Buyer messaging me daily about not receiving an item. I’m running out of responses to provide

[postcardjohn]

I consider myself really good about dealing with buyers and being on top of messages and cases etc. but I have a buyer that seems determined to give me a hard time no matter what I do.

As soon as they purchased their item I bought postage, an ESE to be exact. They immediately messaged me and informed me that it was not a valid USPS tracking number. I explained briefly what the ESE was and they never replied.

Two days later they told me they never received their item. I checked tracking and saw it was still a week from the estimated delivery date and the item was still in transit. I politely informed the buyer of this and they sent me multiple messages saying the tracking wasn’t real since it wasn’t a valid tracking number and accused me of lying. I replied back with a more thorough explanation of what an ESE was, how it worked, and how their item was on its way.

Since then they have sent me daily messages telling me they haven’t received their item and I’ve tried my best to politely explain we’re still in the delivery window and that the item is in transit.

The buyer just gets hostile and tries to tell me I’m wrong. Then repeats she hasn’t received the item again the next day. Do I need to reply to this nonsense? Nothing I say seems to satisfy this person. I just don’t want a pause in responses to give the buyer grounds to neg me over my lack of communication. Interested in how you all would deal with this.

[kensgiftshop]

If you're going to be using ESE, you'll probably get a lot of buyers like that.

If you think it's bad now, wait until it gets scanned as delivered and they don't have it.

Not much you can do but let them know it isn't tracked like regular packages and you'll keep an eye on it.

[onlinecentral]

Interested in how you all would deal with this.
I do not attempt to solve delivery issues through the eBay Message Center. I encourage buyers to file an Item Not Received case. Then either delivery occurs or else a refund is issued. By filing an INR case, any negative feedback the buyer leaves you will be deleted.

[soh.maryl]

After your initial explanation to the buyer, there's really no eBay requirement that you answer every single message.  

[bashort]

Myopinion on ESE shipping is if  buyer filing a INR causes you distress then  that item was to valuable to be shipped with ESE

[cityslickercreations2004]

Sounds like you are dealing with a lively one. This won't help you during this transaction but add them to your blocked buyer list. No point in dealing with them in the future. 

[adamcartwright]

Question to anyone in the know  -- Would or could this member be considered an abusive buyer for badgering the seller daily during the estimated delivery window? 

[buyselljack2016]

@postcardjohn 

Maybe provide them with the "parcelsapp" site to follow the ESES #

[12345jamesstamps]

I would take a photo of ESE envelope with postage and send that in a friendly email and let them know it is like a meter letter going through the USPS.

I actually do this for all my 'freight forward' letters going to another country from the USA address.

[a_c_green]

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@bashort wrote:

My opinion on ESE shipping is if  buyer filing a INR causes you distress then that item was too valuable to be shipped with ESE.

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Agreed; unless it's changed recently, the limit for reimbursement of a supposedly missing eSE envelope is $20.

The envelope does not carry a tracking number (i.e. not like Ground Advantage, Priority, etc.). It has a routing code instead, which can be read and reported by sorting machines, but cannot show actual delivery. It will get upgraded to Delivered at the destination sort facility, but that's all.

If the buyer files an Item Not Received claim on an eSE shipment, the seller will need to refund first, then seek reimbursement from eBay (which is where the $20 limit comes in). Hopefully someone who ships using eSE can post the claim link here.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

As you can see from the responses to this thread, many sellers consider ESE to be an unreliable shipping method.

When you use it, you should expect buyers like the one you are dealing with.

You should also realize that the Ebay instructions for how you pack what you ship which allow the use of rigid toploaders are WRONG. Sellers who use rigid protectors have problems because their packages are not machineable.

If the item is not worth the sell price plus Ground Advantage shipping it is either not worth selling or priced too high.

I sell a limited number of postcards, and I sell them to collectors of the subject area, not postcard collectors because these "cross-collectors" will pay my price plus a tracked shipping charge. Real tracking, not the ESE kludge developed by USPS to try to raise the volume of letter mail.

Letter mail is my enemy. When shipping GA, if the shipment is mistaken for letter mail it will not be scanned until it arrives at the destination PO some of the time. I had to stop using Ebay's cardboard version of a number 10 envelope to avoid being treated like letter mail. Someone helped me pack last week and used one of these envelopes - no scans between New England and LA. Fortunately, my buyers are grown ups, usually mature.