YAE(bay)T

[clamum]

So I won an aunction on eBay on December 18th for an Xbox, two controllers, and a game.

Under "Seller's payment instructions" on the auction page, it says this:

All auctions require payment within 48 hours of auction close. Items will be shiped out within two business days of payment.

Well I paid within minutes of winning the auction, as I do all the time, and figured I'd hear back soon from the person. The items were to be shipped via USPS.

I didn't hear from the seller for a few days, so on December 21st I sent them a quick message on eBay that just asked if they had shipped it out yet.

No response, so two days later I sent them another message on eBay simply asking what the shipping status was.

No response to that message either. So yesterday, eight days after the auction ended and I paid, I sent another message wondering what was up and that I'd like a response by the end of this week (I figured Saturday or Sunday) or I would take action (try and get my money back or something, I paid via PayPal).

Just wondering if you guys have had any experiences like this. Am I just being impatient? I've never waited this long to receive an item from eBay (and no communication with the seller at that)... maybe I'm just too anxious to get my Xbox, haha.

 

[Pepsi90919]

i got some guy who won my auction in ireland that never contacted me prior to the auction end about shipping costs.

shipping costs are about $100-$350. now he won't pay.

 

[nakedfrog]

I think you're supposed to give them two weeks before you take it up with ebay, but I could be wrong.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I think you're supposed to give them two weeks before you take it up with ebay, but I could be wrong.

I'd send him messages through the ebay interface, that way ebay can document it.

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I think you're supposed to give them two weeks before you take it up with ebay, but I could be wrong.

Yeah you're probably right. I think I've heard that before... well that would make it next Tuesday.

I'm not really that mad, I just wish they could send me a quick one minute email saying whether they shipped or not. Maybe they're just busy during the holidays. They have 98.6% positive feedback, and looking through the comments they seem pretty good.

 

[Winchester]

Probably a college student that uses a template in the description and is at home for the holidays. I would wait until next week then start getting pissy.

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I think you're supposed to give them two weeks before you take it up with ebay, but I could be wrong.

I'd send him messages through the ebay interface, that way ebay can document it.

Yeah that's what I've been doing.

Actually I wanted to email the seller directly at first, but didn't know their address so I just used the eBay messaging interface. After I sent a message it did say that it would go to the seller's email address and his eBay Inbox.

 

[buck]

Originally posted by: clamum

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I think you're supposed to give them two weeks before you take it up with ebay, but I could be wrong.

Yeah you're probably right. I think I've heard that before... well that would make it next Tuesday.

I'm not really that mad, I just wish they could send me a quick one minute email saying whether they shipped or not. Maybe they're just busy during the holidays. They have 98.6% positive feedback, and looking through the comments they seem pretty good.

Hopefully you will leave an appropriate feedback, something other than a positive.

 

[ShotgunSteven]

I am happy when I get buyers that like to establish contact. I had a German buyer one time that contacted me once, then disappeared for a month without sending payment. I got an e-mail after that which said, "I went on vacation, you Americans are so uptight and rush rush about things!"

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
i got some guy who won my auction in ireland that never contacted me prior to the auction end about shipping costs.

shipping costs are about $100-$350. now he won't pay.

That seems excessive. EMS and/or Global Priorty should be much cheaper.

I just shipped from Florida to Japan two large 18x24x20" boxes for $120 each for delivery in 3 days.

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
I am happy when I get buyers that like to establish contact. I had a German buyer one time that contacted me once, then disappeared for a month without sending payment. I got an e-mail after that which said, "I went on vacation, you Americans are so uptight and rush rush about things!"

Heh. Actually I got a message from the seller this afternoon, he had went on vacation to Spain.

He said his secretary was supposed to mail the package last week but it was not taken care of. But he said it would be shipped out priority and that I'd probably get it this weekend.

Not a big deal, guess it was sort of his secretary's fault since he was out of the country. Oh well, can't wait to get that bad boy in the mail.

 

[trmiv]

Hopefully it works out for you. Personally I'm always a bit suspicious when a lack of communication on ebay is followed by a message saying the person was on vacation. I just don't get why you would sell something on ebay that either ends while you're on vacation, or right before you leave. Hmmm, I'm about to head to South America to do a Rainforest tour for a month, but let me stick this item on ebay real quick!

