I've had these before, I send an EOA to high bidder, they respond with 'Sent payment via PayPal already' ....I look, no there is nothing there, so I write them back and tell them if they sent payment, they must have misspelled my email, and to cancel it, and resend, or I'll invoice you from PayPal, then I never hear back....
Then I get a PayPal payment the other day, now this is 3 weeks after auction, never had heard from her in all this time, just a PayPal payment on a $5.99 item, wants insurance, adds in the message through PayPal that 'Please bubble wrap, DO NOT USE PEANUTS!!!!! use rolled up newspaper!!'
Yeah no kidding, after 5 years, I've always used bubblewrap, but them telling me to use newspaper instead of peanuts? whatever.... I
did not respond, will pack with newspaper, but it irks me that people keep telling me how to pack.... (OK that was a rant )
So to the first question..... how long do you wait, to send another email, telling buyer that NO, they didn't send a PayPal payment to you (again) ?
posted on October 6, 2002 02:08:38 PM new
I wait 7 days, if I don't hear from them after 7 days, out goes the NPBA. Doesn't pay to play the waiting game.
posted on October 6, 2002 02:29:09 PM new
I had a winner write me and tell me how to package but then said if I used peanuts I would get a negative feedback. I only use peanuts with my dishes never for anything else and I always state that Peanuts are used for packing. The nerve of some people, then maybe there is something in peanuts that they can be allergic to. I don't know
posted on October 6, 2002 02:51:30 PM new
I think most people fear the item will be broken in transit and they will have to do a claim. I bid and won a Rodgers Silverplate Tea Set and the set has no packing material at all. The handle was broken off the tea set and I will have to have it repaired.
Perhaps they think that the peanuts will shift, someone did mention that to me.
posted on October 6, 2002 02:55:57 PM new
As opposed to the original poster's remark... how many of you [us] receive inquiry from buyer that they paid via paypal, and you go look at your paypal account and there it is!, but paypal never informed you? .... is this a common paypal glitch? ... i have that happen a handful of times per year ....
marcia
posted on October 6, 2002 02:58:25 PM new
Thanks all. We've been shipping these for a few years. We haven't had one break yet, with the way we pack them.
I really do hate it when buyers tell me how to pack...
Libra63!! I think I had that bidder! I remember it was awhile back, and she said, 'I want my package packed only with recycled materials, do NOT use peanuts, or I will leave neg. feedback' ACK! Well I didn't use peanuts, (she wanted used plastic grocery sacks) but I did not leave her any feedback at all.
So 7 days is about the norm for the buyer who said he paid, but didn't
posted on October 6, 2002 02:59:20 PM new
which reminds me ...we ONLY sell on the internet and have never felt the need to file for a state tax ID, although at some local auction houses, we would supposedly not have to pay state tax if we had a state tax ID .... we prefer every buyer to claim their own internet buys, which the IRS1040s ask for nowadays .... [rather than us collecting state tax and bookkeeping/forwarding it to state house every year] ...
posted on October 6, 2002 03:00:55 PM new
aintrichyet, that has been happening lately, so I ALWAYS check my PayPal account, almost everyday, in case they didn't send me an email, and someone used Buy it now.
I noticed missing PayPal's 'you've got cash' emails for the past few weeks.
posted on October 6, 2002 03:17:00 PM new
I wait 3 days & if I don't get a notification from P/P, I send another email. Just had this happen last week. The lady immediately sent me a bank MO & apologized. Libra, sell a lot of china. I wrap in foam & use shredded paper for packing. I have burned up 2 shredders in the past 3 yrs. Now I have a heavy duty unit that cost $189.00. I sit & shred paper at night while watching TV. I have no easy access to peanuts, plus I have nowhere to store them. There is nothing wrong with peanuts. With anything you use to pack glass or china, be sure you overpack so the pieces can't shift.
posted on October 6, 2002 03:24:51 PM new
I dont understand why the person would be so opposed to packing peanuts unless they are a tree-hugger or something. Packing peanuts are the way to go instead of shreaded newspapers. They are much lighter and save more than their cost in postage/shipping costs. The key to shipping anything breakable is to double box. In other words, wrap the item and pack it in a box. Get another larger box big enough so that there is at least 3 inches all the way around the smaller box when you place it inside, including the top and bottom. Fill the areas around the box with packing peanuts until when you close the flaps and shake the box nothing moves. This way the item is 'floating' inside a protected 3" barrier of packing peanuts.
Here's a picture of 2-1/4 lbs of peanuts next to the same weight in newspaper.
posted on October 6, 2002 06:43:08 PM new
I had a lady who tried three times to pay me through pay pal, I kept checking and nothing.
