eBay warned US sellers that shipments to Canada are experiencing extended delays due to unprecedented volume for Canada Post and for carriers shipping to Canada.
“The increased number of shipments combined with the recent restrictions and modified processes to protect carrier employees and the public from the spread of COVID-19, have resulted in delays of up to 10 business days in deliveries from the United States to Canada,” eBay wrote in announcement on Friday.
As a result, eBay adjusted its estimated delivery dates, which are shown to shoppers based on the location of the buyer and seller and other factors.
eBay said it was also extending seller protections as a result of the delay: “There will be no impact to late shipment metrics if you’ve uploaded tracking and have an acceptance scan.” However, sellers have been complaining that getting initial acceptance scans have been challenging, a fact eBay employees acknowledged in a recent podcast.
The employees were addressing a concern from a seller who had written to the podcast hosts, “I remain troubled that eBay gauges seller ratings in part on how soon USPS scans at point of origin when ample evidence and reporting exists, that USPS is intentionally choosing not to scan mail in at the point of origin.”
eBay’s advice: “if the carrier is not scanning items that are dropped off, you’ll need to make sure that they actually do by bringing them right up to the desk or for a clerk to scan while you watch them,” and they offered other advice such as using SCAN forms for USPS shipments.
In Friday’s announcement about delayed shipments to Canada, eBay also said it would automatically remove any defects for “item not received” cases closed without seller resolution as well as associated negative or neutral feedback if the conditions were met:
- Tracking was uploaded on time 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.
eBay Canada likewise warned Canadian sellers about shipping delays that it said have resulted in delays of up to 10 business days for shipments to the United States.
One difference in the message to Canadian sellers: eBay advised them to consider using FedEx. “We also recommend offering additional shipping services from other carriers such as FedEx to provide your buyers with more options and flexibility. If you don’t have a FedEx account, consider registering for a new account to get access to exclusive eBay discounts of up to 35% on FedEx Ground services.”
We had a sale to a Canadian customer through our eCrater store and shipped the order via the USPS on 8 December. It delivered on 11 January. What a joke. We have a great contract with UPS and ship everything with them domestically. Their Canada rates are too high so we have to use USPS, but with poor service it’s not worth it.
I live in western Canada, and we’re still getting Christmas cards from California, mailed before mid December.
Even internal Canadian mail is taking forever. I had one package that had to travel 8 miles to its destination – took 27 days. The buyer had opened an INR after 2 weeks, but I tracked him down on Facebook and explained (a) it was going to take a while to reach him and (b) opening a case was detrimental to a seller – he had no idea. He closed the case and waited. I could have strapped the packet on a turtle and it would have got there faster.
For the past while, I’ve been restricting sales to Canada only – as folks in the US are not going to pay around US $18 for shipping a $10 postcard via Xpresspost USA, which my local Postmaster advises me will not get there any faster than FCM, no matter what it says in their ‘anticipated delivery times’ or in eBay’s ‘estimated delivery times’. .
Thanks for sharing that, Michael – hope things improve.
Already got burned by a Candian scammer and eBay did NOT back me.
Used PirateSHip Simple Export, got stuck in Candian customs, buyer won INR case but PirateShip would not let me file an insurance case until like 45 days.
So now buyer is refunded and item gets delivered later but eBay sticks with it and PirateSHip won’t approve insurance cause the item was eventually delivered.
The only affordable option for inexpensive lightweight items is USPS First Class Mail International, by UPU regulation, off limits to merchandise. If eBay adapts a system similar to Australia where tax information is appended to the address for shipments to Canada or other countries, if may be no longer feasible to ship inexpensive items.