mildly annoying sellers....who always postpone shipping :(

This luckily hasn't happened to me before, but I have bought things from people who have taken a long time to respond to PMs, and then don't follow up when I ask them for more info, leaving me wondering what's going on. I always take time to try to answer questions and help people, so I get a bit frustrated if the same courtesy isn't done for me.
But generally, if this happens to me, people will give me a reason for it. If they give a reason, personally I take it at face value and believe them. I find that just clarifying why problems are happening makes me feel a lot easier and more forgiving in my mind. But, you know, life does have a habit of getting in the way of our intentions. The best laid plans of mice and men, etc. Of course it IS frustrating when you've paid for an item and you want it now, but this hobby really does strengthen your patience muscle, I find! So generally I'd take a deep breath, exercise patience, and just be glad you have your package in the end. I'm still without two of my packages - lost in the post - and I'd much rather the seller had taken a long time to ship them and at least receive them in the end, than be without them entirely!

 

I sadly am one of those person. There is always something that makes me late and it annoys me as much as it annoys those that have to wait for me.

I've stopped leaving them messages though. It simply becomes useless to tell them that I wasn't able to ship it at the day I wanted. Most of the time it is only a few days, but I do sometimes forget I didn't actually ship the items and it takes a little longer, though I do try to make it better it always seems to go worse. Everything (and everyone) makes it hard to get to the post office in time :/
I have a pair of eyes I haven't been able to ship Monday... and I won't be able to do so until tomorrow :/

Though you make me think, I should really add a note in my sales thread. At least, if the buyer read it, they would know it can take a little while, sometimes... ?

 

I've had to deal with that before. The seller said they would ship my outfits the next day. The following week I sent a PM asking if there was a tracking number, and the seller returned the PM saying they hadn't been able to get to the PO yet. I waited and waited. Finally, almost two full weeks after I sent payment, the package was shipped. No apologies from the seller, just a PM with a tracking number.

When I sell things, I like to think of shipping like this: If I buy an item, I want it now. Ship ASAP because the buyer is probably really excited about it and if it were me, I'd hate having to wait even longer.

I understand not having a box the right size or a lack of transportation. But, while the item is in the Marketplace, why not go find a box or leave a comment in your post that says your transportation to the PO is iffy, so it may take a few extra days? It's just courtesy and niceness.

Most of my experiences here in the Marketplace have been absolutely wonderful, though. It was just one seller that kind of put me off.

 

Something similar happened to me a long time ago, the seller said she was going to ship my items on a certain day and I waited for a long time until I sent her a PM letting her know that I still didn't receive anything and she said that she wasn't able to ship my items on that day(and she still had my items) after so much waiting I had to look for the DoA Moderators' help and after they sent the seller a PM, she shipped my items.

I didn't leave feedback because it was in 2005 and I think we still didn't have the feedback system.

I don't mind waiting as long as the seller lets me know the reason. I really dislike it when someone leaves me hanging and don't answer to PMs. When I don't feel happy dealing with someone, I put them on my ignore-list and I try to avoid them...that was many years ago when I bought a lot from the MP but I'm not very active nowadays.

However, my good experiences greatly surpass the bad ones! there are many wonderful sellers/dealers in DOA

Oh one time I commissioned someone some outfits and I think they were very hard to make because the last PM from the seller was "I will let you know when they're ready". 6-8 months later I received her PM that they were ready...I have even forgotten that I have ordered them but I didn't mind because she was so sweet and very friendly in her PMs, she even said that it took her awhile to figure out the patterns and I just felt grateful that she tried to do it and didn't give up my commission. This is one of those situations I don't mind waiting when the seller/seam-mistress seems honest.

 

I've never had that problem on DoA, but I know exactly what you're talking about. If you know you have difficulty getting to the post office, or if things are a little hectic, either put a note in your post saying you ship on an irregular schedule, or don't give people exact shipping dates. Say "I'll ship as soon as possible" and actually ship as soon as possible. It's rude and inconsiderate to hold onto items that, frankly, no longer belong to you.

 

When this happens to me as a buyer, I agree it's annoying. I do consider myself to be fairly patient in this situation though, and as long as I receive the item in the condition it is described, I am happy.

I put priority in shipping out the item as fast as possible, though I'll admit it's likely that I have better resources than your average seller. My post office is very close, so it's easy for me to make a run whenever I have time. I work at a retail store with many boxes and packing material being discarded every day, so I seek out boxes (and materials) that are the appropriate size for the items I'm selling. I have never put an item up for sale without already having the box to ship it in. I also weigh and measure it beforehand and jot it down in a text file for easy reference when I need to calculate the shipping for someone. To me, planning ahead is extremely important for being a good seller.

