Severe flooding and extreme weather conditions across Western Australia, South Australia, and Victoria have caused widespread disruptions to rail networks, significantly impacting mail and parcel deliveries throughout the affected regions.
In response to these transportation challenges, eBay Australia has announced comprehensive protection measures for sellers shipping to or from the impacted areas. The platform aims to mitigate the negative effects of delivery delays while safeguarding seller performance metrics.
eBay Seller Protection Measures
The protections apply to shipments traveling to or from affected regions during specific timeframes:
- Western Australia: From November 13 onward
- South Australia and Victoria: From November 12 onward
These measures will remain in effect until rail services resume normal operations. Eligible sellers will receive the following protections:
- Late delivery rate exemptions: eBay will automatically remove late delivery rate metrics caused by weather-related delays.
- Removal of defective transactions: Any negative transaction records resulting from order cancellations in affected areas will be removed.
- Special handling for "item not received" cases: Disputes arising from delayed deliveries will receive customized review to prevent negative impacts on seller performance.
- Neutral and negative feedback removal: Any negative or neutral reviews related to delayed orders will be automatically removed.
- Seller standards defect exemptions: "Item not received" defects caused by delivery delays won't count toward seller performance evaluations.
Seller Guidelines
To qualify for these protections, sellers must upload valid tracking information before the expected delivery date. eBay's system will automatically identify eligible orders from affected regions and apply the appropriate protections.
Ongoing Monitoring
eBay has committed to continuously monitoring rail network conditions across Australia. The platform may adjust or expand protection measures as circumstances require, demonstrating its commitment to supporting sellers during exceptional situations beyond their control.