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Frustrated with ebay seller

Night Elf

By Night Elf,
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Night Elf

Night Elf

Posted
Posted

I know it's too soon but as a seller, I acknowledge the buyer as soon as they purchase my item. I let them know when I'll be shipping the item so they know I'm not ignoring them. I won an auction 2 days ago from a seller who has been an ebay member since 2018 but has no reviews. So I sent an email today asking if he/she can let me know when the books will be mailed out so I have an idea on when to expect them. I hope I don't regret buying from someone who won't ship the books out in a timely manner. I read the seller has 30 days to ship an item after purchase, but they get dinged if they don't ship within the time mentioned. I can't get back to the original listing so I don't know if a shipping time was mentioned. I've never encountered a seller who doesn't respond within a day of a purchase. Ebay tells me the item should arrive between April 16 and April 20 but it's not even marked shipped so I don't believe that for a minute. 

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Beth S

Beth S

Posted
Posted

Just to reassure you, I've been a (small) ebay seller for more than a decade, & I've never personally notified the buyer of shipping.
I just record the tracking code on ebay when I've shipped the item.

It looks like your item may be shipped Media Mail, which can take much longer than Priority Mail (but is so much more affordable).

You could go to the seller's Ebay store, and see what their handling time is, on other sale items.
Another indication is the ebay seller's ratings and feedback. 
You can see if they have shipped promptly in the past.

The further frustration is that the seller can buy the postage from USPS, get a tracking code, and ebay will say it's been shipped.
It's actually still in their house.
Honestly, I wouldn't worry about this yet, especially if you bought it over the weekend.
It just takes time for them to get it boxed up, etc.

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regentrude

regentrude

Posted
Posted (edited)

It's been TWO days. On a weekend. There are all kinds of reasons why the person has not yet shipped your item. Maybe they are traveling and unable to access the internet. They probably have a day job and the beginning of the work week is stressful.

If they have a month, then it makes no sense for Ebay to give a ETA of April 16.
Relax - it's just books.

Edited by regentrude
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LuvToRead

LuvToRead

Posted
Posted (edited)

I would never expect something to be put in the mail the day I purchased it - especially on a Saturday.  The post offices locally close at noon on Saturday so it would be nearly impossible.  The 20th is 8 days away so there is a good chance you will get it by then.   At this point I would be thrilled to get anything within a week after ordering! 

Edited by LuvToRead
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JustEm

JustEm

Posted
Posted

As a small time eBay seller I'm going to say that messaging someone they their package is about to ship is not the norm. I update the shipping info and then the buyer can check the tracking info if they want. 

If something of mine gets bought on a Sunday then I have until Wednesday to ship it in order for it to be shipped on time. So, you seller is not even late yet with their shipping.

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Shoeless

Shoeless

Posted
Posted

Yeah, I never personally contact every buyer on ebay. The buyer gets a notice when an item has shipped. I do not have time to duplicate this effort. 

I get cranky about buyers that nag me about shipping when I am within my stated shipping window. 

Maybe you'd be happier buying from Amazon. 

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JustEm

JustEm

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, MissLemon said:

Yeah, I never personally contact every buyer on ebay. The buyer gets a notice when an item has shipped. I do not have time to duplicate this effort. 

I get cranky about buyers that nag me about shipping when I am within my stated shipping window. 

Maybe you'd be happier buying from Amazon. 

Me too. I have even cancelled orders if they message me more than once about shipping before the stated shipping window is up. That is a big red flag that they are going to have unreasonable expectations, didn't actually read the description, or something that makes them try to return the item. 

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vonfirmath

vonfirmath

Posted
Posted
24 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

As a small time eBay seller I'm going to say that messaging someone they their package is about to ship is not the norm. I update the shipping info and then the buyer can check the tracking info if they want. 

If something of mine gets bought on a Sunday then I have until Wednesday to ship it in order for it to be shipped on time. So, you seller is not even late yet with their shipping.

This was my experience when active on ebay. I rarely got emails. Nor did I expect them.

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Idalou

Idalou

Posted
Posted (edited)

You say she has no reviews. Does that mean she's not sold anything? If so, then she may just be new at the process. I'd wait until the estimated date has passed before worrying.  Scratch that, I'd probably search book sites such as BW books before buying from a person with zero sales. 

Edited by Idalou
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katilac

katilac

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Night Elf said:

I can't get back to the original listing so I don't know if a shipping time was mentioned.  

Just do a search for that item; when the list pops up, scroll down the filters on the left and click Sold Items. The most recently sold items will show first, so it should be easy to find. 

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Night Elf

Night Elf

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Posted

Um, I was misunderstood. I NEVER said I expected the item to be shipped as soon as I paid. I meant getting an email from the person thanking me for the purchase. Really, I've always gotten emails from sellers before they ship the item to let me know when they can get to the post office. So I do the same thing for my buyers. I just thought that was normal. Guess not.

