Question Buying Online

[Lou]

Some of you may know that eBay has cracked down on it's rules (FINALLY) and has geared it's company toward the buyer. Sellers can't leave negatives (or neutrals) in most cases and if they don't keep up a certain level of customer service they're restricted or suspended.
As you can imagine this has many sellers screaming mad.

Only one new policy I disagree with is that now neutrals count AGAINST the sellers. Since NEUTRALS are supposed to be neutral by definition, I think that's a bit unfair. Although, it's also not fair that someone with 100 neutrals should have feedback that says 100%. But, to give the buyer the choice of good, bad and bad when one of those bad's is disguised as an "okay" doesn't seem quite right. I'd rather them just do away with neutrals all together.

I've spent the last few days on those boards trying to figure out what the problem is. One problem I've noticed is that these sellers probably weren't the best to begin with, although they're bellowing that they have fabulous customer service and all the buyers are nuts.

Here's the biggest point of contention. They seem to say that this is true no matter what site you buy from. I disagree, but I don't buy from THAT many sites.

Okay, so let's say you go buy a book on eBay.
1.) Does everyone in the US know what media mail IS or what that means? It means cheap shipping, but it also means it could be 21-30 days (days the mail runs) before you get your package.
(back to the story) so you find this book and buy it and pay for it.
These sellers seem to be saying they don't need to send out an email saying they got your payment or that they've shipped your item because a.) PayPal sends a receipt and b.) no one reads those emails.
They also aren't purchasing delivery confirmation OR insurance for these packages. (Purchasing is a word I use loosely, because delivery confirmation comes FREE when I ship. I know it's not free for every way of shipping but still.)
So, basically, you buy the book, hear nothing and in two weeks, it's still not there. Sometimes 3-4 weeks pass. And at some point you have to write to the seller and ask.
In some cases, it could be totally lost or misdirected for a while, but the seller can't even prove they SHIPPED the stupid thing or when because they don't have delivery confirmation. They also get MAD at the buyer for not knowing that media mail is slower than riding your bike across the country.
And if the package does get lost, their answer seems to be "Oh well, I mailed it. Just trust that I did."
I was SHOCKED! I've talked to these people for YEARS and had no idea that the level of customer service was THIS bad.
So, my question is....IS it bad or am I just nuts?
2.) Does it mean something to you to get a receipt of sorts when you buy something. Anything at all (from the seller, not just from PayPal) that you bought and paid for X and it will be shipped out (or has been shipped out) on X day?
3.) Would a detailed explanation BEFORE you pay that it probably won't even arrive for at least two weeks be something you'd want to know, even if the shipping was "cheap".

4.) What other sites DO that? I know that with Amazon, Dog.com, even the people I buy my pretty colored packing tape from all send out receipts and tracking numbers. What dinky sites DON'T?

Does this sound like customer service to people here? It seems to me this is one of the things eBay is trying to stop!
Am I nuts?

 

[TabulaRasa]

Okay, so let's say you go buy a book on eBay.
1.) Does everyone in the US know what media mail IS or what that means? It means cheap shipping, but it also means it could be 21-30 days (days the mail runs) before you get your package.
(back to the story) so you find this book and buy it and pay for it.
These sellers seem to be saying they don't need to send out an email saying they got your payment or that they've shipped your item because a.) PayPal sends a receipt and b.) no one reads those emails.
They also aren't purchasing delivery confirmation OR insurance for these packages. (Purchasing is a word I use loosely, because delivery confirmation comes FREE when I ship. I know it's not free for every way of shipping but still.)
So, basically, you buy the book, hear nothing and in two weeks, it's still not there. Sometimes 3-4 weeks pass. And at some point you have to write to the seller and ask.
In some cases, it could be totally lost or misdirected for a while, but the seller can't even prove they SHIPPED the stupid thing or when because they don't have delivery confirmation. They also get MAD at the buyer for not knowing that media mail is slower than riding your bike across the country.
And if the package does get lost, their answer seems to be "Oh well, I mailed it. Just trust that I did."
I was SHOCKED! I've talked to these people for YEARS and had no idea that the level of customer service was THIS bad.
So, my question is....IS it bad or am I just nuts?
2.) Does it mean something to you to get a receipt of sorts when you buy something. Anything at all (from the seller, not just from PayPal) that you bought and paid for X and it will be shipped out (or has been shipped out) on X day?
3.) Would a detailed explanation BEFORE you pay that it probably won't even arrive for at least two weeks be something you'd want to know, even if the shipping was "cheap".

