eBay

gifts_of_elegance · ‎10-26-2014

I sold a pair of earrings yesterday. Today the purchaser asked about the shipment. I replied that we do not have Postal Service in Canada on Saturday or Sunday but I will ship tomorrow (Monday). Buyer replied that my site states that item will be shipped day after payment is made and she paid yesterday so she wants to know if this was a mistake because shipping is still not shown. She also let me know that she was hoping to receive it by the end of the week because its a gift. She obviously did not see the ETA as 6 - 11 business days.

Purchaser has 0 feedback and is in New York. Surely she knows there is no mail service on Sunday, even if she is new at eBay. I wrote her that we should cancel the transaction as I cannot guarantee delivery. I refunded the payment.

This is a no win situation!

amethyst1415 · ‎10-26-2014

Isn't she dumb. It's one business day. You can't fix stupid.

femmefan1946 · ‎10-27-2014

Two short planks and a brick.

On the other hand, your unilateral refund does not free you from the transaction. The newbie probably does not know this, but she would have to agree to a Mutual Cancellation request or any repeated payment would reopen your obligation to ship.

Zero feedback, probably you are 'safe'. Fingers crossed.

73rhc · ‎10-27-2014

I agree that the buyer is being unfair. However, Canada Post outlets located in drugstores, and the like, are open Saturday and most Sunday as well. I just mailed out two boxes, yesterday (Sunday)

Anonymous · ‎10-27-2014

To 73rhc, it doesn't matter if there is a postal outlets at drug stores or any places like Sobeys that open on Saturdays and Sundays, the fact is that there is NO mail service during those days, especially in small towns like mine.

I usually hold all packages/parcels until Monday expect during holidays) if my buyers paid on Friday afternoon/evenings and during weekends.

Actually this idiot buyer should ask the seller about the mail service which the seller can offer XpressPost which is 2-3 business days.

Hope we will not get any more idiot buyers like this one the up coming months like in December.

I had one buyer that expected to received their items for Christmas when she was asking me on December 23!! Duh to this idiot buyer!! I told her it is purely not possible unless she fly to my home to pick it up! LOL.

block36 · ‎10-27-2014

I recommend you follow advises given by other sellers and at the first opportunity to mention to the buyer that your promise for the next day shipment indicates the NEXT BUSINESS DAY.

Sunday is not a business day in North America.

Good luck!

73rhc · ‎10-27-2014

Quite frankly, you don't know what you're talking about. The postal service still works, although there is no home delivery on the weekends. I once mailed a letter out early Monday and it was received on Tuesday. They work around the clock 24/7! So, if you get it in early, it has a chance of getting there early!

What town do you live in?

gifts_of_elegance · ‎10-27-2014

@femmefan1946 wrote:
Two short planks and a brick.

On the other hand, your unilateral refund does not free you from the transaction. The newbie probably does not know this, but she would have to agree to a Mutual Cancellation request or any repeated payment would reopen your obligation to ship.

Zero feedback, probably you are 'safe'. Fingers crossed.

I looked high and low before I made the refund and after and there is no "Mutual" cancellation option with this item, only "report buyer".

I looked high and low last night and now and there still isn't one. This is a first.

rose-dee · ‎10-27-2014

In a lot of villages and little rural post offices like mine (the real ones, not the drugstore types), nothing goes anywhere after 12:00 noon on Saturday, when they shut down completely for the weekend.

In fact, at our post office if you don't get your parcel by about 9:30 on Saturday, you miss the pick-up going to the city (Halifax) and it will sit in the back room of the P.O. all weekend.

This does sometimes make Saturday purchases an issue for sellers in rural areas who state 1 day shipping, especially if you have a buyer who misunderstands the meaning of "business day".

You may be right that in larger cities they work around the clock, but here, if I get a purchase between Saturday morning and Sunday evening, I immediately email my buyer to let them know my post office is closed for the weekend and that I'll have their parcel out first thing Monday morning, which is the next business day. So far, so good.

rose-dee · ‎10-27-2014

Has the buyer perhaps cancelled the transaction herself? In the Fall Seller Update, changes were made to the way cancellations can be done -- a buyer can now unilaterally cancel a transaction within 1 hour of purchase.

Sellers can apparently now cancel a transaction directly from "My eBay" instead of the Resolution Centre, and (if the buyer has paid with Paypal), the seller no longer has to wait for a response from the buyer as used to be the case (I haven't yet done a cancellation under the new system, but I assume this means you can process the cancellation and finish it without waiting for the buyer to agree to the cancellation).

Check your "Sold" listings and see what status is shown for the item -- this may clarify whether the buyer has cancelled (if she was within the 1 hour window). Otherwise, if you do the cancellation yourself, make sure you choose the reason "Buyer changed mind or made a mistake", because obviously this buyer just didn't understand your terms.

rose-dee · ‎10-27-2014

@gifts_of_elegance wrote:
I looked high and low before I made the refund and after and there is no "Mutual" cancellation option with this item, only "report buyer".
I looked high and low last night and now and there still isn't one. This is a first.

Hmmm -- I see what you mean. I just checked on my "Sold" list, and in the drop-down box next to an item I just sold today, there is no longer any option to cancel the transaction. I have no idea what the heck eBay has done with it! This is probably worth a phone call. No wonder the eBay.ca staff cancelled the Wed. board meeting -- the reason they gave was that they were "working on the after-sales experience". Right. Where is it?

