Time is running out to design a custom printing order. Do I wait for the customer or refund?

[jks_electronics]

I sell personalized photo magnets. A buyer has purchased an auction listing from my store. All of my listings require that I complete and ship orders within 10 days of receiving payment. The 10-day mark is fast approaching and I am still waiting to receive the photographs used for the custom order.

They don't know when they will arrive. The project cannot be completed without the photo. I worry about how this will affect my seller account and late shipment rate. Should I cancel the transaction and refund the money or wait on the pictures?

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@jks_electronics wrote:

I sell personalized photo magnets. A buyer has purchased an auction listing from my store. All of my listings require that I complete and ship orders within 10 days of receiving payment. The 10-day mark is fast approaching and I am still waiting to receive the photographs used for the custom order.

They don't know when they will arrive. The project cannot be completed without the photo. I worry about how this will affect my seller account and late shipment rate. Should I cancel the transaction and refund the money or wait on the pictures?

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Hi, who is "they" in "They don't know when they will arrive"? The buyer? The post office? Is there a tracking number with the photos?

If you have been in touch with the buyer, and they have sent the photos, you really don't have much of a choice but to wait. One late shipping order should not affect your account negatively. Ebay states they have built in a fractional "cushion" in the shipping metrics to account for such matters beyond a seller's control. If you cancel the transaction without buyer request, you will receive a defect on your account. Defects can hurt a seller's standing if too many are received.

[mam98031]

Why not have your buyer submit the pics to you electronically?  Then you can have them in a matter of minutes.

[inhawaii]

A similar thing happened to me on a local pick up.  The customer wanted a local pick up but was away on vacation. He wanted to pay for the item so he could secure it and not lose it to anyone else. He would pick it up from me a in a few weeks. 

I don't know the correctness of this, but i just "marked as shipped".  If there were any problems in the future with this transaction, ebay could always check my messages for proof of what was going on. Everything was documented in our messages.

Good luck!

[jks_electronics]

They are waiting on their pics from the photographer.

[purple-rain-store]

given that it doesn't look like you are a large scale seller with the amount of listings that you have and sell, I'd be more inclined to let the buyer know that you have a shipment time deadline and may have to cancel and have them repurchase when they actually have the photo's ready. It doesn't take much to really hurt your seller metrics if you aren't making steady multiple sales everyday. Even just marking shipped I do not think covers you because they want to see "tracking," as well uploaded on time, not just "shipped." 

[purple-rain-store]

If you do end up cancelling, make sure to click, "buyer requested." As it's not your fault the buyer can not provide the photo's at the time of order.