yet another 'shoddy deal on TB' thread.

[jomahu]

looking for some perspective.

bought a bass a few weeks ago from the TB classifieds. sent my payment out.
didn't hear back for about two weeks, methinks, so i sent a message, asking if payment was received. got a PM saying that yes, it had been received, and the bass would be shipped the next day.
waited another week, no bass. sent a message to see that was up and was told the bass was sent out the week before, and that i should be receiving it soon.

so, that was 3 weeks ago. no bass. sent another message a week ago asking what was up...like maybe the post screwed up, sent the bass back or something. or maybe i screwed up with something.
haven't gotten a response.

i'm really bummed. not only was it an awesome bass with everything i was looking for, but...well, i don't make a lot of money, so i can't (and don't) just go out and buy a new bass on a whim.

any ideas?

[ROON]

Have you contacted the freight company and spoken to them about the missing bass? Maybe the dude is bull****ing and hasn't actually posted it at all... Or maybe the company might know something about where it is.

Either way, wouldn't hurt to call.

[erochelle77]

Tracking numbers

[jomahu]

yeh, i was told it was sent via usps. no tracking number given.

[LzeroKI]

I may be misinformed, but it is my understanding that getting a bass via USPS takes a much longer time than ups or fedex. Also I think the tracking numbers for usps are there only to let you know that the bass is somewhere in the post, it won't really tell you where it is.

[Brad Johnson]

USPS can take way longer... or not IME. Kind of a crapshoot. That's why I prefer Fedex.

[Wesley R]

quickest ship to me. Last bass arrived one day earlier than I wished, as I did not need SWMBO to see it right then. A week or so later would have been much better.
When I sell, I always provide tracking numbers. I admit that the last transaction was weird and it took me two or three weeks to get the amp shipped. I get a kick out of following my purchases and my sales.
I hope you haven't been had and that the bass shows up with all being well.

Best of Luck,
Wesley R.

[emblymouse]

That first reply you got firmly lodged in my BS filter. It's hard to take him seriously after that one.

I am in a similar position, but on a much smaller scale. Bought a 12 string bass from a TB'er here that was to include an extra set of strings. (not cheap). Bass came w/ no strings. Contacted seller, he apologized, thought they were in the case, and would mail them out. A week, no strings. E mail back, 'Sorry, been sick, will mail asap". S'cool, it happens.
Two weeks later, no strings. E mail back, "give 'em a couple more days". Now 2 more weeks, no strings, no replies to e mails. My last e mail stated if I haven't heard from him by today, 9/26, I would be leaving appropriate feedback. If they are lost, I think a Paypal reimbursement is in order.
50+ eBay deals with no prob, I'm disappointed with a TB'er flaking out like this.
Whaddaya do? Post their names, like when a buisiness gets a rubber check?

[Brad Johnson]

I had a package take nine days from the west coast to here via USPS.

[mutedeity]

There are two things you might have done here. Firstly, having committed your money to the sale, exchanged phone numbers. Secondly, ask for the tracking number.

Assuming you have the phone number I would call the seller and ask for the tracking number. Failing that ask them through email. There should be no reason that they can't give it to you. I would be concerned if you continue to get no response.

How did you pay? I assume you either used paypal or cheque. Either way if your bass doesn't show up soon I would start looking into contacting your bank and consumer authorities about how you can go about recovering your money.

[Barkless Dog]

i shipped a bass to germany via USPS and it arrived in a week proirity mail ($100).

I did not get a tracking number but I got a receipt.

Any person who would ship a bass would at least save the receipt. ask to see that at least or else he's FOS. You don't ship something like that without any receipt.

[iamlowsound]

I have had basses shipped by USPS take up to two and a half weeks to get here.

lowsound

[jerome_oneil]

*Never* ship anything USPS. They will lose it, and they don't care. Pay the extra for UPS or FedEX, or some professional outfit with a motive for providing good quality service.

USPS lost my daughter's scholarship papers after I sent them "Priority mail". This is a manilla envelope. Their excuse? "It's not *guaranteed*!"

I scrambled last minute and got them resent via FedEX, and they were there next day, just like they said they would be.

[John123z]

I once ordered (2) snow boards from a Chicago store in November. They shipped the next day. I got box 1 of 2 early January and box 2 of 2 showed up in March. Now I only use UPS or FedX.

John

[Selta]

Originally Posted by mutedeity

There are two things you might have done here. Firstly, having committed your money to the sale, exchanged phone numbers. Secondly, ask for the tracking number.

Assuming you have the phone number I would call the seller and ask for the tracking number. Failing that ask them through email. There should be no reason that they can't give it to you. I would be concerned if you continue to get no response.

How did you pay? I assume you either used paypal or cheque. Either way if your bass doesn't show up soon I would start looking into contacting your bank and consumer authorities about how you can go about recovering your money.

Not only would I go that far, if it's been that long and such, it turns into a FEDERAL matter, as it involves the mail system. Normally telling someone that kicks them into gear.
File a paypal dispute. Give the guy a couple of days to reply. Then bump it to a claim if needbe. PayPal will require that he either provide proof of shipment, or they'll judge in your favor.
Now, if it comes to them judging in your favor, and they recover no funds, you may be SOL. Unless you used a Credit Card to buy - then you can issue a charge back through yoru credit company.
I almost always buy with a CC just to "CYA". I always make sure to clear it with the seller first, as a lot of people don't like that you pay with PayPal CC for some reason.

Anyway, if you need anything else and think I can help, let me know... I've been down this road one too many times.

-Ray

[winston]

I recently sold a Dremel tool here on TB. I included shipping in the price so I went for the cheapest option, which was USPS Parcel Post. Person at the PO told me it would be there in 8 days which I thought was reasonable...it took about 3 weeks. I kept in regular contact with the buyer (who was patient and understanding) but it was annoying and I was kind of embarrassed.

Since I paid for Delivery Confirmation I had proof of mailing and I saw when it finally re-entered the system on his end. I haven't had any problem sending packages Priority Mail, which would have cost maybe 5 bucks more and taken 4-5 days.

So, the lengthy USPS delivery is not surprising (though unpleasant)...but the lack of communication by the seller is unsettling. Best of luck.

[Baryonyx]

There seem to be a couple of these dodgy deals going on at Talkbass right now!

[grovest]

Originally Posted by jomahu

any ideas?

Jomahu-

Three weeks seems too long. As for ideas, I have these: speak with the seller by phone before mailing money and trust your gut if he/she doesn't sound solid, do not accept any form of shipping without a tracking number and full insurance- offer to split the extra cost with the seller or if needed assume the whole cost.

[xshawnxearthx]

if he doesnt want to give you any info, post his user name so the rest of us know not to get scammed by him.

the second thing i would do is contact paypal or your bank and see if there is any way of reversing the transaction.

[stedtale]

hmmmm..have you tried farting in a jar and mailing it to them?