Sorry I couldn't be of any help. Maybe someone else has found it by accident.

73rhc · ‎10-27-2014

Rose-dee,

I understand all of that. However, do we know where the OP lives? No. That being said. Even if there is no pickup, at least the package is there for Monday morning's earliest pickup. Also, if the item is leaving with a tracking number, you can upload it to your listing and the buyer sees that the item has been shipped! This is putting in the effort. Claiming something that can be easily checked online, like saying there is no postal service on Saturday or Sunday, is NOT!!!!

I feel bad that the OP got an unreasonable buyer. But that's where it ends. These boards are filled with advise about going the extra mile. I've had it shoved down my throat many times. And yes, I have changed certain things because of it.

pjcdn2005 · ‎10-27-2014

You might be able to cancel it using this link

http://res.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?CreateDispute&DisputeReason=2&guest=1

I would have probably explained to the buyer that it is unlikely that they would receive the item by the end of the week using the stated service and then would give them the option and price of having it sent by xpresspost or of cancelling the sale. Any time I've been in a similar situation the buyer has had me send the item the usual way because they don't want to pay the extra cost and they've been fine with that.

I always think that it is a good idea to give the option of keeping things the same, paying more or cancelling the sale. That way, they are the ones that make the decision.

tobyshitzu · ‎10-27-2014

It would hardly have helped the op to have the parcel sitting at the post office when the buyer expected it to arrive the same week. Those type drive me nuts, pay with a note "need it by (unrealistic day)". Then you ask them if they want to cancel and they don't respond, leaving you no idea what to do. Anywhere but ebay the vendor would just ship as they planned, with nothing the buyer could do in "revenge"

Here they promote items to be picked up from oulets/box near outlets with a 4pm cutoff or 9am at other boxes(doesn't make any difference how it gets through the plant overnight). But its worse, I've caught the contractor who picks it up near me doing it at 3 or earlier. So you could mail before 4 Friday thinking its on its way, and have your item sit there until 4 Monday. Its the same guy who delivers the parcels too large for the CP carrier. So whenever hes done that he picks the stuff up regardless of time

nudibranch4569 · ‎10-27-2014

in our small alberta community ,we dont have mail service sat and sun or holidays,post office closed,no pick up/

73rhc · ‎10-27-2014

Out of curiosity, I looked it up. The PO in Blairmore is not open on the weekend. However, the one in Coleman is open from 9 to 6 on Saturdays!

73rhc · ‎10-27-2014

Communication would help here. By charging for the appropriate shipping, she could easily get it there by the end of the week. Stop making excuses. I bought a camera from New Brunswick (I live in Quebec). The auction ended on a Monday or Tuesday (can't remember) and I asked the seller to get it to me by Purolator. I received it on Thursday, the day before leaving for summer vacation!!! So where's the problem?

melissasminis · ‎10-27-2014

The buyer has to ask questions before purchasing an item. They could have asked for a faster shipping service if they needed the item so quickly, or purchase the item on an earlier date to give time for it to arrive. It states in the listing the estimated delivery time, the buyer should have read this part, especially if they're in such a hurry to receive the item. One business day is one business day, and that's that. I also live in Nova Scotia like rose-dee, there is no difference if you ship it on saturday morning or monday morning, it's all the same. The main sorting facility in Halifax where all mail ends up for sorting, does not sort or deliver mail on saturdays or sundays, so it is quite pointless too rush to a post office in Lawtons on a saturday or sunday to mail something, it's the same as mailing it on monday.

If I personally wanted to mail something on the weekend, or after 4:30pm during the week, I would have to drive 45 minutes to get to the nearest Lawtons, this is why I only ship Monday-Friday, like many people on ebay do, even in the USA many sellers ship only Monday-Friday.

''However, do we know where the OP lives? No.''

What does it matter where the OP or buyer lives in this case, it's irrelevant. We don't know where the OP lives, but she does, and said she's in Halifax, what's your point.

73rhc · ‎10-27-2014

Maybe if you read the post, you would see my point. And then again after reading yours, maybe not!

If the OP would have communicated with the buyer (maybe she did?) after the fact. Arrangements could have been made!!!

"One business day is one business day, and that's that"

That's a very flexible attitude to have. Good luck attracting repeat customers. You stand your ground on that on. Rigid is always better when you are selling!!!!

"What does it matter where the OP or buyer lives in this case, it's irrelevant. We don't know where the OP lives, but she does, and said she's in Halifax, what's your point."

It's not irrelevant. If she lives in a metropolitan area, her item would have been picked up on the weekend!!!!

mr.elmwood · ‎10-27-2014

This is where the benefits of Paypal Shipping come in. I can sell on Friday after 5, print a label, buyer gets an email saying that it is shipped, and it sits on my desk until the PO opens on Monday.

My best "next day" shipping story is from when I was living in Churchill Manitoba. Easter long weekend, PO is closed Friday, Sat, Sun, Mon. Buyer buys and pays Wed evening. I print the label on Thursday evening. There is nowhere to put the parcel until Tuesday. It leaves Churchill Tuesday night on the plane. Are ya following: Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues, is next day.

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