posted on February 1, 2001 07:51:29 AM new
I know this is probably an old message but I must rant to someone. I was high bidder on a three day sale tht ended in the early afternoon. I chose this sale as I wanted the item fairly quickly. The person accepted cashiers checks so I hoped I could get the check out the next day (via online banking). The person lives roughly 200 miles from me allowing a fairly quick response. Well the person did not contact me for over 24 hours. By that point it was pretty much too late to expect that if the check went out today ( Thursday) that I would get the item by Sat.
Personally I like to contact high bidders ASAP usually at the end of the auction. I usually begin my auctions at the same time so that I am available when it ends. Sometimes I can ship within hours of the auction end. I once had a man in Belgium receive and items with 5 days of the auction end. He paid immediately and I went to the post office within 1 hour of the auction end.
posted on February 1, 2001 08:07:08 AM new
The seller has 3 business days to contact you. Not everyone has 24/7 access to their computer, nor does everyone live in front of their monitor. Expecting to bid, pay, and receive your item within 5 days is expecting a bit much, although you don't really give details as to how many days we're talking about.
Myself, I try to contact winners within a few hours. Some days it is not possible, some days I can contact them within minutes. Since I don't have a computer in my car, if I am running errands, or shopping, or banking, etc, obviously I can't watch the email.
posted on February 1, 2001 08:21:46 AM new
I agree with Meya. You have to be patient because not everyone has access to a computer like we do. I (and I'm sure you) have a computer at home. But that isn't the case for all. I have a good friend who sells her stuff on ebay using my computer. She can't make it here everyday. She tries to make it here on days that auctions end, but usually at the end of the day, or after all of her auctions have ended. I also know a person who uses a computer at the library for all of her online stuff.
I myself launch my auctions on my days off. However, most end on days that I have to work. There's just no getting around that because I never have the same days off. So I usually contact my winners late that night or the next day. I'm sure that there are many sellers in the same position.
Maybe your seller had to work and didn't feel like jumping right on the computer as soon as she got home. I wouldn't either. I'm usually tired. Giver her a break, an approx 24 hour + notification is actually a very good time. And well within the expected 3 days.
Not everyone's world revolves around ebay.
[ edited by luvmy2bears on Feb 1, 2001 08:23 AM ]
posted on February 1, 2001 08:36:12 AM new
Well the reason I thought it might go quicker is that it was a three day auction. I like to use 7 day auction for just the reasons you give only with respect to bidders. Nearly everyone has time during a seven day period to look at ebay. I have discovered things I wanted in the past that were on threeday auctions and I midded them due to my work schedule. Point well taken and in the future I will be sure to contact them before the auction ends to ensure speedy delivery. My urgency here is that I have a program I am trying ot load oan my laptop that will not work under my old windows so I bought a new version. I have been fighting this for the entire month under w95 and hence have stopped selling on ebay for that time. I would have bought it locally but all are sodl out (without driviing 45 mins each way) If I get it Sat I can take it to work with me Sunday and get it going during my work. I have free time at work so that I can do personal things.
Thanks
Prepare for the worst but hope for the best!! Spuddy98
posted on February 1, 2001 10:29:50 AM new
Everyone can probably think up a good excuse not to contact a bidder quickly and many are valid, but most of the time a seller should close his auction within a day. This is, after all, the Internet,and you are either fast or dead in this environment. Are you in business or not?
Most sellers want to get paid quickly and gripe when they aren't. Clue phone: If you aren't eager, don't expect your bidders to be.
posted on February 1, 2001 10:36:31 AM new
I normally like to contact bidders within a few hours after the auction, too.
There's nothing wrong with the bidder making the first contact, though. If, as a seller, I know someone is in a hurry and writes to me first to indicate that, I'll expedite the process. Otherwise I might wait until the next morning to send my EOA.
