posted on August 16, 2001 10:09:09 AM
Okay, I'm a lot thinner today having had a goodly portion of my derriere chewed off by a customer because I DIDN'T SHIP HER ITEM UNTIL TWO DAYS AFTER SHE'D PAID FOR IT!!! I mean, am I pond scum or what?
Now my "happy hands" are angry and itching to get to the keyboard.
I used to have a "I ship w/in 48 hours of payment" statement in my EOA but took it out because, with my daughter's fall showing schedule, there are going to be several times we will be gone on a Friday through the weekend and I won't be able to get to the post office before a Monday or Tuesday.
I ship anywhere from the same day the item is paid for to within 48 hours. The vast majority fall are shipped w/in 24 hours.
So what do the majority think is a REASONABLE time frame for shipping?
I don't care about those tv ads for 4-6 weeks, that's not standard. I checked several catalogs I regularly order from and it appears to range from next day to about 5 business days to ship.
Should I put another "I ship within X days" back in my EOA so I have something to refer to if the situation arises again? A huge portion of my feedback is praising my FAST shipping, so I know the VAST majority of my customers are pleased.
Now off to pull weeds so my hands will have something to strangle.
posted on August 16, 2001 10:13:58 AM
Honestly as a buyer I am happy if someone ships within a week or two. If I need something fast I will ask before I bid. I am fairly laid back though and since I am also a seller I know how hard it is to get to the post office every day of the week. So my vote is within 2 weeks is a reasonable amount of time.
posted on August 16, 2001 10:16:52 AM
Hi Eventer ~
Sorry to hear about your problem customer. I think shipping within 3 days of receiving a payment is reasonable. I also think that's Billpoint's policy.
I ship at least 4 times a week, so all packages are shipping within 2 BUSINESS days, but almost always ship the next business morning. Sometimes things come up and you are just unable to ship IMMEDIATELY! Complaining about shipping 2 days after is just being petty!
If you are going to put another statement in your auction, instead of saying "xxxx hours" I would change it to "within 2-3 business days".
What kills me, is the ones who complain about things like that are usually the ones who take 2-3 weeks to pay to begin with!
posted on August 16, 2001 10:17:41 AM
You're doing good so far. Just keep the "happy hands" with the customer and you're doing great.
I would say that shipping within 48 hours is more than reasonable. Twice a week is reasonable too, especially if you spell it out in your TOS.
We ship same or next business day, almost without fail. But, we live in a small town only two blocks from the Post Office. We have it easy that way, compared to some of you.
Once (and only once) I took my ebay business to a P.O. in the "big city". Waited in line for quite a while behind one of those pesky ebay sellers who had about 10 packages. Never again.
[ edited by loosecannon on Aug 17, 2001 06:57 AM ]
posted on August 16, 2001 10:23:50 AM
I try to ship every 2 days, but it simply isn't always possible.
eBay is my living, but the selling/shipping part is just part -- there is buying, shows to attend, special events, and then there are things like family visits or other special events from time to time.
You will always get a small percentage of customers who think you should be doing backflips from your computer to the shipping counter the very second you receive the Billpoint or Paypal payment e-mail, it's just one of those minor aggravating things that anyone doing business has to put up with from time to time -- don't let it get to you!
I have found though this year that if I e-mail everyone & inform them of the date their item was shipped & approximate delivery time, it stops almost 100% of complaints, seems that friendly communication goes a long way.
The e-mails really don't take a very long time, so I find it is worth it.
posted on August 16, 2001 10:39:12 AM
I try to ship within 24 hours, but sometimes that is not possible. I use the word USUALLY SHIP in the EOA notice. unless it is a holiday weekend, I try never to go more than 72 hours. Luckily nobody has gotten mad, there are times when I have shipped something media mail that has taken a while, but if it warrents, I make that an option and give the buyer a choice, telling them they can save money by media mail, but it could take a while to get there.
posted on August 16, 2001 10:45:40 AM
Good afternoon!
I do think it is important to let people know the approximate time frame when shipping an item.
IMHO I feel its important to spell everything out as if you were dealing with a newbie with every transaction. Better to cover all bases (in other words CYA) and make sure everyone is on the same page then to assume that they know how you run your business.
And in all honesty.....I do not think 2 days is an absurd amout of time before shipping.
Some people just get that wild hair up their butt and have to take it out on someone.....
posted on August 16, 2001 10:59:03 AM
I just got a feedback that said " Smooth, though slow transaction. PayPal would speed things up! A-"
The item was won on Saturday Night, shipped on Monday Morning (PO is closed on Sunday). I sent her the tracking number so she could watch for it... It went Media Mail (that is what she paid for) and was delivered on the 14th (10 days afer auction win)...How was I slow?
People are so impatient!
posted on August 16, 2001 11:08:31 AM
....well, thin is a good thing....
