Interesting eBay transaction - now canceled

jmlanzaf

I sold a stamp to a gentleman on eBay who then messaged me:

"Please do not ship with ebay tracking,"

I responded that I use eBay standard shipping, enumerated the reasons and asked if that was acceptable. If not, I told him I would prefer to cancel the transaction. I asked him why he didn't want tracking.

His response:

"Hello, please cancel because I Have not received several items with ebay tracking, thank you,"

So, I found the ONE buyer in the world who thinks that tracking is what keeps him from getting his packages?!?!?!?

LOL. You just couldn't make this stuff up.

airplanenut

Offer to send it door to door by private courier and private jet, but note it may cost a bit more. Also, arrange for the jet and I will offer to be the courier.

jmlanzaf

@airplanenut said:
Offer to send it door to door by private courier and private jet, but note it may cost a bit more. Also, arrange for the jet and I will offer to be the courier.

I avoid sarcasm in my business responses.

It's a $2.99 stamp. LOL And I would have to refund him in any case. So he really had no risk.

MasonG

@jmlanzaf said:
So, I found the ONE buyer in the world who thinks that tracking is what keeps him from getting his packages?!?!?!?

Not to be the suspicious one here, but I'm thinking you found one of the buyers who understands that tracking doesn't let you claim non-receipt and get your money back, along with the item.

jmlanzaf

@MasonG said:

@jmlanzaf said:
So, I found the ONE buyer in the world who thinks that tracking is what keeps him from getting his packages?!?!?!?

Not to be the suspicious one here, but I'm thinking you found one of the buyers who understands that tracking doesn't let you claim non-receipt and get your money back, along with the item.

For a $2.99 stamp? I'm not that suspicious.

MasonG

@jmlanzaf said:
For a $2.99 stamp? I'm not that suspicious.

You're probably right. On the other hand, the items I seem to have the most problems with are the less expensive ones.

jmlanzaf

@MasonG said:

@jmlanzaf said:
For a $2.99 stamp? I'm not that suspicious.

You're probably right. On the other hand, the items I seem to have the most problems with are the less expensive ones.

That's definitely true... thankfully.

Interestingly, I had two overseas shipments missing last year. In the past week, they both ended up back at my door. Total value of both packages was under $20. But I get to sell them again. Lol

cameonut2011

@jmlanzaf said:
I sold a stamp to a gentleman on eBay who then messaged me:

"Please do not ship with ebay tracking,"

I responded that I use eBay standard shipping, enumerated the reasons and asked if that was acceptable. If not, I told him I would prefer to cancel the transaction. I asked him why he didn't want tracking.

His response:

"Hello, please cancel because I Have not received several items with ebay tracking, thank you,"

So, I found the ONE buyer in the world who thinks that tracking is what keeps him from getting his packages?!?!?!?

LOL. You just couldn't make this stuff up.

Did he ask for a 50% discount too? 😈

bronco2078

@jmlanzaf said:

@MasonG said:

@jmlanzaf said:
For a $2.99 stamp? I'm not that suspicious.

You're probably right. On the other hand, the items I seem to have the most problems with are the less expensive ones.

That's definitely true... thankfully.

Interestingly, I had two overseas shipments missing last year. In the past week, they both ended up back at my door. Total value of both packages was under $20. But I get to sell them again. Lol

i just recently received a lot of 80 Canadian permanent stamps back. I mailed them from Mass to Nova Scotia in april 2020 the buyer never got them and I refunded . The envelope was in perfect condition no ink stamp or label affixed indicating what occurred to it.

ricko

The more of these situations I read about here, convince me to never become a seller on ebay. Not that I was considering it... I am sure there are millions of successful transactions and these are a small percentage. However, some of these seem like real nightmares. Cheers, RickO

jmlanzaf

@bronco2078 said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@MasonG said:

@jmlanzaf said:
For a $2.99 stamp? I'm not that suspicious.

You're probably right. On the other hand, the items I seem to have the most problems with are the less expensive ones.

That's definitely true... thankfully.