Yes Regentrude, it's just books but they are important to me or I wouldn't have purchased them.

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Tap

Tap

Posted
Posted

Just because some sellers message at every step in the process, doesn't mean they all will... or should.  Those extra steps are a courtesy and not all sellers are going to have the time, interest or ability to do all those extra steps. You are buying from an individual with their own life and struggles. Not a company that sells books professionally.

The seller is within the timeline. I don't understand why you are already frustrated with them, when you have no idea if they are already in the mail, and they just haven't uploaded the tracking number yet. I understand that these books are important to you, but it has only been two days! Give them some grace. 

Buying from (or selling to) individuals is always going to be a bit unpredictable. Only you, can decide if you can handle that uncertainty.

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Catwoman

Catwoman

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, katilac said:

Just do a search for that item; when the list pops up, scroll down the filters on the left and click Sold Items. The most recently sold items will show first, so it should be easy to find. 

Yes, or she can just go into her own Purchase History and click on the item to see the original listing.

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Catwoman

Catwoman

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Night Elf said:

Um, I was misunderstood. I NEVER said I expected the item to be shipped as soon as I paid. I meant getting an email from the person thanking me for the purchase. Really, I've always gotten emails from sellers before they ship the item to let me know when they can get to the post office. So I do the same thing for my buyers. I just thought that was normal. Guess not.

Yes Regentrude, it's just books but they are important to me or I wouldn't have purchased them.

Wait. You're expecting a thank you email from the seller??? Seriously???

This is eBay. A lot of people make a full time living selling on eBay. They don't have time to coddle every buyer. I really think you should consider just buying everything new on Amazon or something, because you do nothing but complain about eBay, whether you are the buyer or the seller. And you worry about every little thing. You bought the item a few days ago, so there is absolutely no reason why you should already be worrying about whether or not you can trust the seller -- and if you were concerned about buying from a seller with no feedback, you should have thought of that before you made the purchase.

I'm sorry if I seem harsh, but why not assume that this will turn out fine -- and give your seller a little grace instead of getting suspicious of her?

PS. Just go into your Purchase History and click on the item you bought, and it will take you to the original auction page.

Edited by Catwoman
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Shoeless

Shoeless

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Night Elf said:

Um, I was misunderstood. I NEVER said I expected the item to be shipped as soon as I paid. I meant getting an email from the person thanking me for the purchase. Really, I've always gotten emails from sellers before they ship the item to let me know when they can get to the post office. So I do the same thing for my buyers. I just thought that was normal. Guess not.

Yes Regentrude, it's just books but they are important to me or I wouldn't have purchased them.

This is not a reasonable expectation for eBay. Especially if we are talking book sales. 

The only merchants I can think of that have this sort of personal customer service are places like Prada and Louis Vuitton. 

 

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happi duck

happi duck

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Night Elf said:

Um, I was misunderstood. I NEVER said I expected the item to be shipped as soon as I paid. I meant getting an email from the person thanking me for the purchase. Really, I've always gotten emails from sellers before they ship the item to let me know when they can get to the post office. So I do the same thing for my buyers. I just thought that was normal. Guess not.

Yes Regentrude, it's just books but they are important to me or I wouldn't have purchased them.

The only time I've used ebay I received an email from the seller right away.  I could easily assume it was the norm.

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Spryte

Spryte

Posted
Posted

I think your expectations are too high. I’ve never received an email from an eBay seller. DH sold some very expensive studio equipment via eBay a few years ago, and never communicated directly with any of the buyers, other than through eBay, but still got good feedback. My experience has been that eBay doesn’t lend itself to personal connections.

I’m sure your books will arrive in a timely manner, and hope you will love them!

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  • 2 months later...
NananNegain

NananNegain

Posted
Posted

To be honest, I've had a lot of unpleasant situations with a couple of eBay sellers. I mean, their treatment towards us, the buyers, is truly disrespectful sometimes. Once I ordered a freaking scale from a certain seller, and when I received it, it wasn't even a new one. Though in the description, he said that it's a new one and sealed! When I contacted him, he told me that it's no longer his business! That's why I refuse to use eBay anymore. Back then, I ordered one of these scales https://www.vont.com/product/smart-scale-bathroom-scale-weight-scale/ from eBay, and I didn't have any issues with the seller.

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Catwoman

Catwoman

Posted
Posted
49 minutes ago, WildflowerMom said:

These threads make me laugh for some reason.  Someone made an account to resurrect an old thread so they could kvetch about a bathroom scale.  😆   Talk about holding a grudge. 

My worry when I see a newbie posting a link in their first (and usually only) post, is that the link may not be safe, or it could be to something truly disgusting. You think you're clicking on a listing for a scale, but who knows what it really is? 

Let's not click on it to find out, though!  🙂 

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