Sellers being slow to ship

[shapeshifter421]

Not that a lot of sellers get in any hurry any other time, but I've been noticing quite a bit of it lately.

Paid for by paypal Item on the 7th, seller with 100 percent feedback shipped the 13th(6 days, 5 excluding sunday, 4 excluding saturday)

Paid for by paypal on the 6th, seller with "about me" page saying items are typically shipped within 48 hours and over 99 percent feedback, shipped 13th(7 days, 6 excluding sunday, 5 excluding saturday)

Neither were anywhere near the hurricane zone

Had a few others just in the last 2 weeks with close to the same slowness

Curious if anyone else has noticed this lately with their buying, this didn't seem to be happening before Katrina hit(to me anyway, a few isolated ones, but 90 percent were shipped in 3 mailing days), I'm guessing gas prices and the like are to blame, or at least thats you might hear if you take the time to ask

[scooby105]

not everyone can ship every day. many people have only one day a week which they can ship packages. anything shipped within 5 days is decent. i myself usually wait until i have several packages paid for a ready to ship out. making several trips to the post office instead of one is a pain.

although, since the seller stated that packages ship within 48 hours, that's pretty lame.

[Griking]

Perhaps when the price of gas went over $3 a gallon some people decided to try to manage costs by limiting their trips to the post office to only once or twice a week. It's also possible that they didn't remember to edit their "about me" page. I don't even remember if I'd ever set mine up.

Did you email the seller and ask them about the delay?

[esquire]

I think it is perfectly acceptable to ship within 7 days of receipt of payment. I know I do. Like others have said, not everyone can go to the Post Office everyday. Consider this: if your seller is selling multiple items, that means he's going to have multiple buyers each paying at different times and using different methods. Do you honestly expect him to run to the Post Office after each and every payment?

Sometimes you need to look at the bigger picture. It's not always just about "you" and "your auction." And, I don't mean that in any kind of condescending way. It's just that sometimes people forget.

Of course, all of this doesn't apply if you are paying extra for expedited shipping.

[Jed]

While we're on the subject, something I paid for on August 28th just got shipped today. Hooray for slowness! -_-

[Bronty-2]

boo frickin hoo.... if you have a real job keeping you busy, shipping once a week is a serious feat. I think buyers don't give sellers enough slack on this - most people selling on ebay are just individuals, not businesses. As long as I get my items safe and sound, I could care less if there is a delay..

[number6]

boo frickin hoo.... if you have a real job keeping you busy, shipping once a week is a serious feat. I think buyers don't give sellers enough slack on this - most people selling on ebay are just individuals, not businesses. As long as I get my items safe and sound, I could care less if there is a delay..

That's great for you. Most Buyers (except you apparently) do appreciate quick shipping. Most sellers like to get paid quickly. Another thing. The Seller's/Buyer's personal problems are not the concern of the Buyer/Seller.

If ebay is not a full time business for a seller then they should have no trouble going to the post office for the one or 2 items they just sold on Ebay.

If you sell enough each week to consider it a bother to make a trip to the post office for each item you sell, then it sure sounds like a business to me.

[esquire]

boo frickin hoo.... if you have a real job keeping you busy, shipping once a week is a serious feat. I think buyers don't give sellers enough slack on this - most people selling on ebay are just individuals, not businesses. As long as I get my items safe and sound, I could care less if there is a delay..

That's great for you. Most Buyers (except you apparently) do appreciate quick shipping. Most sellers like to get paid quickly. Another thing. The Seller's/Buyer's personal problems are not the concern of the Buyer/Seller.

If ebay is not a full time business for a seller then they should have no trouble going to the post office for the one or 2 items they just sold on Ebay.

If you sell enough each week to consider it a bother to make a trip to the post office for each item you sell, then it sure sounds like a business to me.

