Last week, we reported on a feature that eBay has been testing. It lets customers say whether or not they received the item they purchased on or before a specific estimated delivery date. Yes and no are the only options. There is no field for additional details or comment.
While eBay has let buyers leave more detailed comments on a seller’s shipping time in “detailed seller ratings” in the past, this narrows the scope of the question, and some sellers are concerned that eBay could misrepresent their efforts.
It was looking like the company was starting to roll it out to all users, but since our article on the subject, the company has formally announced it. eBay said in an announcement:
Since March, a growing number of buyers have begun seeing a test question (shown below) as they leave feedback, asking whether their item arrived in its estimated delivery period. Starting this month, this question will be presented globally to all buyers leaving feedback. There is no additional action required of sellers with the addition of this question.
This new question is designed to give eBay additional insight into the on-time item delivery experience—especially on transactions where tracking is limited. Answering this question is optional for buyers.
The company tells sellers they don’t need to take any additional action at this time, but that they should continue to deliver on the shipping methods and handling times stated in their listings.
Based on what we’ve seen in the forums and internet comments, sellers aren’t happy with the change, and generally think it gives buyers more reason to have a negative perception of their buying experience, which in some cases could be out of the sellers’ hands. You can peruse some examples of what people have been saying about the feature here.
eBay has tips for uploading tracking info, setting handling times, and scheduling for USPS pickups here.