outoftheblue
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posted on March 24, 2002 09:17:39 AM
Our average shipping time is 2-4 business days. Yet some people complain that shipping is toooo slow. They threaten, they accuse, etc...
I'm getting tired of attempting to sooth the savage beast. 
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barbkeith
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posted on March 24, 2002 10:07:18 AM
outoftheblue, I know what you mean. I had a buyer a while back forget to add the $8.00 for shipping. I emailed her and she apologized and said she would mail it Monday. Well, 2 weeks later she emailed me and said she forgot and would mail it ASAP. I had no sooner received it when she emailed me and asked where her widget was. When I receive payment via Paypal I ship the next day and for checks (depending on feedback) or money orders its within 2 business days.
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outoftheblue
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posted on March 24, 2002 10:25:13 AM
I've waited for payment for as long as a month and still left positive feedback for the transaction. My emails are always positive even if I'm sending a reminder to pay email. Yet if I don't ship the next day people get nasty.
If you must have it instantly, go to the mall and get off my back!
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quickdraw29
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posted on March 24, 2002 10:48:31 AM
It suddenly got worse this last couple weeks too. One moron left me a negtive because it took 2 business days to ship. A negative for two business days! That is F'd up. Another left positive fedback but said "shipping is sloooow," Yea, four business days is sloooow? They both got negatives in return, I felt their 3 days to pay, 1 business day, was slow. I hate to stoop to low levels, but buyers need to know that feedback is not something you play games around with.
At stores like Walmart I wait in line, and at night it is worse when they have one counter open. At grocery stores especially on weekends, the lines go up aisles and the wait is often 45 minutes. The gas station I go to often has a wait of 10-15 minutes. The main PO has a wait usually of 10-20 minutes, and 45 on Saturdays. Airlines commonly have waits of 1 hour. I call customer Service of any major company and I wait up to 45 minutes. I order from FAO and wait 6 weeks for an item to arrive. I go to the DMV and wait 1½ hrs.
Now suddenly on ebay, no one can wait. Yes, I can understand the competitive advantage if we rush items out, but I can't package fifty items in one day, and the cheap buyers won't pay more so I can't recover extra labor. So my norm is 2-4 business days and that is what I'm sticking to.
[ edited by quickdraw29 on Mar 24, 2002 10:53 AM ]
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quickdraw29
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posted on March 24, 2002 10:59:45 AM
What really irks me is the guy who said I shipped sloooow, I added a shipping day on Saturday just for his dumb a**, a day I want to be with my child, a day where I have to wait 45 minutes in line at the PO. For that feedback response I could have waited until Tuesday when I normally ship. I will never ship on Saturday to rush anyone's package again.
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railfanbob
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posted on March 24, 2002 11:03:22 AM
Ask one of these impatient people to find a way to fax their order to them. That should keep them busy for awhile. That worked on Star Trek with people, even!
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morgantown
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posted on March 24, 2002 11:07:29 AM
Yes! That would be awesome if we could just "beam" the items instead of shipping them! Lets hope for this technology soon! 
BUT, then they would complain "I paid you over an hour ago, where's my item!"
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kiara
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posted on March 24, 2002 11:20:12 AM
I have been thinking about that one for awhile. I would like a slide-out tray near my computer. Just pop the item on, code in the numbers, and Voila! it would be on its way to the buyer.
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quickdraw29
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posted on March 24, 2002 11:22:36 AM
We're only 100 years away from that technology, and some of us won't be around.
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outoftheblue
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posted on March 24, 2002 12:15:22 PM
How much the post office would charge for instantaneous shipment?
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mballai
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posted on March 24, 2002 12:26:26 PM
After some 1600 transactions I have had NO impatient bidders. I ship next business day in almost every case. A few people will ask me about their shipment, but most people get their stuff quickly. My standard line for an inquiry is that they should have their item in about two days. It seems that most people tell me that they get their item just a couple days later.
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outoftheblue
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posted on March 24, 2002 12:36:05 PM
It's been around 10,000 transactions for me and I have a life outside of eBay.
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computerboy
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posted on March 24, 2002 01:38:51 PM
Amen!
First let me start of by saying that we ship all orders via Priority Mail next business day after payment is received, so short of fying orders out direct to customer on a personal plane, there's not much faster turn around to be found. Still not good enough...