Interestingly, I had two overseas shipments missing last year. In the past week, they both ended up back at my door. Total value of both packages was under $20. But I get to sell them again. Lol

i just recently received a lot of 80 Canadian permanent stamps back. I mailed them from Mass to Nova Scotia in april 2020 the buyer never got them and I refunded . The envelope was in perfect condition no ink stamp or label affixed indicating what occurred to it.

Yeah, international mail has been weird during Covid.

Mail to Australia takes FOREVER to arrive - although I haven't had one lost yet.

dmwest

one day we will start receiving coins we buy via drone...that will be cool....

Aspie_Rocco

To be fair, I have ordered probably 12 items with ebay tracking since January and several items have disappeared entirely or taken up to six weeks to arrive. I personally dislike the ebay tracking system. It is nice that it seems to work for some people without issue, however, I cringe when I see it. Three items I ordered were lost, that comes to 25% failure rate from my 12 orders. Two items took six weeks to arrive, and at least three show as still not having been delivered even though they were.

Edit: as a seller on eBay, I absolutely will not use ebay tracking. I prefer priority mail or first class. I also do not print my own labels so the point is nearly moot, but I would not start using it, even to save a buck or two in shipping. The idea of donating coins/collectibles (lost shipments) to anonymous postal carriers is unappealing.

MasonG

@Aspie_Rocco said:
Edit: as a seller on eBay, I absolutely will not use ebay tracking. I prefer priority mail or first class.

I have had buyers request that very thing. When I offer them first class tracking if they add $3 or priority if they add $8 to the total due, they've all decided that eBay tracking is sufficient so far.

jmlanzaf

@MasonG said:

@Aspie_Rocco said:
Edit: as a seller on eBay, I absolutely will not use ebay tracking. I prefer priority mail or first class.

I have had buyers request that very thing. When I offer them first class tracking if they add $3 or priority if they add $8 to the total due, they've all decided that eBay tracking is sufficient so far.

That is the issue. There's no way my guy was going to pay $3.50 to get 1st class package tracking on his $2.99 stamp.

And, given that the seller has complete responsibility for receipt of the item, I'm not sure why anyone would care.

@Aspie_Rocco Did you not get reimbursed for any lost package?

I'm wondering how much of the problem is very specific post offices. I have not had any trouble with packages, maybe 1 or 2 domestic packages out of 500 to 1000 shipped. Yet some people are claiming a very high percentage of missing packages. It has to be a very local problem.

MasonG

@jmlanzaf said:
I'm wondering how much of the problem is very specific post offices. I have not had any trouble with packages, maybe 1 or 2 domestic packages out of 500 to 1000 shipped.

That's about what my rate is and it's been fairly constant over the years. The biggest problem I have is that buyers expect the post office to be delivering mail faster than they are actually doing it these days and they're not hesitant to file a claim with eBay because they haven't received their item when eBay tells them they should. I really wish eBay would stop telling buyers when they will get their packages.

JBK

Hmmm. I guess I'm not sure what ebay tracking is, but maybe it explains a recent problem i encountered.

I bought an item that showed as entering the mail system, then nothing for five days, then showed on ebay as delivered to my town, but in USPS it showed as delivered in the seller's town. The problem is, neither of us had received it.

He initiated an inquiry and the next day it showed up in his mailbox. It was marked as return to sender for postage due (he had printed off a label online). He took it back to his PO and they gave him a song and dance and it went out again and finally reached me.

bronco2078

@jmlanzaf said:

@MasonG said:

@Aspie_Rocco said:
Edit: as a seller on eBay, I absolutely will not use ebay tracking. I prefer priority mail or first class.

I have had buyers request that very thing. When I offer them first class tracking if they add $3 or priority if they add $8 to the total due, they've all decided that eBay tracking is sufficient so far.

That is the issue. There's no way my guy was going to pay $3.50 to get 1st class package tracking on his $2.99 stamp.

And, given that the seller has complete responsibility for receipt of the item, I'm not sure why anyone would care.

@Aspie_Rocco Did you not get reimbursed for any lost package?

I'm wondering how much of the problem is very specific post offices. I have not had any trouble with packages, maybe 1 or 2 domestic packages out of 500 to 1000 shipped. Yet some people are claiming a very high percentage of missing packages. It has to be a very local problem.

did you know that the post office has an email alert for mail now? My neighbor gets an email every day telling him whats going to be in his mailbox. Apparently they photograph every piece of mail now anyway.