I also don't get lack of communication from non volume sellers on ebay. How hard is it to send a freaking invoice or drop the buyer a message to let them know the item is being sent out? I'm dealing with that right now with something I bought the other day, and it annoys me since when I sell I always make sure to communicate with my buyers.

 

[ColdFusion718]

Originally posted by: clamum
So I won an aunction on eBay on December 18th for an Xbox, two controllers, and a game.

Under "Seller's payment instructions" on the auction page, it says this:

All auctions require payment within 48 hours of auction close. Items will be shiped out within two business days of payment.

Well I paid within minutes of winning the auction, as I do all the time, and figured I'd hear back soon from the person. The items were to be shipped via USPS.

I didn't hear from the seller for a few days, so on December 21st I sent them a quick message on eBay that just asked if they had shipped it out yet.

No response, so two days later I sent them another message on eBay simply asking what the shipping status was.

No response to that message either. So yesterday, eight days after the auction ended and I paid, I sent another message wondering what was up and that I'd like a response by the end of this week (I figured Saturday or Sunday) or I would take action (try and get my money back or something, I paid via PayPal).

Just wondering if you guys have had any experiences like this. Am I just being impatient? I've never waited this long to receive an item from eBay (and no communication with the seller at that)... maybe I'm just too anxious to get my Xbox, haha.

I've experienced this a few times. I've used the same tactic each time and they've been proven to be effective.

I send out 2 polite emails first. Then if I don't hear back within 2 business days, I send a 3rd one. The 3rd one is polite, however, I am more firm. In this email, I do not ask them questions of when they will be shipping it. Instead, I TELL them what they will do for me and I outline the consequences if my demands are not met. Finally, I give them a deadline.

Dear <Seller>,

This is my 3rd email to you regarding <item>. I've paid you immediately after the auction has ended. As per the description in your auction, you promised to ship within <time frame>.

As it now stands, you are in breach of said contract. I understand that, at times, there are delays beyond our control, in which case you were obligated to inform me of said delay in a timely manner. You have no done so.

You have 48 hours to ship AND reply to this email with confirmation of either my item having been shipped or steps toward a refund have already begun.

We can still end this amicably; however, that choice is up to you because I've already held up my end of the bargain. PayPal and Ebay will be notified on <48 hours from the time you send the email>.

Thanks,

Coldfusion718

I've always gotten what I paid for after sending out this email. It works very well on sellers who have 100% positive feedback. So the approach is be polite, then be polite but very firm and ready to strike if they don't take action. Good luck!

Originally posted by: clamum

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
I am happy when I get buyers that like to establish contact. I had a German buyer one time that contacted me once, then disappeared for a month without sending payment. I got an e-mail after that which said, "I went on vacation, you Americans are so uptight and rush rush about things!"

Heh. Actually I got a message from the seller this afternoon, he had went on vacation to Spain.

He said his secretary was supposed to mail the package last week but it was not taken care of. But he said it would be shipped out priority and that I'd probably get it this weekend.

Not a big deal, guess it was sort of his secretary's fault since he was out of the country. Oh well, can't wait to get that bad boy in the mail.

That is not your problem. People need to have high expectations of each other, at least when doing business. The terms listed in the auction constitute a contract. If he couldn't mail you the goods in a timely manner, he has a few options: a). notify you BEFORE going on vacation b). don't list the item for sale until coming back from vacation c). take responsibility for it and not blame his secretary.

This is a 2-way street. When buyers can't pay in a timely manner, sellers get all pissy about it. Sure, there are extenuating circumstances from time to time, but not communicating makes things worse. Being on vacation is no excuse. "I was on vacation so I couldn't pay you until 2 weeks later even though I agreed to within x-days."

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: ColdFusion718

Originally posted by: clamum
So I won an aunction on eBay on December 18th for an Xbox, two controllers, and a game.

Under "Seller's payment instructions" on the auction page, it says this:

All auctions require payment within 48 hours of auction close. Items will be shiped out within two business days of payment.

Well I paid within minutes of winning the auction, as I do all the time, and figured I'd hear back soon from the person. The items were to be shipped via USPS.

