Another eBay Dilemma - Buyer Issues! UPDATE

[Kristi1357]

Ok, I sold a costume on ebay -
Auction ended Sunday, Oct. 2nd
Buyer paid me by eCheck through Paypal, Oct. 7th
eCheck has not cleared, but should by today, Oct. 13th

I get an email from this buyer last night. She wants to know if the eCheck cleared. And she tells me she needs the costume by this Saturday, Oct. 15!

Even if her eCheck clears today and I make a special trip to the post office this afternoon to ship her package - I am unsure she will receive it in time. I ship all my items priority mail and that is the service she paid for. (I do not charge any handling or other fees - actual cost only)

Upon further investigation on my part this morning - I see that she has a paypal unconfirmed address! I state in all my listings, that when paying with paypal, I only ship to confirmed addresses. Ugh!

This buyer has feedback of only 3 - but all feedback is positive.

I am thinking that they are very new to all this and have no idea that their expectation of having this costume in time for Saturday is totally unreasonable. I do feel bad, but I am not going to eat the shipping charges to overnight this to her. I was thinking of sending her an email saying that I will overnight the costume to her once her eCheck clears and once she paypals me $x amount (in available funds) to cover the extra shipping charges.

What do you guys think? Or should I end the whole thing since she has an unconfirmed address and refund her money?

TIA!
Kristi

 

[bicker]

You cannot win, really, since all three options carry with them comparable down-sides. I would follow a defensible procedure: Since you didn't invalidate the sale as soon as you had access to the information that the buyer wasn't qualified as per your requirements, you should just live with that element of risk you've taken on as a result, IMHO. You're rightfully waiting for the eCheck to clear, and as soon as it does, expediciously effecting shipment as per the agreed-on arrangements. If the buyer inquires, I wouldn't recriminate or equivocate: "Shipment via the agreed-on method was effected as soon as your payment was confirmed as cleared. You should receive the product on XXXX."

 

[disneysnowflake]

Well, the buyer used an echeck.
Too bad for her. It takes time for an echeck to clear. Every time I get an echeck Paypal says not to send the item until it clears.
If she wanted the item by a certain date she shouldn't have used an echeck.

I would NOT use my own money to send the costume overnight. Again, she shouldn't have used an echeck. It's not your fault it takes so long to clear. That's her fault for using a darn echeck. I can't stand those things.

As far as the unconfirmed address, this is what I'd do. I'd withdraw all the funds from my paypal account so the balance is zero. That way if she decides to request a refund your funds won't be frozen. I'd make 100 percent sure I'd use delivery confirmation. Then I'd send it via Priority Mail, after I'm sure the echeck has cleared.

The buyer is probably new, but she's got to learn one way or the other. Using an echeck takes a while to clear. That takes your item that much longer until it ships. Maybe next time she'll think before she uses an echeck to pay for something again that she wants so bad.

I'd send her an email explaining she used an echeck with XX amount of days for it to clear. You can't ship until it clears. Once it clears you will mail the item via Priority Mail. I'd explain to her that next time not to use an echeck. Had she used regular paypal her item would have been mailed long ago. I doubt the item mailed today would reach her by Saturday if you used Priority. It could, but it depends on how far away she is from you. I'd never spend the extra to overnight an item for free to an ebay buyer. Hopefully next time she won't use an echeck.

Let us know what happens. Good luck to you.

 

[Kristi1357]

Thanks guys!

I just emailed her saying that according to paypal her eCheck should clear later today. I will even make a special trip to the post office to ship it this afternoon. I also mentioned that I could not guarantee she'd have the costume by Saturday - that priority mail can take longer than 2 days. I guess I have to wait and see what her response is. I am in NH and she is in PA - maybe she'll get lucky and have it by Saturday.

I think it's the month for crazy buyers! I had a woman buy a pair of princess shoes from me. I shipped them the day she paid, printing a label through paypal (which sends her an email with a link to track the package). She emails me the day after I ship, wanting to know her tracking number. Umm, ok - so I nicely send her the info again. A couple days later, she has the shoes, but they apparently don't fit her neice. She wants me to exchange them for another size, or refund her money. All my auctions clearly state "as-is" and "no returns." I clearly stated the size in the listing too - no questions as to sizing. And I do not have more princess shoes to exchange, even if I wanted to do so. Oy! I am still waiting from a response back from that one!

 

[wendyl]

There's no reason to wait to hear from her before you mail---unless you have emailed her to give her the option of sending money for overnight Express delivery (if you decide to give her that option---make sure you remind her that payment would HAVE to be an immediate payment--not a pending one---and what TIME you would need the payment by so you can get to the post office).

If you didn't, or are not, giving her that option----then ship when payment clears. She still has the obligation to pay regardless of whether the costume arrives in time or not---so there would be no reason to wait for a response.

 

[Kristi1357]

When I emailed her, I did not end up giving the option of paying me more money for faster shipping. I think that would have lead to even more complications in the long run.

Her eCheck just did clear. I haven't heard back from her yet, so I am just going to ship the package as promised this afternoon. In fact, I am printing her shipping label right now.

All this drama for a $40 Jack costume. Argh!

Kristi

 

[MrsPete]

Ok, I sold a costume on ebay -
Auction ended Sunday, Oct. 2nd
Buyer paid me by eCheck through Paypal, Oct. 7th
eCheck has not cleared, but should by today, Oct. 13th

I get an email from this buyer last night. She wants to know if the eCheck cleared. And she tells me she needs the costume by this Saturday, Oct. 15!

I think that people who need costumes by October 15th should not wait until October 7th to pay for them. It's not reasonable to think that the items will arrive in the mail in only one week. Sometimes it happens, but that's just good luck.

 

[Kristi1357]

I just checked the tracking on this package and she received the costume this morning at 11:21.

Of course, she didn't let me know she got it after all that fuss - I am just really glad this didn't turn out to be such a big issue.

Thanks for your replies!