eBay

knifenerd · ‎05-09-2020

I'm posting this as a reminder to all sellers that if there is a newsworthy issue going on that could potentially cause shipping delays, that you should always proactively message your buyers and let them know before you ship or when you ship on the same day. Telling them after the fact isn't the same thing. Here is a really sad situation I experienced today.

Last month I purchased a respirator from a new seller in China. They had 100% feedback but with only one or two transactions. But due to limited options, the price was good so I bought the item.

The tracking label is printed but is never updated beyond being printed initially.

I keep checking and no updates to the tracking so I contact the seller and ask them why there is no update. The seller does not reply.

I keep checking the tracking and now I'm starting to see the sellers feedback go from 100% to -4%.

I see the seller's feedback growing with negative feedbacks increasingly by the day. Basically all the people who purchased the same respirator I did from him, are now angry because the delivery date has passed and the seller doesn't reply to messages.

Everyone is screaming bloody murder, he's a liar, scammer, beware etc etc.

I send him another message saying his feedback and lack of response is making me nervous.

Still no response after one week past the expected delivery date so I file a return request or cancellation with ebay.

The seller finally sends me a message saying that he really did ship the item but he thinks there were delays due to the Covid19 problem.

I reply telling him that he lives in China, shouldn't you be worried about international delivery times being affected since you are in the country most famous for the virus? You didn't think to notify your customers? And why did you not reply to my messages? If you don't speak English, use a translator or relative.

By this time, since a lot of people were leaving negative feedback, his ebay account was suspended and no longer active.

Yesterday I receive the respirator that I purchased from him and try to contact him but cannot because his account is no longer active. So I find the original refund request that I made and I closed the request giving the reason that I received the item.

I feel bad that everyone is calling him a scammer and leaving him negative feedback when it's clearly because of a shipping delay out of his control. So I try to leave him a feedback letting everyone know that I actually did end up receiving my item, although late due to Covid-19 delivery delays out of China which is completely understandable. The seller has bad communication and customer service skills but is not a scammer because I got the item I bought from him....this is what I wanted to leave in his feedback. But since his account was no longer active, the system wouldn't let me save the feedback.

I don't know what's going to happen because Paypal already gave me my money back after I filed the refund request for not receiving my item.

I want the guy to get paid but the item probably cost him next to nothing to buy since it's a piece of plastic from China that he sold for $50 each.

This situation could easily have been prevented by him by sending his buyers a simple message about shipping delays due to the virus pandemic. No one would have complained because it's affecting everything and we know it's not his fault.

I feel for the guy but live and learn I guess.

luckythewinner · ‎05-09-2020

@knifenerd wrote:
This situation could easily have been prevented by him by sending his buyers a simple message about shipping delays due to the virus pandemic. No one would have complained

I think your assumption that "no one would have complained" is hopelessly optimistic.

That aside ...

IMHO failing to send a "proactive warning" pales in comparison to the littany of other issues you brought up (bad communication, bad customer service, failing to respond to questions, having only 1 or two transaction and trying to sell respirators internationally during a pandemic, etc.)

bar-29368 · ‎05-09-2020

Even before the pandemic China sellers would fudge delivery/tracking etc.

dhbookds · ‎05-09-2020

Seems to me BUYERS could be a bit more understanding .....it's not like the whole world isn't affected by this thing......and hopefully most are......... Don't disagree with pro-activeness....but the seller, in not answering inquiries, made a problem worse.

bar-29368 · ‎05-09-2020

Even after the pandemic people don't learn.

wesk_36 · ‎05-09-2020

I agree, customer service communication is very important, and it can be frustrating to not have a response from the seller and not see movement on tracking.

It will take more understanding from buyers today that mail can be delayed and that the seller doesn't control the mail delays, the updates, the weather, the pandemic.

"This situation could easily have been prevented by him by sending his buyers a simple message about shipping delays due to the virus pandemic. No one would have complained because it's affecting everything and we know it's not his fault."

Not all buyers read their ebay inbox or even the description (I know from experience) and I believe many would have complained anyway. A buyer should be aware of the possibility of shipping delays today, that's not the sellers fault.

Too many buyers (not saying you did) , in my opinion, bombard sellers with impatient, redundant, and repeated questions; is it overdue, no, then leave the seller alone.
After the arrival due date is the time to start asking questions, as you did as well.

As a buyer, we have the protection of getting a refund for situations like this. Why worry? It will arrive or it won't.

So I bought something 14 days ago from a US location, still no tracking movement beyond the seller creating a label, and no communication from the seller.

Do I care? Not really. It just became overdue and next week I will ask the seller if they actually sent it but I will never contact the seller before that due date nor give them a negative for a delay.

It sounds like the seller was somewhat destroyed by impatient buyers, if that seller was indeed following all the proper protocols and shipping commitments.

You are right though, a simple message to you from the seller would have put you at ease, but not everybody..

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lawnmowerpartsstore2 · ‎05-09-2020

This was the 1st and most important 1st problem right here.

Last month I purchased a respirator from a new seller in China.

itsjustasprain · ‎05-09-2020

@knifenerd wrote:
Last month I purchased a respirator from a new seller in China. They had 100% feedback but with only one or two transactions. But due to limited options, the price was good so I bought the item.

I have to admit that I almost stopped reading at this point. You can find all kinds of junk listed by Chinese sellers at prices that are too good to be true. I wouldnt buy a life critical item like a respirator from China for all the tea in Pittsburgh.

@knifenerd wrote:
I don't know what's going to happen because Paypal already gave me my money back after I filed the refund request for not receiving my item.

I want the guy to get paid but the item probably cost him next to nothing to buy since it's a piece of plastic from China that he sold for $50 each.

You seem to be realizing that the piece of plastic was not worth $50 but not realizing that you are the one who paid $50 for it.

@knifenerd wrote:
I feel for the guy but live and learn I guess.

I just dont see that you learned anything from this. Do NOT buy discount Chinese junk and expect a perfect transaction. You should wonder why in a time when the US was going nuts trying to buy respirators from anywhere that this guy in China just happens to have them for $50 each. Yes I know that China is one of the major manufacturers of respirators but you are not going to find them on Ebay and think that somehow the rest of the world did not think to look here.

You do not need to feel for the guy. You need to thank your lucky stars that Ebay refunded you for what was really a risky buy with little chance of success in terms of getting what you paid for to get a critical medical device.