Reasonable? Unreasonable?

[BobKos]

Unless expedited handling was pre-arranged, this is a non-issue. We are totally spoiled by two day and sometimes next day shipping at economy rates. Some people in other countries rejoice if all of the items arrive in their parcels AT ALL - let alone within 48 or 72 hours of shipment.

If you expect 1st class handling of your purchases, make it known on the front end of the deal. The seller may not be able to accommodate you.

 

[Clark W]

I purchased a piece of gear off of Reverb on Sunday. Didn’t hear anything from seller until I emailed him on Wednesday; he responded that it will be sent out the next day. Per tracking number, the item was shipped Friday and will be here Monday. I’m unhappy because, working Monday through Friday, my expectation was I’d have it at least by Friday so I could play with it over the weekend (I’m a few hours drive from seller, so USPS would get it to me in two days). On top of that, it’s replacing a critical piece of recording gear that recently died on me and I cannot do without it, so no recording this weekend. Not sure if this matters, but the shipping charge was twice the actual cost of shipping, but I was happy with the total price anyway. I considered emailing him to let him know that I’m going to mention this in my feedback and see what he says. He’s a relatively new seller so this will lower his overall rating. Obviously nothing will change the fact that I’m getting it more than a week after I bought it (thanks amazon for distorting my expectations) but I’m still unhappy about it. Am I being reasonable or unreasonable about the shipping?

Is it aggravating? Yes...
Is it worth even discussing with the seller? No, let it go, choose your battles wisely.

And if you do decide to say something, wait until you get whatever it is you bought and you know it's in the condition you expect it to be in. Last thing you need is something you want to return to a seller who's already ticked off at you over your "thoughts" on their shipping process before you even got the item and probably will be more reluctant to work with you on fixing the problem.

As momma always said, you get more flies with honey than vinegar.

Just my two cents, do with it what you want.

 

[mikewalker]

I've been buying and selling gear internationally for about 30 years now, and my vote is "unreasonable". I'm one of those obsessive people who do go out of their way to ship within half a day of payment, but unless it was EXPLICITLY BARGAINED FOR then I don't expect it from others, because, well, "life happens"...

 

[Clark W]

I've been buying and selling gear internationally for about 30 years now, and my vote is "unreasonable". I'm one of those obsessive people who do go out of their way to ship within half a day of payment, but unless it was EXPLICITLY BARGAINED FOR then I don't expect it from others, because, well, "life happens"...

I'm one of those obsessive people too. I have a side business selling a product I developed and sell in stores and online. When I get an online order it has to go out the next day, and if it doesn't I'm emailing, texting, or calling the customer to explain why and when it will go out. But at the same time, as much as I would like that courtesy extended to me when I buy something, I know a lot of times it really is unrealistic to expect it from another individual seller.

 

[Ghook]

The few times I made offers on Reverb were to offset the " actual" shipping add-on. I use Reverbs shipping when I have sold. Whatever that is I pass on. Packaging is paid by me. It's not like the product I need to sell is going get there unpackaged.

Noncommunication is a pet peeve for me. Really, what's a quick heads up take on the sellers end? I believe it to be a common courtesy.

I have had one transaction on Reverb that went over the 3 day limit and I simply canceled the transaction...amazing how fast that was responded too.

I don't think expecting a seller response in under 3 days is unreasonable. Any shipping explanations , time frames etc can be done once the too parties are in communication. This is all part of what is called a transaction.

Perhaps it's a grumpy old man syndrome, but it sure feels like sellers act like they don't need the buyers all that much. I'm thankful that I do remember how it's supposed to work. When it's necessary I illustrate that by closing my wallet.

Just to be clear...I do not pummel a seller simply because I'm buying. Common courtesy should run both ways.

 

[Nev375]

I think it's fair to hold people accountable to their responsibilities, but not be a dick about it. In fact, I think as a society we should hold each other accountable more often than we do. If you allow people to give you sub standard service without consequence they will absolutely continue to do so and get worse about it.

A ding on a feedback rating is not the same as angrily shouting at a fast food worker for getting your order wrong. You want good feedback? Get your crap together and earn it. That's why it's there. This isn't a huge offence so a person could go either way here.

I would probably send a note thanking for the item, but expressing dissatisfaction about the shipping time. I would base my feedback on the quality and attitude of the apology they gave.

