eBay.com Web Site Technical Questions and Answers

[Mark Twain]

Ebay 12/19/20 Update. I've bolded what I think is most important. One of the mods might want to pin this: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/Seller-Protections-extended-for-shipping-delays-and-Northeast/ba-p/31444414

Further complicating carrier delays from record-breaking shipment volumes, a major winter storm has hit the Northeast and could impact some deliveries. We are continually monitoring carrier networks, shipping performance, and are also closely following the inclement weather paths. To those sellers who may be affected by severe weather, please stay safe.

 

We are extending estimated delivery dates and are adding additional time to receive an initial carrier scan for all sellers. This additional time for the first physical carrier scan will be applied to transactions from November 15th through the end of the year. Because the December standards evaluation period is this weekend, we will review and adjust your standards as needed retroactively to mid-November. 

 

A reminder of how you and your business are protected during this time:

eBay will acknowledge your products were shipped on time when any one of the following happens:

• Tracking shows a physical carrier scan any time within your stated handling time.  Effective November 15, this includes an additional 2 days  from the standard handling time window you’ve committed to in your listings to accommodate extended delays 
• Buyer answers “Yes” to item arrived on-time when leaving feedback
• Tracking shows a delivery scan within the latest delivery date for the shipping service selected  

Even in cases where a buyer may see a faster delivery estimate, your shipment will be considered on time if it arrives by the latest day for the shipping service. For example, if you use a standard shipping service with a 1-5 day delivery time plus your stated handling time of 2 days, the item needs to arrive within 7 working days. If your package is delivered any time during this period, we recognize that you shipped on-time.

  

We will automatically remove any defects, and associated negative or neutral feedback for “item not received” cases closed without seller resolution when: 

• Tracking was uploaded and has a physical scan from the carrier before the case was opened.
• A delivery scan shows the item was delivered after the case was closed. 
• In addition, these cases will not impact your service metrics rating.   

We continue to monitor and evaluate carrier transit time and delays and we’ll make adjustments where necessary.

[BrickLegacy]

USPS tracking system is now apparently down... what a disaster.

[Huskers1236]

6 minutes ago, BrickLegacy said:

USPS tracking system is now apparently down... what a disaster.

Does it matter?  Nothing is moving anyway, lol.  I've got several packages that have simply stopped moving along the Eastern seaboard due to USPS/Covid/snow.  

[JOEBRICK376]

4 minutes ago, Huskers1236 said:

Does it matter?  Nothing is moving anyway, lol.  I've got several packages that have simply stopped moving along the Eastern seaboard due to USPS/Covid/snow.  

This storm was the nail in the coffin this year. Get ready for refunds hah. 

[minicoopers11]

11 minutes ago, Huskers1236 said:

Does it matter?  Nothing is moving anyway, lol.  I've got several packages that have simply stopped moving along the Eastern seaboard due to USPS/Covid/snow.  

Setting more boxes out now for a pickup to add on to the delivery backlog. #winning

[Darth_Raichu]

2 hours ago, Blinky316 said:

So I am not sure if this is the right place for this or not but it appears a package is coming back to me but USPS says there is “no such number” I contacted the buyer to let them know in case they wanted to scramble for a replacement (Slave I). The thing is all of the my map apps show the house and the the address is still in my notes app where I printed it from.  So I am not sure is USPS just dropped the ball on this or what.  I am inclined to wait until the package returns (if it does) and then just refund the buyer and relist the set later hopefully at enough profit to offset the shipping costs I am going to eat.  Just looking to vent since my wife is less than sympathetic to these kinds of complaints. 

I got an item returned to me as undelivered.  On Google map, the address was a house being built.  I refunded the customer with a note.  Since they never contacted me back, I already sold the set to someone else.

[BillyBricks]

I've still got something from 11/26 that manages to update almost daily but the update is always "In transit," which at this point I have to believe is being carried by hand to its destination. Another package from the 2nd just stopped updating 12 days ago. 

Everything west of Illinois has been fine. The east, however, is looking a little like Middle Earth up in here:

"Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear..." 

[Huskers1236]

2 hours ago, BillyBricks said:

I've still got something from 11/26 that manages to update almost daily but the update is always "In transit," which at this point I have to believe is being carried by hand to its destination. Another package from the 2nd just stopped updating 12 days ago. 

Everything west of Illinois has been fine. The east, however, is looking a little like Middle Earth up in here:

"Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear..." 

I have a package from the 2nd that apparently never even left the PO i dropped it off at as it has never been scanned again.  I asked the lady that it was specifically dropped off to and she said "somebody must have misplaced it".  Uhhh, you did.  I dropped it off with you!

