posted on March 9, 2001 08:58:10 PM
I'm looking for a little advice. I purchased something for my daughters birthday last month on ebay and sent payment out right away which the seller acknowledged recieving about 8 days later. The shipping payed for was quoted as taking 4-7 days. I emailed and asked when shipping was sent as item had not arrived as expected and seller said the bad weather had forced her to send item 3 days later. It has now been 10 days since that date and still the item has not arrived. I'm getting worried, so I emailed the seller, she says she has an almost identical item, (same item without small blue mark on dolls face), and she says she will mail it if I pay shipping again of over $22. I've already paid shipping once and $14.99 for the item, I'm extremely hesitant to pay out even more money. Also it seems a little strange to me that she would have the same item again so soon, especially as I saw it listed and it recieved no bids and the listing was almost identical to the first, same picture and almost identical description. Maybe I'm just paranoid but the way its going if I pay what she wants for additional shipping, I might as well have bought the item brand new in a store!
Any suggestions? Does this sound like a con job? I'm trying to be as polite and accomodating as possible in case the seller is not at fault but I can't help wondering if my money has gone to her pocket and nothing has been sent and I'm going to be left with an 11 year old with no special birthday gift.
[ edited by Louissa on Mar 9, 2001 09:00 PM ]
posted on March 9, 2001 10:17:22 PM
First off, I have to ask what kind of feedback this seller has - if it's good I'd give them a bit more credibility....
If the feedback is low, I would still give it a few more days for the package to arrive. I think the post office won't even begin to look for a missing package until 30 days after shipment. I'd inform the seller that you'll wait that long, and then expect them to file a lost package alert to find your missing package or you'll file postal fraud charges against them with the post office - it might shake the package loose from them if they are indeed conning you.
What I would NOT do is throw another $22 at this - special gift or not. Children are very adaptable and I'm SURE you can find a *very* special gift for $22 at a local store - do not throw good money after bad.
I hope you get your package, but keep things in perspective and limit your losses in case this goes very badly.
posted on March 10, 2001 01:39:08 AM
As a seller, I have had only one package that took 30 days to arrive, but for the bidder, I am sure it was hard waiting. We kept in constant communication, and I was able to tell him the date that I mailed the package. I keep my postal receipts and keep great records.
Many sellers state that if insurance is not purchased they are not responsible to replace lost or damaged items. Legally I think the seller is responsible to complete the transaction. I have a business license to run auctions online (My city recognizes online auctions as a mail order business) and I therefore have to follow government guidlines. I think legally the seller has 6 weeks to get a package to you. After that they are looking at possible civil or criminal charges.
What I would do:
I agree with tarisa. You can even file charges with the internet fraud complaint center, which is partially operated by the FBI. Be sure to include the web address when telling the seller you might file charges with the IFCC. Their addy is http://www.ifccfbi.gov
I have found this to be very effective. I once had a seller who took my $17.00 and then got NARU'D with over 500 positive feedback! I received no answers to my emails, and then when I sent the email
with the info that I was going to file
a complaint, all of the sudden I receive an
email from the seller. I received my items.
Many sellers are not afraid of ebay. Now jail time and possible fines, on the other hand, seem to be very effective.
posted on March 10, 2001 04:40:15 AM
If the seller can prove the item was sent to the buyer and the buyer declined insurance when offerred, the buyer is on his own. At least that's what the judge told us right before he dismissed the fraud case against me.
[ edited by dubyasdaman on Mar 10, 2001 04:40 AM ]
posted on March 10, 2001 05:39:07 AM
Some of the advice given here and the implications suggested of FRAUD stink.
Why do people ALWAYS assume or come to the conclusion that the seller maybe or is a FRAUD.
Why cannot it simply be understood that the item has gotten lost in the mail.This is a real possibility as it has happened to me a number of times.
All my items have return addresses on them,yet I get buyers saying item never received and it never gets back to me either.
Like the seller here I offer to replace the item with another similar object.
Why cannot a seller have more than one of the same item is there a law against this somewhere I am not aware of.
Okay so the sellers is going to be out both items this time and therefore it is up to them if they wish to pay the shipping.SO in this instance the seller will be out the cost of the second item and if pays the shipping as well.
I often wonder what happens to the items that are said to have gotten lost but never make it back to me.Some of them do.Did the buyer really not get the items or did they get it and just want to get another similar for free.
It sounds like this seller is trying to offer a solution,that is really not the best for both parties,both parties are going to be out on this one.But at least the seller is trying.
Give the seller a break and for once I wish the posters on this thread would consider the situation from both sides not just one.
Rather than be quick to throw around FRAUD charges.
posted on March 10, 2001 07:38:20 AM
If items were not "lost" in the mail, the US Post Office would not be the successful EBAY auctioneer they are today.
posted on March 10, 2001 10:50:55 AM
I agree wholeheartedly with Adrian. I had a *priority* package take over a month to arrive to one of my bidders, and just recently another priority package took over 2 weeks. Being patient, although I know it's frustrating, is the best thing for right now. It sounds like the seller is making a good faith offer, and one that she does not even need to make. I'd give her the benefit of the doubt for now, and after 30 days, contact the post office about filing a claim for the lost package.
On the two occasions where my customers had to wait a long time for their items, I felt terrible for them and was almost as anxious as they were for their packages to arrive. Thank goodness they didn't throw around words like "fraud", and didn't just assume I was a crook - and we all felt better when the packages arrived and no one had to retract threats or feel bad about leaving unwarranted feedback.
posted on March 10, 2001 11:09:47 AMWhy cannot it simply be understood that the item has gotten lost in the mail. This is a real possibility as it has happened to me a number of times.
Well, in this case, maybe it's because the seller's response was not:
"I'm so very sorry, the package might be lost in the mail..."
but instead was:
"Send me another $22 and I'll send you another one...."
posted on March 10, 2001 11:13:54 AM
I think maybe I'm being over cautious, I've been burned as a buyer and seller so many times already this year I think I'm just waiting for the next catastrophe. It seems from what a few of you are saying that even if the post office quotes 4-7 day delivery that isn't necessarily what happens. So I'm going to cross my fingers and wait some more. She seems really nice and her overall feedback is good, she's just had a few negs recently which I think made me more wary than I would normally be.
Thanks for the advice.
