e-bay : how long until seller mails item?

[gt6267a]

I purchased and paid for an item on tuesday and the seller still has not been put it in the mail.

at what point is it considered bad form, and when do you consider it a problem needing action?

to me, especially considering that i paid immiedatly, the item should have been in the mail already. what do you think?

thanks,
k

[mavic1010]

One thing about ebay we need to consider is that not everyone is a true retailer...though I'm considered a "quasi-dealer" (inside joke)....

So though you pay immediately, the person may not have the time to pack and goto the post office of UPS to ship it off right away. I usually give it 2 weeks from the time of payment to receive item.

I only goto the post office 1-2x a week so if i get their payment right before I go, it's super fast shipping, other times, they have to wait 3-5 days before I go again.

I'm sure you got a great deal...just be a little patient with the seller....

I kind e-mail asking if it was shipped is fine...it's a friendly reminder and sometimes they forget to log in that you paid (I should know...)

[Keith A]

I agree that they should have already shipped the item by now -- but three/four days aren’t too much of a delay and I wouldn't consider doing anything just yet.

Have you contacted the seller? What is his/her reason for not shipping yet? Did you mention to them that you paid immediately? If the seller is responsive to e-mails then I wouldn't worry much, but if they haven't replied since the payment, then I would personally start to get a little anxious.

I don't know if there is any eBay policy regarding a time limit for shipping. You could look in eBay's help and find out.

If they continue to delay the shipping, one thing you can do is to comment in their feedback that they were slow to ship -- assuming they come through with the product. If it keeps dragging on, but finally ship, then you could consider setting your feedback to "neutral" instead of "positive".

[mavic1010]

There is no time-limit that an item needs to be shipped in the ebay policies....

Maybe the seller can't goto the post office till Sat...just be patient...it's a different story if it was an online bike retailer and they didn't ship the item for 4 days....

[gt6267a]

I e-mailed and he said that the original box was inadequate. he will get a new box and ship them.

i am irratated, mostly due to the fact that i paid quickly via paypal, i.e. within 5 minutes of finding out the shipping cost, yet i am not receiving the same turn around.

thinking about it now, my deal here is about the same as with waiting for action in my own business. i find that my patience is almost infinite when i have a specific date of action, and almost completely non-existant when tasks are open ended.

had he given me a ship date, even if a week later, that would have been fine as long as he delivered on that day.

i think your ideas about moderating my feedback are good, but as long as he ships by the end of the weekend then i'll refrain from anything negative.

[MartyE]

The seller gave you an explanation, he initially packed
the item, the original package was not adequate and
he is going to get new box. I don't think that is unreasonable,
especially considering the auction only ended tuesday.
I'd be appreciative of his wanting to pack it correctly as
opposed to annoyed that it wasn't shipped.

Just my .02 worth

Marty

[Needs Help]

There is no time-limit that an item needs to be shipped in the ebay policies....Maybe the seller can't goto the post office till Sat

My answer to that is: then the seller should have emailed the buyer and informed the buyer of that problem immediately after payment was received. I would definitely put something negative in the feedback about the slow shipment. After all, the seller set the end of the auction, so the seller should be ready to ship as soon as payment is received.

[dnovo]

Too many sellers on ebay demand instant payment, with the threat of 'posting bad feedback' but usually take their own time in sending off the product.

Fortunately, most of the people I have dealt with have been fairly cordial and since I normally pay by overnight mail with a cashier's check or a credit card, they ship the day it is received.

On the other hand, I have been burned once or twice so I try to be careful. Dave N.

[mavic1010]

We are truly in the microwave era...I think too much is expected from this seller. This is assuming he is not a retail shop. Is it too much to wait a few days...does he have to send it off the day after he gets payment? It's not like a letter where you just put a stamp on it and drop it in the mailbox.

So does this mean that if I get payment 7 days after the auction (paypal or payment through mail) that I have 7 days to ship the item? For some reason, I feel that the buyer would not pleased if I had that policy.