I think it sounds creepy but not signing up doesn't stop them from cataloging your mail so might as well see what they see.

jesbroken

@dmwest said:
one day we will start receiving coins we buy via drone...that will be cool....

Yeah, I can see some 14 year old in his mother's garage with 74 Amazon drones in a pile and him with his cell phone electronically relocating drone's with the packages intact.
Jim

jmlanzaf

@bronco2078 said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@MasonG said:

@Aspie_Rocco said:
Edit: as a seller on eBay, I absolutely will not use ebay tracking. I prefer priority mail or first class.

I have had buyers request that very thing. When I offer them first class tracking if they add $3 or priority if they add $8 to the total due, they've all decided that eBay tracking is sufficient so far.

That is the issue. There's no way my guy was going to pay $3.50 to get 1st class package tracking on his $2.99 stamp.

And, given that the seller has complete responsibility for receipt of the item, I'm not sure why anyone would care.

@Aspie_Rocco Did you not get reimbursed for any lost package?

I'm wondering how much of the problem is very specific post offices. I have not had any trouble with packages, maybe 1 or 2 domestic packages out of 500 to 1000 shipped. Yet some people are claiming a very high percentage of missing packages. It has to be a very local problem.

did you know that the post office has an email alert for mail now? My neighbor gets an email every day telling him whats going to be in his mailbox. Apparently they photograph every piece of mail now anyway.

I think it sounds creepy but not signing up doesn't stop them from cataloging your mail so might as well see what they see.

Yes, this has been available for a number of years. I'm totally addicted to it.

jmlanzaf

@JBK said:
Hmmm. I guess I'm not sure what ebay tracking is, but maybe it explains a recent problem i encountered.

I bought an item that showed as entering the mail system, then nothing for five days, then showed on ebay as delivered to my town, but in USPS it showed as delivered in the seller's town. The problem is, neither of us had received it.

He initiated an inquiry and the next day it showed up in his mailbox. It was marked as return to sender for postage due (he had printed off a label online). He took it back to his PO and they gave him a song and dance and it went out again and finally reached me.

I THINK they are referring to "eBay standard shipping". It is 1st class shipping with tracking through the QR code stamp. It doesn't have a separate bar code tracking. As a result, tracking is intermittent as it only registers when it goes through a mail sorting machine that reads the QR code. It also means that the last official tracking it gets is when it is sorted in your town not actually placed in your mailbox. As a result, there is often a one day lapse or so between the "delivered" scan and the actual delivery.

jesbroken

@bronco2078 did you know that the post office has an email alert for mail now? My neighbor gets an email every day telling him whats going to be in his mailbox. Apparently they photograph every piece of mail now anyway.

I have had this for a couple of years and it is not very accurate. I get emails everyday saying my package arrived and 2 to 3 days later it's in my box. Unfortunately, it shows the package's arrival in Charleston, WV main office and usually it gets to me the next day, but sometimes several days. Not impressed. Hardly ever get the package the day I get the email, even though it says at P.O.
Jim

Aspie_Rocco

I believe sellers have been reimbursed when packages were lost, however, I do not know for sure. I had a one of a kind autographed item get lost, I got a refund and hope the seller did too but it still bothered me that their tracking is lacking. A few sellers in the baseball card categories have complained about it too, but continue to use ebay tracking (it reads as SUS on information)

MasonG

@jesbroken said:
I have had this for a couple of years and it is not very accurate.

I've only had it for a couple of months but will agree with the "not very accurate" part.

johnny9434

im curious on how the buyer deals with pizza delivery? just a bit curious is all

dmwest

@jesbroken said:

@dmwest said:
one day we will start receiving coins we buy via drone...that will be cool....

Yeah, I can see some 14 year old in his mother's garage with 74 Amazon drones in a pile and him with his cell phone electronically relocating drone's with the packages intact.
Jim

who would buy a coin from Amazon?

Dean

jesbroken

Regardless what is in the packages, the boy would probably repurpose the $300 drones in new bodies with different serial numbers and sell them on Amazon for $50 and free shipping then the same with whatever is in the packages. BTW, there are tons of coins for sale on Amazon, as to whether they sell or not, I have no idea.
Jim

jmlanzaf

@MasonG said:

@jesbroken said:
I have had this for a couple of years and it is not very accurate.