I know that USPS, UPS and FedEx will pick up the package at your house if you schedule it, which I feel more sellers need to be aware of. If you live too far away from the post office etc, bring them to you! As for boxes, you don't have to work at a store to get them. You can ask a friend who works at one, or stop by stores in the morning and ask when they get their shipments in and if you take some of the boxes off of their hands (my sister usually stops at liquor and dollar stores, they always seem to have some to give away). I also highly suggest printing out your own shipping labels. For most of my items I just do it through PayPal or eBay, which is nice because I can pay for it right then and there and can even drop off my package when the post office is closed. If I can't do it that way, I use Click 'N Ship, which makes it so that all the PO has to do is scan it in without having to weigh it (and it gives you free Delivery Confirmation).

If a seller has been postponing sending out my package, I believe it's more than fair to mention this in their feedback. However, for the most part I only feel it is worth mentioning if the seller doesn't communicate and doesn't even tell me that it will be delayed.

 

I've been on both ends of this situation. Once I was on my way to the post office to drop off a package and was in a car accident. I couldn't contact my buyer for a couple of days and I felt terrible about it! I did get the package in the mail about 3 days late and the buyer was very understanding, but I still felt bad. I know real life happens so I'm pretty patient in most cases, but not having a box to ship in? That's a pretty flaky excuse. I never put an item up for sale until I have all the packing materials assembled and it's ready to go. As long as the seller of an item keeps in touch and lets me know what's causing the delay I'm ok. It's when they go ominously silent that I start to worry.

 

I've dealt with this before too. I do try to be understanding, but it is a pain when you've held up your end of the bargain and paid however much money the seller was asking for whatever item you purchased only to have them continually postpone the shipping date for a multitude of reasons. I'm sorry if this sounds snarky, but I thought one of the reasons people bought items off the MP was to avoid the long wait time of ordering items straight from the companies?

 

I've been on the buying end with a seller with horrible communication and delays. It's awful knowing this person has my money AND my item and I have no idea why it hasn't been shipped. If you say in your thread that it will be shipped in 1-3 days, then ship it in 1-3 days! I've seen so many excuses, it makes me crazy. I understand, accidents do happen, but some are just not really excusable. "I was busy with work/school/family/etc" is not a good excuse. If you are too busy to take a few minutes out of your day to mail a package within 3 days, you probably shouldn't be selling items. The sick excuse.....I understand people get sick, but I also kind of feel like this excuse gets used a LOT more often than is actually true. The no box excuse isn't a good one either. If you ship priority, the post office gives out free boxes, you can buy shipping supplies at the dollar store, WalMart, Kroger, etc. I've known of a seller who has used the excuse that "the package was mailed back to me" on at least 3 separate occasions. Is it really THAT hard to address a package properly?

As far as my own shipping schedule, I work 20 minutes out of town, M-F 9-4. My PO is only open M-F from 830am-415. I can't get there most days without being late to work, unless I'm able to get in and out within 5 minutes. Saturday hours are only 930-11, so that's hard too, yet I find a way. I've only shipped something late one time, and that was still only a day late and I made sure to tell the buyer immediately.

If something does come up with a seller, I would much prefer to be contacted immediately. I might be annoyed if their excuse seems flaky, but I'd at least like to know my package hasn't been shipped at all than be worrying and upset that it's lost in the mail.

 

I think it's bad business and bad manners. Once the seller has got cash in hand, it is her or his obligation to ship the item in a timely manner.

 

I've waited months for dolls, so waiting for items doesn't bother me.

I would like to know up-front, if there might be problems, since I might need something quickly. But that's super-rare for me. Most of the time I'm telling sellers to just sent it when it's convenient and not to worry about doing it ASAP!

So I guess I might be the opposite!

 

I've really been lucky with these things, I believe. I've only had a few transactions here, but a lot on ebay and I've only ever had 1 item never make it to me with no communication. Really, the communication is what makes the difference. I just bought a doll and the seller let me know she forgot to put some included outfits in the box and she'd send it out ASAP. It happens, and I think she handled it wonderfully.

I personally, haven't been on the late sending end, and I try really hard not to be because i know how excited I get when things are shipped to me. I make sure I have boxes or can definitely get them before listing, and I try to make it well noted that I struggle to get to the post office. I literally work tues-sat before to after the post office is closed each day. But I note that, and that I will get it in the mail on Monday. I think that's just common courtesy. Plus, knowing you won't be able to send till Monday makes me a lot more patient than you saying soon and not even intending to for days.

Although it's the same with companies. If they say within 20-30 business days, I do expect it in that time. If not, I'd like some notice that it'll be running late. I'd rather be told it'll take time than having it rushed, or thinking it was lost or forgotten about, or having them lie and say they shipped it already (Which I've heard of people and companies alike doing)

 

Closing this potentially inflammatory discussion. This is not really a general discussion topic as much as feedback advice. You can look at problem feedback and feedback threads to see how others write their feedback.

Although being late to ship does not warrant negative feedback, please remember that you are perfectly allowed to leave neutral feedback for someone, stating the reasons why. Being late to ship and giving excuses for this would be a good grounding to leave neutral feedback for someone - remember, feedback is only as accurate as what is being written down, and people who consistently make excuses for late shipping will only change their ways when they are publically known for doing this. This is what feedback is all about.