I've had two buyers threaten legal action against us just this because there package hadn't arrived fast enough. One message was received two days after a buyers payment reached us and another from a young ambitious attorney who felt he deserved service over and above everyone else. He damanded his package be sent out on Saturday via Federal Express overnight at our expense because he was in a rush. Hey, we're all about customer service, but give me a break! There is no story behind the story in either case. Just impatient, demanding, rude, inconsiderate and misinformed buyers.
In both cases, I politely recommended to these buyers that they consider purchasing their goods at full price at local retail establishments, as their expectactions and assumptions on the abilities of internet sellers to snap their fingers and goods are immediately delivered is misguided.
It's nice to know we are not alone...
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quickdraw29
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posted on March 24, 2002 02:35:51 PM
I ship mostly books and videos, things people want to use asap. The collectibles are things buyers aren't so desperate to receive right away. I'd like to use Priority Mail for delivery but buyers bulk at the price, which doesn't make sense if they seem to demand faster shipment. It's a no win situation, so I suffer a few extra negs every few years, no big deal. I have over 1000 feedback and 98% seem content so I don't sweat those morons who complain.
If you ship next day, you either have a load of staff or are lacking in sales.
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outoftheblue
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posted on March 24, 2002 02:46:24 PM
My hat is off (so to speak) to the people here that ship next day. Good for you! Once or twice a week in a post office line is all I can do. Not to mention packaging every day would get pretty tiresome.
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quickdraw29
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posted on March 24, 2002 02:50:59 PM
I already feel my service has improved over the years. My auctions end mostly on Friday so shipping next day is unrealistic. I ship Fedex on Mondays because Mondays at the PO lines are long.
One customer complained because it didn't arrive fast enough, I said why didn't you pay for Priority Mail if you wanted it faster. He says, I didn't want it Priority Mail. What? Hello, anyone home?
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outoftheblue
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posted on March 24, 2002 02:54:05 PM
quickdraw29
How is fedex working for you? I'm looking for an alternative to the USPS.
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quickdraw29
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posted on March 24, 2002 02:54:14 PM
In January many people were receiving their media mail packages in one day, and I wasn't hearing any complaints. Now I'm hearing from customers it is taking the PO over 10 days and now I'm seeing more complaints. Take it up with the PO if you're not happy.
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mballai
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posted on March 24, 2002 03:01:57 PM
I ship next biz day because I can and partly because that's the rule for Half.com sales which I agree with entirely. I ship early AM when they open and there's no line at all, save for two or three of us auction sellers. I believe that if you ship early morn, chances are very good your stuff will get their faster as well.
[ edited by mballai on Mar 24, 2002 03:03 PM ]
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quickdraw29
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posted on March 24, 2002 03:05:26 PM
Fedex is great. I use it for anything over $5 shipping. It becomes cheaper than Priority Mail (and usually cheaper than parcel post too) and includes insurance and tracking number. There's never more than one person in line so I'm in and out. Delivery takes on average five days, and I never have complaints about overcharging because the postage is not on the package. Plus they are happy they get insurance and tracking, all for less than Priority.
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quickdraw29
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posted on March 24, 2002 03:11:26 PM
On Half I still ship 2-4 b-days and haven't received one complaint. But then again, positive remarks are few and far in between too.
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outoftheblue
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posted on March 24, 2002 05:21:12 PM
quickdraw29
Do you have a Fedex account?
Looking at what's coming with the PO it will be way cheaper come July.
[ edited by outoftheblue on Mar 24, 2002 05:22 PM ]
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quickdraw29
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posted on March 24, 2002 06:35:16 PM
I don't have a Fedex account, probably don't have the volume to get one.
Can you believe some jerk off just filed a complaint with Paypal that they haven't received their item. One week ago they paid! It's scary living on the same planet as these kind of morons. Maybe decendents of Bin Ladin.
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akt
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posted on March 24, 2002 09:28:51 PM
Just had a auction to end less than 15 min ago, buyer paid with paypal, he has emailed me 4 times wanting to know when I shipped and how long it will take for him to get the item
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lanefamily
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posted on March 24, 2002 09:33:48 PM
outoftheblue
That is what we do. Usually Tuesdays & Fridays.
I get people that ask all the time Where is my package. Been lucky no to catch too much flack.
