Didn't get item

[unison334]

Seller marked the item as shipped last Monday, but the item still hasn't arrived. So it has been almost 2 weeks, even though the seller's city/location is an hour's drive away.

The seller didn't reply to any of my messages until I opened a refund request. Now the seller tells me that I should expect the item today, but I didn't receive anything.

How long should I wait for the item before escalating a claim?

[femmefan1946]

Within North America allow 20 days from purchase for arrival.

Most shippers, including Canada Post, use a 'hub and spoke' system of routing.

Your parcel went from your seller's home to the nearest terminal. If you were lucky that is also your nearest terminal and it would go out to you.
Just as likely it went to Mississauga, or Montreal or Winnipeg or Vancouver, then back to you.

Once in the mail, the speed of delivery is completely out of the seller's hands.

You could also drop into the local Postal Outlet, with government issued photo ID, and ask if there is a parcel for you. Sometimes a Delivery Slip blows away or is otherwise overlooked.

And ask the members of your household if they have carefully put it where it cannot possibly get lost.

I'd wait until Thursday, July 30th to escalate.

And as a life lesson, never order anything by mail that must arrive on a deadline. This includes paying for overnight delivery. Another corollary to Murphy's Law.

[unison334]

Thanks for your reply. But the item I am expecting is via lettermail so it shouldn't have went through a shipping hub and I don't have a delivery slip.

I agree the seller can't control the speed of mail. but 3.5 weeks seems a long wait for something that should have taken a couple of days.

[reallynicestamps]

'Last Monday' was July 5th.

Your item has been in the mail for 14 days not 3.5 weeks.

Everything goes through a shipping hub.

Letters are on a different conveyor belt but they still pass through multiple hands.

Actually one thing that happens with small items like letters and Light Packets (which are about the same size) is that from time to time they get caught in the bottom of mail bags and then found some time (hours, days, months) later, when the mailbag is reused and put into the mailstream.

This is the reason that the postal system has minimum sizes for items being mailed as well as maximums. Most invitation RSVP cards are just larger than the minimum.

And then there is 'mantelpiece mail'.

The item is wrongly delivered to a neighbour. The neighbour puts it aside to return, either by dropping it in your mailbox or into a corner postbox, and forgets to do so. 

[mr.elmwood]

Stamps? My math says the Monday was July 6th and that was ten (10) business days ago?

OP, everything goes through a sorting centre, everything.

[unison334]

Thanks for your reply.

I understand that once in a while mail gets lost or put it in the wrong mail box; I am just cautious because the seller hasn't responded to my messages until I made a refund request.

RE: "'Last Monday' was July 5th.

Your item has been in the mail for 14 days not 3.5 weeks."

You are right that  it has been in the mail for 2 weeks and shipped on July 6th. But when I said waiting 3.5 weeks (technically 3.43 weeks) seems long, I was responding to the suggestion to wait until July 30th.

[unison334 · Accepted solution]

I appealed to a case.

When escalating a case, it seems the best thing to do is to look at the disparity between when the item should have arrived and when the time that has passed; and at red flags/if anything seems fishy (a lot of time has passed and the seller does not respond to any messages).

[mater721]

"I appealed to a case."

I'm not sure what you mean here?

You opened a DNR case?

Or you cancelled a case you had previously opened?

[decal-fx]

They asked eBay to step in and make a decision

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@mater721 wrote:

"I appealed to a case."

I'm not sure what you mean here?

You opened a DNR case?

Or you cancelled a case you had previously opened?

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