eBay

ricarmic · ‎11-30-2016

My "children" are 20 and 23.

When I buy something that has tracking I almost never go to check the tracking status until I'm thinking it should have been here. I actually don't even look at the expected delivery date either, although on eBay sometimes my eye gets drawn to it because it's in bright yellow because the seller has slower response/delivery time. Generally I'm pretty relaxed about how long it should take, so normally I've never even looked up the tracking before it arrives.

I've noticed the opposite with my kids.

They watch it like a hawk.

They know the day they order it when it says it is supposed to arrive.

They watch its progress and notice any delays etc (and I get asked about any odd update entries in the status/progress updates).

They wonder why it hasn't arrived when it said it was supposed to (or it becomes apparent it won't be there in time via what's happening in the updates).

Perhaps it is a generational thing, but they are much more open and likely to buy something online than I (or perhaps my generation) is so it might be worth thinking about if one's material caters to younger folks. This is assuming me or my kids are any indication of what the average/normal situation is,,,,,,of course!

Before thinking of this today, I have begun to feel that people moreso expect to be able to watch their items in progress these days, so I have tended to more often send something tracked because I think people appreciate it more now than before. Even though it costs more on something of large enough size to bother consider tracking. Note too, that when I send something tracked it has an added bonus for my buyer (who is a stamp collector) because I use nice very collectible stamps on the package so they get more that way. I'm convinced some of my regulars are only regulars because they want more doses of the stamps on the boxes (in the olden days I never would have sent those boxes tracked because of the extra cost).

I don't know, something to think about maybe anyway....

thestuffofchris · ‎11-30-2016

I'm not much older than your children and I'll admit, I'm the same way as them.

As someone who buys a lot internationally, I like seeing how my parcels travel the globe before they get to me. Call it the "warm fuzzies" if you want, but I have always liked seeing how things travel. I wouldn't say I "watch it like a hawk", but if I have an item coming that is tracked I will generally go onto Canada Post's website in the morning to see where it is.

I don't purchase tracking just to have it, though. Most times I don't even purchase tracking because I don't feel it's always necessary. Right now I have two items on the way from different parts of the world that are untracked and I'm not worried about them getting here. I do like having a rough idea of arrival times, but they'll get here when they get here. I've never ordered anything and not received it, so I'm not worried.

Is it a generational thing? Hard to tell. My mom likes to follow the tracking, too, and know about the dates. (She isn't great with computers, so she'll get me to check.) In fact, today she asked me to check the tracking for an order I placed for her just the other day.

But, who knows, maybe none of us are "normal".

momcqueen · ‎11-30-2016

I have always monitored tracking on my inbound parcels like my life depended on it. I now do same as a seller with the outbounds.

With inbounds, this is so that I know I will be at home to receive them as they arrive.

The point of online shopping to me has always been so that I don't have to go out and get whatever it is that I have purchased. From the postal counter or from a courier depot always located clear across town. I don't want to, or simply cannot, do that.

Tracking means everything to me as a buyer. It always has.

mcrlmn · ‎11-30-2016

I guess I'm a kid at heart also.

I check orders I've shipped and those I've purchased... daily.

marnotom! · ‎11-30-2016

I used to be a tracking geek and I'd monitor the progress of my purchases/orders pretty closely. I think I was attracted to the novelty of being able to keep tabs on the progress of my items' transit.

I later realized this was just eating up valuable time and just confirming what I knew already: my item hadn't arrived yet.

Like you, Ricarmic, I now may check up on an item's progress if it hasn't arrived in a reasonable time, or sometimes I'll check on the progress of Christmas presents I've mailed out because I'm notoriously late on getting those shipped out.

Apart from that, I don't really bother now. I'm probably around your age, FWIW.

femmefan1946 · ‎11-30-2016

ricarmic-- I'm pretty sure I'm older than your dad (and say hello to him from us next time you see him).

I don't much care about tracking, inbound or out, because I am Scots-born and can't bear to spend the money on something unnecessary.

But then most of my items are very cheap and cost me even less. Except large postage lots.

00nevermind00 · ‎12-01-2016

@marnotom! wrote:
I used to be a tracking geek and I'd monitor the progress of my purchases/orders pretty closely. I think I was attracted to the novelty of being able to keep tabs on the progress of my items' transit.

I later realized this was just eating up valuable time and just confirming what I knew already: my item hadn't arrived yet.

I could have written this because it describes me to a t. My item gets here when it gets here. Checking tracking like a hawk isn't going to make it move any faster. Packages sometimes get delayed and in all my years of buying on eBay and other sites, only two or three never arrived. But the vast majority of my items have arrived in a timely manner.

These days, I find that watching tracking is about as exciting as watching paint dry. And about as useful.

msmaggie060 · ‎12-01-2016

I never worry about the tracking. Although at this time of year I do check to make sure my incoming parcels have been shipped on time. Yesterday my mail lady had two pkgs in her car for me and very nicely dropped them off at the door instead of taking them to the post office and leaving a note in my mailbox. I'm rural so the norm is to pick them up in town at the post office but they were already in her car and she has to pass right by my place on the way to the post office. They were really heavy too. I guess she'll get a bigger box of chocolates this year.

afantiques · ‎12-01-2016

I wish all the people who are tracking addicts and say 'My item is stuck in X place' could realise that was when it was last scanned, it could be almost on their doorstep by now.

I sent out possibly 10,000 ebay items from Britain. None were trackable, it would have cost my buyers £60,000 more, and it's money I'd rather have if anyone is getting it.