 

[mcnach]

I purchased a piece of gear off of Reverb on Sunday. Didn’t hear anything from seller until I emailed him on Wednesday; he responded that it will be sent out the next day. Per tracking number, the item was shipped Friday and will be here Monday. I’m unhappy because, working Monday through Friday, my expectation was I’d have it at least by Friday so I could play with it over the weekend (I’m a few hours drive from seller, so USPS would get it to me in two days). On top of that, it’s replacing a critical piece of recording gear that recently died on me and I cannot do without it, so no recording this weekend. Not sure if this matters, but the shipping charge was twice the actual cost of shipping, but I was happy with the total price anyway. I considered emailing him to let him know that I’m going to mention this in my feedback and see what he says. He’s a relatively new seller so this will lower his overall rating. Obviously nothing will change the fact that I’m getting it more than a week after I bought it (thanks amazon for distorting my expectations) but I’m still unhappy about it. Am I being reasonable or unreasonable about the shipping?

Yes, it took a few days rather than being an immediate shipping. It's a private seller, not a shop, and 3-4 days is not unusual, or worrisome, or anything. I do tend to post everything I sell the next day, but at times life gets in the way and I may take a couple of days.
So, I don't see a reason for you to try to damage his reputation for that. Especially if they're a new seller.

If you really wanted it by Friday, I think you should have talked to the seller and see if he'd be able to make that happen. As it stands, you were hoping to receive it by the weekend, and I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation... but there were not guarantees. It sucks, but, let this be the biggest of your troubles this month

Shipping charges etc matter not. You agreed to them without dispute.The time to discuss/argue/negotiate has passed.
I think the lesson is: if you want something for a specific date, talk to the seller. Whenever I've been in a hurry I did that. Not demanding, but just friendly chat telling them my 'hopes' and whether they could help shipping quickly. Most times people respond positively.

 

[mcnach]

Having bought and sold a lot of used gear over the years and a week ain’t that bad imo. I’m much more forgiving about delayed shipment of used gear from a person who probably has their own responsibilities; job, family, and so on. Buying new of course that IS their job so it’s a bit of a different story but yeah I wouldn’t make a big deal about that. Personally when I sell gear on eBay I even put estimated shipping date in the listing so if someone does “buy it now” for example and the item sells before the end of the auction I’m not freaking out trying to haul tail to the ups on on my lunch break. Now if it was two weeks I’d totally be on your side about it.

+1

 

[murph7489]

I don't know, I think I would wait until I got the item in my hands and check it all out before I leave any kind of feedback or contact them..its possible that once you get it you will be happy and that will be that...or maybe it won't be as described on the site so, you may have to deal with that..but first I would wait it out until the gear arrived at my place to make any decisions...remember emotional decisions are seldom sound...

 

[TexasEdition]

Yea, he sat on it too long and it's not unreasonable to expect a next business day drop in the mail. That being said, SW and MF take their own sweet time (sometimes 48 hours) to get stuff out the door too. On the charges, you agreed to it, so there is not much to argue.

 

[bherman]

Since he's new at this, I'd take the time to let him know about your (and most buyers) expectations, primarily on the communications side. Not necessarily wrong to take 3-4 days for shipping, depending on someone's work schedule, etc. but not right to keep you in the dark. On the shipping, I've found that people that dont do their own packing and rely on shipping stores usually charge much more. If he's marking up shipping, thats not ok. If you are satisfied with the overall price then no cause for negative feedback. Keep in mind that in most cases on Amazon, there's no such thing as "free" shipping. Its built into the price.

 

[beaglesandbass]

I think negative feedback is warranted. But before I left it I would ask him if he’d be willing to do a partial refund on the shipping costs.

Reverb policy states that all items must be shipped within 3 business days of purchase. This clearly was not. If I bought something and three days came and went I’d be annoyed, especially if I was the one that had to make contact with the seller.

With that said though, if it was an item I urgently needed, I would have asked the seller to drop the shipping charge and arrange a local pickup. More than likely the gas/shipping costs would somewhat even out and you’d have your item in less than a quarter of a day. Much less than this thread has gone on for.

 

[bassman10096]

Yea, I wouldn't leave that in the feedback unless you had communicated it prior to making the purchase that you need it for a certain date, as not everybody's idea of a reasonable handling and shipping time is the same.

I might inquire about the high shipping cost directly, but it is what you already agreed too

It’s not a good practice to publically chastise somebody (particularly a newbie) for failing to meet unstated expectations. Put yourself in his place.

