posted on August 17, 2001 06:05:40 PM
Okay, summer's slow, so I'm taking a bit of a break. Mind you, I'm still shipping on schedule.
What kind of emails am I getting? Where's my book - I paid you a LONG time ago! Well, jerk, you paid w/an echeck that cleared on 8/x/01 - item shipped the next day (8 days ago). Complete coincidence since I only ship once a week, but still in this case it did ship next day. Auction says media mail - ask what media mail is if you don't know - don't get accusatory like I'm going to freakin' rip you off for your crummy $10.
Did my customers for $150, $95, $88, $68 items freak out? Nope, just nice folks who actually read my auctions and the follow-up emails I send on the status of their item and when it's going to ship.
This is just a rant, but honest to goodness, it certainly seems like my $10 and under customers give me eternally more hassle than my high item customers.
Passive agressive control freak guy: Hi, I won item xyz, please give me final info so that I may PayPal you so that you can mail the item to me immediately.
Count to ten, write sweet email back with transaction details and a note reminding him I ship once a week and hope that won't be an inconvenience. (It's stated in my auctions by the way.)
He PP's me. I write thank you note and give him the date it will ship, i.e. in three days. His response: Thanks. Keep me updated.
What I wanted to do: Write an email the next day saying it would ship in two days. And the next saying it would ship in one day. And the next saying it had shipped. And the next asking if he's received it yet. What I did: nothing. Well except for ranting here.
99% of my customers are wonderful. I have enough feedback so I think folks should know that I'm not in the business of ripping people off. Most of it says: fast shipping, great product, great packing. Uh, yeah, I'm gonna get rich not shipping your $10 video. Blech.
posted on August 17, 2001 06:12:57 PM
I'll one up you. I tried to do a little website advertising and had some loss leaders go at 1 cent each. I've had more people this past week accuse me of fraud or asking if I received payment and shipped the item out, than I have the past year. They all threaten negative feedback, as their ploy. Sure I was out of town for 5 days on an anniversary vacation, but nothing too drastic. I don't know what it is these people are thinking! I'm going to get rich taking all those pennies to the bank? I just chalked it up to the summertime heat and have moved on.
posted on August 17, 2001 06:22:19 PMseems like my $10 and under customers give me eternally more hassle than my high item customers.
Ain't that the truth.
And you can tell ahead of time too.... When someone from Nebraska sends you a $13.00 check return receit requested, you know you have a paranoid buyer. When someone sends you $150 cash from Austraila plain ole airmail, you know you have a buyer that trusts you will do the right thing.
posted on August 17, 2001 06:40:47 PM
Exactly! What is with some people? Most are great, but my biggest problems have all been under $10 too! So you rant away my friend! You're in good company! :0)
I did have a great customer earlier today-- she paid paypal. I emailed her to let her know that payment was recieved and that I would get it out monday since I wasn't sure if I could get it packed before I left for the post office today. She sent back an email saying that would be fine and that since she had waited 67 years for this item, she was sure she can wait until next week. I thought that was so funny! What a great lady!
[ edited by ashlandtrader on Aug 17, 2001 06:44 PM ]
posted on August 17, 2001 09:48:44 PM
Just out of curiosity, what was the item you were selling that she had waited 67
(probably an exageration) years for?
posted on August 18, 2001 03:51:24 AM
I had one bidder pay me with a return receipt requested - he was a new ebayer - this was his first purchase ($20.00). I understand where he is coming from, some people still think the "internet" or "ebay" is a racket. But he really wanted the collectible for his wife. After he received the item, he wrote back to let me know that he was skeptical at first, but thanks for making his FIRST experience a good one. - Translation: he is now a happily bidding/buying ebayer.
posted on August 18, 2001 04:17:33 AM
LOL ashlandtrader...That is sort of like the line I use in replies to sellers who apologize that they can't ship the item for a couple of days. "I've lived without the item for 47 years, another couple of days won't matter." I DO appreciate knowing the shipping time frame though...when there is no indication of when the item will be shipped you don't know when to begin worrying that it's lost!
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
