The eBay Guaranteed Delivery program is a service eBay offers that helps sellers streamline their sales and grants buyers the option for quick and assured delivery of their products. The eBay Guaranteed Delivery program rivals its competitors by guaranteeing quick delivery with the added security of compensation for buyers if their product arrives late. Although this program has proven beneficial since its introduction in 2017, some sellers are skeptical of its advantages. In this post, I will explain what eBay Guaranteed Delivery is, and how it can benefit buyers and sellers alike.
What is eBay Guaranteed Delivery Program?
The eBay Guaranteed Delivery program was mainstreamed in September 2017 as part of the Fall Seller update with the goal of giving buyers an option for quick delivery, while boosting the status and exposure of participating sellers. After the gradual application of the program, all eligible U.S. sellers were able to opt-in for Guaranteed Delivery by mid-October. In 2018, international sellers were also given the option to engage in the program.
eBay Guaranteed Delivery is easy to both understand and implement. eBay provides sellers with the option of delivering products to their buyers by a specific date and buyers are compensated by sellers if their purchased stock arrives late. Competitors of eBay who have adopted a similar shipping method have experienced significant payouts as a result. Sellers who utilize the eBay Guaranteed Delivery program are apt to see an increase in orders through their accounts. I will describe how the Guaranteed Delivery program works so you can utilize it to optimize sales through your eBay account.
1. How Does Guaranteed Delivery Work?
Buyers who are eligible for Guaranteed Delivery are given two options to ensure quicker shipment:
- Door to Door
The Door to Door shipping option is optimal for large-inventory sellers who have warehouses at multiple locations and receive regular orders in bulk. Sellers have the capacity to decide whether they can deliver their products within a maximum of four days from the most adjacent warehouse to the destined shipping address of a product.
In the occurence that a product is out of stock at a preferred warehouse, the seller can choose another warehouse in which to ship from. It is important to note however, if delivery is late, sellers who choose this option are responsible for the recompense of shipping and handling fees as eBay renounced this responsibility in 2019. This is the most distinct difference to note between the Door to Door and Handling Time shipping options.
- Handling Time
The Handling Time shipping option is geared towards small-scale sellers. eBay, rather than the individual seller, is responsible for guaranteeing a specific date of delivery. According to their policy, if the seller scans their shipment at the post office within the appropriate time-frame, eBay will pay compensation to buyers if their package’s arrival is delayed.
If the seller is late in getting the order scanned at the post office, the seller is solely responsible for this compensation.
It is important to note that sellers can only choose one shipping option for all guaranteed listings.
2. What If the Guaranteed Delivery is Late?
If an order arrives beyond the Guaranteed Delivery time-frame, The buyer has the right to claim compensation within 30 days of delivery. If a buyer chooses to claim compensation, three options are offered them:
- A voucher for future purchases from eBay
- Refund on the costs of shipping
- If the seller accepts returns, the buyer will receive a free shipping label (buyer is subject to return product safely)
Large-scale sellers might be skeptical of Guaranteed Delivery with the Door to Door option since compensation for late delivery falls on their shoulders, but eBay does ensure to manage all customer service issues related to this program for all sellers. In the case of late delivery, eBay provides its customers with a Guaranteed Delivery page on their website in order to help them navigate the compensation process.
Each seller who chooses to opt-in this program will find a Guaranteed Delivery dashboard within Seller Hub to help them streamline the process. It is important to note that sellers must maintain a minimum of 97% of on-time guaranteed transactions to continue using eBay Guaranteed Delivery.
Benefits of eBay Guaranteed Delivery
I am optimistic about the benefits of the Guaranteed Delivery program, and I hope to shed light on how this program is created to assist you gain exposure and sell more items as you continue to grow your eBay business.
Notable advantages of the Guaranteed Delivery program for sellers include:
- Lower Risk
For sellers who choose the Handling Time shipping option, the clarity of reward over risk increases significantly. The seller’s main obligation is getting the product scanned at the post office within an appropriate time-frame at which point, eBay assumes the majority of liability, while the seller’s account viewership increases.
- More Exposure and Buyers
The list of buyers who have joined the Guaranteed Delivery program is now enjoying a greater number of orders because buyers prefer to work with those sellers who offer more secure and timely delivery.
- No Big Increase in Returns
It has been recognized that the majority of buyers do not claim compensation even if they receive their ordered product a little after the specified date.
eBay Guaranteed Delivery: Are you Ready to Opt-In?
Based on my previous shipping experience with eBay, I have concluded that the eBay Guaranteed Delivery program is highly laudable as it benefits both sellers and buyers. Sellers receive more orders with little risk, and buyers are more likely to receive their ordered product as soon as possible. Since its inception, Guaranteed Delivery has projected a positive impact on eBay sales. I look forward to continued advancements of this nature in the years to come.
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