Buyer using minimum Estimated Date

[lugro_30]

I got a note from a  buyer questioning where a package is. She bought on a Sat Dec 22nd. My item had a  4 day handling time since I was out of a town Xmas Eve with First Class. She thinks it should have been to her by the 29th. Frustrating that I put 4 day handling time with standard shipping and eBay puts 5-9 business days as estimated delivery. I can’t help that 2 holidays and 2 snow storms have occurred since the 22nd. I’ve avoided telling her she is wrong about the 29th, will do no good. I offered to put a missing mail search tomorrow if it doesn’t show since it’s bounced around twice in transit. USPS tracking also says it’s delayed. I had been having no shipping issues prior to this. I sense my first neg or neutral out of this. 

[princess_phones]

Commiserate with her. Show her the tracking and explain exactly what has happened through it all, that the holidays and the weather caused the delays. Offer her a discount on a future purchase. Say that you are waiting for packages yourself that are delayed (I don’t condone lying, but you could be waiting?) and know exactly what she is feeling.

Tell her you will update her every time there is a change in the status. Hopefully this will ward off a negative but at least you tried, sometimes there is nothing you can do to save a sale.

[lja440]

Dear Buyer,

I'm sorry that this hasn't made it to you as of yet.  It is coming First Class Parcel, the dates given are estimates and not guaranteed. If you will note on the item page that I set the handling time at 4 days to cover being out of town for Christmas. Also USPS was shut down on Christmas and also on New Years. Also there have been 2 storm delays in our area during this time frame and an extremely heavy mail volume at the Holiday season. I am confident that the package will arrive in the next few days.

                                                                                    Sincerely lugro_30 

Do not mention a refund or blame them for jumping the gun. 

I'm a mail carrier. Literally there was only 1 day the 2 weeks prior to Christmas that I didn't have to return to the PO for packages that did not fit in my Jeep. And that day the Postmaster himself took the last 45 minutes of the route and gave Misty (my sub) 2 hours of each of the 3 routes on our side of the 2 zip code office, Rachel our other sub took 2 hours from each of the two Rural Routes in the other zip code and ran packages for the 2 city routes. 

This Monday, besides always being the heaviest day of the week, Amazon dropped 5 pallets (4 of which were stacked to the max over 6 feet) in our PO. That is nearly a pallet each as our office totals 7 routes. Then there is UPS SurePost and FedEx SmartPost as well as our own parcels letters and flats.

I DID NOT watch the ball drop, instead I dropped. Walked in after eyeballing the horses to see that they were OK, let the dogs in from their kennel. Drank a glass of water trying to think of dinner, said screw it and went to bed.