Not true at all. You are assuming that people who do not make ebay a full time business are only going to be selling a few items here or there. I have a full time job that demands 60 hours a week, but every now and then I sell items on ebay. I don't piecemeal sell them, I wait till I have a quite a lot. It's easier for me to do it that way, and get rid of them all at once. My last auctions were for 75 different items. I don't think any one in their right mind expected me to make 75 different trips to the post office. Shipping once a week is clealry acceptable. Buyers need to be a bit more patient. If they wan't something "now" they need to go to a store for their instant gratification. Ebay is not retail, its re-sale.

[Griking]

I'm personally not in a big hurry to get the majority of my puchases. the only problem that I have is when the seller charges me for priority shipping but then doesn't ship my item until a week after I paid for it. I may as well have paid for media mail shipping.

The best way to avoid these problems if you're a seller is to put in your auction listings when you ship. (once a week on Saturdays, twice a week, whatever). And if you're a buyer and want your purchase right away you should probably email the buyer up front and ask when their shipping schedule is.

As long as my win is shipped within a week of my payment I'm ok with it.

[Aussie2B]

I can go as long as a week without shipping something out. I mean, the post office isn't open on weekends, and I only have two days a week when I'm not at school ALL day.

I sort of believe in auction "karma" when it comes to the speed of the process. If someone pays me immediately with PayPal or sends out a money order right away, I'll put in a little extra effort to get the item shipped out right away. However, if they wait a few days to send their payment, then they shouldn't have the right to whine if it takes me a few days to get the item out.

[Griking]

I can go as long as a week without shipping something out. I mean, the post office isn't open on weekends, and I only have two days a week when I'm not at school ALL day.

I guess you learn sonething new every day. My local post office is open on Saturdays intil 12:00pm and I thought that all post offices has the same hours since the were all government operated. A check on the USPS.com website showed that I was wrong.

[number6]

boo frickin hoo.... if you have a real job keeping you busy, shipping once a week is a serious feat. I think buyers don't give sellers enough slack on this - most people selling on ebay are just individuals, not businesses. As long as I get my items safe and sound, I could care less if there is a delay..

That's great for you. Most Buyers (except you apparently) do appreciate quick shipping. Most sellers like to get paid quickly. Another thing. The Seller's/Buyer's personal problems are not the concern of the Buyer/Seller.

If ebay is not a full time business for a seller then they should have no trouble going to the post office for the one or 2 items they just sold on Ebay.

If you sell enough each week to consider it a bother to make a trip to the post office for each item you sell, then it sure sounds like a business to me.

Not true at all. You are assuming that people who do not make ebay a full time business are only going to be selling a few items here or there. I have a full time job that demands 60 hours a week, but every now and then I sell items on ebay. I don't piecemeal sell them, I wait till I have a quite a lot. It's easier for me to do it that way, and get rid of them all at once. My last auctions were for 75 different items. I don't think any one in their right mind expected me to make 75 different trips to the post office. Shipping once a week is clealry acceptable. Buyers need to be a bit more patient. If they wan't something "now" they need to go to a store for their instant gratification. Ebay is not retail, its re-sale.

Again, I say your personal situation has nothing to do with the buyer. If you choose to sell all your stuff in big blocks then you should plan that week to make a few trips to the post office. If you let the buyer know your shipping routine ahead of time that is fine, but like Griking said if the buyer pays for priority shipping then they have a reasonable expectation that you will ship within the next day after payment. Ebay itself is a business and if you use it just to sell one item I am sorry to say it, but you are in business that day you receive payment.

[number6]

Oops. Double post.

[esquire]

boo frickin hoo.... if you have a real job keeping you busy, shipping once a week is a serious feat. I think buyers don't give sellers enough slack on this - most people selling on ebay are just individuals, not businesses. As long as I get my items safe and sound, I could care less if there is a delay..

That's great for you. Most Buyers (except you apparently) do appreciate quick shipping. Most sellers like to get paid quickly. Another thing. The Seller's/Buyer's personal problems are not the concern of the Buyer/Seller.

