Seller slow to ship considering notice of postal lockout.

[concerned4all]

I'm from Ontario and won an item from a seller in Ontario on Tuesday July the 5th.   On the Paypal receipt, I sent a note of my concern of an imminent postal disruption and I aked the seller to let me know when and how the item would be sent.

I had no reply on Tuesday and maybe they didn't look at the note to see it.  I then emailed the seller the following morning to express my concern about the disruption in postal service and asked them to ship out the item as soon as they can using Expedited or the Expresspost service.  I did pay $20.00 for shipping which was listed as standard and not saying exactly which service would be used.

The seller responded in an email a few hours later saying they would look into it with their postal service and thanked me for paying so quickly and that we'll talk soon.

I found this a little strange because if one knows there's a possiblity of a strike/lockout, why not ship the item you sold as quickly as possible.  If the item was shipped on Wednesday by Expedited parcel, I would have it by Friday.  

I emailed the seller back asking them to ship the item that day to give it a chance to get here.   I have not heard back from them as of yet.   I am wondering if I've been scammed and if they are legit.

They should have at least contacted me and let me know what they are doing and when they are shipping the item.   

My question to the board is, should I email them again or should I wait.   After reading all their feedback from the last two years, they have quite a few mentions of being slow to ship.

Thank you.

[pierrelebel]

"My question to the board is, should I email them again or should I wait."

WAIT

The problem here, the way I see it, is your high level of expectancy. 

Sellers are not at their computer 24/7 or even daily answering all questions.

The potential mail strike is a problem for everyone and many sellers will NOT ship this week knowing the risk of the parcel being stuck at the post office this weekend.  Not all parcels are delivered in two days within Canada.  In fact few are, even within the same province.

Patience.

[reallynicestamps]

 I did pay $20.00 for shipping which was listed as standard and not saying exactly which service would be used.

Without knowing what the item is, it is difficult to know whether $20 would cover any more than Regular Parcel shipping.

Cross-Canada postage is much higher than most people realize.

Here is the Canada Post rate card.

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

You can plug in the approximate dimensions and weight of your purchase (use metric!) to see what the possibilities are.

For example I can ship a paperback (10x17x2cm and 100gr) to you for $1.20. If it were instead 3cm thick, the cost would rise to $14.51 (or more for faster service)

Couriers are also working while Canada Post has its workers locked out. They are much more expensive and do not ship to all parts of Canada, sub-contracting service to rural and isolated areas--- to Canada Post.

[concerned4all]

Thank you!

[concerned4all]

I do know that the amount I paid for shipping is more than what the actual postage would be for a package of that weight and size if sent by Expedited parcel.    I know the post office rates are based on the volumetric size and distance of an item.   I regularily receive this type of item so I have a good idea.   

The sellers postal code and mine start with the same letter and we are not that far away from each other.   If only I had a car.

I am more than happy to pay them the difference to send it by UPS.  However,  I do wish that they would comminicate their intentions

as to what they are going to do either way.   I know I would.

Thanks again.

[momcqueen]

I understand your sense of urgency. Did you look to see what the seller's handling time is on this item? It may be something they don't have at the ready, or they might be further from their computer than they have indicated until now. Do reiterate that you may be willing to fund delivery by courier if possible so that the seller has a firm understanding that it is important to you to get the item sooner rather than later. Aside from that, there is little else you can do aside from wait. As patiently as possible. The looming postal disruption is a pain in the neck for all of us. 

[heavonlea]

As a seller in Ontario we do NOT know if there will be a disruption or not, I check the Canadapost.ca website daily, I think you should give your seller a little more time, this is difficult for all buyers and sellers.

[concerned4all · Accepted solution]

In the listing it states that shipping is within 2 business days.   If I understand correctly, that should be today.   The item I won was the only listing they had in awhile and perhaps that's why I'm suspicious if they're legit.   If I don't hear from them today, I will email them tomorrow and mention that I will pay the difference if they are willing to ship it by a courier.

[momcqueen]

That sounds like a good idea.