Shipping Etiquette (1 Viewer)

[Timmah]

I was curious about your thoughts on shipping etiquette.

When I sell something on PCF, I package up the item and have a tracking number sent the same day. It gets to the post office the same day or the next day.

I’ve had some experiences where there has been delays in shipping. I get it. Life happens. However, there was great communication from them, and the items shipped with no issues.

I purchased several items from one member a week ago. The seller reached out for payment. I paid within 1 hour of their request. After two days I reached out to seller to confirm payment. Seller said they received it and would ship out the items the next day. It’s now been 7 days since payment and the seller no longer responds to emails even though they’ve logged on several times a day. At what point do you assume you’re not getting your items?

What is your process when buying and selling? What is expected from the seller or buyer during transactions?

 

[Tonysquander]

My personal standard (not saying it should apply to anyone else) is to provide a tracking number and ship as soon as possible after payment is received and to keep any buyer fully informed of when it will ship if it is not the same day. I then also keep an eye on the tracking and, if there is any delay in scanning or otherwise, I will reach out to assure the buyer of when I dropped it off and let them know that I am keeping an eye on things and will take appropriate action with USPS if it becomes necessary.

My expectation as a buyer is that once I send payment I should have the tracking information within 24 hours unless the seller indicates it will take longer to ship (which if it is, that is fine, but communicating such information should be standard IMO).

Edit*

Minimum acceptable standard should always be acknowledgement of payment and provision of information regarding anticipated shipping date (whatever that may end up being) as well as follow up if that date cannot be met and/or when and if the item is shipped.

 

[doublebooyah85]

7 days is some bullshit unless there has been open communication.

I think within 3 business days to ship after $ is fair for non vendors.

Have they been logging in or posting too @Timmah?

 

[Eriks]

Delays can happen but then communication should also happen. Promptly.

 

[Budha]

Pretty much all of the above. As a buyer, I try and pay the same day the deal is locked down/confirmed.

As a seller, I confirm payment received immediately after it’s received and generally try and ship same day or next and provide tracking. With communication through out. It’s kinda table stakes IMO.

If there’s a delay in shipping, just send a quick note.

7 days with no communication after payment has been sent is BS.

 

[demonnic]

With the dollar amounts some of these classifieds run, I'd expect pretty prompt shipping, and barring that very prompt communication as to the hold up. As said, things happen, but if I'm sending you hundreds or thousands of dollars essentially on your word you're going to ship them out to me I'm gonna get antsy pretty quick if I haven't heard anything or seen tracking info from the shipping company (as in, looked up the tracking info, not just have a number).

So far I've been lucky and my few transactions have not only been seamless but pleasant and I feel more like I'm making friends in a hobby than becoming somebody's customer, even with justin's group buy where I'm absolutely becoming somebody's customer lol.

I'd be losing my mind after 7 days of silence.

 

[Rieguy]

The real answer is that people should be leaving negative or neutral feedback when the other party is genuinely causing completely avoidable or inexcusable issues. This rarely happens. Plenty of "veterans" with 100% feedback ship like absolute shit or completely misstate condition after providing their "best" pictures that were captured with a potato, and then make a stink if there is a problem that needs to be remedied. The issue is that other people will just leave such feedback in kind, even if they are clearly in the wrong, and there is no recourse for this. Huge flaw in the feedback system, but at the same time, it's a tough position for the mods since the site is user-to-user sales.

So yeah, as written, it seems like you might have some cause to leave negative feedback, but can you do same while your chips are hostage or the threat of reciprocal negative feedback looms over your head? (Of course, there are always two sides to a story.)

GL! All the other issues are well covered in the posts before this.

 

[upNdown]

My thoughts - I'd say 90% of what I've sold (and 100% of what I've sold for big money, say $500 and up) gets shipped out same day or following day. But that small percentage of packages that I don't get out immediately probably don't make it out on day 2 either. I'm just saying for me personally, if I'm too busy or preoccupied to get something out immediately, it's probably going to be a few days - maybe until the weekend, though maybe that means monday when the post office re-opens?
No hard or fast rules or policies on this, but I'd say that 7 days is the threshold between reasonable time and get concerned time. And the less expensive the package is, the less freakout is appropriate. Though it should be said that with all things in life, messages should be returned within a day. So I don't think I'd freak out if a $30 package wasn't shipped out within 6 or 7 days, but I'd damn sure expect the courtesy of a response in that time (though for a $30 package, I probably wouldn't be messaging the seller until a week went by anyway.)