Jim
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quickdraw29
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posted on March 24, 2002 11:34:20 PM
I just voided that jerk's sale. He said it made him nervous that I got a negative recently. I'm not sure what a deadbeats retaliation has to do with this case. I just know from experience if I continued on with this transaction he would try to screw me again. He's a scammer looking for a free meal ticket. Not with me.
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outoftheblue
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posted on March 24, 2002 11:50:37 PM
>>"said it made him nervous that I got a negative recently."<<
That's common. We have 3 negs. One was a retaliatory and 1 from a person who took 18 days to send payment. The other one was just stupid  In each case, there were a couple of jumpy people who sent threatening emails right after we received the negs. After these people received their items they left nice (actually glowing) feedback. Go figure...
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on March 25, 2002 08:09:09 AM
"He said it made him nervous that I got a negative recently. I'm not sure what a
deadbeats retaliation has to do with this case."
Nothing, of course. But have you heard eBay's radio ads?
On radio, eBay touts the feedback system as buyer protection and urges people to be alert for negative feedback. I cringe every time I hear the ad. I KNOW that one neg usually means nothing in the vast scheme of things. These newbies are being told differently, though, with no reason to disbelieve.
I'll be processing a huge batch of FVFs today, which invariably means a few negs. What's the alternative? The game is rigged so that we have to play it this way.
The number one bone I have to pick with eBay is allowing deadbeats to leave feedback at all.
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computerboy
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posted on March 25, 2002 08:16:19 AM
Did you get my check yet? Did you get my check yet? Did you get my check yet? Did you get my check yet? Did you get my check yet? Did you get my check yet? Did you get my check yet? Did you get my check yet? Did you get my check yet? Did you get my check yet?
When am I going to get my package? It's been 6 minutes since I sent payment. When am I going to get my package? It's been 6 minutes since I sent payment. When am I going to get my package? It's been 6 minutes since I sent payment. When am I going to get my package? It's been 6 minutes since I sent payment. When am I going to get my package? It's been 6 minutes since I sent payment.
I left a message 3 seconds ago and you haven't responded. If you don't respond to this note right away, I am going to leave negative feedback and will contact eBay.I left a message 3 seconds ago and you haven't responded. If you don't respond to this note right away, I am going to leave negative feedback and will contact eBay.
Your auction says the shirt is blue. What color is the shirt? Your auction says the shirt is blue. What color is the shirt? Your auction says the shirt is blue. What color is the shirt?
Your auctions states that you accept Paypal. Will you take Paypal? Your auction says the shirt is blue. What color is the shirt? Your auction says the shirt is blue. What color is the shirt?
I am returning this item to you. I don't want it anymore. I am returning this item to you. I don't want it anymore. I am returning this item to you. I don't want it anymore.
Any of these sound familiar? It's liking a %*#@)*& broker record!
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lindajean
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posted on March 25, 2002 09:00:51 AM
I actually quit selling for nearly a year due to all the impatient, rude, and just plain dumb buyers. It is running about 10% these days! But, the other 90% are really nice people and once I decided to just not worry about the others it became fun again.
A really big pain-in-the-@@@ can spoil the whole day though, but it does go with the territory. We just have to keep going and know the next email we open will be from one of those nice buyers that makes it all worthwhile.
I ship twice a week -- even if I have time, I really hate those post office lines and I have to admit I detest packaging items. I tried doing it as I listed items, but of course customers would want more details about the item and a lot of my sales are multiple purchases so I wound up just having to open many of them back up. Now I just devote two days a week to packaging and mailing. Luckily, my post office is open till 9:00 PM Monday thru Friday. I haven't had any complaints as I state my shipping practice in my EOA notice, and I always write to tell them I received Paypal payment and will ship on ...
Deadbeats seem to be the biggest problem these days. And, you are right about the newbies being nervous. There is so much negative news out about online auctions that nearly all of them are convinced we are out to steal their money and I have over 1,000 positive feedback comments. I've learned a nice email usually puts them at ease. All my emails are templates and a click of a button sends whichever email is needed to as many people as I need to send it too.
I am trying to sell as much as possible over the next few months because I just know the new postage rates are going to hurt sales more than anything else has before this. Most of my sales are to the East coast and I live out west. My items usually go for about $5.95 to $9.95 so they aren't going to want to pay $8.00 to $12.00 for shipping.
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