posted on January 19, 2001 07:17:18 PM new....Secondly I dont care too much for your snide comments and your rude remarks. I urge you to be careful who you speak to in that tone. I apologize for the late shipment, but I do not apologize for the packaging. How dare you act as if I owe you an apology..... Did I state that it would be priority mail..no...so what exactly is your problem....
I would have apologized if you would have addressed this matter in a more fashionable way, but you didnt.....
Touche.
Well put.
Bill
UBB
[ edited by cdnbooks on Jan 19, 2001 07:18 PM ]
posted on January 19, 2001 08:14:31 PM new
I tend to agree with your Seller. I am a seller and a buyer. If the product you bought was what was described and you were charged the postage that was on the auction, then you should be pleased with the transaction. I once bought an item and failed to look at the postage. I didnt see it was being shipped from London!! The postage was twice the price of the item!! I just "ate it" cause they did NOTHING wrong. I just am careful to read the fine print and know what I am bidding on... I have learned much the "hard way" on eBay. It's a learning experience and being a good buyer and seller takes time, practice and experience. Look at it as a learning experience, learn from it and don't get into the same position again if it bothers you. As for the "illegal shipping", forget it. It's not your issue unless you are postal police. Also, many P.O.s don't care what they are used for.
Give her a positive.
posted on January 19, 2001 08:15:23 PM new What feedback does she "deserve"?
What an odd way to word the question. I never thought of feedback as punishment or revenge. I thought feedback was just a tool to let others know what problems they might encounter.
posted on January 19, 2001 08:19:04 PM newEG I'm not going to defend this seller's practice of gouging on shipping. You have every right to be disgusted. She is wrong and you are right regarding the shipping costs, the lack of shipping within the promised time frame, and the improper use of Priority supplies. But I also feel your email to her was too emotional. I'm not sure what the purpose of it was. I don't think you were asking for a shipping refund, and it was too late to do anything about the untimely shipping. So other than to point out to her that it is improper to use Priority supplies for non-priority shipping, and to *ask* for positive feedback, I'm not sure what you hoped to accomplish by emailing her. I would have left a factual neutral regarding shipping costs and the timeframe, and left it at that. The request for positive feedback was out of character to the tone of the email. If I wrote someone to complain about their business practices, the last thing I would do (or expect) is to ask for positive feedback. That said, I do think you are right about the whole transaction. Be aware that generally in this forum, complaining about ebay sellers business practices will bring you nothing but criticism from the "usual suspects" who will focus on the most minute transgression of the complaining buyer in order to completely turn around the facts in an effort to mitigate the sellers "sins" and thus proclaim that said Ebay seller was entirely blameless and it is the stupid buyers fault. And of course that is the case here. Nuff said.
posted on January 19, 2001 08:30:15 PM new
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That said, I do think you are right about the whole transaction. Be aware that generally in this forum, complaining about ebay sellers business practices will bring you nothing but criticism from the "usual suspects" who will focus on the most minute transgression of the complaining buyer in order to completely turn around the facts in an effort to mitigate the sellers "sins" and thus proclaim that said Ebay seller was entirely blameless and it is the stupid buyers fault. And of course that is the case here. Nuff said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
posted on January 19, 2001 08:32:44 PM new
$4.50 postage and handling should buy $4.50 worth of service. It obviously didn't.
KatyD: Be aware that generally in this forum, complaining about ebay sellers business practices will bring you nothing but criticism from the "usual suspects" who will focus on the most minute transgression of the complaining buyer in order to completely turn around the facts in an effort to mitigate the sellers "sins" and thus proclaim that said Ebay seller was entirely blameless and it is the stupid buyers fault. And of course that is the case here. Nuff said
You got it 100%. Anyone who talks about those "stupid (paying) buyers" resigns the right to EVER talk about slow sales on eBay. They are not businesspeople and will meet their end on eBay to the benefit of all.
posted on January 19, 2001 08:34:11 PM new
The seller was not entirely blameless and the buyer was not stupid! Geez! You people are harsh.
The email from ExecGirl was pointed and, perhaps, a bit emotional but not as bad as all that! But the email from the seller and her performance after the auction was paid was absolutely ludicrous!
posted on January 19, 2001 08:35:29 PM new
I agree, that I should have waited a while before emailing this seller. When I got that package, I really was mainly fuming over the fact that she overcharged me for "handling" to use towards "stolen" shipping supplies. (And I do believe that because of the huge misuse of postal supplies helped in our postal rates increasing so much). Then, when I saw that the package was not postmarked until 6 days after I paid with Billpoint, that ticked me off even more. No, I didn't want a refund from her. I just wanted her to know what she did was WRONG. I honestly didn't mean to come off as "snide" or "rude" - I guess there's something to be said about waiting a while before reacting to something like this. Next time (if I am ever in this situation again) I will not react so quickly. I am mainly a seller on ebay - and I only buy on occasion. Perhaps I need more "buying" experience
posted on January 19, 2001 08:40:03 PM new
execgirl, I hope you dont think I was being harsh or mean in my post. It was only my opinion, which I presume you wanted since you started the thread. With FB, I guess I would wait and think on it more if I were you. This is what I did concerning the gal I was moaning about awhile back. I thought about it, and never did give her a fb at all, because one, she didnt deserve one positive, and two, transaction was not completed because she couldnt get it thru her head my TOS. That was my situation though. You, execgirl, are always right on the mark, and I think what katyd said fits. You were too emotional when you sent that email. Been there, done that myself. I find that the more I come to EO, and the more I read, the more I learn. These folks do help with ideas and prods and sometimes very sharp sticks...but they TEACH too
posted on January 19, 2001 08:40:52 PM new
There ya go, EG! If anything is to be learned here, just consider it a lesson on how NOT to treat you own customers. WhenI sell, I treat each of my buyers exactly as I would like to be treated as a buyer. It's a real eye opener, isn't it?