 

[chippitydoodah]

How about Buyer Etiquette? I typically get a sold item shipped out the next day but I knew it was gonna be more than a day which I told the buyer. We'll, he was up my ass constantly about it so much that I had to remind him I'm not a business.

 

[monkeydog]

It was me.

Totally my bad and my fault.

I sold too much shit at once, had a couple delays, got super busy and delayed all the shipping.

All packages went out Tuesday, messaged with tracking (where applicable) today.

For me, if I miss a weekend, I'm generally screwed until the next weekend for shipping. Weekdays are too crazy.

In regards to what is reasonable...I guess I'm different than most. Stuff gets here when it gets here.

Just had a transaction worth $600+ that didn't ship for 10 days, and no update. It finally ships and then I'm shorted 40 chips.

Worked it out with the seller and all good.

In the future, all my sale ads will say - will ship within two weeks. I know I can hit that deadline...maybe.

 

[Timmah]

My post isn't to call anyone in particular out. I just wanted to know what people’s expectation are as a buyer and seller. Delays happen. I think people should communicate that fact. It takes only a few seconds up like or respond to a message.

 

[KHarp1]

Geez, @Timmah I told you 8 months ago that I would ship them...wtf??

 

[Budha]

It was me.

Totally my bad and my fault.

I sold too much shit at once, had a couple delays, got super busy and delayed all the shipping.

All packages went out Tuesday, messaged with tracking (where applicable) today.

For me, if I miss a weekend, I'm generally screwed until the next weekend for shipping. Weekdays are too crazy.

In regards to what is reasonable...I guess I'm different than most. Stuff gets here when it gets here.

Just had a transaction worth $600+ that didn't ship for 10 days, and no update. It finally ships and then I'm shorted 40 chips.

Worked it out with the seller and all good.

In the future, all my sale ads will say - will ship within two weeks. I know I can hit that deadline...maybe.

I think all of that is fine, and most buyers would be ok with it as long it’s communicated.

I’ve got no issues at all if someone gets busy, happens to all of us for sure! Just proactively send a quick note letting them know.

Another reason for communication and tracking is now that it’s summer, some mailboxes can get hot as ovens. Especially in places like TX. I’m on the lookout for chips being delivered so they don’t melt - lol.

 

[BGinGA]

My post isn't to call anyone in particular out. I just wanted to know what people’s expectation are as a buyer and seller. Delays happen. I think people should communicate that fact. It takes only a few seconds up like or respond to a message.

I typically don't worry about it.

Sometimes stuff goes out immediately; other times it may take 7-10 days to get packed and out to the post office.

I've received purchased packages before payment was even sent, and have shipped under similar circumstances.

My most recent purchase was shipped next day, with a note saying "don't send payment in case we have another transaction".

My most recent sale was for nearly $10,000. They mailed a check from a nearby state, and I personally drove the chips half-way there.... almost 40 days later, when it was convenient for both parties.

I typically don't worry about it. My rep is solid, as is with most all of the folks I deal with. Communication is key.

 

[SwissChip]

Don‘t sell stuff if you‘re not able to ship within 3 days. Or the buyer gets informed you‘re busy/lazy.

How do you handle international shipping items $500 up?
If i don‘t forget (!), i ask to declare as gift to avoid the import taxes.
I now send all as gift, even when it‘s not correct.
On a second hand item, taxes were already payed. Maybe in another country but idc!

It should be standart on PCF to declare international items $150+ as gift.
Buyer takes all the risk anyway.

 

[MilouPilou1]

It's been said over and over again, but communication and transparency are everything.

As a seller, I take this very seriously, out of respect for the buyer. I confirm receipt of payment instantly and send tracking info within 24 hours (usually within 2 hours). The package is dropped off the next day and I systematically send photos of the package before. If there's the slightest delay, the buyer is notified.

For international, I always asks buyer's preferences about value to be declared on customs forms and if they have specific shipping instructions.

As a buyer, I've always asked for gift and low value. Never had any unpleasant surprises so far, and had nothing but wonderful encounters here.

 

[jrees]

Communication is key when sending large amounts of money into the void of a peer-to-peer sale.

Buyer should have some sort of idea of when the seller expects to ship upon receipt of payment.

Seller should live up to that, and if not, communicate otherwise.

It's just common courtesy. The higher the dollar value of the transaction, the higher the level of courtesy should be extended.

My two cents.