[Bold-Arrow]

I got a message in regards to an order I shipped on Wednesday .. Moments likes these are def worth the bad ones : 

"Thank you for the super fast shipping. My kiddo's original BIG gift fell through, and y'all saved the day. THANK YOU!"

[$20 on joe vs dan]

2 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

I got message  in regards to an order I shipped on Wednesday .. Moments likes these are def worth the bad ones : 

"Thank you for the super fast shipping. My kiddo's original BIG gift fell through, and y'all saved the day. THANK YOU!"

Nothing better than Lego-Claus saving Christmas...building happy memories one brick at a time.

resellers are just elves without the pointy shoes 

[Bold-Arrow]

5 minutes ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

Nothing better than Lego-Claus saving Christmas...building happy memories one brick at a time.

resellers are just elves without the pointy shoes 

i have a pair of those... dont judge me 

[BrickLegacy]

I’m averaging about 1-2 new emails / cases per day at this point ... it’s ridiculous.

eBay’s response has been terrible. You can blame the pandemic and USPS but they can do better. I’m a small guy ... I can’t imagine what bigger sellers are going through and how much money is on the line with stranded packages. Thankfully most of my buyers have been patient and understanding but it’s very time consuming to respond and help track.

Meanwhile FedEx and UPS packages are getting delivered on time...

[Mark Twain]

Ebay 12/19/20 Update. I've bolded what I think is most important. One of the mods might want to pin this: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/Seller-Protections-extended-for-shipping-delays-and-Northeast/ba-p/31444414

Further complicating carrier delays from record-breaking shipment volumes, a major winter storm has hit the Northeast and could impact some deliveries. We are continually monitoring carrier networks, shipping performance, and are also closely following the inclement weather paths. To those sellers who may be affected by severe weather, please stay safe.

 

We are extending estimated delivery dates and are adding additional time to receive an initial carrier scan for all sellers. This additional time for the first physical carrier scan will be applied to transactions from November 15th through the end of the year. Because the December standards evaluation period is this weekend, we will review and adjust your standards as needed retroactively to mid-November. 

 

A reminder of how you and your business are protected during this time:

eBay will acknowledge your products were shipped on time when any one of the following happens:

• Tracking shows a physical carrier scan any time within your stated handling time.  Effective November 15, this includes an additional 2 days  from the standard handling time window you’ve committed to in your listings to accommodate extended delays 
• Buyer answers “Yes” to item arrived on-time when leaving feedback
• Tracking shows a delivery scan within the latest delivery date for the shipping service selected  

Even in cases where a buyer may see a faster delivery estimate, your shipment will be considered on time if it arrives by the latest day for the shipping service. For example, if you use a standard shipping service with a 1-5 day delivery time plus your stated handling time of 2 days, the item needs to arrive within 7 working days. If your package is delivered any time during this period, we recognize that you shipped on-time.

  

We will automatically remove any defects, and associated negative or neutral feedback for “item not received” cases closed without seller resolution when: 

• Tracking was uploaded and has a physical scan from the carrier before the case was opened.
• A delivery scan shows the item was delivered after the case was closed. 
• In addition, these cases will not impact your service metrics rating.   

We continue to monitor and evaluate carrier transit time and delays and we’ll make adjustments where necessary.

[lodibricks]

Am I reading that right that eBay's giving us a whopping 2 more days to deliver? Extending 2 more weeks won't even cover these delays.

Or is that just "handling time?" I closed shop early to avoid this drama. Never would've imagined Novembers sales still undelivered.

Edited December 19, 2020 by lodibricks

[fuzzy_bricks]

1 minute ago, lodibricks said:

Am I reading that right that eBay's giving us a whopping 2 more days to deliver? Extending 2 more weeks won't even cover these delays.

That's what I read, but it also says "when any one of the following happens" and notes a physical carrier scan within your handling time +2 days and I certainly meet that.  I'd like to see eBay provide some guidance on how to handle the customers that want refunds with packages yet to be delivered.  I guess if they're going to delete negative feedback I can just tell them to pound sand and wait.

[Mark Twain]

Am I reading that right that eBay's giving us a whopping 2 more days to deliver? Extending 2 more weeks won't even cover these delays.
Or is that just "handling time?" I closed shop early to avoid this drama. Never would've imagined Novembers sales still undelivered.

I ignore that language, which appears left over from the 12/8 update. The below language was included in the 12/16 update:


UPDATE as of Wednesday, Dec. 16
For transactions occurring November 15 through December 31, we are adding the following seller protections:

We will automatically remove any defects for “item not received” cases closed without seller resolution as well as associated negative or neutral feedback if these conditions are met:
Tracking was uploaded and has a physical scan from the carrier before the case was opened.
A delivery scan shows the item was delivered after the case was closed.
In addition, these cases will not impact your service metrics rating.