If ebay is not a full time business for a seller then they should have no trouble going to the post office for the one or 2 items they just sold on Ebay.

If you sell enough each week to consider it a bother to make a trip to the post office for each item you sell, then it sure sounds like a business to me.

Not true at all. You are assuming that people who do not make ebay a full time business are only going to be selling a few items here or there. I have a full time job that demands 60 hours a week, but every now and then I sell items on ebay. I don't piecemeal sell them, I wait till I have a quite a lot. It's easier for me to do it that way, and get rid of them all at once. My last auctions were for 75 different items. I don't think any one in their right mind expected me to make 75 different trips to the post office. Shipping once a week is clealry acceptable. Buyers need to be a bit more patient. If they wan't something "now" they need to go to a store for their instant gratification. Ebay is not retail, its re-sale.

Again, I say your personal situation has nothing to do with the buyer. If you choose to sell all your stuff in big blocks then you should plan that week to make a few trips to the post office. If you let the buyer know your shipping routine ahead of time that is fine, but like Griking said if the buyer pays for priority shipping then they have a reasonable expectation that you will ship within the next day after payment. Ebay itself is a business and if you use it just to sell one item I am sorry to say it, but you are in business that day you receive payment.

Of course expedited shipping is different as you are paying extra for it. See my previous post.

One could argue that if an auction doesn't state when shipping is, it defaults to what is reasonable as with all other contracts that don't specifiy a contract term. judging by the majority of the posts here, 7 days is reasonable.

In fact, sellers are not required to specify their "shipping routines". If shipping terms aren't specified, of course its up to the buyer to email the seller before bidding, and if he doesn't like them, he shouldn't bid.

[mcgrail0007@netzero.net]

PayPal requires that sellers ship within 7 days in order to qualify for seller protection. I personally try to wait until I have enough items to make it worth my while to go to the post office. Some items are shipped within 20 minutes of receiving payment while other items might not ship for 6 days. I usually try to ship within 3-4 days of receiving payment. I ship almost everything priority mail. This way most buyers get their items within 7-8 days of paying.

I moved to a growing community last year. Where I live the post office has not kept up with the growth. I often have to wait 30-60 minutes at my post office before being helped. I personally don't have time to wait 30-60 minutes 3-4 times a week.

[Griking]

PayPal requires that sellers ship within 7 days in order to qualify for seller protection.

PayPal seller protection?

What is that? :?

[Vroomfunkel]

PayPal seller protection?

What is that? :?

It's a bit like mafia 'seller protection'. Except with the mafia, they only screw you over if you don't give them a cut. With Paypal it's the other way round.

Vroomfunkel

[kainemaxwell]

I usually try to ship when I have time before work, though my post office's schedule is changing October 1st to opening at 10 and closing at 7 (anyone else's doing this?) so that'll limit my time to get there to when I'm working the late shift at work or when I'm off.

[Nesmaster]

A week is reasonable, as the seller has to wait for my money order anyways.

I do like being told when my item is shipped so I can have a general idea of when it's gonna arrive. I usually send the seller an email 1 - 1 1/2 weeks after i send out the money order to see if it has arrived and if my item has been shipped yet.

[Bronty-2]

boo frickin hoo.... if you have a real job keeping you busy, shipping once a week is a serious feat. I think buyers don't give sellers enough slack on this - most people selling on ebay are just individuals, not businesses. As long as I get my items safe and sound, I could care less if there is a delay..

That's great for you. Most Buyers (except you apparently) do appreciate quick shipping. Most sellers like to get paid quickly. Another thing. The Seller's/Buyer's personal problems are not the concern of the Buyer/Seller.

If ebay is not a full time business for a seller then they should have no trouble going to the post office for the one or 2 items they just sold on Ebay.

If you sell enough each week to consider it a bother to make a trip to the post office for each item you sell, then it sure sounds like a business to me.

