item not arriving- your advice?

[Pherdinand]

hey,
i thought to ask here for ideas, maybe some of you have had similar situation- before i go the official route.
I bought a 150$ item (a picture) on the 'bay on 4th of june and payed for it the same day. (nice buyer eh?) PLUS i payed the 32$ shipping costs too, which in principle include tracking, from a canadian seller with 100% positive feedback (some 300+ feedback).
His last feedbacks are within 3 month but none in the last month.
After a week i asked wassup, is the stuff shipped. He replied within a day that "tomorrow the packages are being sent out" and he has more similar items if i'd be interested.
So i said fine, est. shipping was 6th of July- a bit long for 32$ shipping on a single envelope - i even wrote him what else i'd be interested in, if he has any of those.

Never heard of him again.
The item still not marked as "shipped" in ebay. I sent him some 3 mails, polite but more and more insistent to give me an update - nothing.
Furthermore, he has zero items for sale since then.
Not a single neg feedback, i even googled his user name but nothing came up.
So as i said above, today the "estimated" shipment arrival period is over.

I really liked that item, i don't want to cancel it if there's a chance of still getting it but i AM worried that i'm out of my 180 bucks.

Anybody has an idea what to do?

In my last e-mail i already "threatened" him politely that i'll have to leave a neg feedback if he keeps ignoring my question. Didn't impress him🙂)

From his first and only message, it sounded as a multiple-people business talking like "we have more items you might be interested in such as..." but maybe it's still a one-man business and he's in a hospital or on holiday or something..?

What happens if i leave a neg feedback now? is the deal automatically canceled? or does he still get a chance to correct the problem and send the item?

thx

 

[sevo]

Do NOT leave negative feedback until the entire transaction is over. For now, it is time to file complaints with ebay and Paypal that you have not received the item and haven't got a response from the seller for a month. These are supposed to refund you, so you have to inform them - negative feedback is just a way to warn other buyers, and will not get you any closer to your goods or money.

 

[photomoof]

Just ask ebay to void the sale and return your money. Do not wait.

 

[Beemermark]

First thing to do is to read eBay's policy on not receiving goods paid for. Then start the complaint process. It's helps if all your communications have been through the eBay message center (but not entirely necessary if have other emails you can show).

 

[colyn]

You should not even have to ask for advise...File a complaint. 2 unanswered emails within a week and I file. However never threaten negative feedback. That will get you in trouble with eBay..

If the seller cannot show proof of shipment eBay will get your money back..

 

[Dan Daniel]

Yep, start the complaint process with Ebay. This is not an irreversible one-way street. You file a complaint, they contact the seller, etc. There are many places in the process to kill the whole complaint and such if the seller settles everything up. Ebay is pretty clear about what you are starting, what each step means, etc.

Hope it goes well.

 

[Ranchu]

Like everybody says, open a case. I think you only have 45 days, after that you're out of luck.

 

[kxl]

The same thing has happened to me. I followed ebay's process and I got my money back.

As others have stated, open a case.

Re: emails you sent - were they within the ebay system? Mine were. ebay acknowledged the emails that I sent and the non-responses.

Again, just follow the ebay process step by step. As long as you don't deviate from them, you'll get your money back.

 

[Ranchu]

This wasn't that tank picture was it?

🙁

 

[Pherdinand]

hi all. Thx for the replies.
No it wasn't the tank picture 🙂 i got no thousands to buy that off ebay🙂
Tho it's a similar idea.
Seems i m out of luck with this...thing.

All communication (can't call it conversation, haha) was via eBay messaging system, indeed.
I
'll file a complaint.
I haven't literally threaten him with negative feedback- i just mentioned that i will need to file a complaint, being very disappointed, and i am really surprised by his all-positive 300+ feedback score.
OTOH if i get my money back i get still no refund for my wasted time and frustration which, in my world, does deserve a negative feedback. Except, of course, if there's a valid reason of the seller's nonresponsiveness like, he's in hospital, in jail, on a holiday on the Moon, or his account is hacked or such.

OK my main question was, if i file now a complaint is that the end or can it still be re-negociated would a chance (and the seller) bob up in the close future. I got my answer to that, so thanks🙂

 

[mfunnell]

I had a problem recently, which I approached through the eBay messaging centre (I'm not sure of the details, but it was a matter of sending a message rather than raising a complaint, though it did trigger some kind of automated scrutiny). It turns out that the problem was a failure of the postal system (from Korea), compounded by the seller (who thought she'd done all the right things) going away on vacation after mailing the item. I won't bore you with the details but the seller and I were able to work out mutually satisfactory arrangements.

I'd be reluctant to go "full on" with a formal complaint (within the notification period: I wouldn't let that expire) until I was quite sure there was a problem with the seller. On the rare occasions I've encountered problems they've mostly been situational rather than deliberate, and I've been able to resolve things without any nastiness from either end. Keeping things calm and reasonable seems to help - sellers I've dealt with seem to be sensitive about those who go the formal route very quickly, and glad to deal with someone who hasn't.

