eBay, etc. General Question/Answer Thread

[vintagebags4me]

Postal rates went up - did your class go up as well and did you list prior to this rate increase?

 

[EGBDF]

Postal rates went up - did your class go up as well and did you list prior to this rate increase?

I had this listed before the rate increase, but it was only 8 oz so still first class. I thought eBay was going to automatically adjust postage to take into account the changing rates, because I used the charge actual postage option.

 

[BeenBurned]

I screwed up! BB and others, I need your help!

I listed a pair of men's shoes for BIN and someone bought it. I am in the UK and buyer is in France. When I went to pack it, I realised I listed the size as UK9 but they are really US9. I didn't include a photo of the sizing label in the listing. I then contacted buyer via eBay and email, attached a photo of the sizing label and asked whether he wish to cancel. I have received no response. I don't know whether he doesn't speak English or something. My dispatch time is 2 working days and I know I will get a defect on that. But I must either dispatch them within 7 days or I need to cancel. What should I do here? Stupid fault of me!

Thank you in advance for your help!

My recommendation is to send another message to the buyer both through ebay messaging as well as a direct email copy to the paypal payment notice.

"Dear buyer,

I'm following up with another message as I haven't heard from you since my previous message.

Again, thank you for your purchase and payment.

As explained in my previous message, I discovered and I'd made an error in my listing and posted the size as UK 9. But the size is actually, US 9.

I want to let you know of the error and offer the option to cancel if this size won't work for you, but not having heard back, I'm letting you know that if I don't hear from you, I'll ship in accordance with my shipping time which would be (date).

If I ship without hearing back and the shoes don't fit, please let me know. I'll accept a return since the error was mine."

 

[chicinthecity777]

My recommendation is to send another message to the buyer both through ebay messaging as well as a direct email copy to the paypal payment notice.

"Dear buyer,

I'm following up with another message as I haven't heard from you since my previous message.

Again, thank you for your purchase and payment.

As explained in my previous message, I discovered and I'd made an error in my listing and posted the size as UK 9. But the size is actually, US 9.

I want to let you know of the error and offer the option to cancel if this size won't work for you, but not having heard back, I'm letting you know that if I don't hear from you, I'll ship in accordance with my shipping time which would be (date).

If I ship without hearing back and the shoes don't fit, please let me know. I'll accept a return since the error was mine."

Thank you BB! But if I do ship and he asks for a return, I would be out of both postage, won't I?

At this point, I am leaning towards sending a cancel request. I know I will get a defect on my seller account but my account is currently squeaky clean and I don't want to be out of shipping on both directions. It's international shipping so it's not small amount to be out of. There is no way for him to know the real sizing in my listing so I doubt they will fit... *sigh* so screwed up...

 

[chicinthecity777]

My recommendation is to send another message to the buyer both through ebay messaging as well as a direct email copy to the paypal payment notice.

"Dear buyer,

I'm following up with another message as I haven't heard from you since my previous message.

Again, thank you for your purchase and payment.

As explained in my previous message, I discovered and I'd made an error in my listing and posted the size as UK 9. But the size is actually, US 9.

I want to let you know of the error and offer the option to cancel if this size won't work for you, but not having heard back, I'm letting you know that if I don't hear from you, I'll ship in accordance with my shipping time which would be (date).

If I ship without hearing back and the shoes don't fit, please let me know. I'll accept a return since the error was mine."

I am thinking about using Google translate to send him messages in French! LOL

 

[whateve]

Thank you BB! But if I do ship and he asks for a return, I would be out of both postage, won't I?

At this point, I am leaning towards sending a cancel request. I know I will get a defect on my seller account but my account is currently squeaky clean and I don't want to be out of shipping on both directions. It's international shipping so it's not small amount to be out of. There is no way for him to know the real sizing in my listing so I doubt they will fit... *sigh* so screwed up...

I would be leaning towards cancelling too.

 

[ms-whitney]

On your ebay summary page, there is a section called "orders". It is usually near the bottom if you have watched and bid items as well. There is also a menu on the left side of the page and you can click on "purchase history." Once you find your purchase, you'll see several symbols next to it. The first is a dollar sign, indicating you paid. The next looks like a file folder. If this is dark, it means the seller has bought the shipping label or entered a tracking number. If there is a tracking number, it will be along the bottom under the item name. You can click on that to see where your package is.

I believe you can also see tracking information on your paypal page for the transaction, if the seller bought the postage online.

Usually you'll get notification if the seller shipped, but only if the seller bought their postage on ebay or manually entered the tracking number. Not every seller enters a tracking number. Sellers may not ship immediately. They can specify their handling time in their listing. Some only ship once a week. The seller can also choose not to have notifications sent to you. On a recent purchase I made, the seller had turned off the ebay notifications but sent a message to my email, which I neglected to see because it was in my spam folder.

thank you! it looks like its not shipped yet...i guess the four days for seller to ship still applies and i'm overzealous to get the item in my hand + feedback left <- this part confuses me, esp with the comment left.

