posted on September 5, 2001 06:36:33 AM
I've been offering a choice of Media Mail and Priority Mail in my auctions for about as long as I've been doing this. Most of the time, buyers opt for the lowest cost shipping. I've recently added that Media Mail can take 2-3 weeks and every once in awhile, someone will opt for Priority Mail. But most still take Media Mail.
However, for the last couple of weeks I've been getting at least 1 or 2 emails a day from buyers asking where their book is. Sure enough, I check my records and the item was shipped not more than about a week previous, it was one of the auctions that hadn't had the delivery time for Media Mail listed (launched before I made my template changes), and the buyer has typically low feedback.
Now I've shipped out over 1000 packages since I started this, many to relative new buyers, no delivery time specified, and have never seen such a rash of inquiries such as this. I'm using the exact same program to print out my labels as I always have, so I haven't made any changes on my end that could account for this. I don't know if buyers are getting more impatient, nervous, whatever... But it's getting a bit bothersome to me.
I know that some of you have forgone Media Mail altogether because of things like this.
I'm wondering if you noticed any change in your business for media items for the good or better.
posted on September 5, 2001 06:47:25 AM
For awhile I did use DC on my packages. That might be something to consider, but as you point out, up goes the shipping cost again.
I still prefer to divulge the shipping method. Or else I might be replacing those "Where's my book?" emails with "What shipping method is that for?" emails. And we've seen enough complaints on these boards about sellers who don't divulge their shipping method.
posted on September 5, 2001 06:54:14 AM
Not to argue with you specifically, but since you mention. I've not seen any threads here about undivulged shipping (I could have missed them) and I've never had any buyers ask me.
Again we come back to what is and isn't the buyer's business. And shipping method really isn't their concern. I state, just like most online retailers (some big ones do admittedly give a choice), how much shipping and handling will be. Period. I decide how I can best send it from there.
Most of the time I ship Priority (it's so much easier). However, other times, once packed, the items is too expensive to send PM, so I have to adjust down to another method.
Keeping options open as a seller allows me to do this without going back on my word.
posted on September 5, 2001 07:04:48 AM
I'm glad to hear your opinions.
I don't think the threads were titled in such a way that you'd think they were about undivulged shipping methods. But I've seen posts in so many shipping/handling charge complaint threads that specifically address the issue of the seller charging a fixed rate, but failing to state what the method is. That's where I'm getting that idea from.
You're pretty lucky to not have had any mass inquiries about it.
posted on September 5, 2001 07:09:37 AM
I ship almost exclusively media mail and I, too, have had what I consider a rash of inquiries about items. When were they shipped and how come they aren't here yet? That sort of thing. It seems like in the past couple of weeks things have been extremely slow to arrive. Maybe everyone at the po just went on vacation at once!
posted on September 5, 2001 07:10:44 AM
Actually, while I don't know if a thread has been about divulging methods of shipping, I believe it has been discussed.
For example, prior to the recent 3 cent increase in Media Rates, that rate for 3 pounds was $2.20. Add 50 cents for DC, and 50 cents for handling, and the total was $3.20 - a confusing amount because that's the old two pound rate on Priority.
Even though I state Media in my tos, I still would bump that amount up or down a nickel so it didn't appear to be the old Priority rate. Might as well avoid hassle if you can.
Plus, there are deceptive sellers out there whose s/h charges on cheaper rates just "happen to" coincide w/Priority rates - I think that's kind of deceptive, and just sets you up for a hassle.
BJGrolle, maybe you could add it to you WBN or "Item Shipped" notification somehow. "Your item has shipped via Media Mail insured. Per the US Postal Svc. this can take 7-21 business days." On the other hand, people who don't read, don't read, so there's no 100% solution.
posted on September 5, 2001 07:12:29 AM
I just had two packages with DC returned to me undelivered...leading me to wonder if they are processed differently in some way at the destination P.O. I don't know. I recommend it to customers "if you want proof that I mailed it" since that seems to be the thrust of the "where is my book?" questions.
I do so much selling on Amazon that even if I said "Priority only" on ebay, I'd still be in the media mail business big time. Considering the volume I mail, the problems, while time-consuming, aren't that massive. I don't think my ebay business would benefit if I said shipping was $4 or $5.50 per book, not to even mention Priority costs for the larger, heavier books I sell.
posted on September 5, 2001 07:16:59 AM
I try to state method of shipment in all my auctions, too, based on buyer input here at AW and other places. But when I quote a media mail shipping cost in the auction, I always add the paragraph "The post office says to allow up to six weeks for delivery of media mail, although it usually arrives sooner." I then repeat that warning in my email I send out when I've shipped the product.
