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Ebay Concerns

S

Sharky1450

Apr 6, 2011
45
6
#1
Hi everybody,

I live in New Zealand, and around a month ago I put up a thread about buying an Ampeg SVT 7 Pro, asking about it etc. Well, I bought it and paid for it on the 15th of July (from Ebay), for $1060 NZD (it was new btw).

Since it was shipped from Chicago on the 21st, I've been religiously checking the tracking for it on both the USPS and NZ post websites - nothing has changed since it was shipped.

I'm becoming extremely concerned that it has been 3 weeks and it is still not even in the country - I've emailed the seller through my Ebay account inquiring as to its whereabouts, but still haven't heard back. It has never taken this long for anything that I've purchased through Ebay (from the USA) to get here.

If anybody can shed any light on their experiences with USPS or anything that is even remotely close to this situation I would really appreciate it.

(I'm sorry if this is in the wrong forum btw. And usually USPS has been pretty good in the past, but this time, with this amount of money involved - I'm a student - I'm getting seriously worried).

Thanks in advance.
 
#3
Hey, I would give it some time, although the seller not responding to your message is disturbing. I have mailed things to Europe, Canada and Asia and, depending on how I mail it, sometimes it takes a week, sometimes a month.

Check the seller's feedback. Scan back a few months to get a good sense of the kind of ebayer you are dealing with. If the person has all or mostly positive feedback, you'll be fine. Since the item was mailed, it may just be sitting in a busy mail hub. I would give it a full month and then start inquiring.

My experience with ebay/Paypal has always been positive. If after a month, you send messages and the seller is not responding, click on Ebay's "Resoultion Center" and get in contact with a representative; they are most helpful.
 
#5
If it was send via surface, the item can't be tracked once it is on a ship. I've shipped to UK and Australia via surface (albeit it was Canada post) and it takes a really long time. Sometimes up to 6 weeks, which is horrible as a buyer since you are powerless. If it was sent air or priority you should have it by now. My advice is this: If you paid via paypal you have 45 days to file a claim (I just did this 20 minutes ago), you are also covered through ebay on non-delivered/broken items. Anyways, contact ebay let them know what is going on, and contact paypal and let them know what is going on. Don't wait until the last moment to start the process, after all this person has your money and you have nothing. Hopefully you will get some communication with the seller or you'll get your money back. Hope that helps and good luck
 
#6
I'm in the same situation. Don't panic, USPS tracking is VERY slow to update their information. Currently I'm waiting for a package that was sent from Chicago to Detroit (total of 300 miles) on July 27th via USPS. Today, on August 3rd, the tracking information is finally showing that USPS received the package from the seller.

The same thing has happened every time I've shipped via USPS.

Try this link with your tracking number; it may give you better info if your package was sent to USPS via UPS Mail Innovations:

Invalid Link Removed
 
#7
some usps shipments do not show any tracking progress, until it arrives at the destination.(to me thats not actual tracking) . paypal requires the seller to use a method with a tracking number. if the seller will not reply- open a paypal claim. i think you only have 45 days after the payment is made to open a claim. check the sellers feedback for anything suspicious.
 
#8
Hi there. I do have experience shipping via USPS overseas and can say first hand that USPS is a horrible organization with horrible service.

Their "tracking system" really isn't a tracking system. All you can see on their site is whether the package is en route or whether is has arrived at the destination. You get no other information along the way. This is not the case with most private couriers who offer superior service and tracking.

Unfortunately, using Fedex or UPS to ship overseas, and to NZ and Australia in particular costs a fortune and except in the case of shipping very expensive instruments in almost never worth it.

So the key to USPS is to have the sender fully insure the package value (I always do). This means that you will likely pay full customs but you are safeguarded against loss or damage.

All this having been said, if the problem is not the USPS but a shady seller, you have 45 days to make a claim through paypal so you may want to send the seller a "final warning" and then file a claim with Paypal to preserve your rights. If the package arrives you can easily rescind the claim.

Good luck.

Sharky1450 said:
Hi everybody,

I live in New Zealand, and around a month ago I put up a thread about buying an Ampeg SVT 7 Pro, asking about it etc. Well, I bought it and paid for it on the 15th of July (from Ebay), for $1060 NZD (it was new btw).

Since it was shipped from Chicago on the 21st, I've been religiously checking the tracking for it on both the USPS and NZ post websites - nothing has changed since it was shipped.

I'm becoming extremely concerned that it has been 3 weeks and it is still not even in the country - I've emailed the seller through my Ebay account inquiring as to its whereabouts, but still haven't heard back. It has never taken this long for anything that I've purchased through Ebay (from the USA) to get here.

If anybody can shed any light on their experiences with USPS or anything that is even remotely close to this situation I would really appreciate it.

(I'm sorry if this is in the wrong forum btw. And usually USPS has been pretty good in the past, but this time, with this amount of money involved - I'm a student - I'm getting seriously worried).

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
 
#10
sammyfallen said:
I have had problems with ebay when buying an item and paypal as a seller. If someone prints a label it will show the item as being shipped. They then can keep item and attempt to blame UPS for losing it.
Click to expand...

