On eBay, does it ding the seller if I mark the item arrived later than they estimated?

desslok

I purchased a coin on May 18th from a seller at the opposite side of the globe. The coin was shipped the following day, and eBay estimated it would arrive between May 24th and June 2nd. In reality, it arrived today (June 16th). I have no issue with that, it's not the seller's fault. The coin itself is also fine and as described.

I left positive feedback and ticked 5 stars on all categories, but I didn't know what to select in response to eBay's question "Did it arrive on or before June 2nd?". It didn't. I want to answer truthfully, but I don't want them to ding the seller for it. Does anyone know if this is just for statistical purposes, to let eBay fine tune their estimates, or do they use such responses to hurt sellers standings and take away their fee cuts?

bigjpst

As long as the seller shipped the coin and it was scanned as accepted in his stated handling time, he should not be dinged. Used to be that if a seller didn't ship and show acceptance by his handling time he would get a ding, but ebay decided that if it wasn't shipped on time(probably mostly due to late scans or no scans at accepting po.) they would give the seller the benefit of the doubt as long as it arrived in their estimated shipping arrival date. So hard to say. It could ding him if he didn't make it to the po on time. If it were me, and I were happy, I would just mark yes, it arrived on time

TopographicOceans

One of the criteria for eBay judging seller performance is the Late Shipment Rate.

It is based on:

If you ship on time and upload validated tracking or your buyers tell us the shipment was on time when they leave feedback, you're all set.

So answering no should not affect the seller.

DIMEMAN

Originally posted by: bigjpst
As long as the seller shipped the coin and it was scanned as accepted in his stated handling time, he should not be dinged. Used to be that if a seller didn't ship and show acceptance by his handling time he would get a ding, but ebay decided that if it wasn't shipped on time(probably mostly due to late scans or no scans at accepting po.) they would give the seller the benefit of the doubt as long as it arrived in their estimated shipping arrival date. So hard to say. It could ding him if he didn't make it to the po on time. If it were me, and I were happy, I would just mark yes, it arrived on time

I would also mark yes in this case.

grip

Originally posted by: DIMEMAN

Originally posted by: bigjpst
As long as the seller shipped the coin and it was scanned as accepted in his stated handling time, he should not be dinged. Used to be that if a seller didn't ship and show acceptance by his handling time he would get a ding, but ebay decided that if it wasn't shipped on time(probably mostly due to late scans or no scans at accepting po.) they would give the seller the benefit of the doubt as long as it arrived in their estimated shipping arrival date. So hard to say. It could ding him if he didn't make it to the po on time. If it were me, and I were happy, I would just mark yes, it arrived on time

I would also mark yes in this case.

+1

bronco2078

You don't have to answer that question .

Cougar1978

If happy with transaction I always mark yes.

I hate corporate snoop bots always a joy trick them.

LindeDad

Why bother even rating the Postal Service usually don't care anymore.

mustangmanbob

The only time they should be ping'd is if they charged for a high shipping class, and sent it another.

For example, all my listings have the "Economy Shipping" box checked, not priority or anything else. I can send it 1st class, priority, FedEx, whatever, is best in my judgement.

I have one person leave a bad comment about shipping slowest method (1st class), and it was removed. His OPINION was that is should have been priority on a $3.25 shipping cost.

Now if I had listed Priority Mail, charged $15 for a large flat rate box, and shipped it 1st class envelope for $3.85, that might be an issue.

airplanenut

As has been stated, answering that the shipment arrived late can hurt the seller if the original scan wasn't on time. That could be because the seller sent the package late, or perhaps the PO just didn't scan it. I've had plenty of "late" shipments where I had the package in the mail at the right time, but the PO scanned it the next day for whatever reason (or didn't scan it at the origin, so the first scan was somewhere down the line). Right off the bat, it's late, and I lose my discount on the item. So it's not just an overall ding, it's actual money.



Keep in mind that a lot of this is also out of the seller's control. As a seller, I can say what type of shipping I'm using (First Class, Priority, etc.) and from there, eBay comes up with the delivery time. If the package sits for 5 days at a warehouse, or if it is just slow getting where it's going, I can't do anything about it. It's not like I accompany each one. Additionally, once you are talking international, it's a completely different ball game. Customs delays at both ends, unending waits for flights. It can be a mess and it really depends on the two countries involved.



I'm biased since I almost exclusively sell, but unless a seller actively wrongs me (which is almost unheard of), I do everything I can to keep their account in the best shape it can be--5 stars, everything they did was right. Hey, we're all in this together. If you want items to be available, you have to keep the environment good enough for the sellers to stay.

TwoSides2aCoin

Between eBay and the delivery service, a seller always gets dinged. Sorry it took so long. I sent it the same day it was paid, and I did my best to deliver that which I advertised. If it was you, I apologize publicly.

BAJJERFAN

Originally posted by: bronco2078





You don't have to answer that question .

What he said.

ebaybuyer

seems almost unethical to answer a question that could possible negatively affect a seller when he/she did everything to your satisfaction ... the seller doesn't have much control over the package once its dropped off, kind of like shooting the doctor for telling you that you are sick.

ebaybuyer

especially buying from the other side of the globe, why even take the chance of dinging the seller when you received what you wanted ?

LindeDad

Originally posted by: ebaybuyer

seems almost unethical to answer a question that could possible negatively affect a seller when he/she did everything to your satisfaction ... the seller doesn't have much control over the package once its dropped off, kind of like shooting the doctor for telling you that you are sick.

I just never answer that question anymore.

Nap

As most of my numismatic purchases are from international sellers, I am used to that long wait.

Mostly has to do with delays at customs and poor postal routing.

When I receive a package in one piece, even if it takes a little while, I am always going to give a positive rating.

I would say nobody knows the answer to your particular question. But I suspect eBay's query is to identify sellers who consistently ship slowly rather than for adjusting eBay delivery estimates. Probably also to compel them into using eBay's own global shipping program. After all, how can you estimate how long customs will take?

Bochiman

I had one where I debated what to put.



Reason was that the seller stated priority mail, and a time it should arrive but then sent it fedex smartpost. That thing is ABYSMAL!!!!



I chewed on it, and decided that, because I hadn't NEEDED it in the 2 weeks it took, instead of less than a week it was expected (and only because I bought the same thing from another seller and was able to use that as the gift that was planned), I didn't ding the seller.



If the seller had stated smartpost would be used, I likely would NOT have done the purchase as this was the first I had bought and it was for a birthday gift (to my son). It was only when I decided I wanted the same thing a couple days later, did I buy the exact same thing and, when his birthday came up and the first one wasn't here, I just gave him my unopened one.



So, sellers DO need to be careful in how they list and what they use as a service.