posted on October 19, 2001 08:07:34 AM
<taking big deep breaths> ahhhhhhh ..... feeling better already.
Long story short, buyer uses BIN to buy a print item that has shipping via media mail in the description. It also states that I will hold checks for 10-14 business days.
Her check arrived 10/16 and I shipped today. I sent an e-mail stating that I am shipping with a reminder that media mail can take up to 30 days to arrive.
This is her e-mail response:
Gracious. Will keep an eye out. What is media mail and why does it take 30 days? I send the dineros pronto and expect the same with respect to the merchandise. In other words, you did not have to wait 30 days for the money to reach you. Why am I waiting 30 days for the merchandise?
My response:
I received your check on 10/16 and your package has been mailed via media mail (as noted on the auction page). Media mail is a less expensive way to send printed material and costs about 1/2 of priority mail. As you know, the post office makes no guarantees of delivery within specificed periods of time but do state that it can take up to 30 days for media mail to arrive at the destination. However, my experience is that there are only a small percentage of items that take that long.
I didn't want to remind her (yet) that she sent a check and I could have held her item for a couple of weeks according to my TOS. She has been a member since June and just this week received a neutral for not following a seller's TOS. I feel a headache coming on.
posted on October 19, 2001 08:23:49 AM
other words, you did not have to wait 30 days for the money to reach you. Why am I waiting 30 days for the merchandise?
she does have a point there !!
bookrate has been faclifted to media mail by usps,most cases it does not take 30 days,you should say up to 14 days.
most people dont want to wait 30 days to get their items,i dont even bother to tell them how many days.
if they pay 3.95 shipping for a hardcover book,they know it is media mail .
posted on October 19, 2001 08:38:23 AM
Sorry She doesnot have any point there. The woman wanted the cheapest route for her package to arrive, and also sent a check which every seller has the right to hold. If the Post Office takes 30 days to deliver, that is not the fault of the seller in any shap,way,or form. You want something fast? Pay by an on-line service, after doing a bin, and use Priority Mail. You get what you pay for in pesos, dineros, or dollars.
posted on October 19, 2001 08:59:24 AM
Yes, this kind of thing is aggravating. For about a 2 week period around a month or so ago, I got a slew of emails "Where's my book?" Of course, they all went Media Mail and these people expected "Priority-type" service.
I have it listed in my auctions and in my EOA notices that Media Mail can take 2-3 weeks. I'm getting more buyers opt for Priority Mail with that little tidbit of info. However, there is still a straggler or two out there.
For the record, I always send an email letting the buyer know the exact date their package shipped, usually sent on the date the package shipped. And wouldn't you know it, I get an email today asking when such and such shipped. They can give me the date they paid, how, how much, but they are somehow unable to reference the email I sent them giving them the information they're asking for now. I send out my "shipped" emails specifically as a courtesy and to avoid these follow-up emails. And, of course, the buyer didn't pay for Priority Mail.
I don't know. To me, if it's stated such and such a method can take 2-3 weeks, they shouldn't even ask where it is until the 3 weeks are up. It hasn't even been 2 weeks at this point for this particular inquiry.
Also, I offer Delivery Confirmation with the rate quoted in my auction ads and in my EOA notices. That would have been a handy option for the buyer to choose in this instance. But no. Gotta save that 50 cents and worry about it later.
I'm beginning to understand more and more these sellers who only ship Priority Mail and/or automatically do the DC.
I'm preparing myself for more inquiries. These things usually come in bunches I notice.
[ edited by BJGrolle on Oct 19, 2001 08:59 AM ]
posted on October 19, 2001 09:09:23 AM
Why say 30 days? Yes, it CAN take that long, but I have shipped a couple of hundred packages via media mail, and most do get there within 8 days (maybe a few more these days) and very rarely longer. Why cause yourself problems BEFORE there is a problem. If she complains next week that the package is not there (and it might be there in most cases) then deal with it THEN!!
posted on October 19, 2001 09:25:12 AMWhy say 30 days?
Same reason a lot of those teevee advertisers say "4 to 6 weeks for delivery".
The acronym answer to this question is to "CYA". If you don't specify this, and if the item *does* take 30 days to arrive at it's destination, you can imagine the feedback that the buyer would leave, not to mention all the nasty "where is it" emails in between.
dixiebee --- you did well and I hope all of your auctions run smoothly
posted on October 19, 2001 09:32:07 AM
A lot of tv advertisers also have an option for rush delivery, and want you to pay a handling charge for it. That is why they are slow.
If I saw 30 days shipping in an auction, I would skip it. I still think that 30 days is very, very rare, and if you have to deal with email, that is better than not dealing with bidders like me who avoid those auctions!
posted on October 19, 2001 09:38:20 AM
The title of this thread is "Another Bidder That Cannot Read." But I don't see how the bidder's reading comprehension is impaired at all.
The bidder was advised, long after the auction ended, that shipping would take 30 days. She simply asked why it would take so long.
I think the bidder showed considerable restraint. The 30-day shipping should have been mentioned in the auction listing, because it is not the normal shipping time for media mail. Nowhere does the USPS state that media mail can take that long.
