Buyers who constantly message about shipping

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by bamaaudio, Feb 28, 2021.

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  1. bamaaudio

    bamaaudio Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    Sold an item less than a week ago and the guy has messaged every day starting less than 48 hours afterwards. There's only been an initial acceptance and departure scan and the guy is growing irate and demanding to know where the item is, get in touch with the postal higher-ups, etc. This is also for media mail.

    How do you all handle these types?
     
  2. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Let him fume. Ignore.

    Those types can't be reasoned with so why waste your time? PayPal will tell him to stick it where the sun don't shine if he escalates so just sit back and let him write you 100 emails that you'll also ignore. Once he gets his item, he'll stop.
     
    bamaaudio and Dave like this.
  3. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    :agree: I'm with @Strat-Mangler on this one. Don't waste your typing fingers and time.
     
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  4. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    While you're ignoring them, come right over here, and do a search for "shipping" and "USPS" threads. Keep you busy laughing for days.
     
  5. riverrat

    riverrat Senior Member

    Location:
    Oregon
    Since I'm kind of verbose and tend to run off at the keyboard, I'd probably reply once and gently remind the buyer of how the USPS and Media Mail work, it's out of your hands, waste of their time to keep bugging you, etc.

    Then go to ignore mode.
     
    Dave, Rycherocker634 and chazz101s like this.
  6. Joseph.McClure

    Joseph.McClure Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    I just had a buyer file an "item not received" for a CD that I mailed last Monday via media mail.

    eBay is now holding the money and asking to show proof of delivery - the CVD hasn't even left the city that I mailed it from...our area just went through two severe weather events!

    This is just ridiculous -- I told the guy I was going to file mail fraud charges if that CD shows as delivered and he gets a refund. I no longer care about coddling buyers - I am done with eBay.
     
    Spitfire and Shawn like this.
  7. bamaaudio

    bamaaudio Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    Wow. I get that everyone wants their purchases asap, but that's pretty sad. Amazon and their 2-day Prime delivery perhaps has conditioned folks into thinking mail has to arrive in a very brisk time frame. The buyer in question from this thread actually just messaged again after I ignored the previous one basically saying, "are you going to check where this is or not?" It has only been a week.

    The worst buyer I ever dealt with was on another forum who I suspect had sock accounts; both buyers were claiming to be husband and wife from the same household and would always file "item not as described" over the most petty issues such as an item not being in mint condition or questionable damage despite very robust packing.
     
  8. bamaaudio

    bamaaudio Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    Sorry for a second post (not trying to be needy like the buyer). He just opened a not received request after seven days and numerous messages, which is just plain nutty.
     
  9. Joseph.McClure

    Joseph.McClure Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    I feel your pain :mad:
     
    bamaaudio likes this.
  10. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Remember, the person who invented the saying, "the customer is always right", was not creating gospel. He was just trying to get his sales staff to take empathy with difficult purchasers, and give them a satisfactory experience so they'd come back.

    Over the past many years prior to the last two, I've experienced the same willingness from Amazon, for instance, to keep me satisfied whether it was their fault or not. This has built-up an intensely-loyal customer base for the company over a couple of decades with this sort of "no hassle" complaint-solving. Between COVID limiting support staffing, the recent growth of the public's polarizing attitudes toward people online they don't know and barely respect, and the natural corporate focus on nickel-and-dime-ing their in-house policies, the pendulum has swung the other way...and the overall sentiment against the large multinational mercantile behemoth has soured somewhat, now that Amazon knows who has the upper-hand in that relationship.

    I remember a conversation in my early-20's with a young lady who thought she was passing along wisdom, when she told me, "yeah, you can get anything you want from a store or restaurant so long as you complain loudly enough...". It sounded like a revelation, but a little voice in my head kept telling me to consider the source...and thank my lucky stars, it wasn't my girlfriend...;)
     
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  11. JakeKlas

    JakeKlas Impatiently waiting for an 8-track revival

    Location:
    United States
    I admire anyone who is an honest seller online these days. I know that if it were me and 99.9% of my buyers were happy, that .1% would still bug me way too much, especially if he/she was being unreasonable.

    I’ve been on a bit of an eBay spending spree the past couple of weeks and it’s like USPS is touring some of my packages like a traveling circus... eventually it will come to my town, too. But it would never occur to me to somehow blame the seller for these delays.

