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shipping
a buyer has requested a delayed shipping date. How do I manage this without getting a bad mark for delayed shipping. I have a perfect shipping record and don't want to lose that.
5 comments
edson_guy
OP6 months agoThanks for your information. I played it a little differently. This was a $610 sale and I didn't want to lose the sale or the customer. It took a while and six holds on the phone, but I got a live eBay human to look into the issue. She looked up the customer's messages to me and found the message where he asked for a delayed shipment. She told me there would not be any demerits on my record and gave me a reference number in case there are any issues with this sale. I sell collectables that are, in many cases, very difficult to find and average $500. I have many repeat customers and I treat them with the best service I can provide.
dryophelia
Mentor6 months ago@edson_guy
The best service you can provide has to be within eBay procedures and policy, or it is a detriment to your account.
There is nothing in @inceptions reply that is not good customer service while preserving your record.
I would not bank on anything a CSR told me on the phone. They are paid by the call and the sooner they tell you what you want to hear, the sooner they can get to the next call.
People that ask for delayed shipping AFTER the sale get my spidey senses tingling. Especially with expensive items. This should all be worked out before they commit to the purchase, not after, when the clock is ticking for the seller. (Maybe they’re a fellow seller, out trying to use a sellers good nature against them.)
edson_guy
OP6 months agoThis issue may boil down to the motivation for the sale. If you are a business and distrustful of the motives of your buyers and your only concern is to get paid then you have nothing to do with the kind of sales I make. I do not own or run a business and my sales volume is very small-- just 75 items since January 1. In this case I was trying to serve the customer as best I could, and in return to serve myself with a good sale. Regarding your comment on the CSR: I was on the phone with the CSR for 21 minutes. There was no attempt to move me along telling me "what I wanted to hear." She put me on hold 4 times to check with others and one time to check the messages between the buyer and myself. The buyer had asked me before the sale if I could delay the shipment by a few days, not after the sale. This is a buyer I have had many messages with back and forth regarding other collectables I have for sale. He is not a re-seller looking for a sneaky deal. I have another repeat customer who insisted on no-contact delivery and for the item to be vacuum sealed. He is disabled and very wary of germs. Think what you like, but he is a sincere and gentle person who has a passion for the collectibles I sell and he was very appreciative of my efforts to help him. He made 17 more purchases after that first purchase for more than $3100. That comes from going out of my way to serve the customer. I can afford to do this because it is a hobby. I prefer to offer exceptional service because I get a return on my efforts that isn't always measured in dollars -- although my net after fees and such since January 1 is $22,000 .
inceptions
Mentor6 months ago@dryophelia
I can assure you that every mentor on this board who sells on eBay strives to deliver the best possible customer service. You are not alone.
However, there are many paths to going out of your way to satisfy buyers. One is to ignore eBay policies and do your own thing (which will earn you defects on your account and could end your selling career), and the other is to deliver exceptional customer service within the rules. eBay has millions and millions of sellers. They cannot make special arrangements with each seller to go around the rules without consequence every time a seller requests it.
Maybe you'll have your defect removed and maybe you won't. Most of the mentors here have a couple of decades of experience interacting with buyers and sellers here on the boards, and I can tell you that they see reports every day about a CSR telling them that their defect will be removed only to have it remain. So if yours is removed, good for you. But I wouldn't count on it happening again. I'm sure your buyer is as wonderful as you describe him to be, and therefore would have no problem with you complying with eBay policies.
inceptions
Mentor6 months agoHi @edson_guy
Explain to the buyer that sellers are required to ship within their stated handling time. Cancel the transaction using the reason that there is a problem with the buyer's address. Then relist the buyer when he's ready to take delivery so he can repurchase it.