Managing eBay Store Time Away

In this guide, we will explore the process of managing your eBay store's time away settings. This is crucial for instances where unforeseen circumstances, such as holidays, staffing issues, or weather conditions, may prevent timely order processing. You will learn how to effectively use the time away feature to maintain customer satisfaction and manage your responsibilities as a seller.

Step 1

Evaluate situations where you may be unable to process orders within your stated handling time on eBay. Common scenarios include extended holidays, staffing shortages, or adverse weather conditions that impact shipping schedules. It is essential to fulfill shipping obligations on business days, as each business day counts towards your handling time.

Step 2

eBay follows the USPS federal holiday calendar to define business days. You are not obligated to ship items on Saturdays, Sundays, or federal holidays. If you need to extend your handling time due to these circumstances, access the eBay Seller Hub, navigate to the 'Store' section, and select 'Time Away' to activate the vacation mode.

Step 3

Here, you have the option to set up an automated response or proceed to 'Scheduled Time Away.' This allows you to choose between two alternatives for managing your store during your absence.

Step 4

The first option permits sales to continue for up to 15 days while you are away. While customers can still purchase items, you remain responsible for adhering to your handling time. However, this method can confuse buyers who may overlook messages about delayed shipping, potentially leading to cancellations, returns, or negative feedback.

Step 5

The preferred method is to pause sales for up to 30 days while you are away. This option prevents purchases from your store during the specified period.

Step 6

When pausing sales, your items will not be available for purchase. You can select both the start and end dates for the time away. If unsure about the exact end date for resuming shipping, it is advisable to extend the period slightly, as you can manually deactivate this setting when ready. After hitting 'Apply,' changes take effect within minutes, marking your items as on time away.

Step 7

If your handling time is one day, as often the case during Thanksgiving, and you cannot ship the following Friday, it is advisable to adjust the handling time instead of using time away. This approach allows continued sales with more flexibility in shipping. For example, if you sell on Wednesday with a one-day handling time, you are not required to ship on Thursday but must do so on Friday. By adjusting the handling time to two days, you extend the shipping deadline to Monday.

Step 8

For additional guidance, we have linked another helpful video. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact ebay@hollanderparts.com.