Is it just me?

[Kaleponi Craig]

I guess I'm lucky, as I rarely have a problem. But I think sometimes you have to give the seller a break, they can't all get to a post office every day...KC

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Seller's aren't professionals

I try to keep that in mind when I'm on Ebay. I've purchased quite a bit (and sold some) on Ebay, and I read the feedback. But I approach a seller's feedback and my experience with a seller with a mind toward their situation, as well as mine. I very rarely get things quickly, but less than two weeks (quicker if they are close by) is more reasonable to expect from John Q. Public. I mean, even with 2-day shipping from most businesses, it doesn't arrive in two days! I think most of you are too harsh. For example, I recently sold something with the full intention of shipping the day after the auction ended. But circumstances piled up on me... bad weather, family obligations, and a few other things. It took several days to get it shipped, but it was out as soon as it could be. I've never taken that long before, but I realize that it's not hard to have that happen, when selling isn't your profession. I've also noticed that if I do the math on shipping charges, often I can account for excess charges with what it will cost in packing materials.

It's all in how you approach Ebay buying. I don't care what the shipping charges are. I think about it as if there is no shipping involved. I decide what I'm willing to pay, subtract the shipping costs, and I have my maximum bid. Let the guy "line his pockets"... he's not getting anything out of me that I wasn't willing to give. And I always choose the slowest shipping speed, because most "fast" methods don't cut much time off the delivery. UPS Ground from most of the country will reach me in a few days, and Priority Mail - while more versatile for what you can send at a decent price - is not guaranteed to even get down the block in two days! It's not shoved asside for lesser mail on heavy mail days, but that's really the only benefit to Priority mail. So, strategy is just as important to the other aspects of buying on Ebay as it is to placing bids, even down to rating a seller. And when you read feedback, even positive feedback, read between the lines. In three years I've only been burned twice, and one time was really my own fault!

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Buyers can be bad, too!

Sellers have the money before they ship; if paypal doesn't put the payment through, they don't have to worry about shipping. This might lead to a more free environment in which to accurately evaluate sellers.

Buyers are more likely to be honest about their own mistakes if leaving frivalous negative comments could bite them in the butt. Even with feedback on buyers, how many times haven't I seen a buyer complaining that shipping was too slow, or the item wasn't as described, specifically saying in what way. Then I look at the item description, and often find out that they just didn't read the ad fully! There are bidders who don't pay, buyers who don't pay in proper way, and some buyers who complain about things that are outside the responsibility of the seller. Buyers can be worse than sellers, sometimes!

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

I stand pat on what I have posted. IF a seller can not commit to completing the transaction, then he should not enter into an agreement to start with. If your house payment is due on the first, it is due on the first. Failure to complete your end of the contract will result in a poor credit score. The auction that this thread was started on, the seller choose the shipping method U.S. Priority 2-3 day delivery. My point is I paid his price, he had the money in his account within minutes after the end of the auction. I fulfilled my end of the contract, now was time for him to fulfill his. Waiting 4 days to ship negates a 2-3 day delivery. IF there was a problem a simple email informing me would have made a difference. As it is he just choose to take his sweet time in shipping it. THAT IS UN ACCEPTABLE in my opinion. Excuses can be made all day, the fact is he was neglegent in fulfilling his end of the contract.:drum:

 

[tonyb]

We (my wife and I) are kind of new to buying on eBay, although we have, between us, spent a few hundred bucks in the past several months. Our "complaints" (such as they are) would seem familiar to most people here: The seller often has little if any expertise in the goods he or she is peddling, descriptions are confusing or just plain inaccurate, etc. But I take those faulty descriptions as mistakes born of ignorance, not dishonesty. One purchase (a pair of Stetsons) was made back in December and it took something in excess of two weeks for it to arrive. We paid via PayPal within minutes of the auction's closing, but the funds apparently did not "clear" into the seller's account until five or six days later, as I recall. And then the package was shipped FedEx Ground from 3,500 miles away, during the holiday season, to boot. So it's no great wonder that it took so long. I can't very well fault the seller for holding on to the goods until he knew he was paid, but I was left to wonder why there was such a lag between the time payment was made and the seller had the funds. It would have taken less time to send a cashier's check. Anyone else ever had this problem? Or explain how it works? Or what might I have done wrong?

 

[Panamabob]

The problem I have with ebay is that they won't allow me to say custom made without putting in a time frame. Many here who have our hats know that sometimes they are done in a week and sometimes 2 months...depends on many factors.

 

[epic610]

This thread has been extremely helpful...

i was bidding on an item ...an Hermes necktie ....and after reading this thread checked the feedback for the seller. she sells a few items every day; but what i found interesting was that apparently during the calendar year 2005, at least 22 of the items purchased from her, and priced less than $20, were never received, apparently lost in the mail. i have had things lost in the mail before, but this many in one year defies the laws of probability. her response to the negative feedback was always "Hey, I am not the Post Office".

I don't want to do business with anyone like that and thanks to this thread will be checking out all sellers more closely.

thx to all.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

The other, perhaps more important point...

The auction that this thread was started on, the seller choose the shipping method U.S. Priority 2-3 day delivery. My point is I paid his price, he had the money in his account within minutes after the end of the auction. I fulfilled my end of the contract, now was time for him to fulfill his. Waiting 4 days to ship negates a 2-3 day delivery.

Well, I won't argue the point about him waiting to ship. It's a free internet, and we all have a right to our opinions.

But even if he had shipped that very day, something most people don't know is that USPS "Priority 2-3 day" does not guarantee it will arrive in that timeframe. I used to own a postal regulations manual, and my father was a carrier. But sometimes Priority is the cheapest method that the PO will offer. I guess what I'm saying is, regardless of who you buy from, Priority Mail is not what most people think it is, so shipper AND buyer beware. :rage: