eBay to Roll Out Guaranteed Delivery for 20 Million Items

by: FeelingFroggy

Take this offer and shove it.

Thanks but no thanks....We will stick with 5 day shipping which means no 2 day delivery carrot jumping for us.

If people don't like it then we suggest they shop elsewhere and we will block them. Most of the people who need their junk in 2 days are trouble anyways.

by: val2525

I notice that nowhere in any of the eBay information on this new program does it say just who pays for the late delivery refund.  And since I cannot control FedEx, UPS or the USPS, count me out unless eBay plans to directly pay for those refunds.

BTW, I already get items purchased on eBay quicker, usually, than items purchased from retailer sites so no extra promise from eBay is needed to me, the buyer.

by: eXtinctBay

The question here is whether the seller would be penalized for shipments that are deemed to be ''late''. Of course, eBay expects us to shoulder the blame for something out of our control. And who pays for these coupons?

Or who finances the no cost return when an irate buyer sends back the package that arrived one day after the promised delivery time?

And hopefully that late package is returned with the original item inside, and not a box of rocks.

Seems like another loophole for cyber shoplifters and fraudsters to exploit, all paid for by your friendly eBay seller.

Next thing you know, we may all have to buy a drone or drones to ensure on time delivery. Or own a courier service.

by: pace306

Well eBay NOW failed, so did the last version of it ... and now THIS.

I "guarantee" that INA will eat dinner tonite. And if not, David can get his grocery money back from Shopright. Makes no sense - since I have NOTHING to do with their lives, how they run them, what they do or anything else.

Yet when eBay says it - it somehow makes sense!

ANYONE can gamble with someone else 's money .... as mentioned above - until the details are released - and based on the past eBay will NOT be paying out when an issue arrises - they never do - its all smoke n mirrors.

What it REALLY is (to me) is more Wall Street BS. Most shippers are doing sma or next day shipping, and most are within 3-4 days of most of their customers. Its simply braging about NOTHING so that the stock goes up.

 more eBay BS.

by: ignatz

Two things come to mind:

1. Wenig was a liar when he said he believed in the "classic" eBay OOAK marketplace.

2. This is probably a move to "incentive" the Chinese sellers to establish more shipping warehouses in the U.S.

by: iheartjacksparrow

The eBay executives must have collectively lost their minds. eBay doesn't own any merchandise, they don't own any warehouses, they don't have a FBE (Fulfillment By eBay) program, and they don't have a network in place to rival Prime.

I don't know about other carriers, but the USPS can only guarantee one shipping method, Express Mail (EMS). So I don't know how the sellers are going to "guarantee" deliveries, unless eBay's whole plan is to have the sellers ship everything overnight so eBay can get the fees off the high shipping cost.

I wouldn't be surprised if this scheme didn't signal the collapse of eBay. You know any seller who doesn't participate is going to have their items hidden from the buyers. Any sellers who do participate are going to have to raise their shipping costs, which buyers won't like, or the sellers will find themselves handing out refunds for late delivery.

by: Ming the Merciless

Could this be a poorly disguised plan to force sellers to ship Express Mail (and the UPS and FedX equivalents) with overnight or second day delivery?

And for those TRS sellers who opt out, ebafia doesn't have to rebate the ever shrinking current 20% fee FVF refund soon be 10%.

Ebafia continues to commit corporate suicide one anti seller policy at a time.

Ebafia has declined for a number of reasons, and most of them can be laid at the doorstep of The Ho.

Devin Wenig and Hal Lawton intend to finish the job The Ho.

Ebafia would make even more profit on shipping than they do now. Ebafia would get higher FVFs when sellers raised their prices to reflect the cost of 'free" Express Mail.

Either way, we lose (again) and ebafia wins.

They think in addition to being noisy that we're also stupid.

Hal Lawton, you're on my list.

by: Ming the Merciless

@iheartjacksparrow

"The eBay executives must have collectively lost their minds. eBay doesn't own any merchandise..."

Ebay lies. Always has. Always will.

They SAY they don't, but frankly I believe that it's possible that these ebafia valet schemes might a front for ebay corp.

Inquiring minds want to know (for sure).

by: blueribbon1844

More hoops. Doesn't surprise me.  

by: Scotty

I agree, Hal Lawton is the dangerous person at ebay these days...he hates sellers and somehow he is in charge of North America.

by: val2525

I just thought of something else.  What happens when the USPS scans your package as "delivered" at pickup?  It happens a lot.  Buyers already freak out when this happens, and many of us have had to refund even when we know the buyer received the package, since the incorrect delivery status often does NOT update when it's actually delivered.  I can see a lot more buyers getting refunds.  *sigh*

by: 27tcle

gotta wonder how well this will end when for the last two weeks all kinds of issues with tracking have been going on. Tracking not even showing up as shipped on ebay, but fine on the uSPS and other sites

by: Marie

As usual the announcement by Ebay wasn't written in the clearest manner nor did it offer all the info needed to make an accurate judgement if this program is meant for you.

You can all this an additional hoop or carrot to jump for but it really isn't that either.  However you do NOT have to participate if you qualify to do so.  This is VOLUNTARY, not mandatory for those that qualify.

For some seller this may be something they want to do for other [my guess would be most] they won't get near it.  I'm one of those that would not even consider this program.

Someone asked who would be paying the refund of the shipping if the item or items did not arrive within the guarantee time.  That would be the SELLER!!!