...Mike

 

[Ranchu]

It's been a month of no contact, no item. The seller doesn't want to sell the item for what Pherdinand won it for, so here we are. Get it over with, and leave bad feedback. Is the seller getting and leaving feedback during this period? Well then, **** em. Seller is sensitive, lmao.

 

[sevo]

It's been a month of no contact, no item. The seller doesn't want to sell the item for what Pherdinand won it for, so here we are. Get it over with, and leave bad feedback. Is the seller getting and leaving feedback during this period? Well then, **** em. Seller is sensitive, lmao.

If you leave bad feedback before going through the formal procedure of complaints and refunds, ebay will side with the seller and you get nothing...

 

[mfunnell]

Seller is sensitive, lmao.

I have never sold a single item on eBay. However, I'm quite aware that the rules seem, these days, to be rather stacked against sellers. Which is one reason (apart from common politeness) to try to work things out first, within all appropriate notification periods, before going down the path of formal complaint. Others' experiences may differ, but so far I've had good results just dealing with sellers as people. Decent people. Most sellers are. Whether they're individuals trying to flog surplus items, or those with more business-like arrangements.

...Mike

 

[Pherdinand]

The rules might be against sellers, but as i wrote already, the BUYER is the one who needs to have the leap of faith and pay for something he has never seen before, and hope once the seller gets his money he will live up to the deal.

In the best case, buyer gets his money back. He never gets the time and effort back that he wasted on a deal that didn't go through.

I'd never leave a negative feedback if there was a misunderstanding on the item, or if i changed my mind, but i can't even communicate with him. He's just gone.
I payed 32$ for shipping which in description clearly says includes tracking. I never got a tracking number, i never got a confirmation message that item is shipped, and item is still not marked "shipped" in ebay. I only got a one-liner after 1 week, that "will be shipped tomorrow", that was 27 days ago.
I think i did my share of trying to work things out first (especially since i would still prefer to get the item not the $ back, so no, i have not changed my mind).
So yes i HOPE he gets sensitive that i clicked through the "have not received item" and started a complaint.

And also, what is a VALID reason that a seller (some sellers) does not leave positive feedback for a buyer as soon as the payment is cleared? What is he waiting for?

thx again for your feedback🙂

 

[mfunnell]

I payed 32$ for shipping which in description clearly says includes tracking. I never got a tracking number, i never got a confirmation message that item is shipped, and item is still not marked "shipped" in ebay. I only got a one-liner after 1 week, that "will be shipped tomorrow", that was 27 days ago.

I agree that is stretching a friendship that never existed.

And also, what is a VALID reason that a seller (some sellers) does not leave positive feedback for a buyer as soon as the payment is cleared? What is he waiting for?

That's one view. Perhaps the correct one under current rules, and one that many sellers (but not all) now follow. The ones who don't, I think, are following an older more-or-less informal protocol where feedback (hopefully positive) from the buyer indicated receipt of the item. I think sellers, in the latter case, are refraining from feedback until the entire transaction is complete, with feedback from the seller about the buyer closing the whole thing off. That may not be 'right' under current rules, but I think I understand it.

...Mike

 

[Pherdinand]

I think sellers, in the latter case, are refraining from feedback until the entire transaction is complete, with feedback from the seller about the buyer closing the whole thing off. That may not be 'right' under current rules, but I think I understand it.

...Mike

I would agree with that, if the transaction would work in a way that seller gets no access to the payment until buyer receives the item. That's how some auction sites work, like catawiki. At least they say that's how they work🙂
But, if the seller gets his $ immediately, the only reason i see he would wait for BUYER's feedback, is to have some sort of retaliation in case buyer leaves negative.
Of course there are some a$$hole buyers there i'm sure, who would leave negative without a real reason or without giving a chance to seller to satisfy their special needs, BUT, the correct way to handle such cases is NOT to hold back feedback until you get that positive.

But i guess this subject was discussed ad nauseam everywhere on forums already🙂 and i'm not gonna change the world 🙂

 

[sevo]

I would agree with that, if the transaction would work in a way that seller gets no access to the payment until buyer receives the item. That's how some auction sites work, like catawiki. At least they say that's how they work🙂

As a matter of fact, that is the way Paypal works, at least for occasional sellers - if the buyer does not acknowledge receipt, the payment is stuck in limbo.

 

[Pherdinand]

OK- during the waiting week of the started complaint just today got a msg from the seller - apparently, the seller had a surgery and just released from hospital :/ poor *******. Even attached a pic of the medical release bill, apologizing. Today the item shall be shipped incl tracking code.
I am lookin' forward to it - sounds like a credible case - hope she recovers soon.