I've only had it for a couple of months but will agree with the "not very accurate" part.

I think it has the same problem as the "eBay standard tracking": it is generated when the items pass through the local sort facility. Depending on where you are and when it passes the sort facility, it could take an extra day or two to get to your actual postman and into your box.

Nonetheless, I find it useful to tell me what is arriving soon.

jesbroken

It's kind of odd, but usually on the same day, I get a message from ebay saying a package is arriving early and I get the package that day, so as far as ebay is concerned the P.O. notification is not needed.
Jim

jmlanzaf

@jesbroken said:
It's kind of odd, but usually on the same day, I get a message from ebay saying a package is arriving early and I get the package that day, so as far as ebay is concerned the P.O. notification is not needed.
Jim

Ebay doesn't have any information other than what they get from the USPS.

jesbroken

Doesn't matter where they get their info, it still negates the need for both.
Jim

jmlanzaf

@jesbroken said:
Doesn't matter where they get their info, it still negates the need for both.
Jim

Assuming you don't ever get any packages that aren't from eBay.

oldabeintx

Haven't tried the notification option for any shipper. Perhaps if I were receiving a large number of packages daily it would be of use. Tracking has provided everything I need to follow up and satisfy my obsessive personality.

BAJJERFAN

@bronco2078 said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@MasonG said:

@Aspie_Rocco said:
Edit: as a seller on eBay, I absolutely will not use ebay tracking. I prefer priority mail or first class.

I have had buyers request that very thing. When I offer them first class tracking if they add $3 or priority if they add $8 to the total due, they've all decided that eBay tracking is sufficient so far.

That is the issue. There's no way my guy was going to pay $3.50 to get 1st class package tracking on his $2.99 stamp.

And, given that the seller has complete responsibility for receipt of the item, I'm not sure why anyone would care.

@Aspie_Rocco Did you not get reimbursed for any lost package?

I'm wondering how much of the problem is very specific post offices. I have not had any trouble with packages, maybe 1 or 2 domestic packages out of 500 to 1000 shipped. Yet some people are claiming a very high percentage of missing packages. It has to be a very local problem.

did you know that the post office has an email alert for mail now? My neighbor gets an email every day telling him whats going to be in his mailbox. Apparently they photograph every piece of mail now anyway.

I think it sounds creepy but not signing up doesn't stop them from cataloging your mail so might as well see what they see.

It's called informed delivery. So far it's been fairly accurate. Incoming packages with a usps tracking number are automatically entered [via email address] saving me the necessity of keeping track of them separately.

jmlanzaf

@oldabeintx said:
Haven't tried the notification option for any shipper. Perhaps if I were receiving a large number of packages daily it would be of use. Tracking has provided everything I need to follow up and satisfy my obsessive personality.

@BAJJERFAN said:

I think it sounds creepy but not signing up doesn't stop them from cataloging your mail so might as well see what they see.

It's called informed delivery. So far it's been fairly accurate. Incoming packages with a usps tracking number are automatically entered [via email address] saving me the necessity of keeping track of them separately.

The informed delivery (USPS) also lets you know what 1st class material is arriving. So, you know that you are getting that tax bill you've been dying to receive. LOL. It's just kind of fun/interesting to know what's coming, at least for me.

amwldcoin

Could let some folks know there is a Certified letter they don't want to receive also!

@jmlanzaf said:

@oldabeintx said:
Haven't tried the notification option for any shipper. Perhaps if I were receiving a large number of packages daily it would be of use. Tracking has provided everything I need to follow up and satisfy my obsessive personality.

@BAJJERFAN said:

I think it sounds creepy but not signing up doesn't stop them from cataloging your mail so might as well see what they see.

It's called informed delivery. So far it's been fairly accurate. Incoming packages with a usps tracking number are automatically entered [via email address] saving me the necessity of keeping track of them separately.

The informed delivery (USPS) also lets you know what 1st class material is arriving. So, you know that you are getting that tax bill you've been dying to receive. LOL. It's just kind of fun/interesting to know what's coming, at least for me.