Just wait until you have to deal with these people…http://www.ebay.ca/sch/tom_and_alicia/m.html?item=251442708497&pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item3a8b274011&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562.
7-10 business days is acceptable to me. Most of the stuff I bought off ebay was delivered right around 5-6 days, with one exception of being 45days. That item irritated me due to many factors, and I really believe a drop shipper should include that in the description BEFORE the auction ends.
I’ve always understood the universal thing was to allow at least 3 days for shipping. My last order from MB Klein didn’t shop for at least 3 days after I placed the online orderso I’d say thats standard. I can only get to the post office Sat and Mon due to work schedule so if Monday end of is when I got a money order in the mail or pp, then it might be Sat until I can actually ship, unless my wife does me a favor.
Geography plays a role in how fast a shipper can get to the post office, too. My wife bought a few items from a seller that had recently had several bouts of nasty snow storms. She honestly said she tried to get to the P.O. first, a road was closed and on the second attempt someone hit her car and ran her into a ditch…
The package arrived within a few days after her apology for the delay.
In most cases I’m amazed at just how FAST an item can arrive! I just got a package from Flagstaff, AZ bought and paid Monday AM and it was at my door (Cleveland, OH) Wednesday PM!
Other times it takes eight days IN TRANSIT from Pittsburgh to Cleveland! Go figure… Ed
As a purchaser I’ve received my items very promptly unless the seller has indicated otherwise and have no complaints. I do pay right after the after the auction ends. In fact most times I’m surprised to get a shipping notice the following day.
As a seller I usually have the item I’m selling already packed except for sealing the box and filling out the address label. I get it to the post office in a day or two. I’m quick but still not as fast as some sellers.
Bob
I personally think that a lot of sellers don’t like the idea of being rushed or told what to do by their customers. They’re no longer concerned with losing business because there are fewer and fewer train shops left which gives them an upper hand. In plain English, they’ll ship your item when they get around to it - like the jerk from Canada I recently dealt with that took three freaking weeks to ship something that should have only taken a week or so. And I’m so sick of the excuses. I’ve heard everything from they had a family crisis to they were in the hospital with heart issues. If a seller is a slow poke that doesn’t get in any hurry to ship then they need to be right up front about it and not wait until after the buyer has paid to say so…
Tracklayer
You’d be in a rare situation if you got something shipped from Canada to Texas in “a week or so” ! It normally takes 1-1/2 to 2 weeks for me to get an envelope with a sheet of decals from Microscale. If it’s a box with any kind of value on it, there’s no way I’ll see it under two weeks. Maybe part is due to the fact I’m in a rural area, but still …
Now, if I wanted to pay silly money for shipping, I’m sure I could get it in three days if I really wanted. But, being a hobby, not too many many purchases are THAT important.
Mark.
I’ve had no problems on eBay. I have learned from experience, you have to read the add and all the details that go with it. eBay and PayPal hold all sellers to the fire when it comes to what the details in the listing are, and that you follow the details with your buyers, as you have stated them. In the close to 600 transactions of done on eBay in the last 3 years or so (buying and selling), I’ve had no problems that weren’t immediately worked out with the seller, and buyer.
Mike.
Oh my…[:|]! If those trains could talk…then again, some things are best left unsaid…
[;)]
What am I missing with those people? They have 100% positive feedback, sounds like they aren;t ahrd to deal with at all.
I’ve purchased plenty of things on ebay where the seller ships once per week. I think getting mad after 2-3 days is a little excessive. No excuse for not shipping sooner than that? I’m not a store, I work all day, every day. I’m not about to leave packages sitting out front and HOPE the mailman takes them - based on the kind of stuff I get by mistake, I would NEVER trust the local carrier, that means at least dropping off at the post office, even if I print the postage at home and have the boxes delivered.
–Randy
Admittedly, their display pictures are a trifle… well… unusual…
Just for general information.
A lot of those e-Bay stores are real hobby shops without a full time shipping staff and if they sell several items a day it will take time to pack and ship and if the mail carrier picks up their shipment then its only once a day.Now add the walk in customers and things can slow down.
Very simple, if you want your items fast, only bid on items that ad states "ships in 1 or 2 days and uses 1st class package or priority mail. This is what I’ve done and I usually get my stuff in 4 or 5 days.
I wonder if the OP woud be willing to identify the seller. That would make it easier for us to evaluate the situation. Incidentally, how many days did it take to ship once payment was made?
Rich
Not once has anyone posted anything about the weather. This could be a major factor since we have had unusual weather lately.
I have had worst luck with the carriers than the sellers.
Jerry
Some of those “stores” are not much different from one-time or single-item sellers, except they may have an inventory in their garage or conenctions with suppliers. They may have a rational reason for aggregating their shipping, given the turtle-like pace of business at a post office, or- as suggested above- they might get a shipping price break when aggregating their shipping quantities.
I recently ordered some resistors from a Chinese “store” in the second week of December, during the holiday rush. Although I paid immediately when ordering, I did receive a note from the seller that they anticipated some shipping delays due to volume and such. I thought that was nice of them to let me know heads up about it, so I wrote back to say so. The order arrived 2 weeks later and I gave them a top rating- not because I ignored the delay, but because they were considerate of their customers in communicating with them regarding shipping delays.
Be reasonable- it’s not like we have much of an alternative to visit the now barely-existant local hobby store anymore!
Cedarwoodron
Didn’t mean to offend you. I just call it like I see it and I don’t sugar-coat much.
I was wondering the same thing. Why not show us this slow shipper?
Look at that.
A show and a sale [:O]
An advantage of buying stuff on ebay is you often get a good price, because the person or business you’re buying from has lower overhead because it’s a small ‘sideline’ operation. The problem is the same thing - the seller may have a full time job, and only be able to mail things out one day a week or every other week.
In my experience, it’s best to stay calm and polite if problems arise. I had a situation where I paid a seller and didn’t hear anything for several weeks. Eventually I got an e-mail from his wife; the guy had had a heart attack and was in the hospital.