[Saxon]

I sell on Ebay full time and I ship my items out Monday thru Wednesday. Those three pack up days are tough and usually turn out to be 12 hours of hard work a day (I pack and ship things like guitar amps, keyboards and bikes). The rest of the week is spent in other aspects of the job (dealing with the merchandise-finding, cleaning, fixing), with about 5 hours off on Saturday for a bike ride. If I get a payment on a Thursday, it waits until Monday to ship. That's really the only sane way for me to do it. If someone tells me they need the item fast and sends payment via next day, I do pack and ship it right away on non pack-up days, but I'm not thrilled about it. TO MAVIC: it seems to me that the people that take the longest to send payment are the ones that have a fit when you don't ship right away. Why is this?? :)
gt6267a, He should have gotten it in the mail this week. I would think that, at least, he should have it mailed off by Monday or Tuesday. After that, he's slacking a little too much.

Sax

[gt6267a]

mavic1010, i wonder, if the discussion was in the opposite direction, i.e. i sold an item and had not yet been paid, what would your advise be?

using your example of 7 days late, are you telling me that if, i posted here asking, "the auction ended a week ago today and i have not received payment ..." you would advise me to be patient? NO. i suspect that any seller on e-bay would have serious concerns about the transaction.

the consideration required for a successful transaction is a burdon placed on both parties.

further, to the sellers in the group, i also suspect that people placing the highest bid in your auctions are informed about your shipping timelines.

when this information made public there is no problem. the problem arises with open ended deadlines or my favorite, "i'll do it tomorrow"

my experience with tomorow is that it's the same as getting it done next tuesday.

[mavic1010]

gt: good point..and if someone hasn't paid me in 7 days, I don't fret about it. With the numerous transactions I've experienced through ebay, I find that 99% of the people that are actually going to honor their winning bid pay within 14 days of the date I send an e-mail informing them of the winning bid and final amount (not auction end date). After 14 days I use the non-paying bidder and the ones that had truely forgotten to pay, usually pay within 3-5 days thereafter, others are obviously not going to honor and then I go through the process of relisting and getting my fees back from ebay. My reasoning is that the person doesn't have time to get a money order or cashier's check during the week and does it on the weekend, so I'm pretty flexible about the time I receive payment.

Strangely, I don't give a timeline on when an item is delivered. Some ask and I tell them that I ship 2x a week and that it will be delivered within the next couple of days.

Now, understand I am a buyer (limited) as well on ebay. I just bought 2 oakley sunglasses, paid via paypal immediately, and after 10 days still didn't receive the item. I e-mailed him since I suspected he sent it UPS (probably takes 5-7 days) and wanted a tracking number. He emails me back asking me what my shipping address was. Now that was irritating and unacceptable. Especially since my address was in the paypal payment.

[Birddog]

My expectations as both a buyer and seller are high. I do believe in the "Microwave" theory, that it ought to be done expeditiously. I always pay via PayPal, (which is instant if you didn't know), and I expect quick shipment for doing so. If other than immediate shipment (Mon thru Fri), then it should be stated in the add, or spelled out in an E-mail. If you know you are selling something, then you should have the packaging all set and ready to go. Why would you not have package ready? When I sold a bike, I had everything ready, bike was packed in a box, just waiting for name and address of winning bidder. Upon payment, I enclosed a note in the box, sealed it up, and sent it off. In this particular case, the deal closed on Friday, and the shipper told me it wouldn't go out till Monday, so I E-mailed the winner of that status. I would expect no less. I have had reasonably fast shipments on almost everything I've purchased on E-bay. And another thing, if you sell a high ticket item, don't take it upon yourself to call the winner's home for details, E-mail them, they may not want everyone to know what they've been up to!

Birddog Junior Member (probation)

[gt6267a]

i found out this morning that the seller shipped the item. while disapointed with the shipping time, i do think if my expectations had been handled, i.e. known it would ship today from the begining, there would not have been an issue.

ultimately, i am with birddog in the high expectation department.

as an aside, i crashed at friend's place last night. his two young children are chassing each other all over the place shreiking. i am split between thinking its cute and concern that my ears my melt off. it is time for me to chase them down and see if they want me to read them a book.