eBay false delivery time estimates

[cigarmanxart]

Canada Post Shipping speed - International Parcel Surface

Destination Europe  -  Official Projected arrival date 1-2 months

eBay quotes ground (surface) shipping from Canada to Western Europe at 11 to 23 days. This is 100% impossible.  From experience the average shipping time has been 10 weeks (70 days). Yet eBay will support all claims entered shortly after the 23 days has expired.  eBay is creating the problem and then also aiding and abetting in the theft of the item by refunding the buyer before the item even has a chance to get to it's destination.

Sure eBay says send it with tracking - so now the price of shipping a $10 book goes from $12 to $44 and still takes 70 days.  Send it by air with tracking and it goes to $57.  Sorry but nobody buys at such a crazy high cost.  Oh  and don't forget eBay's 10% commission on shipping charges. Why will eBay not at least change the shipping times?

[ypdc_dennis]

ebay.ca quotes business days so Canada Post's 1-2 months should be translating as 20-45 business days.

Small Packet (up to 2kg) Surface takes 5-8 weeks to Europe (based on my past experience) -- 25-40 business days. No tracking, but Shippo does allow you to buy 3rd party insurance.

I gave up on Surface as a shipping method for eBay -- just takes too long for eBay sales. Some items are not worth selling overseas because of shipping cost/time. 

...

If you are located near a reshipper -- (like ChitChatsExpress) you can access much cheaper tracked shipping methods for overseas (and the USA).

-..-

tyler@ebay 

[tyler@ebay]

Thanks for the tag @ypdc_dennis!

I've gotten this reported to the Shipping Team and will keep you updated as I hear back. 🙂

[femmefan1946]

If the buyer wants it, she will pay the entire cost, including Canada Post's tracked international Air Mail costs.

Most of my items are both low cost and under 2cm/500gr, so I ship them using LetterPost, which is not trackable.

I use Cookie Jar Insurance, putting aside a few virtual pennies from each sale in a virtual cookie jar, in case of the very occasional claim.

Cookie Jar insurance covers much more than just Claims. It also covers our own dumb mistakes (shipping a red sweater instead of the blue one ordered) and late delivery.

But never never never use Surface shipping. Speed is more important than tracking.

[femmefan1946]

@cigarmanxart 

I'd suggest dropping all of this.

(unless I'm on vacation in which case it may take a little longer - but usually no more than a week)

You have to meet your stated Handling Time.  If you are on vacation, or sick, put your Store On Vacation and block sales during that time.
Delivery time is at the whim of the Post Office (Usually fairly fast but other times it may be quite slow)
If you are in a hurry and willing to pay for Express shipping please let me know.

You can offer two prices for shipping - standard (like LetterPost for your tiny paintings with an option for Expresspost if they want it faster. Most will opt for cheap.)

This statement makes you sound unprofessional.

[cigarmanxart]

EBay's surface shipping time estimates are totally false

Recent shipments to

Czech Republic  43 days

France   41 days

France 49 days

Austria 79 days

Nearest re-shipper is about 20 miles away  - not feasible for 1 or 2 items

Air mail is about double the surface mail cost on parcels over 250 gm and most buyers refuse to pay that much. Tracking prices are totally ridiculous.

All I want is for eBay to change delivery times to a reasonable number of days.

How about making it 31 to 91 days - same as for most of Eastern Europe

[femmefan1946]

How about following the advice of experienced sellers and just don't use Surface shipping.

If your buyer wants the Thing, he will pay the shipping.

If he wants the Thing, he will not want to pay then wait for three months to receive it.

Some sales are not worth having.

A buyer that demands cheaper, slower or untracked shipping plans to scam you.

[cigarmanxart]

Sorry - but almost all buyers think like I do - If the shipping is too expensive I ain't buying it.

Any one that is willing to pay $57 shipping on a $10 book is either extremely desperate or an idiot. Your tracking idea would cut off at least 95% of sales.

[cigarmanxart]

Just noticed eBay changed the shipping times from 11-23 to 12-24 days. This still a long way off the true average shipping time of 10 weeks.

Hey eBay - get t right will ya

[ichopshop]

---

Nearest re-shipper is about 20 miles away  - not feasible for 1 or 2 items

Someone didn't grow up in the country.......  

Ian

[femmefan1946]

Which is better- a buyer who files and wins a Dispute for non-delivery, winning a refund for both the selling price and the shipping cost?

Or a missed sale because the customer is not enough interested in getting the item quickly?

My international book and pattern sales are about 5% of my total, using LetterPost.  Items that are bulky* enough to require tracked parcel shipping are definitely much lower, almost nonexistent.

Your paintings are much more valuable than my books. Why not bury more of the shipping cost in your asking price and upgrade from the quoted Surface shipping to Air Mail?

For example you have an attractive painting by Hugo Martinez Goderich11 at $590Cdn.

In your experience, would a OOAK item like that not sell if it were priced at $625Cdn? And the extra $35 would cover at least some of the difference between Surface and Air Mail.

*My criterion for choosing Calculated Shipping, and listing on dotCA is that the item cannot be shipped letter rate, that is, it is over 500gr. and 2cm thick.

[cigarmanxart]

eBay shipping times for surface mail to most of Europe moved back to 11-23 days. A step backwards -- Frequent changes yes - but changes for the better no. 

 --- eBay get your act together - we need 31-91 days 

[cigarmanxart]

Delivery times finally adjusted - Thanks for the support