I didn't hear from the seller for a few days, so on December 21st I sent them a quick message on eBay that just asked if they had shipped it out yet.

No response, so two days later I sent them another message on eBay simply asking what the shipping status was.

No response to that message either. So yesterday, eight days after the auction ended and I paid, I sent another message wondering what was up and that I'd like a response by the end of this week (I figured Saturday or Sunday) or I would take action (try and get my money back or something, I paid via PayPal).

Just wondering if you guys have had any experiences like this. Am I just being impatient? I've never waited this long to receive an item from eBay (and no communication with the seller at that)... maybe I'm just too anxious to get my Xbox, haha.

I've experienced this a few times. I've used the same tactic each time and they've been proven to be effective.

I send out 2 polite emails first. Then if I don't hear back within 2 business days, I send a 3rd one. The 3rd one is polite, however, I am more firm. In this email, I do not ask them questions of when they will be shipping it. Instead, I TELL them what they will do for me and I outline the consequences if my demands are not met. Finally, I give them a deadline.

Dear <Seller>,

This is my 3rd email to you regarding <item>. I've paid you immediately after the auction has ended. As per the description in your auction, you promised to ship within <time frame>.

As it now stands, you are in breach of said contract. I understand that, at times, there are delays beyond our control, in which case you were obligated to inform me of said delay in a timely manner. You have no done so.

You have 48 hours to ship AND reply to this email with confirmation of either my item having been shipped or steps toward a refund have already begun.

We can still end this amicably; however, that choice is up to you because I've already held up my end of the bargain. PayPal and Ebay will be notified on <48 hours from the time you send the email>.

Thanks,

Coldfusion718

I've always gotten what I paid for after sending out this email. It works very well on sellers who have 100% positive feedback. So the approach is be polite, then be polite but very firm and ready to strike if they don't take action. Good luck!

Originally posted by: clamum

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
I am happy when I get buyers that like to establish contact. I had a German buyer one time that contacted me once, then disappeared for a month without sending payment. I got an e-mail after that which said, "I went on vacation, you Americans are so uptight and rush rush about things!"

Heh. Actually I got a message from the seller this afternoon, he had went on vacation to Spain.

He said his secretary was supposed to mail the package last week but it was not taken care of. But he said it would be shipped out priority and that I'd probably get it this weekend.

Not a big deal, guess it was sort of his secretary's fault since he was out of the country. Oh well, can't wait to get that bad boy in the mail.

That is not your problem. People need to have high expectations of each other, at least when doing business. The terms listed in the auction constitute a contract. If he couldn't mail you the goods in a timely manner, he has a few options: a). notify you BEFORE going on vacation b). don't list the item for sale until coming back from vacation c). take responsibility for it and not blame his secretary.

This is a 2-way street. When buyers can't pay in a timely manner, sellers get all pissy about it. Sure, there are extenuating circumstances from time to time, but not communicating makes things worse. Being on vacation is no excuse. "I was on vacation so I couldn't pay you until 2 weeks later even though I agreed to within x-days."

Your email example that you posted is almost EXACTLY what I wrote the third time.

And yeah, I thought it was rather strange that he'd post up an auction (and he's got others going on too at this time) just before he's about to go on vacation to Spain! I don't know all the details though, maybe if he's gone his secretary takes care of this sorta stuff and she just messed up this time. Cause the seller's ratings/comments are all positive except for one which apparently he sold a gun that didn't work or something. Anyway.

I'll wait and see until the Xbox arrives... if it's all there and working properly I'll leave positive feedback. Maybe I should note about the shipping delay though? Thing is, I don't want to make a stink about it, I mean it's not a big deal to me honestly, and no other buyer from him had the problem. He did seem concerned about the delay in his reply to me.

We'll see.

 

[Kelemvor]

Contact via eBay but then only give him a neutral rating (assuming the end result is good) since he didn't follow his own rules.