Here is a link to a page that has far more answer / information than the announcement did.

http://cc.ebay.com/guaranteed-delivery/#faq-3

But everyone RELAX, this is NOT manditory.

by: pace306

Sadly, the post is RIDDLED with  .... incorrect information aka falsehoods.



1) eBay has ZERO control over any part of the transaction - how can THEY promise anything?  Is this eBay AGAIN "gambling with someone elses money" OR as asked by everyone here - will eBay be using some of thier $5 billion siting overseas to make this program work?



2) Why not - AS I SAID 100X BEFORE - for items up to 5 pounds, CREDIT sellers and upgrade EVERYTHING to priority mail? That way EVERY item is 2 or 3 days and everyone gets ahead.



3) USPS is unreliable - things sit in sorting centers ALL THE TIME - did eBay work out an AMAZON deal with USPS to insure that eBay labeled products get priority handling?



4) If eBay is so interested in ship times - why not open a few wharehouses, aka FBE?



5) "eBay will prominently present your guaranteed listings for buyers" ..... If you opt OUT, is it an other "Cassini Switch" to down grade your otherwise PERFECT listings since you wont "carrot jump" just to make eBay look good?



6) "Buyers will be able to filter items by guaranteed delivery date, which adds another layer of confidence" .... how about SELLERS? How about doing something about the MASSIVE returns fraud on eBay instead of pie in the sky NONESENSE?



7) "that will enable sellers to guarantee delivery dates on their packages" IMPOSSIBLE unless Mr Wenig is buying USPS or other delivery service ALA AMAZON



8) Hey smarties "as well as ship costs by region to avoid under- or overcharging for shipping" .... maybe fix YOUR SHIPPING CALCULATOR BEFORE comming up with this hair brained idea?



9) Is this another "eBay NOW" fiasco, or is this a fazed in Seller Punishment aka Winter Seller Update?



10) "If a guaranteed item arrives late, the buyer can request to have their cost of shipping refunded" ... like everyone ELSE has said ... WHO IS PAYING FOR THIS ????????



11) "eBay is committed to providing the tools sellers need to offer an exceptional shopping experience and ultimately sell more" ... Oh really? Name a TOOL (no not an eBay employee - a REAL TOOL) that you have offered since GSP .... you removeed Blackthorne no? You removed "active content", no?   ***** TRY SELLER PROTECTION ***** if you want to add something MEANINGFULL to eBay - REAL protection - not lies and games.



12) Funny .... since eBay INSISTS on taking a cut on shipping - even though they do nothing for it and dont deserve it - "forcing" (your items will get LOWERED if you dont do it) you to pay for a faster shipping rate ... JUST HAPPENS to make eBay, MORE MONEY! Go figure?!



Does eBay have an actual idea that DOESNT line it own pockets and instead fixes the myriad of issues on the site?

by: Ina

I don't usually do this, but in this case I think it's warranted:

I saw eBay giving different answers to the question about who pays for shipping refunds if a package doesn't meet the guaranteed delivery date, so I published a new post.

Please comment here about the program itself, and feel free to jump to the next post if you want to read more about that issue.

by: bitbybit

"eBay is committed to providing the tools sellers need to offer an exceptional shopping experience and ultimately sell more"

Does this mean ebay is sending all sellers who opt into this guaranteed delivery a drone?

YOU get a Drone..and YOU get a Drone..and YOU, and YOU, and YOU....!

by: Marie

@bitbybit

Why would they do that?  I realize you are just joking, but are you saying that the sellers that decide to opt into the program hold no responsibility?  If you aren't willing to take the risks as laid out in the policy, DON'T opt in.

by: Rexford

Marie, per your response to @bitbybit, this is a prime example of a statement that did not need a "moderator".

It was a humorous comment. It did not need "correction". She never even intimated that "sellers that decide to opt into the program hold no responsibility". You read that into her humorous statement.

by: pace306

Marie :)

what on GODs green earth does "opting in (or not)" have to do with ANYTHING?

1) what happens to your listings when you DONT opt in? Why cant it just be ORGANIC? Why does eBay have a zeal and LUST to punish sellers that wont go along with its schemes?  Good metrics and a %2 less price gets you the buy box on Amazon - why are there 900 "switches" in Cassini and is it legal after you pay for your listing - for some clown in San Jose to demote your listings "cause you wont play ball aka do something that will harm your business" ???

2) Since %99.9 of eBays directors have NO ecommerce/etail/retail experience and come up with these ideas as a "way to fix eBays ailing reputation" ... shouldnt THEY have to pay for its implementation?

3) Why force your sellers - with whom they have deep hatred for - to pay for PRIME level service without being paid for it? Amazon gets $79 or $99 a year - wheres my $99 check from eBay?  (and what about sellers who sell heavy items - are they the new targets now?)

Sure you dont have to "opt in" ... but what happens to your business ON EBAY - who already has the worlds WORST reputation - if you DONT ....... that shows how much hate you really have for your seller base.

Is eBays problem REALLY that some one in Idaho got their item in 4 days and not 3? IS THAT eBays REAL problem?

If sellers (in general) cant provide good service - terminate them - ie do some vetting.

Theres NO WAY that you or I - who have businesses selling online vs some weekender who buys stuff ata  flea market - give the same level of service. If their level of service is bad - kick them or create a separate section for them.

But hiding behind some lame announcement that THIS will solve all the issues and oh BTW its the sellers problem, shows once again how out of touch eBay REALLY is.

by: Ina

eBay spokesperson Ryan Moore provided an answer to the question of who pays the refund (or coupon) to the buyer in a case in which a package arrives late.

I added an update to the next blog post that covers that issue in detail.