    I do think that some people might get confused about what “Shipping” can mean. I’ve been getting a lot of shipping notices with tracking numbers from eBay purchases, but it’s really just label creation... it doesn’t mean USPS has the package and is actually moving it at that moment. I think most people who buy a lot understand this, but I suppose some don’t. Just speculating, though.
     
    chazz101s likes this.
  12. joefont

    joefont Senior Member

    As an eBay seller I've always let the buyer know when I ship their item. For about the last six months I've gotten multiple "item not received" inquires because of slow USPS shipping.
    So I added the following message to the buyer when I informed them that their item had been shipped and I haven't received a single "item not received" inquire since.

    · According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), delivery delays may occur due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the USPS is reporting that some shipments are not being scanned which will result in inaccurate tracking information. We ask that you please be patient with delivery expectations.
     
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  13. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    you came to the right people on asking that question...:biglaugh:
    There are some hold-ups in shipping due to the pandemic and the sudden weather change that will cost delays. That's beyond your hands as long as you gave them the tracking. That's all you can do. Just relax and forget that guy. I don't know where you sold that buy if its ebay they should take care of all that stuff not you. Their job is also to mediate not just a plain commissioner.
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2021
  14. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Wow sounds like you are dealing with a real a=hole. Was this on eBay?
     
  15. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Well, yes and no. Yes, the USPS has been extra horrible during Covid.

    No, you can't just ignore the guy. If the item doesn't get scanned in by the USPS, you're on very thin ice. If it's scanned in but not delivered in a timely fashion, standard eBay deliver deadlines apply. eBay won't mediate. eBay will basically enforce their deadlines on you--especially if you can't show proof of USPS acceptance.

    In this case, it sounds like you have an acceptance/departure scan. So now you're just going to have to hope it arrives within the eBay window.
     
  16. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    Okay... Its not ignoring someone. What he did was going to the proper procedure. He shipped the cd, he sent the tracking, he responded to the guys email more than one. If the buyer has an episode problem, he's on his own. He has the "option" to file a complaint or non-received or whatever you call it. The bottom line is, you already done what you need to do. $20.00 is not a pricetag for the seller to share the buyers personal problems. ebay will probably not do it by their own regulation but it doesn't mean its right. They wanna keep their hands clean. That's not the case. they cannot be just commissioners. They try top do this to me before, I took ebay not the buyer to the better business bureau. I won. But what did I win.. a waist of valuable time?
    What I'm getting at.. The seller already done his part and that's it. If he already got the message that's things are delayed and all that, the buyer should have a decency to offer a faster shipping in the first place and paid for it. I would. That is what separates our belief. I wont let anyone pass me by like that. Read this threading so you would understand what I'm telling you.
    USPS - What's the deal with these guys?
     
    Craig likes this.
  17. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Yes, in an ideal world, the seller would not need to worry unless the USPS lost the package.

    In the real world, eBay is going to bone you if the buyer opens a case and the outside delivery date has passed.

    It sucks, but that's the real world. So you're not done until the buyer gets the package--in the amount of time that eBay promises.

    The best thing you can do is try to keep the buyer slightly sane by updating them. You can ignore them, but you do so at your peril.

    Again, you're arguing what you feel is fair, and I'm arguing what is actually gonna happen.
     
    chazz101s likes this.
  18. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    Again. He already done what he needs to do the right way.
    Not my world. They are not my employer and people should think that way too. Youre missing the point. If your world revolves around them, stay with them. There are other places to go and things to learn. I'll just give you one hint then I'm out. Even if you respond., I wont because I'm doing something very important. But I will give you my 2 cents very brief.
    After that situation happened, I have learned to wake up, better myself. Thanks to ebay for doing that and Today, I wont sell anything there and in respective place that has honor and under $2,500.00. You will not have to deal with those entities. That will all affect your life and even your job for the better.
     
  19. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    That's not the platform's fault. The buyer is the unreasonable one.

    I just placed an order and Media Mail promises up to 1-month delivery delays which are reflected in the order page so the buyer is aware of this prior to putting the order through.
     
  20. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    This is what the message is I received after putting my order in.

    "USPS is currently experiencing significant delays. If you chose USPS shipping your order will take much longer than normal to arrive. USPS has also not been scanning packages at every point during their journey. We promise that after you get this email your package has been given to USPS, even if the tracking number says otherwise.

    If your order's being shipped somewhere in the metro Atlanta area, your package will go to Memphis, TN for "sorting" before heading back to ATL. This is normal and to be expected.

    For faster delivery, we highly recommend UPS Ground."
     
  21. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    The reality is that if you were smart enough to use Paypal as your payment choice you'd have 180 days before you'd have to file a not received a claim as they will cover your butt. Forget eBay's payment plan nonsense.
     
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