I use DC on every package--thanks to Endicia the cost is only $.12 on a media mail package. The barcoding on the Endicia label really seems to speed things up, too--I've had many satisfied customers report receiving media mail shipments in just a few days. I had only one customer inquire about the status of his package, and one click on the Endia site showed it had been delivered--he "found" it that evening.
posted on September 5, 2001 07:19:44 AM
I always post a choice in my book auctions with a shipping rate for book rate or priority mail and again give the same choice in my EOA e-mail. I have started adding the plus 4 zip on every package and have noticed that the book rate stuff is arriving within 4 - 6 days and the priority is taking 2 days across the country and even had Priority take 1 day to one state over. This may be a short lived fluke within my post office but I am definitely a believer in the +4 zip code getting there faster.
posted on September 5, 2001 07:23:27 AM
And yet another reason to use Endicia! Their Dial-A-Zip feature confirms the address AND converts the zip to a +4 zip automagically!
posted on September 5, 2001 07:25:37 AM
Well, I don't know, maybe that vacation theory might have something to do with it.
I can tell you I just received feedback from a buyer, positive and the buyer was pleased. But I looked up my shipping records and if the buyer did leave feedback on the exact day it was received, then it took a full 2 weeks to go from Ohio to Maine! That's ridiculous. It used to take that long from Ohio to California and sometimes Florida. One of my recent inquiries was from someone in New York, and it had been about a week and a half since the item had shipped.
I do have it in my auction ads and another reminder in my EOA notices that Media Mail will take 2-3 weeks. But, like you say...
So, I just checked out that Zip+4 service at the USPS website, and I might start using that, if you say the packages do arrive so much faster. It's certainly quicker than having to fill out an entire DC slip for each package.
posted on September 5, 2001 07:28:54 AM
I also will check out Endicia during one of the afternoons my son is in preschool when I can concentrate! He's starting his first class today.
Actually, what would be most appealing to me with such a service is not having to wait in line all the time. Usually our post office doesn't really have much of a line, but the past couple of weeks have been incredible. I know that many sellers might just have started selling again after the summer break, but I still don't remember things being quite this busy before.
posted on September 5, 2001 07:34:11 AM
It's VERY nice. I just breeze right to the counter and drop my stuff off. The lady there knows me and I've had no trouble whatsoever.
And the lines are getting longer where I am too.
And if you do use Endicia, you can pay $0.12 for DC on Media Mail. I'd still use it along with Zip+4. That way you can see when the item has been delivered.
posted on September 5, 2001 07:56:53 AM
Plus, if you're just mailing out books, you can dump the packages in the outside mail box--no need to go into the P.O. at all! Even though your packages may weigh over 1#, when you are with a service like Endicia (and others I think), you are assigned a meter number and are thus a "known user," so you don't have to worry about handing over packages that weigh more than 1#. I do take large packages into my P.O., mainly because they won't fit in the mail chute lol, and I also take in large loads of books to avoid filling the boxes. But it's really nice to be able to zip by and dump off one or two book packages without getting out of the car.
posted on September 5, 2001 08:10:30 AM
Another "me too" for Endicia. I went from shipping almost everything First Class and Priority to almost everything by Media Mail. I've had hundreds of packages ship using Media Mail with the Endicia software and haven't had one take longer than 9 days. Most are about 7 days for long transit but often that isn't even consistent. I've had items go cross-country in 4 days with Media.
peiklk: I'm a little confused by your comment, "And if you do use Endicia, you can pay $0.12 for DC on Media Mail. I'd still use it along with Zip+4." You don't have any choice with electronic postage services. Everything gets converted to ZIP+4 and the address is verified against the postal service address database.
posted on September 5, 2001 08:10:40 AM
I have found Delivery Confirmation to be absolutely worthless!!! The next best thing might be Signature Confirmation. Atleast you have a leg to stand on when the addressee says he/she didn't receive it. You'll have an actual signature. But it costs $1.75 for this service.
I just lost $15 on something I sent DC because, although it shows it was delivered, the guy says he didn't get it and is going to do a chargeback.
posted on September 5, 2001 09:31:37 AM
I've been using zip+4 with barcodes almost from the beginning. It's absolutely free on the national address server, but I make my own barcodes in Word and occassionally need USPS to verify an address. While the +4 is great, you need the barcode to make sure it lands in the right place.
posted on September 5, 2001 09:35:38 AM
avaloncourt: I was replying to BJGrolle's comment "So, I just checked out that Zip+4 service at the USPS website, and I might start using that, if you say the packages do arrive so much faster. It's certainly quicker than having to fill out an entire DC slip for each package."
I was saying that in addition to Zip+4, using DC was a good idea!
posted on September 5, 2001 09:36:36 AM
Triggerfish -- won't the CC company accept DC as proof of delivery? If so, then the chargeback would not be awarded to the buyer.
posted on September 5, 2001 09:47:50 AM
Well I win the Boob Buyer of the Day award.......I just got an email from a buyer wanting to know when I mailed their book ~ because they have not gotten it yet......
They paid by echeck of the 30th ~ it cleared this morning........
I emailed them back and explained how echeck works and that it just cleared this morning and that it would be shipped tomorrow......also let them know that it would take up to 2 weeks to get there.......
Thinking I should add delivery confirmation on this one.
posted on September 5, 2001 10:00:44 AM
I used to ship media mail exclusively, and all I'd ever hear is complaints about slow shipping. So I double the shipping charge to ship Priority mail and all I get is complaints about high shipping costs. If I offer a choice no one emails me and makes a selection.
