So, how many freak outs have you had so far?

[007steveb16]

 Anyone else had the joys so far of a holiday customer freaking out about "where is their" item?

I've had 3 since the end of November. The last from a very rude and "caps" using American.

This is the reason I closed the store on Dec 1st but I think next year I'll close on Halloween...

[brandeentertainment]

Yes way too many from the US so much so that yesterday I changed everything to only shipping to Canada ... People seem to think that Canada post is going to fly a personal jet to their doorstep to deliver there $10 item ... I have November December but the sales are too good to close..

On the good side of things my 2 negs and neutrals from last december are slowing disappearing

[xtremetech99]

Not yet. Not sure if i should limit it or say clearly in description. Like how canada post mentions cut off dates. I did add expected shipping times last weekend because i get asked that fairly often.

[brandeentertainment]

Description doesn't stop them ... I have delivery Estimates in desctiption and things mention in subtitled .. nothing you type will change it ... Honestly I love my customers but ebay buyers seem to be getting worse and worse with no knowledge of anything ...

[007steveb16]

Make that 4.....

GAH!!! X-(.....dealing with ignorant nOOb American buyers makes me wanna put my head through the wall!

[doumb21]

This is the risk of selling in december.

People are buying gift for Christmas, but also for office parties and they need to receive their items quickly.

It is a very dangerous period for DSR as people like in shopping malls are getting a bit out of self control.

[007steveb16]

Didn't sell into Dec....;-)

This was a "first time buying from Canada", US buyer...using lovely words like "I expected" and "i thought that".....lucky me dealing with them of course ignorantly comparing everything to inter-state mail service within the US.

Oh and the best part.."you should state in your listings how long it takes for items to get to the states".....ummm read much???? I DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

It doesn't matter if I make that information in my listings on how long it would take, they expect it SOONER!!  Never mind what I said in my listings!!  That is what is happening with those insane ebayers nowadays. 

The problem is that I sell most items in December of each year than any months expect during the snow storms, hurriance storms like that, I sold the most during those times.  So it is tough for me to close down for the month of December but I can only pray that eBayers would be "kind" and not to ding me with lower DSRs.

It is sad that eBay and their insane policies allow that.  If eBay have their own feedback and DSRs, believe me theirs would be way in the bottom like in the deep ocean with lots of negative and way low DSRs!

[007steveb16]

Lovin it soooo much......

The ignorant nOOb US buyer just left me a neutral 🙂

falalalalalalalalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[femmefan1946]

Don't worry too much about the neutral feedback. In a few days check to see what if anything he did with your DSRs.

You can of course add a calm factual Response along the lines of "Shipped from Canada 1/12. Feedback left 10/12. 6 working days in transit."

[godboma]

I did go through that  a few years ago. But I stopped selling on ebay in December when came the DSR and the 20% fees reduction.

My calculation tells me that it is not worth loosing the 20% on the fees (all year) over the profit from the sales in December. This year I closed my eBay store on December 5th.

It has been 3 years now that I close early in December so I may not know what I am missing in sales... But I do not get these angry emails...

On the other hands, my website is running at full speed at this time of the year so it does not show too much in the cash flow.

One thing that can help, is to send an email when you ship the items and tell your buyers when to expect the parcel. That may prevent some early angry emails.

Good luck,

Mario

[mr.elmwood]

I closed down today. I figure I don't need the hassles. I made enough money the last few months anyway. Best I can remember from last year, sales slowed this week and then I went away for three, so I closed my store anyway.

Two years ago I remember sales slowing as well.

I have already re-focused my energy. Treated myself to a new camera today. Nikon Coolpix P510. Serious upgrade from the Casio Exilim. Already ordered spare batteries and a charger.

[pjcdn2005]

Please let me know how you like the camera. I need to get a new one soon. I've been looking at the Canon S100 or 110  which are in the same price change as your Nikon.

[Anonymous]

The worst thing any sellers can do is that they never respond to any email.  As a buyer, I wouldn't be happy if my sellers don't have any courtesy to respond to any email at any time.

[brandeentertainment]

Just has another US buyer 4th in last 2 weeks asking about their parcels after about 2 weeks in Transit..

I am going on 21 days waiting for a gift from the US  I am not worried because I know these things happen during this time of year ...

Last buyer Said NOT VERY HAPPY ..

I replied very prompt and polite but it is just driving me nuts right now so I jacked the shipping to Small packet  charging $9 instead of $3.50 just for the holiday to turn off US buyers but keep my .com exposure.....

This is the first issue I have ever had with US buyers before so I am assuming it tis the season...

[mr.elmwood]

PJ, I love the camera already. Very easy to hold. Much easier than the cigarette pack size cameras. I like where all the buttons are. Much easier to hold becasue of its size.

I bought from a B&M store so I would have people to talk to and after sales service. A dedicated camera store.

I have already ordered spare batteries with a spare charger.

Considerabley better picture quality. Cameras have come a long way in four years. I was sold on the 42X zoom.

[oceanpriestess]

Tell me about it. You mail an item expedited one week, they are emailing you within four days to ask why it hasn't arrived. Complaining about the shipping and how SLOW things are, forgetting at times that they had a major fall storm that shut down the East Coast for about a week and this thing called Homeland Security. They refuse to wait for things and flip out over postage. come live in Canada, we also get charged TAX on shipping and fuel.

Then you get the AMERICAN (they love their ALL CAPS) asking you to end an auction so they can get an item before Christmas, this after listing it WON'T be delivered by Christmas and then them using a passive aggressive tone when you decide to to keep the auction going. One guy supplied me with a bogus auction end price to justify the $50 he was offering me for a coat. I asked him for the item number from completed listings to prove it.

I am finished with selling clothes to the US market in 2013. Even with lower end price auctions, they are getting more difficult to please and will nickel and dime you to get a lower cost for shipping and then gripe that its taking too long (see the amount of time expected at Christmas).   

[fillthoseholes]

We get them all the time so xmas isn't an exception, just a few more than usual.  We'll get more negs and neutrals because of it but we know that so it's our own fault for selling this time of year lol.  To me, this shipping issue has just become all part of selling online.  It's always been there and always will.  If I'm choosing to sell online then I'm choosing to accept this.  Wish it were different but it isn't and that just a fact.

[valuestore]

Only one so far, overseas customer contacted me 2 days before item was due to arrive and assured me I never shipped the item, open a dispute for inr.... although he did add a merry christmas at the end, just to add some love. Still not bad compared to last year and the snow storms.

[femmefan1946]

It's nto just the gift givers. On one of my other IDs I sell postage, mostly to eBay sellers.

I had a complaint yesterday that a local buyer had not received his packet, paid Friday, shipped Monday. He said he had ordered from a Quebec seller Monday and recieved Tuesday.  

I sent a friendly response mentioning Christmas and (this is true) that I had received feedback Tuesday from a Gatineau buyer for a postage order shipped at the same time as his.

Meanwhile he ordered more postage. So I responded saying I guessed the first shipment had arrived.

No, he said, he just hated waiting for local shipments.

So guys, whadda ya think? Should I point him to our B&M store or just put him on the BBL when the second FB is received?