Finally came through.
I don't know if she forgot to press "submit" or what...but it all worked out.
I wonder if there is a place to order the cellulose (or whatever) peanuts that decompose when you put them in the trash.
I found three garbage bags of peanuts in the trash, very clean, nearly gone now, but, as a person who does like trees, when I buy I will buy the kind that decompose.
Any ideas?
I also like double boxing things, keeps them from shifting. When I bought my Hasselblad it was double boxed, no peanuts, and it's just soooo nice, mmmmmm.
Japerton
posted on October 6, 2002 09:06:19 PM new
Another inexpensive packaging material is popcorn & it is biodegradable. Don't use the microwave butter type. I have a local movie theater save their stale popcorn and use it on some items.
posted on October 6, 2002 09:43:26 PM new
NearTheSea
Don't let it get under your skin when they try to tell you how to pack. I was in the moving business for 40 years, and there wasn't a week that went by without a customer trying to tell myself or one of my employees how to pack. I am certified by the largest van line in the world as a packing instructor and I still have Ebay customers try to tell me how to pack something. Those are the ones you want to bubblewrap very carefully for, and use lots of clear plastic tape on the bubblewrap
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on October 6, 2002 09:45:43 PM new
The reason why some bidders tell you how to pack is because there are alot of sellers that fail on packing right and most of them are the ones that state they are not responsible if you don't buy insurance.I buy alot of pottery and 10-15 percent of the sellers don't have a clue on how to pack a item.I have left a lot of negs for sellers that don't pack good and they all say they are not responsible but I think the seller is responsible to pack the item proper.I buy insurance on all the items that I buy and on alot of the broken items I have to add peanuts and bubble wrap and crush the box so that the post office will pay the claim.I know sometimes things break no matter how well you pack.
posted on October 6, 2002 10:17:17 PM new
Japerton: Packing peanuts are often made from recycled Polystyrene...more commonly known by the brand name, Sytrofoam. So in that sense, tree-huggers could still use it in without feeling too bad.
I've read that all the expanded polystyrene foam that is thrown away in the United States every year (not just peanuts) accounts for no more than 1 percent of the volume of landfilled garbage.
posted on October 6, 2002 10:42:33 PM new
japerton, ULine has the cellulose peanuts that will biodegradable. 12 cu ft bag is $24.00, plus UPS oversize freight. Bubblewrap, I live in a mobile home & have a small storage shed. I have no place to store the peanuts plus the cost of shipping from LA negates the savings in weight. Because of the bulk (size) of the pkg & I have to order 5 bags, It becomes a ridculus cost. Like $52.00 for shipping for 6 bags @ $25.00 per bag. I have never double boxed anything & in 4 years have ha2 broken pieces of china. The secret is to have a box the is big enough to be able to insulate your fragile piece from all outside trauma. Pack so tightly that there can be no shifting within the box. I just shipped 2 sets of china to Replacements, Ltd. Not a single piece was broken. That is from CA to NC by FedEx Ground. These were wrapped in foam & packed with shredded paper.
[ edited by sanmar on Oct 6, 2002 10:49 PM ]
posted on October 6, 2002 10:51:02 PM new
Yeah, shipping is too high on packing peanuts because of their bulk. I had a good cheap local source until I recently moved to a new city, now I try to find them in dumpsters or wherever I can. I have found toy store/gift shop dumpsters to be a good source for them, as well as nice clean boxes.
posted on October 6, 2002 11:18:31 PM new
Sanmar...
Shreded paper is a great agent to use for packing. When I first got into the moving business in the 50's, it was the standard on the east coast. We used to get tons of it on inbound shipments. The main reason it died out was because it presents a huge fire hazard if stored in quantity in a warehouse. The movers in New York would have employees that did nothing but gather newspaper and shred it for the packing crews all day long. The second big problem was the loss of small items when unpacking. You would be surprised at the number of salt and pepper shakers and teapot lids I used to find when disposing of that stuff. That's the primary reason you see so many Hall teapots listed on eBay minus a lid. Just be sure you enclose an inventory in the top of the box so the recipient knows what's inside if you are shipping to someone who's not familiar with this stuff.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on October 6, 2002 11:45:41 PM new
Thanks Sanmar
For both!
I just sent a fiesta platter, and I double boxed it, it cost 12-ish to ship priority.
Logically, if I get a bigger box and some puffy insulation, I might do better shipping.
I confess that I love trees. Tree house...tree lined drive...treed cat...tree for two...
)