 

[marvdmartian]

Sadly, I've run into this type of seller more and more lately. In fact, I just finished getting a refund via Paypal's resolution method, 2 months after winning an auction and never having the seller ship the items. I was more than patient, waited a couple weeks or so before I initially contacted them, and received a reply that they had just gotten out of the hospital, and they'd ship within a few days. Okay, I can continue being patient. After a week, I contact them again, waited a few days, got the same excuse, but they promise to ship within 2 days. Another week goes by, still no word. I contacted them again, got no response.
A little over a month after the auction ended, I finally started the resolution process with Paypal. Once that's started, you have up to 30 days to decide whether to escalate it to a claim (usually, just the warning letter from Paypal is enough to get a seller off their butt). Ten days later, still no response, so I changed it to a claim (which means Paypal will give the seller 2 weeks, then try to get your money back from their bank account). I get a response from the seller's account......now it's (supposedly) the seller's sister, and could I just maybe wait until after the first of the year, and they promise to give me my money back??
Yeah.......right. Coincidentally, that would've been just past the 30 days I would've had to escalate the process to a claim. If I'd waited, I'd have had no recourse if the seller decided not to return my money, and would've been screwed.

Happily, I got my money last week from Paypal.

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: clamum

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
I am happy when I get buyers that like to establish contact. I had a German buyer one time that contacted me once, then disappeared for a month without sending payment. I got an e-mail after that which said, "I went on vacation, you Americans are so uptight and rush rush about things!"

Heh. Actually I got a message from the seller this afternoon, he had went on vacation to Spain.

He said his secretary was supposed to mail the package last week but it was not taken care of. But he said it would be shipped out priority and that I'd probably get it this weekend.

Not a big deal, guess it was sort of his secretary's fault since he was out of the country. Oh well, can't wait to get that bad boy in the mail.

Yeah right, probably the kid's mom.

 

[sniperruff]

we need a picture of the said secretary!

 

[fatpat268]

Originally posted by: trmiv
Hopefully it works out for you. Personally I'm always a bit suspicious when a lack of communication on ebay is followed by a message saying the person was on vacation. I just don't get why you would sell something on ebay that either ends while you're on vacation, or right before you leave. Hmmm, I'm about to head to South America to do a Rainforest tour for a month, but let me stick this item on ebay real quick!

I also don't get lack of communication from non volume sellers on ebay. How hard is it to send a freaking invoice or drop the buyer a message to let them know the item is being sent out? I'm dealing with that right now with something I bought the other day, and it annoys me since when I sell I always make sure to communicate with my buyers.

I used to always contact my buyers on ebay, but I don't do it anymore. Why? A lot of the time it seems like I'm "talking" to a wall and the stuff I ship out usually comes to them before they check their email.

Besides, if the buyers check their emails that they used to pay with, they would get a shipping notification along with a Delivery Confirmation Number since I always ship through Paypal. In the rare case that some one does ask by email, I'm happy to respond. I just don't do it anymore because it's a waste of time to be honest.

 

[trmiv]

Originally posted by: fatpat268

Originally posted by: trmiv
Hopefully it works out for you. Personally I'm always a bit suspicious when a lack of communication on ebay is followed by a message saying the person was on vacation. I just don't get why you would sell something on ebay that either ends while you're on vacation, or right before you leave. Hmmm, I'm about to head to South America to do a Rainforest tour for a month, but let me stick this item on ebay real quick!

I also don't get lack of communication from non volume sellers on ebay. How hard is it to send a freaking invoice or drop the buyer a message to let them know the item is being sent out? I'm dealing with that right now with something I bought the other day, and it annoys me since when I sell I always make sure to communicate with my buyers.

I used to always contact my buyers on ebay, but I don't do it anymore. Why? A lot of the time it seems like I'm "talking" to a wall and the stuff I ship out usually comes to them before they check their email.

Besides, if the buyers check their emails that they used to pay with, they would get a shipping notification along with a Delivery Confirmation Number since I always ship through Paypal. In the rare case that some one does ask by email, I'm happy to respond. I just don't do it anymore because it's a waste of time to be honest.

I'm happy with a shipping notice/delivery confirmation. Or at least a simple response to a question. I've had a few sellers lately that don't even do that. I don't mind it if it's a small item, but if you spend a decent amount on something it's not unreasonable to expect some sort of communication. I recently won something for close to $300 on ebay and I can't get the seller to respond to my messages. Now that doesn't mean I'm getting ripped off, but a little communication or at least an acknowledgment that you know the sale actually happened is not a lot to ask for.