eBay

theofficefan4life · ‎12-08-2020

In all my years selling i havent had the displeasure of a buyer as the one im dealing with now. I sold an ICEE slushie machine using best offer for the VERY REASON of hoping to "shop" for a potential buyer with an established history on ebay and of good fb left for sellers! And a lot of good that did me! So, i accepted "Karen"s offer which was $150 which to me is a lot of money. We are living in a time when porch thieves are rampant and especially so during the holidays. So I decided to ship UPS with signature required. That sent Karen into a rage. How dare I not list that in my ad! How dare I inconvenience her! Talk about a darned if i do, darned if i dont scenario! I didnt want to wait for her to give the go-ahead for signature required lest I be deemed Im waiting to long to ship.

So not thinking its any big deal I sent it requiring signature. Fast forward to today. The package is being held safely at a UPS store practically across the street from this Karen's house (after having done a quick google maps search), but I just received a nasty email how she is too inconvenienced to go pick it up and wants me to have them return it to me and how she is soooo hassled. I honestly don't get why she bought this???? Is it unreasonable to send something needing a signature so as to avoid a thief??? I digress....

So at this point, what do I do? I already know a negative is in the future. My question is do I call that UPS store and ask them to ship it back to me? Or do I wait until this Saturday which is the last day they will hold it and have UPS ship it back automatically? Please advise me on what will have the least worse consequences to me as a seller trying to do the right thing to protect myself. Should I take her up on her offer to have them ship it back to me? Or insist she go claim it? Or tell her if she really doesn't want it, then she simply doesnt need to retrieve it and it will get sent back to me?? I'm wondering if I should take her up on her advice and call UPS to have them ship back to me and HOPEFULLY ebay will remove any impending negative this hag will leave. Any advice is appreciated!!!

outdatedrecreated · ‎12-08-2020

I share your disgust with her attitude. That being said, I can understand her frustration. For higher priced items I sell, I clearly state in the listing that "Signature may be required for delivery at my expense and discretion". In this situation, I wouldn't correspond anymore than saying, "I did not require a signature to inconvenience you. I required a signature to protect both of us from the possibility of theft this time of year.". I'd leave it at that. If she doesn't want to sign for it, then UPS will ship it back if it's not claimed. Pretty ugly situation but the world is full of unreasonable people. Nothing we can do to change that.

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pburn · ‎12-08-2020

Sorry. I'm with Karen on this one. I'm not available to sign for packages. Period. Nor am I interested in picking anything up at the post office--anytime, really, but especially now, with COVID-19.

eBay requires signature confirmation if the total transaction is equal to or above $750. I, too, would have been livid if you sent it that way for a $150 item and did not disclose that in your item listing.

I'm not sure how getting a signature protects you any more than tracking does? If the tracking shows delivered, your part of the transaction is complete. Adding a signature provides no more protection for you as the seller. Once the tracking shows delivered, it doesn't matter whether porch pirates steal it or not--you're covered.

portkoop-0 · ‎12-08-2020

So, you want to avoid a negative.

I would tell the buyer I am sorry I am a new seller and lacking experience I was not aware ebay only requires signatures for items over $750. That being said if she could please find it in her heart to forgive me this time, I promise not to make this mistake again but would like to encourage the buyer to pick up the item she purchased.
And thank you.

That's what I would do.

pburn · ‎12-08-2020

P.S. Referring to your buyers as "Karens" and "hags" on a public message board probably isn't the greatest idea in the world. Kind of ranks right up there with sending a $150 item with signature required and not disclosing it in the item listing.

Most people on these discussion boards are buyers as well as sellers . . .

theofficefan4life · ‎12-08-2020

I had no idea. I was under the impression that if a package was left at someones porch, UPS marks "delivered" then a porch pirate steals the package, buyer says never received, then how am I not on the hook for that??? Should I have sent it insured instead???

outdatedrecreated · ‎12-08-2020

I share your disgust with her attitude. That being said, I can understand her frustration. For higher priced items I sell, I clearly state in the listing that "Signature may be required for delivery at my expense and discretion". In this situation, I wouldn't correspond anymore than saying, "I did not require a signature to inconvenience you. I required a signature to protect both of us from the possibility of theft this time of year.". I'd leave it at that. If she doesn't want to sign for it, then UPS will ship it back if it's not claimed. Pretty ugly situation but the world is full of unreasonable people. Nothing we can do to change that.

theofficefan4life · ‎12-08-2020

Yep, kind of like being a keyboard warrior being a smart aleck when replying to a genuine request for help. Really classy.

outdatedrecreated · ‎12-08-2020

It's his right to require it if he sees fit. In the big scheme of things, whats the big deal with having to sign for something? I guess I prefer to be "livid" about things that really matter, and having to sign for a package surely doesn't matter that much. If the item was stolen off your porch, you'd blame him too. Thats the point hes making.

theofficefan4life · ‎12-08-2020

Thank you for your constructive response.

pburn · ‎12-09-2020

@theofficefan4life

@outdatedrecreated

I cannot believe that sellers don't know how INRs work. Amazing.

If tracking says delivered, that's the end of your responsibility. Period. Good grief. It's your job to get it to your buyer's house, not to protect it from being stolen. It's your buyer's responsibility to provide a safe and secure place for delivery.

I will say it once more: I am not available to sign for home deliveries. At all. Ever. If you send me a package requiring a signature, that means I have to go to USPS or UPS or FedEx or whatever to retrieve it, which I'm not willing to do until this pandemic is over.

IF YOU HAVE NOT DISCLOSED THAT YOU'RE SHIPPING WITH SIGNATURE REQUIRED, YOU SHOULD NOT BEING DOING IT. FULL STOP.

pburn · ‎12-09-2020

@theofficefan4life wrote:
Really classy.

This from a person who calls their buyers "Karens" and "hags?" Priceless.

portkoop-0 · ‎12-09-2020

@theofficefan4life wrote:
I had no idea. I was under the impression that if a package was left at someones porch, UPS marks "delivered" then a porch pirate steals the package, buyer says never received, then how am I not on the hook for that??? Should I have sent it insured instead???

Normally, I do send such packages insured but it's up to you.

Out of thousands of packages shipped, our biggest concern right now are COVID delays.
And it's strange because it's all over youtube and the news but for the most part we don't have much issue with porch pirates, at least we rarely see it discussed in this community.

Fact is, once tracking shows delivered our responsibility as sellers ends in that sense.

If it makes you feel any better all of these lessons and more we each had to learn, some of us the hard way, those of us answering your concerns are in fact happy when we find someone who will listen to us so thank you.

outdatedrecreated · ‎12-09-2020

This is a misconception of many sellers for some reason. As long as you purchase the label on eBay and it's shipped to the address provided by the buyer at the time of checkout, you are protected by a not received case the instant it shows delivered. The buyer can still open the case, but as long as you reply to it with the tracking number showing it's delivered, eBay will rule in your favor. Signature confirmation can come in handy if the buyer then disputes the charges stating they never received it but actually did. When I first started, I was in dire financial condition so couldn't afford to be scammed out of anything. I insured everything and required signature for delivery. Like I mentioned, I put it in the description, and I would send the buyer a message reminding them that a signature was required and if their schedule was hectic, they may be able to contact the carrier (I only use FedEx) and request it be held for pickup at their nearest location. Never once had a problem. Sounds like your buyer goes out of their way to be unreasonable.

outdatedrecreated · ‎12-09-2020

Which is exactly what I recommended he do. Put it in the listing. He didn't hop on here to be lectured by you. He posted a question. If you don't like the manner in which he asked it, then don't chime in. FULL. STOP.