Last night I bid on an item and I wrote to the seller first to explain why I was going ahead and paying right away with PayPal. I'm more comfortable as a bidder letting sellers contact me first, but sometimes it works well the other way around.
posted on February 1, 2001 10:49:50 AM newPoint well taken and in the future I will be sure to contact them before the auction ends to ensure speedy delivery. My urgency here is that I have a program I am trying ot load oan my laptop that will not work under my old windows so I bought a new version. I have been fighting this for the entire month under w95 and hence have stopped selling on ebay for that time. I would have bought it locally but all are sodl out (without driviing 45 mins each way)
You really need to cool down a little bit! Sure, computer problems coupled with eBay withdrawal are bound to make anyone tense.
But, similar to what I said in your other thread you cannot mandate when the seller contacts you! Contacting them first wouldn't have helped too much since you cannot control how quickly the post office delivers that cashiers check!
Lessons to be learned:
1. If needing something by a certain time, do not order it over the Internet the same week you need to receive it, expecting everyone involved (seller, post office, etc.) to jump through hoops for you.
2. Realize that other people have responsibilities outside of their online auctions that sometimes must take priority and that this in no way means that you and your items are not important to them.
3. If you had been willing to drive for 45 minutes your problem that you've been working on for a month might have been solved already.
4. Don't feel that by bragging about how you can "ship within hours of the auction end." that makes your "high standards" superior to those who don't or can't. What were you trying to prove by that remark?
5. Lose the attitude. It's showing itself and I've only read 2 of your threads so far that I know of.
posted on February 1, 2001 07:05:44 PM new
BJGrolle:
Yes I do need to step back and take a breath. I went swimming tonight and that helped. However your comments about me are quite rude and unecessary. I feel as the two comments prior to yours tht this is the internet and if you are quick you make the buck and then can get on to the next buck. Ever go on an easter egg hunt. Perhaps I am making up fo rall the easter eggs hunts I was beaten out of as a kid (My sister is 4 years older) Attitude. I just expect the best. I give as much as I expect and most important I expect communication. The seller needs to let bidders know what is going to happen. Sure ebay gives three days before the auction is dead but like most 24 hours is my deadline.
Prepare for the worst but hope for the best!! Spuddy98
posted on February 1, 2001 11:15:53 PM new
Anybody ever get frustrated? You worry so much about contacting buyers after the auction ends. I have stayed up, dead tired, to do my after-auction mail.(I'm small-time only)
Then people take their sweet time to answer and I feel like it wouldn't make a difference at all when I sent it out.
They lie about paymenys ( I sent you a money order. - then payment arrives - 10 days late - in cash)
I mostly buy on eBay, just occasionally sell, and I find it very difficult to maintain courtesy and speed. Some buyers are just to casual about the whole thing and I seem to attract them.
I must admit that I had some really nice ones, but they seem to be rare.
Does this wear off the more auctions you run or does it always kinda hurt your feelings when "they" don't appreciate that you are trying your best?
posted on February 2, 2001 05:30:11 AM new
I usually do mine within 24 hours. Sometimes I get into 48. I sell a lot of fragile,vintage some new mostly glass and porcelain and then whatever goodies I find. So all my items are different. I charge a very small handling fee (less than .50) so I don't have room to make a mistake on the shipping. Therefore, once they're sold I pack and weigh to get the postage, then send the EOA with accurate numbers. I'm a one lady operation with two kids (3 if you count my husband) so if I get a bunch of sales on one night, it can take a few hours to just do that. I never mind a buyer contacting me first especially if they send the address then I know for sure where it needs to go. I used the automated system from AW for a while which sent out the EOA's within a couple of hours, but then someone would have a multiple purchase (so that eoa was wrong), someone else lives in Canada (now that has to be done over). Sorry this got so long...
posted on February 2, 2001 05:40:00 AM newGive me your feedback
Well, spuddy98, you asked for feedback and I gave you mine, but it seems you don't like it when people disagree with your position. Others also disagreed with you, but perhaps not so bluntly. It's admirable that you just expect the best. I give as much as I expect, but expecting others to meet your high standards without fail is expecting quite too much IMO.
It's been my experience that if I don't hear from a seller in the first 24 hrs., I'll still usually get my EOA notice well within the 3 day time limit and I'll still get my item quite promptly. I'm still satisfied and do not look down upon that seller in any way.