4.) What other sites DO that? I know that with Amazon, Dog.com, even the people I buy my pretty colored packing tape from all send out receipts and tracking numbers. What dinky sites DON'T?

Does this sound like customer service to people here? It seems to me this is one of the things eBay is trying to stop!
Am I nuts?

Well, I have been shopping on ebay for a very long time now, meaning years. And I have come to encounter many different types of sellers. Some are much more informative in their listings and some well, just aren't. You should always give atleast 29 days to receive your item before complaining to ebay, but I always ask the seller after about 15, if I haven't received it yet, when it was shipped out. I say wait 29 days so you can talk to paypal and ebay on the 30th day.

It would be nice for sellers to let us know that they plan to ship media mail, but I don't find that happens alot. I have only had media mail shipping 1 time out of close to 100. But even if they don't let you know, it's up to them. As long as you get your item, and it's as described, nothing wrong that they have done.

So it's a matter of being patient. That's all it is with ebay, a waiting game.

Like I said, if you don't get your item within the 29 days, make sure you complain about it.

🙂

 

[Lou]

It would be nice for sellers to let us know that they plan to ship media mail, but I don't find that happens alot. I have only had media mail shipping 1 time out of close to 100. But even if they don't let you know, it's up to them. As long as you get your item, and it's as described, nothing wrong that they have done.

So it's a matter of being patient. That's all it is with ebay, a waiting game.

Like I said, if you don't get your item within the 29 days, make sure you complain about it.

🙂

See? That's just it. Why should buyers have to WAIT 30 days for ANYTHING? I mean as long as they pay, isn't it then the sellers JOB to do their side?
I knew there were "BAD sellers" out there and I knew there were "less than ideal" sellers, but this just takes the cake.

If an auction ends Monday night and the buyer pays me Tuesday afternoon, that painting is then carefully boxed up, they get an email saying that I got their payment AND one from PayPal AND another from PayPal saying the postage was printed up with their tracking number. That is sent out the next morning first thing and they get another email saying it's been sent. And it's in their hands by Friday or Saturday.

If, by some odd chance it gets lost, I have the tracking number and will track it down for them. If it's really lost (because I know it's a hassle for the buyer to have to deal with the insurance process) I give them the option of filing for the insurance or me painting another. If they don't like those, I've just gone ahead and refunded the sales price to them. (Not a $200 one, but I've never lost one of those, if I did, I'd probably push harder for the insurance option.)

I'm just SHOCKED at what other people think is customer service!
I know I've bought things that show up 3 weeks later in an envelope with two stamps shipped 2 days before. But, I always assumed that was more of the exception than the rule!

 

[StuckinTraffic]

Part of the problem, imo, is that everyone wants their thing NOW. We're all about the instant gratification. Not that I'm faulting that, because I can be that way about some things, too (don't get between me and my chocolate, in other words!) eBay's TOS states that sellers have a certain amount of time (I think it's 2 weeks, or maybe its 30 days) to even ship the item, much less for it to arrive at your door. I'd have to go look it up, but I remember debating this on a seller's group I used to belong to back in the day. Sure, it sucks, but them's the rules. The other side of that argument, tho, is that there should be SOME level of communication between the seller and the buyer. When I was selling on eBay regularly, (well, and I still do it this way) I emailed buyers incessantly.....I'm sure they didn't read half of what I sent, because I sent them LOTS of emails, about every step in the transaction. When I got paid, they got a TY note from me...when I shipped, they got an email with the tracking or DC info, whichever applied. About a week after that, they'd get a follow-up, "did-your-package-arrive-safely, hope-you're-satisfied-and-if-not-please-let-me-know" email, which also asked for positive feedback if the transaction warranted. These were on top of the automatic emails they get from PayPal and eBay. I'm sure I was annoying, but I wanted them to be informed! I agree, what passes for customer service out there is mind boggling (and that's not only true of online sellers....anyone been to Walmart lately?) I tend to skip auctions that don't have decent pics (I mean, c'mon...how hard is it to ROTATE the damn picture so I'm not looking at it sideways? Give me a break!), ie....dark, too small, dirt still on the item....whatever, ones that don't clearly state what the shipping will be, and by what method (or if they don't have a shipping calc), auctions that don't have a clear description, or ones that use a stock photo for an item that's used...like a cell phone. If the item's used, take a pic of it! I can see using a stock pic for a brand new in the box item, you know? Stuff like that....I'm kinda anal about it, really. I didn't treat my customers with so little respect and I don't accept being treated that way. After all....I worked hard for the money I'm spending with them. That kind of thing just tells me that the seller doesn't care enough about my business, in which case I can and certainly will look for one who does.

