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eBay Offers Alternative Postal Companies To Beat Strike

eBay has announced several measures aimed at mitigating any damage caused by the postal strike in the UK. Whilst the build up to the postal strikes do not appear to have noticably effected sales this could all change.

The Royal Mail workers’ union (the CWU) recently announced that there were plans for two 24-hour postal strikes on Thursday 22nd October and Friday 23rd October. On the first day, mail centre staff and drivers will strike. On the second day, delivery and collection staff will strike.

Mark Lewis, eBay UK’s Managing Director, announced that "to mitigate the negative impact for sellers, eBay is temporarily removing the option for buyers to rate sellers on the Dispatch Time Detailed Seller Rating from the start date of any national strike action."

In a second move that could see many sellers abandoning the Royal Mail permanently, eBay UK’s Managing Director also announced that it had also agreed to pricing deals with alternative postal carriers.

[ eBay Alternative Postal Companies ]

"This means eBay sellers will be able to choose a door to door courier service from as low as £3.60 for a guaranteed 3-5 day delivery for packets up to 2kg."

The announcement went on to reassure sellers:

"As you can see eBay is working to mitigate any negative impact on sales during this period and in fact, since the CWU announced its intention to strike, there has been no noticeable impact on the amounts bought and sold on the UK site. "

It was also revealed that during a recent meeting with Royal Mail, eBay sought assurances that post will continue to be delivered in the event of a national strike. Royal Mail confirmed it is committed to delivering all of the mail entrusted to them, but have indicated delays are inevitable.

This may be the turning point for many worried sellers who have seen endless disruption and are now turning to alternative postal options. If sellers turn away from the Royal Mail in big numbers the CWU may yet regret its actions.

Posted: Thurs October 22 18:27 GMT




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