So what I do now is charge an obscene s/h amount to weed out the whiners, and most people pay it, and the few who complain I say I also ship media mail at a much lower cost but it takes 7-10 days if that's alright with them. It works, no more "where's my item," no more feedback like, "good seller but slow."
posted on September 5, 2001 11:12:50 AMAvalonCourt said "I've had hundreds of packages ship using Media Mail with the Endicia software and haven't had one take longer than 9 days. Most are about 7 days for long transit but often that isn't even consistent. I've had items go cross-country in 4 days with Media."
This has been my experience too, although I haven't shipped as many media mail pieces as AvalonCourt. I have had cross country delivery in 4 days on several occasions.
The ZIP+4 is a good, simple check to do and I always recommend it for ANY mailpiece if only to confirm a "good" address. But for flats, the associated POSTNET barcode is not used extensively for the USPS sortation processes. It's largely manual sortation and generally keyed on the ZIP5, not the ZIP+4+2.
My *theory* on the excellent delivery performance that I and others have seen with media mail is the visual prominence of the address label when printed with a PC-Postage product, and the fact that there can be an inexpensive (12 cent) DC barcode on the package. I think when USPS processing folks see those two things, they tend to put the package in with other expedited packages.
posted on September 5, 2001 11:18:02 AM
peiklk: I decided to do a little statistical analysis. I took the last 25 delivered Media Mail packages and checked to see how long it took to deliver them.
The overall average of those 25 items was 5.1 days. The slowest package was coast to coast (PA to WA) and that was 9 days. The next two longest coast to coast items took 7 days. Delivery to east coast addresses took 2 - 3 days. West of the Mississippi to California took 3 to 7 days.
I'd say that's pretty good for a service that is less than half the cost of Priority using Endicia.com to generate the postage and 12 cent Delivery Confirmation. I have not ever had a single complaint about slow shipping.
As Harry noted about suspected sorting processes at the postal service, I'd have to agree. I see a lot of my media mail pass through the Warrendale PA sorting center which, as far as I know, is a Priority Mail sorting center.
By the way... Harry, You da' man!
Where else can you find such excellent service from such an excellent company. You must be great to work for. By the way, hope the little Whitehouse had a nice birthday.
[ edited by avaloncourt on Sep 5, 2001 11:34 AM ]
posted on September 5, 2001 12:36:38 PM
AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!
I just got ANOTHER one!
And this is from one of those buyers who insisted on paying to insure a $1.75 package!
For the record, I shipped the darn thing just last Thursday, the 30th and she's complaining because she hasn't gotten it yet and she's supposedly gotten every other book she's ordered. Now she's asking me for a tracking number and I already told her in a previous email that the USPS won't provide tracking on $1.10 worth of insurance. She even used that email with that very statement in it to reply to and is still demanding the insurance number off the package. Sheesh!
I always remind these people that they had the option to upgrade to Priority Mail, but they didn't. And I give them a date that they can contact me by if they still haven't received the package by that time.
posted on September 5, 2001 01:18:27 PMBJGrolle, remind your buyer that Monday was a Federal holiday. That most likely will add a day or two to the normal delivery time.
posted on September 5, 2001 02:00:16 PM
Yes, Meya, I did so. Even so, the book was shipped only 6 days ago. I think people are jumping the gun way too much this last week. Perhaps a trend of things to come unfortunately.
I shall be looking into other options. I know that nothing is ever that easy. What work I eliminate in one area, I create in another.
I was making some inquiries at my post office and they told me that with the volume I'm bringing in, I could just drop off the packages at the dock as long as the postage is on somehow, whether imprinted or plain stamps. And there was a long line again today, which grew to twice the size by the time the clerk had to spend 10 minutes with all my packages!
I'd hate to spend half my son's time in preschool at the post office.
I don't know if it will help or not but when I send out my "your item has been shipped" email, I remind them in there that it is being shipped media mail which can take longer & that I will keep in touch with them until the package arrives safely.
So far, no inquiries from worried buyers. Perhaps a bit of "touchy feely" in your shipping confirmation email will soothe some of the savage beasts???
posted on September 5, 2001 03:12:57 PM
My items are 50%/50% split between MEDIA and PRIORITY and I have NEVER had a single person ask where is their item!
My auctions state "4 - 15 business days estimated delivery" as does my email I send upon shipping!
I think if ya use MEDIA, the ZIP+4 and DC (yeah! Endicia!), it makes a world of difference, as well as warning the people up front!
posted on September 5, 2001 06:19:03 PM
Today I've been making use of the USPS Zip+4 lookup to complete the zip codes on the payments I've received today. I admit that I never thought it necessary before, but I'm tired of this rash of complaining I'm hearing.
I've been doing this for a year-and-a-half, shipped out over 1000 packages, most of them Media Mail, and have for some reason been getting all these angry people in the last week who expect to pay less for shipping and still get the package as though they paid for premium service.
Let's see, Zip+4, and next will be DC as soon as I get around to updating my templates to increase the shipping charges for that. And besides already warning them in my auctions and emails that Media Mail takes longer, I'll add something to the effect that "Here is the link to check on the status of your package..." and that should help quite a bit with these emails.