 

[Randy Giles]

Generally I've never had much of a problem. I don't buy things off Ebay that much, but I have before. I buy a ton of stuff from private sellers on Amazon. Once I bought a book and didn't get a confirmation or anything and it took FORTY FIVE days for me to get it. That was definitely the worst experience I had.

I think the sellers should be required to notify you when they ship an item, and what kind of postage they used.

For the most part though, I've never had any negative experiences...generally if I ask politely if they've shipped something they're pretty nice back.

 

[Lou]

Well, regardless of what eBay states, sellers want the buyers to pay them RIGHT AWAY. I know that. So, if that is what they want, they have no right to just hold the buyer's money for days or weeks until they ship.
And, if they know the package is going to take a long time to arrive, they should be sending out SOMETHING telling the buyer that they got the money and/or when they ship.
Now, I suppose, it wouldn't matter much if I didn't send out an email saying when I'm going to ship because it's THERE within 2-3 days. But if you KNOW it could take as long as a month, you shouldn't leave the buyer just hanging there WONDERING.

I get SO many buyers that are obviously scared. People asking me everything every 2 minutes. Like whether I REALLY painted the painting or if I somehow scanned in someone else's work, printed it out and put it on stretcher bars. People asking me if I'm REALLY going to send Priority Mail.
One poor woman, the postage calculator screwed up and I refunded the difference (a whopping $4) and she kept trying to send it back, even with MULTIPLE explanations of why she was getting $4 back because she was convinced I wasn't going to ship the painting and then yell at HER for not paying the full amount. Even when I could SHOW HER that it was already shipped and she could pull up the delivery confirmation and everything AND I had already left her feedback.

Even the people with this weird ideal of customer service say they get these "scared" buyers. Doesn't that TELL them something? Why would you want your customers to be TERRIFIED to buy?

Even here I'm SHOCKED to hear how it's just a "given" that sellers could take a long time to get stuff to you or that a buyer feels it's their job to "check in" on their stuff. No wonder eBay's cracking down!

(BTW, I'm not talking about people who take their stuff to the post office 2-3 times a week and don't ship within 24 hours of getting paid but maybe 72....I'm talking about the people who wait a week or two and/or know it will take forever to get to you and yet don't send emails or have no tracking but also have nothing in place to protect them OR the buyer if it gets lost.)

 

[white avenger]

I know that with certain places (Amazon.com, for instance) shipping and handling fees are kept to the actual COST of shipping and handling, whereas with Ebay, a $10 item may have literally 4 or 5 times that amount for shipping. A lot of people get hooked that way into paying far more than they realize for whatever they buy.

 

[Lou]

I know that with certain places (Amazon.com, for instance) shipping and handling fees are kept to the actual COST of shipping and handling, whereas with Ebay, a $10 item may have literally 4 or 5 times that amount for shipping. A lot of people get hooked that way into paying far more than they realize for whatever they buy.

Yes! With the Post Office raising shipping prices EVERY FREAKING YEAR, it's INSANE to add on such high handling prices to things! $6 or $10 for a regular first class mail envelope with a stamp? Utterly INSANE! And that's not even the WORST of the cases!

eBay's cracking down on them too, because that's just a blatant way to avoid eBay's fees.