posted on January 19, 2001 08:44:03 PM new
Execgirl, you did ZERO wrong. The customer has the right to complain. Sure, a sugar coated letter can convey some things, but what you wanted to convey was your disappointment and anger, and you did.
Never, ever, ever, apologize for your legitimate feelings about this seller's action.
It was a complaint letter. Very few of them are complementary to the complainee.
posted on January 19, 2001 08:57:17 PM newMaui: No, I didn't think you were harsh or mean at all. Just giving your honest opinion, which is all I wanted! Like in your situation, I will also probably end up leaving her no feedback at all. I don't even know why I asked her for FB at all - I never do that! I guess I was afraid that along with my complaint that she would have just NEGGED me. I'm just not used to being the buyer!
posted on January 19, 2001 09:03:40 PM new
Which is why it is a good idea to have a buyer id and a seller id, so that this situation does not effect you as a seller. I never thought of it before I read it here the other night, but I will have different selling and buying id's from now on.
posted on January 19, 2001 09:04:14 PM new
I know just how to relieve the tensions. Go to RT and find my very-empty thread called LOL! GAME I BORROWED and click on the link there. Trust me...you will $%&#*slap all those kinks away in a hurry, lol! G'wan now...check it out
posted on January 19, 2001 09:04:46 PM new
I do have a buyer & a seller ID. And I did buy from her with my buying ID - which has a perfect feedback record. But even with a seperate ID, I still did not want a NEG.
posted on January 19, 2001 09:05:28 PM new
I do not condone using Priority Packaging for non-priority stuff. I NEVER do that myself and it does annoy me when people I buy from do it. But it is NOT something I leave feedback on, pro or con. I feel feedback is to say whether your transaction was fair to you, the buyer. The things to consider objectively are:
1. was your winning auction accurately described?
2. Did product arrive in good shape (as described)
3. Did product arrive in a timely fashion? ( I use 10 days as timely unless it was supposed to be priority (except during holidays when priority can take a lot longer) or media rate, which takes longer.
4. Was correspondence professional (if not friendly).
That's it folks. Anything else is highly subjective and emotional and not business-like. This IS business and not church.
posted on January 19, 2001 09:13:45 PM new
In my opion I wouldn't worry too much about how she packed and shipped your 3 items. . Because what you have here is hidden handling charges.
What I would do is leave a natural feedback and state...item as described, excessive shipping charges...not ship. in 48hr, as stated in listing..
Just my opion...
posted on January 20, 2001 06:37:22 AM new
mrpotatoheadd, can I copy your blurb for when I will ship?
According to Ebay's rules buyer and seller have 3 business days to contact each other. Does the fact that buyer pays by CC within 2 mins. of auction end overrule that fact?
I may be away for 2 days, my email may be down,yada, yada and not able to read the email notification that they have paid for a day or 2. Once, I never got the paypal paid notice......found it by checking my account for something else.
seems to me the 24-48 hrs should be from when seller is made aware of payment and not when buyer sends it
posted on January 20, 2001 08:07:43 AM new
Everyone (both buyers and sellers) should
keep in mind the semantics issue of "shipping" vs. "postage." In the world of eBay, they are NOT the same thing. If a seller says "$3.50 shipping," the buyer should not assume they are getting Priority Mail postage. Very often, "$3.50 shipping" means "first class postage and a handling fee."
If there is a doubt, the buyer should email the seller and ask BEFORE placing a bid. Ditto that on asking for combined shipping or postage for multiple items. Some sellers will combine for multiple wins, and some will not.
In this particular case, the seller charged
$1.50 shipping (NOT postage) for each item, as stated in their auctions. Since the word "shipping"--and not "postage"--was used, charging $4.50 for 3 auctions and then mailing first class was OK.
IMHO, seller should have dropped buyer a quick email to let them know shipment was going to be late. Most buyers can cope with minor delays as long as they're kept informed, so they know they haven't dropped their $$ into a black hole.
As for the illegal use of USPS materials, it may have been an innocent mistake, as some post offices/clerks are saying it's OK, and some are not, and the seller is a college student and may not have been aware of the "official" policy on the USPS website. I hope the seller ceases this practice now that they have been made aware.
[ edited by janusaries on Jan 20, 2001 08:09 AM ]
