How Do You Handle Purchases When Sellers Don't Provide Tracking?
Summary: calidromorello shares a concern about a seller who didn鈥檛 provide tracking information and has been unresponsive, questioning whether it could be a scam. fabrics24 advises not buying again from such sellers and suggests filing an Item Not As Described claim to protect against fake tracking scams. kensgiftshop points out that sellers on eBay don't have to provide tracking, while fullers_uk discusses the reasoning behind tracking costs. thecollectionbuyer and tobaccocardyahoo share their frustrations with similar eBay experiences, emphasizing the variability in delivery reliability. The consensus is to open an Item Not Received case if the item doesn't arrive by the expected delivery date.
As I had no way of knowing whether the item had actually been shipped or delivered, I requested to cancel the order. The seller initially appeared to accept the cancellation, but it ultimately failed.
The seller has not responded to any of my messages. Does this seem like a scam to you? Have any of you experienced a similar situation? Would you buy from a seller again if they failed to provide tracking information or communicate with you?
soh.maryl
路2 weeks agoYou need to read the MBG to reassure yourself of the protection offered to buyers by eBay.
But eBay is not the best place to buy items that were "needed yesterday". For that, it is best to stick to local stores.
calidromorello
OP2 weeks agoHello, it's been 13 days since I bought the item. The seller is located in the United States, relatively close to Miami where my mailbox is. I'm currently in Costa Rica, and there aren't any local secondhand stores here where I can find the camera lenses I need at a low cost. Regards
fm2000
路2 weeks agoOne can send an item without tracking, but the seller is supposed to mark it "shipped". At any rate, if you buy something and it has not arrived by the date eBay give you, just open an INR case and you will get your money back. That said, your seller should have absolutely replied to your messages. No need to engage further, just open an INR after the expected delivery date and be done with them.
tobaccocardyahoo
路2 weeks ago"I wanted these things yesterday" means "I should not buy them on Ebay".
I am primarily a seller on Ebay. I do not sell anything that anyone is likely to need. I sell wants. And I do all I can to lower buyer expectations of delivery. Perhaps once a year one of my shipments is later than the Ebay estimated delivery window, and that takes a pretty big screw up for USPS or me to cause.
Many Ebay sellers of needs are sellers with no inventory, and no customer service concerns. They are living out of someone else's inventory, a wholesale or a retailer and cannot control their product availability or do not because they do not care.
There are others who are just scammers, but many of them have a very short stay on Ebay because the customer actions under the Ebay MBG work pretty well at detected the bad apples.
It is uncommon for manufacturer authorized resellers to sell on Ebay, in part because the manufacturers discourage them from doing so.
On cheap Chinese products, which I view as disposable, Ebay used to be my go to site. I buy less here because Temu sellers have delivered to me faster, and their returns policies are superior to many Ebay sellers. Unfortunately, their DOA rate has been high.
Part of what makes Ebay, Ebay is its openness to some sellers who are impossible to hold to retail norms, liked tracked, om time deliveries. In some ways they are an asset, but I do not want to buy anything I need in a fixed time period from them.
calidromorello
OP2 weeks agoVery interesting POV 馃憤
thecollectionbuyer
路2 weeks agoThis is becoming more of a problem for ebay. I usually try ebay first for something I want or need. But right now I have 3 recent orders that are unfilled with varying states of tracking.
4Quacking Duck keyrings, paid July 10, weird tracking shows "in transit" I can file INR after July 31
2Shower Grab Bars, paid July 11, tracking shows "label created" I can file INR on July 28
and Garden Hose, paid July 11, tracking shows Shipped (untracked) I can file INR this Friday, the 24th.
I appreciate that eBay MBG protects me, but I wanted these things yesterday, I didn't want to wait 3 weeks to get my money back and still not have the stuff I ordered. I worry that other buyers will have similar experiences and just order someplace more dependable.
fullers_uk
路3 weeks agoDid you pay for tracked shipping?
calidromorello
OP3 weeks agoNo, why? Should I have to pay? I confess I don't know; I've never paid for that in any of the transactions or purchases I've made. Regards
kensgiftshop
路3 weeks agoOn Ebay, the seller doesn't have to provide a tracking number, let you know if your order has been shipped or even reply to messages.
If you don't receive your order by the estimated delivery date, the next day, open an Item Not Received case.
calidromorello
OP3 weeks agoUnderstood, but I also wrote to the seller a couple of times and never received a reply. As a buyer, I think it's understandable to want to know at least where the item is. Besides that, once I receive it, I use a logistics company to forward it to Costa Rica. Regards
fullers_uk
路2 weeks agoThe bigger debate is why tracking is needed, providing the seller can prove the item had entered the agreed shipping system, this may be by a pick up scan or a printed receipt from the accepting counter what is the purpose of tracking, there are only three real answers to the questions, the delivery network doesn鈥檛 work properly, items get stolen or buyers are dishonest, so by paying extra for tracking two out of the three is underwriting the delivery service, the third can happen even with tracking.
fabrics24
路3 weeks agoI would absolutely not be a repeat buyer if they can't even provide tracking.
Tracking should come free with the order; any reputable seller should want to have tracking on their packages because it protects them from INR claims.
It seems very sketchy, or at least unprofessional to me; I'd be prepared to file a claim.
To do this, Wait until the day after your item is supposed to arrive. If you do receive the item before then and it's As Described, awesome; enjoy it and never buy from them again. They're not shady; just a lousy business person.
If the item never shows up, message your buyer, informing them that your item still isn't there and the acceptable delivery date has passed. If they either tell you the tracking says it's delivered or fail to respond within 24 hours, file an Item Not As Described claim, not an Item Not Received. This is to protect you from the fake tracking (or in this case, no tracking) scam.
calidromorello
OP3 weeks agoThank you for your quick response!