Not quite. You can print a UPS shipping label, create a tracking number, and the seller can indicate the status as "shipped" in the PayPal and eBay system. However, until a UPS driver or shipping location scans it in as received by UPS, it hasn't actaully "shipped". With a tracking numer, this is easy to verify on the UPS website. If UPS never receives it in their system, you can't get very far claiming they lost it.
 
#11
staindbass said:
some usps shipments do not show any tracking progress, until it arrives at the destination.(to me thats not actual tracking) . paypal requires the seller to use a method with a tracking number. if the seller will not reply- open a paypal claim. i think you only have 45 days after the payment is made to open a claim. check the sellers feedback for anything suspicious.
Click to expand...

+1

Usps tracking is a farce. They don't show it in transit, getting checked in sorting facilities, etc., just let you know when it gets there in which case the reciever could just as easily call you up and say,"hey, I got it.". It's a scam to separate you from your money, it isn't tracking in any sense of the word. The sender not communicating with you though, that's not good.
 
#12
EricF said:
Not quite. You can print a UPS shipping label, create a tracking number, and the seller can indicate the status as "shipped" in the PayPal and eBay system. However, until a UPS driver or shipping location scans it in as received by UPS, it hasn't actaully "shipped". With a tracking numer, this is easy to verify on the UPS website. If UPS never receives it in their system, you can't get very far claiming they lost it.
Click to expand...


I agree. I was just saying that the seller could have printed a Label at home just to provide a tracking number to paypal. I managed the local ups for two years and have had ebay buyer / seller issues of all kind. Even had folks try to start lost package claims even though they never handed off the package to a driver or shipping counter.
 
#13
Sharky1450 said:
Hi everybody,

I live in New Zealand, and around a month ago I put up a thread about buying an Ampeg SVT 7 Pro, asking about it etc. Well, I bought it and paid for it on the 15th of July (from Ebay), for $1060 NZD (it was new btw).

Since it was shipped from Chicago on the 21st, I've been religiously checking the tracking for it on both the USPS and NZ post websites - nothing has changed since it was shipped.
Click to expand...

I've had two basses shipped by USPS in the past. One order was going from Pennsylvania to California and the other one was coming from New York to Arizona.

The Pennsylvania to California shipment took 16 days total and the shipment from New York to Arizona took 21 days. The tracking only showed that the items had been scanned and both orders arrived well after 7 days of their scheduled arrival time.
 
#14
Thanks for the replies so far everyone. Just double checked my Ebay purchase history, and the seller used priority mail. Is this shipped via plane?

Edword - thanks for that link, I've submitted a tracking enquiry.

I really appreciate everything so far, you've helped to ease my stress a little bit haha.
 
#15
sammyfallen said:
I agree. I was just saying that the seller could have printed a Label at home just to provide a tracking number to paypal. I managed the local ups for two years and have had ebay buyer / seller issues of all kind. Even had folks try to start lost package claims even though they never handed off the package to a driver or shipping counter.
Click to expand...

Right. We're on the same page. I've been using UPS to sends and receive stuff on a daily basis for over 20 years, and have gotten pretty familair with how their process works. Overall, I think they do a pretty damn good job (issues are usually related to an individual driver, not the company as a whole). I've been less impressed by EVERY other shipping company.
 
#16
Regardless of the shipping method, or time estimated/promised to arrive, if you don't have the item within 35-40 days, I would contact the seller. If still no delivery by 42 days (6 weeks, c'mon now...) file a protest under paypal: this is necessary to protect your rights. There will be a back-and-forth through ebay/paypal that can take an additional week or 2. If still no arrival on the item, then you are entitled to your money back, as either the shipment became lost or because the seller used an inferior shipping method. Either way, it's then his issue not yours.
 
#17
I recently posted a micro vr head to Oz from the Uk. Initial quotation was going to take approximately 3 months to get there, so i paid a little extra and he got it in about a week. Just saying that it could be a very long time. Most effects pedals i get from the states take about a month to arrive, and theyre nowhere near the size/weight of a 7-pro
 
#18
Sharky1450 said:
I'm becoming extremely concerned that it has been 3 weeks and it is still not even in the country - I've emailed the seller through my Ebay account inquiring as to its whereabouts, but still haven't heard back. It has never taken this long for anything that I've purchased through Ebay (from the USA) to get here.
Click to expand...

Shipping to other countries/continents is always iffy with delays, but my main concern would be the seller hasn't responded back to your email. Any time the seller drops off the grid, it's usually a key indicator that there is a transaction problem and a claim should be opened thru eBay/PayPal. Get them involved now! If the seller steps up and becomes involved, the claim can be dropped. I was burned years ago by a seller that disappeared after the sale and I've also had eBay/PayPal step in to resolve seller issues since then.

Hope it works out for you Sharky1450. WW
 
#20
In your circumstance, my concern would be your non-communicative seller. I would do the following:

1) Go to Paypal website.

2) Go to their Resolution Center.

3) Open a Dispute.

4) If you do not hear from the seller within 48 hours, escalate the Dispute to a Claim.

There is no need to wait to escalate a Dispute to a Claim. I have done this in a 24-hour period in circumstances similar to yours.

If your seller is legit, this will get his/her attention. If it's a scam, it will get your money back.

Best wishes for a reasonable resolution to your auction.
 

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