# shipping question for online sellers?



## house06 (Jan 4, 2007)

Hi
well I have taken the plunge and have begun selling a few books on half.com. It has gone well so far I do have a small issue that I would like some feedback on. 

I have two items that were sold on Thursday of last week. I got them ready for shipping but due to daughter being ill and severe weather in our area, howling winds, torrential rain, flooding roads etc couldnt get them in the mail until today. Both items media mail, let both customers know this and that I would mail today with tracking confirmation (free) that i provide for customers. 

One was totally fine and thankful that I let her know, the other customer is being a little jerky and said I had to mail priority mail. According to the shipping policy I still have two more days before I have to place the item in the mail, media mail. Also the item that I am sending is priced WAY under what it can be purchased for anywhere online as a used book. The customer paid for media mail and is now MAD because I am shipping the item 4 days after he ordered. I offer priority mail as option on account. I am going to mail priority today at my expense because I think he will be a jerk if I dont.... I am still not even positive if he will leave positive feedback .

I know to ship ASAP and I think that is a very good policy but how do you deal with customers like this?? I can understand if you mail past your deadline or if there is some other issue but to DEMAND that I mail something priority at my expense because it was not mailed out the next day seems a little unreasonable. 

I shop online frequently with stores and online sellers. I am still waiting for an item that I purchased from AMAZON ( preorder) five weeks ago that was released this weekend and still wont arrive to my house until most likely Thursday but that is okay because that is the type of mailing service I paid for. 

Have you had this type of experience and how do you handle it? Lesson learned, mail as quickly as possible but GOSH within your timeframe should appease most people. And I know the difference in shipping is really not worth hassling over the purchase with the customer, but REALLY!


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## Prickle (May 9, 2009)

You could send the buyer a copy of the TOS. I doubt it would help but at least he would know that you are working within the rules. 

Hopefully he'll be reasonable but it sounds like he just wants to be a jerk. If he gives you a neg try not to take it personally. If there is program in place to protest neg feedback pursue it. 

I like to read through someone's feedback before I buy online and I can usually tell when a neg was given unfairly. Just carry on, one ding isn't going to hurt your reputation in the larger scheme of things.


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## bluemoonluck (Oct 28, 2008)

If you are sending within the window you advertize, even if its later than you would like, its STILL within the window you advertized, right? 

You sent an apologetic notice to buyers for shipping "late" when really you were still within your advertized window of processing, if I'm reading this correctly. So the one buyer smelled the blood in the water and struck - getting you to pop for more expensive shipping.

If you were outside your advertized time in process window, that's one thing. But if you advertzie X days processing time, and you're within that time frame, you don't owe anyone an apology or anything. A simple "FYI, your item shipped out today" would have sufficed. If anyone complained at that point you could refer them to your time in process as advertized.


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## Michee (Mar 10, 2006)

Your error, if you can call it one, was apologizing or explaining any delays. You set yourself up to appear wrong, when reality is you were still within your shipping range. Fact of life in business you are going to deal with some really pushy, irritating souls. Logic seldom comes into play in those situations. You just have to learn to not give them anything to hassle you about.


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## house06 (Jan 4, 2007)

Thanks for the good advice. I am shipping today, 3 business days after sale. I have decided to ship "media mail" and send the customer delivery confirmation tracking. I dont advertise that I ship next day and this is within the 3 days expected for priority mail ( which customer didnt pay for)

I very much understand wanting "prompt" service and I expect that myself as a customer, but wont make the same mistake again. I thought I was trying to provide a courtesy to the customer. Guess not. 

Thanks for advice though, hope there wont be too many like this guy!


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## Blu3duk (Jun 2, 2002)

As a retailer, i expect those who i buy for to be upfront with me if they have a problem cause that is what i do for my customers, many which do not expect me to contact them if there is a delay, one customer was very patient, paid in advance for an order he knewf watin had to come from the warehouse [i had sold the item he wanted and was placing new order the day he called] the thing was back ordered twice on me and took 3 weeks to get here, but my custmer this time apreciated the service and waited, another customer on the same order i gave the same choice to of either waiting, ordering a different brand of similar product, or a refund, choose the refund and said he will return as a customer later when he needs some prospecting equipment cause i was so straight up about the back ordered and time frame involved...... 

So you cant please everyone with being so straight up, but you can make some folks happy enough they will come back again, and returning customers are the ones that KEEP you in business cause they know you wont do them wrong and handle your business as any decent professional should!

A friend who sells on the big online yardsale had a tough one the other day, she lives in the middle of nowhere in Montana so there is no "overnight" anything from where she is at, and the idiot did a buy it now and then asked f she could have it overnighted, and then got all hot headed about it when the answer was no... and started causing all sorts of problems, even after reading on the item about where they lived at and that shiipping was done every couple days...... so not only do people not listen, they dont read, and if htye read they sometimes are not capable of comprehending simple english and possible top candidates for future Dawin awards recipients.

yeah the customer is always right, but some take it to the extreme, and expect to be treated like royalty when they gtreat you like gum on the bottom of their shoe, personally i would have refunded the customer money or asked if that is what they wantred since you were within the parameters of the sellers terms of sale. 

but thats just me, as much as i need to have customers, i aint in business to lose sleepover having only bad ones show up and hassle me.

William
Kamiah Idaho
Digg It Prospecting Supplies, LLC


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

As a seller you cannot give a buyer negative or neutral feedback. You have to work through the system by reporting a problem with the transaction. If you do receive either negative or neutral you have the right to submit your own comments which will appear with their rating.

I started out eBay with a -1. First time. Listed and then computer went down. By the time it was fixed, he had already given me a negative as "I guess he forgot about shipping". When he was informed what happened he apologized, but at that time there was no mechanism for a buyer or seller to have a negative or neutral take off if both the buyer and seller agree to do so. You can do that now.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

You've gotten some AWESOME and OUTSTANDING advice already.

I, too, have had great customers, and a few that couldn't be pleased even if you gave them the item, got on an airliner, and delivered it to them personally the very next day.


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