What?? So eBay now wants us to guarantee delivery? Before
you panic it’s totally optional and really most sellers should have no problem
achieving these standards.
So what’s it all about? Well it boils down to eBay’s
top priorities; free shipping and getting orders delivered fast! eBay’s guaranteed
delivery program is a fairly straightforward premise, delivery in 3 days or
less guaranteed. What guaranteed means here is if you don’t get it in time the
buyer gets a shipping refund or a free return label. Now there are two options
for guaranteed delivery as a seller you can select either handling time or door
to door and this determines who will cover the cost either the seller or eBay. With the handling time option eBay eats these
costs not the seller provided you did your part in terms of getting it out the
door in a timely manner. With door to door you the seller are on the hook unless
you offered free shipping then eBay offers a credit.
Now it may come as a
bit of a surprise to some but the vast majority of eBay’s shipments already
arrive in 3 days or less. eBay believes the real problem is a perception gap with
consumers who automatically assume Amazon will be faster if they need that item
in a hurry. So what are the rules for this program and who can join? Well
basically anyone can join provided you are doing 100 transactions or more per
month and essentially meeting your basic standards for top rated seller status
in terms of processing time. So what’s in it for the seller? Well increased
exposure for one eBay will enable shoppers to search by delivery date
increasing the likelihood of closing a sale. Want more reasons? Let’s talk
about perception again an added guarantee is another incentive for a potential
customer to place an order, they may in fact pay a bit more for your item
rather than buy it from one of your competitors because of that guarantee of a positive
shopping experience.
Does this program have some potential pitfalls? Yes, they
are called Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico I personally have a lot of
faith in the USPS’s ability to deliver in 3 days to the lower 48 but beyond
these 48 I am a bit skeptical. Is this a major concern? Not really, how often
do you ship to these locations in the first place? Plus eBay is taking most of
the responsibility here so your exposure is minimal. Now the big question is
should you opt in? Sure, why wouldn’t you if you qualify. After all the name of
the game on eBay is get yourself seen and any opportunity to get more exposure
for your product and your store is a big win particularly if it’s costing you
nothing.