With mailed payments, there is never any issue. Customers don't know when, exactly, you receive payment. I send my 'payment received today' email as soon as I come home from the PO and the package is in the mail. I get lots of great feedback for 'fast shipping'.
Online payments are a little trickier. Scheduling auctions to end when you know you will be able to ship quickly is one way. BIN sales are another story.
I have 'next business day' shipping in my TOS.
BTW, I have lots of weeds in my garden if you are still frustrated.....
posted on August 16, 2001 11:10:24 AM
Thanks everyone. Sounds like I'm in the ballpark on my shipping schedule.
BTW, the day an item is shipped, each buyer gets an email saying, "your item (XXX) has been shipped today", so I think I'm keeping them pretty well informed.
This one just went ballistic upon receiving her notification of the item had been shipped.
Geez, if I'm getting body parts chewed off over shipping TWO days after payment is received...how are those sellers who sit around for 10 days after receiving a billpoint payment the same night the auction ended getting away with it..or are they just ignoring any complaints?
And I wanted to add, anytime anyone has informed me of a extreme need to have something rapidly (birthday, christmas, whatever), I've made SURE it was at the post office as soon as humanly possible short of driving out to the all night location at the airport.
Customers..can't live with em, can't live without em.
posted on August 16, 2001 11:15:02 AM
Put what you said above in the auction, "All items shipped within..." The customer will know what the terms are, then they decide if they bid or not, but they know up front. Myself if it is a check we wait for it to clear.
posted on August 16, 2001 11:15:09 AM
I ship (and note in my TOS) on Monday and Thursday. I was trying to ship when paid, but that got silly with Priority Mail having to be dropped off, etc. So I just picked two logical days and go from there.
You bring up a good point about BIN. On those weekends when we're gone, we usually leave early on a Fri. (sometimes even on a Thur afternoon) and don't return often until late on a Sunday (or Mon. morning if it's one of the 10 hr away shows).
I put a note in my auctions that I'm out of town and won't return until X day but if someone does a BIN while I'm gone & pays for it, it could be 3-4 days before I even know about it.
I'd ask my husband to handle it for me but when I even mention ebay, he makes the sign of the cross & pretends he's lost his hearing.
He will email customers who email me first & tell them I'm out of town & will respond to them on the day I return..but that's as far as he's going with this.
My only other option is not to list anything in the 2 weeks prior to the show which seems foolish just so someone won't have to wait 4 days versus 2.
posted on August 16, 2001 11:28:17 AM
I buy and sell on Ebay and lately I find some sellers slower and slower with their shipping. When instant payments are made and shipments are still "waiting for clearance" 2 to 3 weeks later...please! This was a "Power Seller"! Maybe I'm the only one with this situation but my Buyers are a lot more prompt than many of the Sellers that I buy from.
posted on August 16, 2001 11:30:34 AM
My TOS says that I ship 3-4 times a week. I'm actually on the post office's doorstep almost every weekday morning when it opens at 7:30 (on my way to work), but my TOS wording gives me some wiggle room so that I can occasionally skip a day (or two). I don't feel so boxed in to be absolutely sure that everything goes out within 24 hours, although 95% of it does anyway.
posted on August 16, 2001 11:35:58 AM
I sell artwork with custom matting. I was shipping within 48 hours and Murphy's Law would kick and a few didn't leave for a few extra days. With UPS I figure 7 working days coast to coast. That worked great as all my customer had praise for the fast shipping.
Now I ship out about 30 to 50 per week and tell my customers in my WBN that for a custom mat and shipping they need to expect at least two weeks for delivery. I also explain that I do my auctions in bulk all at the same time and they seem to understand my delivery issues. If I get it out earlier everyone is happier but so far no complaints on the length of time.
I ship a 20x20x4 box so their is a lot of prep work required to ship and I am 15 miles from the UPS customer counter so its an hour to two hours out of each day if I tried to ship each day so I need to do bulk delivery.
If you are only doing a few auctions a week I would have your item shipped in 48 hours. If you do bulk auctions then let your customers know in advance if possible or in your WBN so they know what to expect. Then if they have a special event they can request express service.
I agree that it would be foolish not to list two weeks prior to a show. I wasn't suggesting that. I was suggesting that one be at home the day and the day after a significant number of auctions end normally. I would like to think that a slower payer would be less likely to complain about slower shipping.
(But then you Americans are sooooooo impatient!!!!!!)
If buyers expect that eBay's traditional one person part-time sales operations should respond 7/24, these buyers just have to be educated. That is one of the reasons that my TOS refers to shipping the next business day. Or one's TOS could read 'shipping within 2 business days'.
Was this an online payment? What was the item worth? (I'm betting that this was a small $ item).
"This one just went ballistic upon receiving her notification of the item had been shipped.