 

[whateve]

thank you! it looks like its not shipped yet...i guess the four days for seller to ship still applies and i'm overzealous to get the item in my hand + feedback left <- this part confuses me, esp with the comment left.

Sellers can only leave positive feedback for buyers. Some sellers automatically leave feedback immediately after payment for buyers. Since they can't say anything bad, there is no reason to wait. Also, ebay encourages sellers not to contact buyers by giving them an automatic 5 star rating in communication if there is no communication between buyer and seller. So rather than contacting you to thank you for your purchase or tell you when your item will ship, your seller would rather remain silent. Leaving feedback immediately is one way of thanking the buyer without sending a message.

 

[ccbfan]

Sellers can only leave positive feedback for buyers. Some sellers automatically leave feedback immediately after payment for buyers. Since they can't say anything bad, there is no reason to wait. Also, ebay encourages sellers not to contact buyers by giving them an automatic 5 star rating in communication if there is no communication between buyer and seller. So rather than contacting you to thank you for your purchase or tell you when your item will ship, your seller would rather remain silent. Leaving feedback immediately is one way of thanking the buyer without sending a message.

I just received a "2" for communication and there was absolutely no communication at all.

 

[ms-whitney]

Sellers can only leave positive feedback for buyers. Some sellers automatically leave feedback immediately after payment for buyers. Since they can't say anything bad, there is no reason to wait. Also, ebay encourages sellers not to contact buyers by giving them an automatic 5 star rating in communication if there is no communication between buyer and seller. So rather than contacting you to thank you for your purchase or tell you when your item will ship, your seller would rather remain silent. Leaving feedback immediately is one way of thanking the buyer without sending a message.

i'll definitely be mindful to go back and leave pos and five star rating once i get the item. super psyched as its a discontinued item.

thanks again. its been ages since i've used ebay.

 

[BeenBurned]

Thank you BB! But if I do ship and he asks for a return, I would be out of both postage, won't I?

At this point, I am leaning towards sending a cancel request. I know I will get a defect on my seller account but my account is currently squeaky clean and I don't want to be out of shipping on both directions. It's international shipping so it's not small amount to be out of. There is no way for him to know the real sizing in my listing so I doubt they will fit... *sigh* so screwed up...

If you did as I suggested, you would be out shipping both ways should the buyer return the shoes.

But the reason I made the suggestion was because the error in the listing was your mistake. While I'd rather that the buyer respond to your messages to let you know what she wants to do, my suggestion would save you the defect should the buyer decide to ding you or refuse the cancellation.

While you said you're in the UK and she's in France, I don't know how much the loss would be to you.

 

[chicinthecity777]

If you did as I suggested, you would be out shipping both ways should the buyer return the shoes.

But the reason I made the suggestion was because the error in the listing was your mistake. While I'd rather that the buyer respond to your messages to let you know what she wants to do, my suggestion would save you the defect should the buyer decide to ding you or refuse the cancellation.

While you said you're in the UK and she's in France, I don't know how much the loss would be to you.

Thank you BB, I really appreciate your thoughts! At this point, I am betting the buyer won't do anything.

I would be leaning towards cancelling too.

Thank you whateve!

So I sent him a cancellation request this morning. eBay also automatically initiated a refund to him via PP. It says he has 10 days to respond. Now there isn't anything I can do, is there? I have never done this so I am very new to the process.

 

[SweetDaisy05]

nvm

 

[ccbaggirl89]

I have sold a like new purse on EBay. The buyers said she loves it, but the bag smells musky to her. The bag I sold had no smell when I shipped it to the buyer. The buyer said the bag smells like it was in an air tight container with no air. I have sold about six bags in the same way without any complaints. This buyer told me she is placing my bag outside for 30 minutes at a time to air it out. I am nervous about how the buyer is handling my bag. I am scared she will return it after having the bag for a while. How would you handle this buyer? Please help me ya, this buyer seems like a nightmare.

she said she loves it... so tell her to continue airing it out, but remind her that you don't accept returns beyond X amount of days so if she wants to return it to please let you know asap. i'd keep it polite/friendly.

i was sold a bag with horrible cigarette smell and it took over two weeks of nightime airing to purge that bag of odors. you could also suggest to her airing it out overnight outside... the cold night air speeds up the process.

 

[SweetDaisy05]

she said she loves it... so tell her to continue airing it out, but remind her that you don't accept returns beyond X amount of days so if she wants to return it to please let you know asap. i'd keep it polite/friendly.

i was sold a bag with horrible cigarette smell and it took over two weeks of nightime airing to purge that bag of odors. you could also suggest to her airing it out overnight outside... the cold night air speeds up the process.

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the help greatly. I think the buyer is having buyer's remorse. I don't want my bag outside or to get damaged. I have a lot to think about. Once again, thanks!