Not true at all. You are assuming that people who do not make ebay a full time business are only going to be selling a few items here or there. I have a full time job that demands 60 hours a week, but every now and then I sell items on ebay. I don't piecemeal sell them, I wait till I have a quite a lot. It's easier for me to do it that way, and get rid of them all at once. My last auctions were for 75 different items. I don't think any one in their right mind expected me to make 75 different trips to the post office. Shipping once a week is clealry acceptable. Buyers need to be a bit more patient. If they wan't something "now" they need to go to a store for their instant gratification. Ebay is not retail, its re-sale.

Again, I say your personal situation has nothing to do with the buyer. If you choose to sell all your stuff in big blocks then you should plan that week to make a few trips to the post office. If you let the buyer know your shipping routine ahead of time that is fine, but like Griking said if the buyer pays for priority shipping then they have a reasonable expectation that you will ship within the next day after payment. Ebay itself is a business and if you use it just to sell one item I am sorry to say it, but you are in business that day you receive payment.

That's patently ridiculous. You are not in business from either a tax or legal perspective if you sell one item on ebay or even a few items now and then. From what I gather from esquire's previous posts and his username, he's a lawyer. I'm a CPA. We're probably not the first two people you want to debate the definition of business with. I'm sorry but you do not know what you are talking about here. Most people that sell the odd thing on ebay are simply selling their personal use property. The IRS isn't going to come after you for selling your sister's $5 barbie collection..

Bottom line is people have lives. You can't expect them to take trip after trip to the PO. If you sell say 2 dozen things on ebay in a block of listings, you'll have payments trickling in every day or almost every day for a good ten days or so. You want the seller to take a trip to the PO every day to ship the previous day's cash receipts? C'mon man, loosen up and get real.

[number6]

My statements stand and I don't need to be a CPA or a lawyer to understand simple concepts like fast shipping. Bottom line is that if you are selling a good or service you are in business my friend. If it is for one day or 365 days a year you are selling a good or service for money. I did not say you need to go to the PO every time you receive a payment, but I think more than once a week is in order if you are selling many items in a short period of time.

[Wavelflack]

"Bottom line is people have lives. You can't expect them to take trip after trip to the PO. If you sell say 2 dozen things on ebay in a block of listings, you'll have payments trickling in every day or almost every day for a good ten days or so. You want the seller to take a trip to the PO every day to ship the previous day's cash receipts? C'mon man, loosen up and get real."

If actually shipping your item is such a hassle, then you don't need to be selling items on Ebay anyway. Somehow you managed to find time to take pictures and upload them, make a listing for your item, and likely check on the bid prices over and over during the listing. All this boils down to is lazy people trying to justify their lazy behavior by asking others to "loosen up and get real".

This reminds me of the Ebay sellers who try to justify adding surcharges to their shipping and "handling" fees so they can recoup their Ebay/ Paypal fees. Hundreds of excuses, all worthless and unjustifiable.

Why not be honest and include the following paragraph in your future listings?

"I am greedy and lazy. As such, I will not only pad the shipping and handling fees of this auction so I don't lose a single cent of the bid price to Ebay and Paypal fees, but I will also take my time actually shipping your item. I will cash your money order the day it arrives, and I withdraw your Paypal payment the second it becomes available. I will then sit on those funds for a week or so, until I have to go to the post office for something else. Your package will then be shipped, for nearly 50% less than you actually paid for shipping. This will probably result in you getting the package yet another week later than you expected, but since I got to keep an extra $2 that I wasn't entitled to in the first place, it makes it all worthwhile."

Fucking slobs.

[Aussie2B]

Sometimes a little patience can pay off. A lot of people who ship quickly just throw your item in a box or envelope and call it a day. I'd much prefer to wait a little longer if it means the item/s will be packaged up better. I know with my stuff I am meticulous in my packing and can take half an hour putting together a package very nice and secure.