Perhaps she didn't want her item shipped!!!!
Bill
typo
[ edited by cdnbooks on Aug 16, 2001 11:47 AM ]
posted on August 16, 2001 12:14:40 PM
Geez, Eventer, YOU'RE the one who's always composing tactful e-mail replies for us! My first thought when I read your initial post was "Hey, we need Eventer to write a reply to this." Then, I saw you are the originator of the thread. Gave me quite a shock!
Okay, my sister, don't worry...I'm here for you. Just reply the same way my 18-year old daughter did to me last night when she showed me her belly piercing: (after I let out a primal scream) "I'm sorry you feel that way." There was also more about being grateful it wasn't a tattoo, but you can leave that part out unless you really want to freak out the buyer.
So, I would recommend either NO reply (but keep a copy of the e-mail), or a simple statement such as above. However, don't apologize for your timeframe. It is not only reasonable, but very fast, IMO.
If you'd rather have EVIL replies, I have a ton of those. My favorite is just "ESAD". Stands for "Eat **** and die." Too juvenile, you say? That's the beauty of it.
Hang in there, Sis. And, don't tell Mom about J's belly ring.
posted on August 16, 2001 12:19:44 PM
Feel free to invite this unreasonble buyer to our discussion board. We'll set her straight in letting him/her know that your shipping time frame was more than acceptable.
my first thought was that this had to be a newbie buyer. is it? shipping within 2 days is fast in any reasonable person's book. you just got an unreasonable buyer, that's all
i was trying to come up with a way to tell her that if she thinks shipping 2 days after receipt of payment is slow, she's got a rude awakening coming up when she comes across sellers who really are slow to ship. but all my attempts are ending up sounding defensive. (i need more coffee!)
i don't think you need to change anything as a result of one clearly overly fussy buyer. keep repeating this to yourself: she's unreasonable; i ship fast!
posted on August 16, 2001 01:09:47 PM
I am with L.C. on this...(Hi. loosecannon. I will ship either the same day, or by morning of the next, upon receiving Money Orders/Cashier's checks (I no longer accept on-line payments)...
Personal checks require a little wait, say one week, if new customer...same day for established customers. The moment I see an item is sold, I pack it..Then all I have to do is wait for a shipping address.
I am fortunate enough to have a nice Post Office branch only about 5 minutes drive (the closer one is PACKED from morning to closing!)
It would seem that a buyer will wait, as long as he/she has been made aware of the time-frame. If they don't want to wait, they just won't bid.
posted on August 16, 2001 02:49:09 PM
I just put in my end of auction email that online payments, money orders and cashier's checks ship 2 business days after receipt of payment. Items paid for with personal check ship 10 business days after check is deposited. If they want their item in a big rush I try to help them out, but I do need to know in advance. It is a 20 mile round trip to the PO so I'm not making a second trip back on the same day! I've found that the ones who complain about not getting their item are usually the ones who took 2 weeks to pay me! Then they pay with a check and wonder why it is taking a month from the end of auction for them to get their item. Duh! They caused the delay themselves! Eventer: just stick to whatever is comfortable for you and as long as you outline it in your auction and end of auction emails I would not even worry about it. The world is full of chronic complainers who are not happy unless they are chewing someone out! Here's what I do when it just begins to get to me: go clean a horse stall, brush a horse, take a nice quiet ride or (best of all) go to a horse sale!!
posted on August 16, 2001 03:15:46 PM
Could you all send some of these responses to the WACK jobs I BUY from?
Sheesh, I have had item show up 8 weeks after payment, in transit time a couple of days as shown by postmark.
When I query the seller about a 17.49 cent item they say they want to make sure the check won't bounce!
Come again?
Mega transactions later, they are still lokking for a rubber check on an item less than $20?
posted on August 16, 2001 05:25:37 PM
I ship almost every package not later than next business day and the majority of those are next business morning at 7AM. I had two orders come in very early this morning that I just couldn't get ready before leaving for the post office and it bothered me.
When it stops bothering me, I will stop doing business. This is a service business and even though it's just part time, I treat it as a 24x7 business. One of the reasons is that eBayers are not competing just with other eBayers, they are competing with every other Internet seller and bidder's local businesses.
I think one of the reasons people stop buying on eBay is that 7-day auctions with 3-day email exchanges and 14 day shipping cycles just doesn't cut it. That's almost a month. Unless it's rare and/or I'm saving bucks, what's the point.
posted on August 16, 2001 05:40:30 PM
I have in my TOS that I ship on Tuesdays and Fridays. I usually ship more often, but this does give me a little leeway. I was going every day, but that got a little arduous, even though it is only 5 minutes away (it wasnt the drive, it was the WAIT that I dreaded!).
I get lots of great feedback for 'fast shipping'.
