marking as dispatched

soolin

We've had a few posters on here saying that they dislike, or even mark stars down for sellers that mark an item dispatched before it is actually posted. How do other sellers manage this please without it getting complicated?

It is OK for my one off items, I can write a note on my sold list to say it is wrapped ( as I am today) , and then just hit dispatched tomorrow when I post it. However I have identical BINS running and I am getting confused as I am wrapping them and making a note, but losing track a bit as I am a bit of a obsessive when it comes to lists and neatness and usually when I have dealt with an item I would mark it dispatched and it then disappears from the top of my sold page. (sorry I am terrible at explaining things)

so for instance if i have sold 11 identicals widgets I have to keep checking addresses to make sure I don't duplicate packages.

Also what do you do about overseas or 1st class items where you use paypal postage and its gets marked as dispatched automatically? I need to print all mine today ready for my stuff to go first thing tomorrow- but it will mark them all dispatched today if I do that

chemical.galaxy

I have a spreadsheet where I log each item as I pack them, sales record, name, item etc

When I have dropped the items off at the P.O. I check my spread sheet and mark the items as dispatched by sales record number.

Not infallible as I do this in the morning and I can't be sure what time the P.O. will actually put the item through... They have asked me not to do the pre-paid Paypal labels, maybe they want the footfall...

soolin

chemical.galaxy wrote: »

I have a spreadsheet where I log each item as I pack them, sales record, name, item etc

When I have dropped the items off at the P.O. I check my spread sheet and mark the items as dispatched by sales record number.

Not infallible as I do this in the morning and I can't be sure what time the P.O. will actually put the item through... They have asked me not to do the pre-paid Paypal labels, maybe they want the footfall...

All my mail gets pre stamped and just goes in a sack to the mail centre.

I'll have to have a think about it, I might even go back to marking as dispatched as I wrap if it is going next day, as I hadn't noticed any issues with my dispatch stars.

eaglesrjh

I'm probably a small scale seller compared to many, a dozen packages in a day would be a big day for me. That said, I narrowly missed out on TRS in December due to sales and I have only been selling again since August, all being well with cases/stars I will be TRS in January.

I also rarely have duplicate items.

My system is based mainly on my email system.

Items get sold and both the ebay notice of sale and the paypal payment get auto-filtered to a special "sold" folder.

I then create sub folders in this folder for each item, putting in the ebay sale and corresponding payment.

When i'm ready I head to paypal and print off packing slips for each item, I then move the email subfolders mentioned before to a different master folder "pending dispatch"

I then package using the paypal packing slips, I double check i've not printed any twice, I get the stock together and package up and write envelopes one at once. So address on envelope from paypal slip, item into envelope, packing slip into envelope, sealed, then next one.

Off to the post office, pay for all my postage there (my local one really wants the business and generally are really pleased to see me)

get home, have ebay and email open, mark as dispatched on ebay and move sub folder from "pending" to "dispatched"

It's maybe too complex and too involved for mega sellers but for me it works perfectly, I have never sent the wrong item to the wrong person or incorrectly marked something as dispatched and nothing gets marked as dispatched until it has physically left me.

soolin

I am a very small seller as well, but I just can't seem to do 'complicated' at all. I am just a simple person and like it all clear- I'm probably not cut out for ebay really.

No_Eye_Deer

soolin wrote: »

I might even go back to marking as dispatched as I wrap if it is going next day, as I hadn't noticed any issues with my dispatch stars.

If that works for you, then why not.

The trouble with reading eBay forums is that you begin to see problems everywhere and with every little thing you do, when in reality its only a small percentage of eBay sales.
I doubt I would mark a seller down if it was marked as dispatched a few hours before it was posted, if there was no problems with the transaction then I doubt I would even look to be honest.

If you feel your stars are taking a hit, then obviously rethink it.
Personally, I mark them as dispatched using the eBay app while sat in a cafe just after I have posted.

eaglesrjh

I've been one thats spoken out against marking as dispatched early, however i'd never mark a seller down for 1 day difference. In fact as long as the item arrives in a good time I don't even check, only check if there has been a delay in getting the item

rossireps

id prefer it marked sent after its actually physically gone in po and been paid and sent. i wouldnt mark seller down though unless it was a it was a big delay

forgotmyname

Its nice when the seller marks it as dispatched as i know when to expect it. Even better if they message me to say its posted today by (method).

Not like the dispute i just had to file when i bought the item 1st week Dec. A week later they mark it as dispatched. And still didnt arrive before xmas.
Put a dispute in and it seems they have a cold/flu and could respond to my previous emails or actually post my item.

Only sold a few items at a time myself not its not hard to keep track and mark them on my return.

JethroUK

soolin wrote: »

so for instance if i have sold 11 identicals widgets I have to keep checking addresses to make sure I don't duplicate packages.

1 Mark the items as despatched immediately before you put it in the post box then the buyer knows when it has actually been despatched


2 Mark the items as despatched immediately before you put it in the post box then you know exactly when the item was despatched

Easy

Thats how I always do it

greenoo000

I leave the feedback after I've packaged the item, then I know it's just the ones without feedback that I need to package. Then mark as dispatched after i've posted them.