Ebay wrote to the Ministers ?? Amazing !
***Australia Post industrial dispute update: strike on 22 December***
21 December 2009 | 11:42AM EST
The Communication, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) has announced they will go on strike from tomorrow, Tuesday 22 December. Australia Post has announced that they anticipate 75% of their workforce will not strike and they have put in place contingencies to minimise disruptions.
Given the importance of postal services to both buyers and sellers during the busy Christmas shopping season eBay recommends that buyers and sellers take the following actions:
Buyers
1. Pay the seller promptly after making your purchase. This will help sellers dispatch faster
2. Consider using couriers or alternate delivery options if offered by sellers
3. Communicate with your seller and take into account potential delays beyond their control.
4. Consider carefully any Feedback or Detailed Seller Ratings you leave on receiving the item.
Sellers
1. Post any sold items promptly to avoid disappointing buyers hoping to receive their purchases prior to Christmas
2. Communicate with your buyers. Let them know
* as soon as you have sent items
* that the strike could delay delivery
3. Consider the 10% discount currently being offered to eBay members by Interparcel for domestic and international courier services. These services will not be impacted by any industrial action
What eBay is doing?
eBay will monitor further developments and liaise with Australia Post to ensure you are informed of any actions that may impact buying or selling, in as timely a manner as possible. Last week eBay sent variations on the following letter to Australia Post and relevant government ministers:
Dear Minister,
I am writing on behalf of thousands of eBay sellers to express grave concern about the impact of the proposed national strike at Australia Post.
More than 52,700 eBay sellers in Australia currently derive their primary or secondary source of income from selling on eBay.com.au (according to June 2006 ACNielsen research). The majority of our sellers rely heavily on Australia Post for their deliveries and are understandably concerned that any postal strike will cause huge disruption at a time when they can least afford it.
These sellers tell us that Christmas typically accounts for a significant portion of their annual sales and despite the difficult economic conditions, they’re successfully growing their businesses and investing for future growth. Any barrier to them delivering their goods could dent public confidence in a growing and increasingly important part of the economy.
Whilst I understand that the issues are complex and hard to control, in consideration of the many hard-working small businesses who are innocent victims of this dispute, I urge you to encourage both the Australia Post and the Communications Electrical Plumbing Union to reach a negotiated settlement and to bring this dispute to a swift end.
Regards,
The eBay team
