellers eIS may have other couriers they can access for end of road deliveries. No guarantees they will work in all situations. Examples: PO boxes, apartments, condo complexes with secure entry or anything rural. I have heard from others buying from Amazon that Intelcom will not deliver in some smaller outlying towns. They have to make alternate arrangements to pick up...usually somewhere not convenient. Will eBay sellers/eIS be passing on any of these additional costs? 

As for my away message settings buyers should still be still able to message. Bizarre if they can't. It appears all they get is the standard away message which a seller cannot customize. Only other possible way it to redo your about message.  You only have visibility if you list  using auctions. My listings are all BIN. Alternative is 15 days extended handling as per below. 

Allow sales for up to 15 days while you’re away

Buyers can see that you are on time away but they can still purchase your items.

Not really an perfect alternative.

[femmefan1946]

why eBay still insists that we have a shipping date to ship by when they know we cannot ship at this time

Well, acktually....

We can't print eBay* labels for Canada Post . That service has been closed.

BUT

We can print UPS and FedEx labels through eBay.

It's a lot more expensive but it is available.

Since I have noticed that when I don't list, I don't get sales, I'm trusting in Cookie Jar Insurance and leaving my listings open, hoping that I get very few sales over the next week and that my customers will be comfortable with it.

*ShipShape still is allowing us to print Canada Post labels, as of this morning. But they too are more expensive than the deeply discounted labels we got from eBay.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

eBay International Shipping refers to the shipping program where US sellers send international packages to eBay's shipping facility. eBay then forwards them internationally. Ultimately, any changes to that program are more eBay saying that they won't blame themselves if a package is late (lol), because once a package gets to eBay's shipping facility in the USA, the seller's hands are clean in relation to INRs. 

So I don't think this is relevant to Canadian sellers unless you're near the border and can use a US address to opt into the eBay International Shipping program, which would require you to bring your packages to the USA, and drop them off with USPS to be sent to Kentucky, and then to Canada. 

[intimewithmusic]

  Good luck with your strategy Lotz. Sorry that you ended up closing down for now. I know what that means for you. My Ontario customer got back to me. She knows I was a music teacher for 35 years and her son is a young adult music student so we are on the same page. She let me know  on her 2nd attempt she was successful in cancelling her order. I refunded her so that one is saved (or at least on hold). 

  Let's hope for a very very very short strike.

IT

[cardcentral_ca]

From what I see, eBay has extended delivery times on sold items as of the strike.  It is unlikely that this strike lasts long being nation wide, but who knows.   My concern is for the 30 plus items I have sitting in Limbo right now.  But you know they are working on something in case the strike doesn't end soon.  Think of the mail nation wide not being processed right now, eBay items alone would be an astronomical number.

I tried to change my timelines on all my items, but it kept saying 'there is a problem'.  Couldn't load them all at once and I am not doing 20 pages of changes.  So I am banking on the strike being a quick one.

Yes, marked shipped when it says to and drop off when the strike is over.  Be prepared to stand in line!  The postal and retail outlets will be bombarded with mail drop offs.  I think the only way you get penalized for late shipping, is if the buyer says it was late when leaving feedback.  I have forgotten to mark items shipped, and there is red text telling me I have, but I don't see a strike against me on late shipping.  This could be an issue with buyers that do not understand or care that there is a strike.  But again, I think eBay is likely to work on this and extend existing mailed item delivery times.

[cardcentral_ca]

eBay can, has and will do more to protect their sellers.  They are not going to walk away from the dollar amount of eBay items currently in limbo.

[cardcentral_ca]

You can change your shipping time to a ridiculous amount of days, DO IT!  You may not sell anything though.

eBay is waiting to see what happens with the strike.   Which will likely and hopefully be short lived.  There is no point in changing all that info, just to have to change it back.