Curious about ebay ethics (NOT a complaint about possible fraud aution)

This isn't about fraudulent posting.

I was hoping to get an opinion on how this was handled. Recently I listed an item http://www.ebay.com/itm/170871789172?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

Item sold and payment was made right away. Same day I mailed out the item by Canada Post Standard to US mail. Unfortunately this does not come with a tracking number. Item was shipped on July 11.

I messaged buyer the day I mailed it. July 21 at 10am I received a message from the buyer looking for a tracking number. Seeing as this was a Saturday I didn't check ebay or my email. July 22 at 4am a case was opened asking for a partial refund for the item and an investigation into the item being shipped listing me as not being responsive to requests.

Now my question is if it's reasonable to report a seller as non-responsive after only 18 hrs on a weekend and is it unreasonable to open a case after 7 business days on an internationally shipped item.

In the listing I listed the item as located in Canada and that standard shipping would be used.

I'm looking for opinions if there is something I did wrong I do want to hear it.

 

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It does say when you send a message it may take 1-2 business days for a response (or something like that)
Seems very unreasonable
Owen

 

Always ship with some form of tracking. Buyers like to chart the progress of their purchase. It also protects you by letting you know when your shippment has arrived at it's destination.

 

I wanted to for my own peace of mind. When I asked the woman at Canada Post told me the minimum was 23$ for shipping. Seemed a bit excessive for 4x 40% US halves.

I think next time I'm just going to drive anything I have across the border seeing as how I live in a border town. Didn't do it cause I didn't want to get in trouble but if now I'm out the coins, cash, and my first rating is going to be a negative I might as well have.

 

You can't do that with international shipments. Well, you can, but it only tracks to when it was handed over at the border.

 

I would admit, what you stated as facts, seems unjustified as a "no response". Unfortunately, we live in a world of instant communication and information. People are not willing to wait for replies to their needs, as before. They want to know right now and they are getting accustomed to this even globally. I would expect this type of situation will continue to be problematic, especially with eBay being an active participant in the electronic age. It's almost unavoidable.

 

There's a couple of things working against you... first, you're obviously a new seller on eBay, and zero feedback will always hurt you when selling (and allow certain buyers to take advantage of your inexperience); second, you must make it perfectly clear in your auction description that you are shipping from Canada, and delivery times will be longer. Spell it out, don't rely on eBay's format; third, if you are going to sell, you must read and respond to emails as soon as possible... buyers are impatient One or two business days (as stated above) may be eBay's idea of a quick response, but in the real world, that's an eternity. Fourth, communicate frequently with your buyer.. let him know when his item was shipped, ask him to let you know when he receives.. in other words, give him a warm and fuzzy feeling that you care. Let him know if there are any problems or if he is dissatisfied in any way that you will work with him. Remember, eBay is no longer "seller friendly"... you must do everything possible to make your buyers happy. That's just the way it is today on the 'bay...

 

Reasonable, probably not, but it happens. Most likely you are going to loose, but try calling PayPal anyway. Maybe they have some advice for you. I am not familiar with Canadian mail options.

 

I'd say in the future, post your shipping costs but anything extra ask the buyer before sending. Say, it will cost this much if you want tracking or insurance. I don't think you did anything wrong but try to work it out with the buyer first. Also, before you send out of your own country, you might want to find out the shipping costs before accepting bids from such countries. I doubt any person with common sense would want to pay $23 in shipping costs for coins only worth $13.50 they paid for.

 

Tracking is for the seller protection on PayPal. Without it, all the buyer has to say is he did not receive it (and many did), and the seller loses. Why would the buyer ever pay for it? That is one reason it is free if you use PayPal/eBay when you use their labeling to print labels (in the USA, anyway).

 

Exactly. It is not unknown for certain buyers to see "freebie" on an item sent without tracking since there is no way to prove it was ever sent at all (not that tracking really proves anything, but is another story). Basically, by not having a package tracked, you give an easy dispute win for any buyer wishing to take advantage of you. While this may not be the case with this particular buyer, it is something to keep in-mind. I hope all of this works out in your favor.

 

Very true; eBay opened up a whole new venue for scam artists (buyers) when they eliminated the posting of negative feedback from sellers. Now, for a seller to even have a chance of winning a dispute, they need proof of delivery ("tracking", i.e. delivery confirmation).

 

I've shipped and received many items from Canada. I've lived in both countries. I always tell Cdn buyers that a 2-3 week wait for first class mail isn't uncommon. Canada Post sucks.

 

From what I can see if buyer wants a partial refund is that he received items and is trying to get them cheaper

 

[TABLE="width: 100%"]

[TD="class: title"]The buyer opened a case: Item not received[/TD]
[TD="class: time, width: 60%"]Jul 22, 2012 at 4:41 AM[/TD]
[/TABLE]

[TABLE="width: 100%"]

[TD="class: qn"]Details provided by the buyer:
The buyer has not received the item
The buyer has already contacted you through eBay Messages
The buyer paid on Jul 11, 2012
The buyer hasn't received a response from you
The buyer is expecting a solution from you
The buyer can be contacted at "216-375-0755" to resolve this case.[/TD]

[TD="class: qn"]Additional information:
"no respons"[/TD]

[TD="class: qn"]The buyer wanted:
"part refund"[/TD]

[TD="class: qn"]Transaction information:
The funds associated with this transaction have been made unavailable while you and the buyer work to resolve this case.[/TD]
[/TABLE]

This was the report that was sent to me when the case was opened.

 

Other: 2007jamesw sent a message about 4 1969 D Kennedy Half Dollars 40% Silver #170871789172
[TABLE="class: myd-tpd, width: 100%"]

To: coinnoob
From: 2007jamesw
Sent: Jul-21-12 10:12 AM

[/TABLE]




[TABLE="width: 100%"]

[TD="width: 100%"][TABLE="width: 100%"]

[TD="width: 1%"][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]eBay sent this message to Joe Dore (coinnoob).
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay. Learn more.[/TD]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TABLE]






[TD="width: 100%"]This member has a question for you.[/TD]
[TD="width: 8, align: right"][/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #fc0, colspan: 3"][/TD]

Do not respond to the sender if this message requests that you complete the transaction outside of eBay. This type of offer is against eBay policy, may be fraudulent, and is not covered by buyer protection programs. Learn More.

Dear coinnoob,

do you have tracking #

- 2007jamesw





This is the message that was sent earlier.

 

Again, call PayPal. They are actually nice people and will try to help.

 

A buyer took me for about $30 and never responded to my questions about the item or anything. PayPal gave them their money back without responding to my questions or any communication to me from the buyer. I was obviously scammed. eBay screws sellers, but it's the only show in town so it is what it is.

 

ebay and ethics, a weird combination of words. Are they still selling tons of chinese fake coins out of there?

 

It looks like I may have also jumped the gun. Item was received and case closed. Now I have a rating of 3 Woot!