And people wonder where the buyers have gone...

[yuzuha]

Last week my friend, who is a huge Disney fan, purchased a set of Limited Edition theme park trading pins here on eBay.

She received them today... wrapped in toilet paper and shoved into a manila (not even padded) envelope.  Is it any wonder that buyers are leaving eBay?  That sort of thing is shameful and sellers who do that should be given the boot.  Don't wrap your purchases in TOILET PAPER, for crying out loud!  At least use paper towels or napkins or SOMETHING!  Take some pride in what you're doing and remember that there is another person on the other end who is going to be receiving whatever it is that you've shipped.  Put in a little effort!

[hillbillymedia]

Ever notice how freely some folks volunteer other people`s money, time or services? These people seldom practice what they preach but the words look great on the latest smart phone screen and it can be saved so they can show all their friends what great humanitarians they are LOL.

[softersilk]

1) eBay has never had written fulfillment standards.  Amazon does!

2) When DSR (star) ratings were started, they could have made one for quality of packing/fulfillment.  Did they?  No!  Instead of asking buyers to rate something that is 100% within a seller's control, they ask buyers to rate THE COST OF SHIPPING.  What the heck?

This is just one reason that eBay is going down the tubes.  No meaningful seller standards, just rotten metrics that rate nothing about quality.

I've had so many horrible experiences here as a buyer, I don't shop here anymore except for shipping supplies from trusted sellers, pretty much.

[softersilk]

One NWT clothing purchase... I opened the box and bang - the stench of cigarettes hit me.

My assistant came over and said, "Does smell *just* like cigarettes... more like cigarettes sitting out in a damp old garage for weeks."

Another time, I ordered a vintage teapot.  Seller wrapped it in filthy old newspapers that also smelled like cigarettes.  Unwrapping it, the ink came off all over my hands.

Speaking of hands, one time I bought vintage Pyrex.  The seller packed so poorly that it broke and cut my hand and I was unwrapping.

A couple of times I bought a NWT shirt or sweater of delicate material that had to be dry-cleaned.  One was silk.  Seller jammed into a too-tight envelope with no tissue and it was a horrible wrinkly mess.  Could not be worn without steaming.  The last time it happened, I filed SNAD.  Her photo had shown a beautiful, wrinkle-free top.

She did confess that she had 2 of them.  Steamed one and used it for the photo.  Sent me the ultra-wrinkly one and shipped with no packing whatsoever.  

Back in 1998, one of my first purchases was a "vintage framed photo".  What arrived was a manila envelope clinking with broken glass.  Yes, no packing material... slid it right in.  Worse, the "photo" was a terrible photocopy!

Seller actually demanded that I mail him back the (very cheap) frame (but no glass of course. It was all shattered) and the photocopy, before he mailed me back the check. No Paypal or chargebacks in those days.

And eBay won't address this, ever, so it's not going to get better.

[turquoisetulips]

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@sharingtheland wrote:

In the overall Scheme Of Things That Can Go Wrong With Packaging, peanuts are pretty low on my list.  

If someone wants to give me/my Shipping Department a negative for using peanuts after the $200 china widget arrived quickly, safely and with nary a chip, I can't do anything about that.

---

I personally would never give a  negative to a seller over the packing material they chose as long as it wasn't the reason my purchase arrived damaged . I just don't like packing peanuts because they're so lightweight and floaty  they tend to spread everywhere . Yes , I do have a vaccum cleaner  but we also have 4 dogs  that never  decline the chance  to  make a even bigger mess with them  . I'm just  busy enough  so I'm always happier when my orders arrive wrapped in  something else . Tulips 

[moondogblues]

"We saw the segment about plastic on 60 Minutes a couple weeks ago. Truly eye opening, as well as apalling. So sad to see the dead birds, and what's left inside the rotted remains of their tummies? Plastic shavings! My gut reaction was "we have to stop producing plastic right now!" But then I look around and think, so am I going to be typing on a wooden keyboard, reach for a wooden phone and take a note with a pen made from wood? I don't know what the answer is, but the plastic Starbucks straws I'm hoarding are just a drop in the bucket. I don't know what it will take to turn around the tons of plastic that gets into the environment."

We've started small...paper milk cartons, frozen fruit juice instead of plastic jugs. We do buy lunch meat but I save the containers for storage. I wish stores still wrapped meat in paper, I can burn that. I go to restaurants that use paper to go containers, avoid plastic cups and also straws. I've always hated plastic anything...that segment pushed me over the edge. What kind of world are we leaving our grandchildren? Oh and yes you can find wooden pens...only the core is ink filled plastic. I am not sure if they are re-fillable though.

