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I am optimistic that the USPS problems may have peaked. Taking a day off for Thanksgiving was a tipping point for them. Perhaps they are recovering now.
One problem with the USPS dark hole distribution centers seems to be that packages are serviced in LIFO manner. Parcels that go In Last are the First to come Out. While those that went in first are buried for awhile.
As far as eBay, they set sellers up with those unrealistic delivery expectations. Today it seems those are looking more realistic. And since I offer both First Class and Priority it looks like they are showing both options for a change. We still need more help from eBay. They should be doing a better job of preventing buyers from opening cases.
UPS seems to be doing Ok. UPS delivered items that I bought on eBay from average sellers Dec 9 on Dec 11 and Dec 12 here near Atlanta. One package from New York City and the second from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
I don’t think sellers paid for any extra services and NYC item was delivered in 2 days. The Milwaukee item took 3 days & was delivered on a Saturday.
Doesn’t seem too outlandish to me. But you have to keep your radar up for scams these days.
The member may not know how to grab the photos. And may be asking for permission to use them, especially because they could be published in a book. and also hoping that perhaps you have even more photos or un-edited high-resolution originals to share.
Like Jay said “It all depends if you want to get involved.”
One can’t really blame eBay for the USPS issues. But they need to give sellers some extra help right now on this.
My experiment: I just put my secondary selling ID into “Time Away” state until Dec 18 with the items still available for purchase. Buyers can still purchase but should expect a delay. So now eBay is giving potential estimated delivery dates of Dec 26 & later. Sort of the same thing as bumping up the handling times.
I hope this leads to a lower stress level. The packages can still ship with my normal 1-day handling time.
I agree on the scoff-law self-diagnosis.
However you can still print a label with PirateShip.com or Paypal shipping, etc. Just remember to upload tracking info to eBay.
I had to refund one anxious buyer yesterday as the first class tracking had / has stalled. Buyer agreed to refuse the package when it finally arrives, so perhaps I may recover the merchandise.
Time to re-think having 1-day handling for USPS items right now. For a few items, I bumped up to 2-day handling even though I will still ship faster than that.
I agree those are pretty awesome shelf brackets.
The bottom unit has a sticker near the center. Can you read that in any of your photos?
Also keep in mind that buyer can leave feedback for 45 days after the transaction. And, if they have already left a positive feedback, it cannot be revised.
Since about March 2020, I have been sending email notifications to all buyers with the tracking numbers AND getting USPS counter scans for almost all packages. Seems that this is helping out some. Nothing like having a timely acceptance scan.
But @indysales, you are correct that sometimes bogus entries in the scan history, especially when you review it on eBay.
@Ryanne, Yes they are slammed and a holiday day “off” makes it worse catching up.Also, I thought eBay would be helping sellers out on this. Why do they let a buyer open a claim in only 5 business days?
Not sure what advice to give ; I have one similar issue right now. And it seems that first class is taking about 9 calendar days for my items mailed around the Thanksgiving holiday.
For me, it seems that eBay enters into a state with slow sales and only cranky / impatient buyers.
Today a buyer opened a “request” or claim on eBay and eBay put the funds on hold. Buyer states that he did not receive his item yet. Buyer never messaged me about a problem.
The purchase was on Nov 26, Thanksgiving day, and item was mailed Friday Nov 27 via first class mail from Atlanta area to Denver. Today is only Dec 4, so the item has been in transit only 7 calendar days. But the tracking does look stalled out here in Atlanta.
If buyer had contacted me thru messages, I would be doing some buyer hand-holding, but he jumped straight to opening a claim. So I don’t need to respond for a few days (per eBay instructions). Perhaps the tracking will show progress by then.
Thanks Simon. I just had to struggle thru finding my shipping supplies coupon code again this morning.
Daily payouts for my 2 different selling accounts both failed this morning. eBay email suggests contacting my bank. Yeah right. I think eBay has way more glitches than my bank does.
On the bright side, I have been on managed payments since July with no other glitches.
If they are books, you can print a Media Mail label with PirateShip (or others) rather than eBay shipping. Just don’t forget to upload the tracking number to eBay.
The hoarding of copper pennies is an example of Gresham’s Law.
per Wikipedia:
In economics, Gresham’s law is a monetary principle stating that “bad money drives out good”. For example, if there are two forms of commodity money in circulation, which are accepted by law as having similar face value, the more valuable commodity will gradually disappear from circulation.
