Online selling
Explain processing time separately from delivery time
Processing time is your shop's preparation interval before handoff to a carrier. Delivery time is the carrier's estimate after handoff. Present them as two stages, drawing the first from your current fulfillment policy and the second from the carrier's own estimate.
A text to start with
My shop's current policy: orders placed before [cutoff time, with time zone] enter processing, preparation usually takes [interval], and the parcel is handed to [carrier] at [handoff point]. The carrier's own estimate comes from [source]. Write a short buyer-facing explanation that keeps the two stages separate and describes the carrier timing as an estimate. Do not state a delivery date.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Fulfillment timing worksheet
Order cutoff time: [ ] Time zone: [ ] Preparation interval: [ ] Where this policy is published: [ ] Handoff point to the carrier: [ ] Carrier name: [ ] Source of the carrier estimate: [ ] Date the estimate was last checked: [ ] Buyer-facing wording for processing: [ ] Buyer-facing wording for the delivery estimate: [ ] Phrases removed because they read as guarantees: [ ] What the buyer is told if processing runs longer than stated: [ ] Other places that show these times (confirmation email, listing, policy page): [ ]
Estimates written as promises
Watch for phrases like "arrives by" or "guaranteed", which turn a carrier estimate into something the shop has not agreed to deliver. Check that the cutoff and preparation interval match the policy you publish now, since a figure copied from an older listing is a frequent source of disputes. Confirm the text says where processing ends and who owns each stage. If the carrier estimate comes from a tool or page, name that source and say the estimate can change. Reword any sentence that reads like a deadline the shop controls after handoff.
Ask another agent to check the result
Read this explanation and challenge every phrase that turns an estimate into a delivery guarantee. Quote each phrase, say what a buyer could reasonably expect from it, and offer plainer wording. Then check that processing and delivery are described as separate stages and that the carrier estimate names its source.
Match the wording to the policy page
Compare the draft with your published shipping policy and update whichever is out of date. Use the same cutoff and interval wherever buyers see them, including order confirmations. Decide in advance how you will describe a delay at the carrier stage.