[moondogblues]

"You might want to do some research on where most of the oceans trash comes from. You might be surprised it’s not America. And banning plastic straws? Waste of time. "

Why is it a waste of time? Banning plastic bags is not a waste of time...I hate seeing them festoon all our beautiful trees. I will do the research on the trash....how can we be Fast Food Nation and use up most of the resources on earth without being a huge contributor to the problem?

[moondogblues]

"To really freak yourself out, go into your bathroom and take a mental count of the massive number of plastic items/containers/appliances etc. It's probably the most plastic-filled room in the house."

I know...years ago I found a 'bar' shampoo...I'll be looking for it again. That will help a bit. I may be whistling in the wind but if everyone did a little it would add up.

[moondogblues]

"Another fun fact - although biodegradable, wood chopsticks are not made of scrap wood.  In 2011, China's national forest bureau reported that 3.8 million trees are consumed annually to manufacture 57 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks. "

I live near the Columbia River...this is a fact.  I carry my own chopsticks...lol...yes I am a fanatic.

[moondogblues]

Happy New Year everyone!!!

[robot-hands]

If it arrived in the condition described so what.

#1stworldproblems

[drusalina]

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@robot-hands wrote:

If it arrived in the condition described so what.

#1stworldproblems

---

You teach people how to treat you.  

Ebay has taught buyers how to treat sellers.  That is why the buyers have gone and the feedback is not about the product, but all about service.  

They have taught buyers, as soon as they have bought something on the Purchased Page  in a Big Blue Blaze Box RETURN THIS ITEM before the buyer has even gotten the item.  

On the Feedback Page are the 4 star ratings.  The shipping costs and the Shipping Time should not even be on that rating.  Shipping Costs are always in the listing, before you buy whether it is Buyer Pays Shipping, or Free Shipping.  And Especially the Shipping Time, again, the delivery time estimate is on the Buy It Now Page.  Not our fault if the USPS or any other carrier is slow on delivery.   But if the Seller has gone past their time that they say they will ship, next day, 3 day, whatever, then maybe the seller had a problem.  Contact the seller, before leaving unkind feedback. 

The Feedback shouldn't be " No Damage Arrived on Time", It should be... Lovely Item, or Nice Product, Got it quickly, Perfect Condition,  Thank you!  Or just Great Seller, Very Happy with Purchase.  

But because of eBay has and is still teaching the buyers that all Sellers are dirty, nasty, slow sellers by the options in the stars we have in feedback, we get cruddy feedback, even when the sale went well.

Please other sellers, don't attack other sellers on this board.   We are here to help one another. 

---

[emerald40]

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@robot-hands wrote:

If it arrived in the condition described so what.

#1stworldproblems

---

As I have posted it is very unpleasant when a package arrives and you need to hold your breath trying to open it without damaging the original packaging.

Arriving in the condition described really depends on whether or not I am successful in getting it opened.  And many times thanks to an abundance of tape trying to hold it together, I am not.

So it should not be up to the buyer to have to extracate an item successfully to judge whether it arrived in the condition described.  She should be able to get it out of there each and every time without it being an unpleasant situation.

[oldeteaspoons]

I wrap all of my items in gold tissue paper tied with gold ribbon and put in 2 starlight mints. No pesky tape. I hate unwrapping saran wrapped flatware that is all taped over. Sellers use way to much tape!  Someone once sent me flatware wrapped in old cut up denim jeans that smelled like motor oil. Of course I was happy when one seller used 50 plastic grocery bags for packing material. 

[emerald40]

I agree.  I find the older and more worn out the packaging, the more tape is needed to hold it together.

And with what I buy that can become a big problem.

[turquoisetulips]

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@moondogblues wrote:
"You might want to do some research on where most of the oceans trash comes from. You might be surprised it’s not America. And banning plastic straws? Waste of time. "

Why is it a waste of time? Banning plastic bags is not a waste of time...I hate seeing them festoon all our beautiful trees. I will do the research on the trash....how can we be Fast Food Nation and use up most of the resources on earth without being a huge contributor to the problem?

---

I once watched a video of some people on  a small boat  helping a large sea turtle . Somehow a long drinking straw had lodged inside his nose  and had actually grown into the skin . I could tell it was very painful for the turtle  but they managed to remove the straw  after trying for a long time . He happily swam away afterwards . Tulips