And as a seller myself, I do contact my buyers within the first 24 hrs. However, because in my household, I am the primary caregiver to my children, I wait until my husband is home to process my payments and prepare my shipments. And it is not usually possible for me to be waiting at my computer at auction end to send out the EOA notices, something else you made sure to mention that you do. I work on the computer during the daytime when my children want to play on theirs. Otherwise, my time is not my own, as any primary caregiver, man or woman, can attest.
The people who you mention that you agree with obviously have the luxury of being able to monitor their auctions whenever they feel like it, something that I look forward to doing someday, and that's great! So naturally, they can react a bit more rapidly than someone like myself.
But there is another side of the coin, as I've already mentioned and you seem to feel that those of us on the other side are doing people a disservice. That is plain wrong thinking.
And for the record:
Again, I do contact my customers within 24 hrs.
No, most likely shipments do not go out the same day payment is received. And it's not because I don't care about the customer. My mail doesn't come until late afternoon. At that time, I'm still home alone taking care of my kids. No way could I process, pack, and dash to the post office before it closes. (I do think I owe it to my husband to cook some dinner, after all!) And in the case of e-payments, the same still applies. I ship 3 times a week. If the payment arrives on a non-shipment day, it goes out the next day. Right now, my schedule is Tues. Thurs. and Sat. And I've yet to have anyone complain about it.
Yes, my auction business is important and so are my customers. And you are obviously doing a great job, from what you say. Just please remember that others have jobs outside of auctions and/or are the primary caregiver in the home and cannot meet your lofty expectations. (Heavens, if you should win one of my auctions and paid me on Monday, it wouldn't go out until Tues! A punishable offense for sure!)
Zugspitz,
Sounds like you an I are somewhat in the same boat if you stay up late at night sometimes trying to get your auction work done. To answer your question, keep doing your best regardless. At least you can look yourself in the mirror and feel good about what you're accomplishing. And the callous attitude of those few buyers won't bother you after awhile. You still get more good ones than bad, I've found.
posted on February 3, 2001 04:10:40 PM new
Hoo Haa!!
Well to keep it going I have my auctions start and end at about the same time each week (or whenever I list them) this way I do 20 EOA's at one sitting rather than 4 every day. I have a post office box for my mail that I can get to at 9 am. My home mail comes anywhere from 10:30 to 2pm depending , I guess, on what errands my carrier has to do. (I live on a rural route) Mostly I just what to know what to expect. If a bidder or seller will not respond to an email or will not tell me when to wxpect delivery or the payment then I really wonder how serious this person is about the transaction. I am here to buy and sell now. When I do, I want to get the deal done ASAP (within reason given sick children, Holidays, school concerts and yes my regular Job that pay all the bills and will suppply me with a pension 18 years and 1 month from today) So I think we are on the same page BJ. How 'bout some broiled fish tonight?
Prepare for the worst but hope for the best!! Spuddy98
posted on February 3, 2001 06:17:08 PM newIf a bidder or seller will not respond to an email or will not tell me when to wxpect delivery or the payment then I really wonder how serious this person is about the transaction.
Interesting point. It would be nice if it were that simple though. I've actually had very few sellers bother to let me know my item shipped, but I haven't found that it has had any relation to how efficiently I get my item. Most times everything's OK. (Do you want to hear the one about the jacket arriving wrapped in torn newspaper?)
As far as bidders responding, well, that's maybe half and half. Again, to me, a lack of response doesn't automatically mean they won't pay.
And, spuddy98, broiled fish sounds lovely! Had a fight with my pork steak tonight, but managed to win without tossing it in the trash. And I am a good cook, it was all the steak's fault! Honest!!!!
posted on February 3, 2001 06:53:12 PM new
My EOA's go out within 1 hour ALWAYS
I have shipped items within 5 minutes of recieving payments. 95% of all items go out within 24 hours of recieving payment.
I have a DSL line specifically for my ebay auctions and ebay transactions.
I run an average of 200-300 auctions current at any given time on ebay.
I am an AWESOME seller (if I do say so myself).
BUT
If I buy something on ebay, I do not expect no where near the service I provide, therefore, I do not have to get myself upset or worked up about little things such as this.
)