Ecommerce News: Royal Mail's Christmas deadlines and eBay HTTP content

In the news this week: Royal Mail has announced their posting deadlines for Christmas deliveries, and eBay is changing how it deals with HTTP pages and HTTP content within listings. 

Royal Mail announces Christmas posting deadlines

Royal Mail has announced the last posting dates for delivery before Christmas 2017.

Royal Mail UK Business Contract Services:

• Tuesday 19 December - Royal Mail 48
  
• Wednesday 20 December - Royal Mail Tracked 48, Royal Mail 24
  
• Thursday 21 December - Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, Royal Mail Tracked 24
  
• Friday 22 December - Royal Mail Special Delivery Saturday Guaranteed
  

International Standard and all International Tracking and Signature services:

• Saturday 2 December - Africa, Middle East
  
• Wednesday 6 December - Asia, Cyprus, Far East, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia)
  
• Thursday 7 December - Carribean, Central and South America
  
• Saturday 9 December - Australia, Greece, New Zealand
  
• Wednesday 13 December - Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland
  
• Thursday 14 December - Canada, Finland, Sweden, USA
  
• Friday 15 December - Austria, Denmark, Iceland, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland
  
• Saturday 16 December - Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg.
  

Find out more about sending parcels through Royal Mail in the run up to Christmas here.

eBay changes to HTTP content

eBay.com is updating how nonsecure HTTP content is displayed in response to Google Chrome changes that will come into effect in October 2017. The web browser, Google Chrome, will start to display a ‘Not Secure’ message in the website address window when users visit standard HTTP pages and HTTPS pages that include nonsecure HTTP content.

HTTP means Hypertext Transfer Protocol, and it’s what governs data communication on the internet. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is a secure version of HTTP, that encrypts the data transferred from all parties to ensure privacy and security.

To start with in October, eBay will be changing listings that contain HTTP content; buyers on desktop computers will see a snippet of the description and a link to click for the full description. This is to ensure that shoppers aren’t put off by the ‘Not Secure’ message. In the future, eBay will be moving all eBay stores pages to HTTPS.

For your listings to show the full description to desktop shoppers you’ll need to remove any HTTP content. The most common HTTP content that’s found in eBay listings and stores is externally hosted pictures, cascading style sheets (CSS), HTML5 video, HTML5 audio.

eBay will be notifying sellers that their listings contain HTTP content by email, but you can also check your listings using this tool.    

Find out more about HTTP/HTTPS and how to make your eBay listings secure here.