We will also remove negative or neutral feedback related to a late delivery automatically if an item arrives late but tracking shows that you shipped on time.

We recognize it’s in your nature to immediately make things right for the buyer, but given unprecedented and unpredictable shipping delays, cases may take longer to resolve. We ask that you keep lines of communication with your buyers open. We are asking them to be patient. For items in transit, we are keeping cases open for 10 more days from the time a buyer asked eBay to step in to allow additional time for the item to be delivered

[minicoopers11]

14 minutes ago, lodibricks said:

Am I reading that right that eBay's giving us a whopping 2 more days to deliver? Extending 2 more weeks won't even cover these delays.

Or is that just "handling time?" I closed shop early to avoid this drama. Never would've imagined Novembers sales still undelivered.

Speaking of November sales, eBay just put funds on hold for an undelivered November order of mine. Was shipped by eBay international standard (shipped on time and scanned often), so we'll see if their seller guarantee comes through on my end.

[ravenb99]

ebay did update the policy again on all the INR stuff, took the defects off for not resolved cases ,  helps some,  still out the money but those hurt.

The service metrics are supposed to update back to 11/15 too I believe but that didn't change yet.  Think I've had 30 INR in the last week alone, 4 more today.  One was one of the cities that had the backup videos.  They asked if I could ask the post office for them so I sent a video and said they seemed a little busy to ask about 1 package.

sales were great this season but guess it'll come down to how much we have to give back the next few weeks.

[BrickLegacy]

Responding to daily INR cases and package delays is like being a one legged man in an a** kicking contest.

I've had a few packages get delivered which closed a few cases and provided some relief.  In total I have about 20-30 packages that are in limbo...most buyers have messaged me or submitted an INR.

I will say that most buyers have been extremely patient considering they purchased their item 2-3 weeks ago and on average packages are stalling for 7-10 days.

The silver lining is that returns are taking forever to come back

[zaphoid]

3 minutes ago, BrickLegacy said:

Responding to daily INR cases and package delays is like being a one legged man in an a** kicking contest.

I've had a few packages get delivered which closed a few cases and provided some relief.  In total I have about 20-30 packages that are in limbo...most buyers have messaged me or submitted an INR.

I will say that most buyers have been extremely patient considering they purchased their item 2-3 weeks ago and on average packages are stalling for 7-10 days.

The silver lining is that returns are taking forever to come back

I'm down to 7 undelivered packages.  It was a huge relief yesterday to get down under 10.  2 are on delivery trucks today (both of these have INR cases open).  3 stuck in PA limbo and 2 still haven't left Texas (I fully expect to have to refund these).

Edited December 22, 2020 by zaphoid

[Brystheguy]

2 minutes ago, zaphoid said:

I'm down to 7 undelivered packages.  It was a huge relief yesterday to get down under 10.  2 are on delivery trucks today (both of these have INR cases open).  3 stuck in PA limbo and 2 still haven't left Texas (I fully expect to have to refund these).

How are you guys getting these back once you've refunded and it starts moving again?

[iahawks550]

1 minute ago, Brystheguy said:

How are you guys getting these back once you've refunded and it starts moving again?

You aren't

[zaphoid]

2 minutes ago, Brystheguy said:

How are you guys getting these back once you've refunded and it starts moving again?

you ask the buyer to write "Return to Sender" on the package when they get it and then you hope.

[iahawks550]

6 minutes ago, zaphoid said:

you ask the buyer to write "Return to Sender" on the package when they get it and then you hope.

If I'm a buyer and I don't get a product for 15-20 days after I order it, there is about a zero percent chance I'm sending it back.

[Brystheguy]

6 minutes ago, zaphoid said:

you ask the buyer to write "Return to Sender" on the package when they get it and then you hope.

That's all I've been doing too. I am curious as to the success rate of this method. Obviously, many of us haven't had to deal with this on this scale so it's an interesting experiment, to say the least!

[brickvoyeur]

4 minutes ago, Brystheguy said:

How are you guys getting these back once you've refunded and it starts moving again?

I've been giving the buyers an option. If they want it, they can resend payment. If not, a package intercept. Have yet to have a buyer opt for the package intercept.... but I expect that to change in a few days. The bright side is after the refund, the secondary direct PayPal payment is void of the eBay fees. Their loss for not protecting me better

In the end, if necessary, I'll eat the intercept cost to avoid being out the product and the money.