 

[brianrost]

Am I being reasonable or unreasonable about the shipping?

You got a good deal but wanted to get it sooner and for less shipping charges. Sorry, if the guy was upfront about the shipping costs and when he would ship, I would give him positive feedback.

 

[JohnnyBottom]

Disappointing yes.
"Relax it's only a lane change"

 

[friskinator]

I think negative feedback is warranted. But before I left it I would ask him if he’d be willing to do a partial refund on the shipping costs.

Reverb policy states that all items must be shipped within 3 business days of purchase. This clearly was not. If I bought something and three days came and went I’d be annoyed, especially if I was the one that had to make contact with the seller.

With that said though, if it was an item I urgently needed, I would have asked the seller to drop the shipping charge and arrange a local pickup. More than likely the gas/shipping costs would somewhat even out and you’d have your item in less than a quarter of a day. Much less than this thread has gone on for.

Totally disagree about the shipping charge thing. The OP agreed to the shipping price and had no issue with it at the time of purchase.

Like many of us here, I’ve sold numerous items online. Unless you wait until you learn your buyer’s exact zip code, shipping is likely going to be an estimate. Sometimes you overestimate, and sometimes you underestimate and you lose a few dollars.

 

[beaglesandbass]

Totally disagree about the shipping charge thing. The OP agreed to the shipping price and had no issue with it at the time of purchase.

Like many of us here, I’ve sold numerous items online. Unless you wait until you learn your buyer’s exact zip code, shipping is likely going to be an estimate. Sometimes you overestimate, and sometimes you underestimate and you lose a few dollars.

If the seller shipped in the specified timeframe I would agree, but since it took him 5 days when reverb’s policy is 3, I could see the seller agreeing to a partial refund in exchange for no negative feedback. That’s all. Not because the price was too much.

 

[magyk8ball]

I'd leave no feedback, but let the seller know he could have communicated that it may take a few days to drop off the package to ship.
I dont think we have enough details, aside from some missed communication, that the seller truly didnt ship the item out within the 3 days. And shipping charges can be a crap-shoot when youre listing things, sometimes you estimate way over other times way under.

Ive used a shipping company to pack and ship things before. Ive sold things saturday, had them dropped off at the shipping company monday, but the shipping company didnt have a tracking number for me until wednesday.
Buyers have threatened to cancel their order and bring in the reverb police by the tuesday if they didnt have the tracking number, while i no longer have the item in my possession.
Its very frustrating as a seller to be in that position where someone appears to have buyers remorse and wants to pull out of a transaction thats mostly complete since they didnt get the item on day 2 like they would from amazon. Im not a big box retailer, im a person. I cant meet expectations of next day shipping for free.

Seeing these threads and other horror stories makes me very reluctant to sell online. Its simply easier to trade something in to GC, and the rising shipping costs make my bottom dollar a lot closer to GC's offer, unfortunately.

 

[FunkHead]

Totally disagree about the shipping charge thing. The OP agreed to the shipping price and had no issue with it at the time of purchase.

Like many of us here, I’ve sold numerous items online. Unless you wait until you learn your buyer’s exact zip code, shipping is likely going to be an estimate. Sometimes you overestimate, and sometimes you underestimate and you lose a few dollars.

^^This^^ Shipping prices are so inconsistent that it's hard to give a good quote.
One carrier is best sometimes for a long distance but small package. But make it a large heavy package and then another Carrier may be better.
OP agreed to the Shipping deal which included packaging etc....
You can't leave Neg FB for shipping that you agreed to.

As for time to ship, Life happens! Maybe the guy usually ships on Wednesday but his car broke down and pushed it to Late Thursday. That would show up as Friday in tracking.
Just not enough of a big deal to warrant negative feedback.

OP should have expressed his urgency to the seller and got a promise of expedited shipping. Edit: (Before making the purchase)

 

[Liam Wald]

I’ll be sure to share your sentiment with my oncologist the next time I see him. Exactly how much luck do you suggest? Luckily, pun intended, I’m doing quite well, although the surgery was a bitch. But I digress...

I assure you, I’m quite chilled.

Glad that the surgery went well. Sounds like there is some sense of urgency with regard to your medical condition.
Given that, I must say that if I only had a few weekends left to live, getting a new bass in time to play it before the big sleep would be pretty low on my personal list. But we all have our personal priorities.
Reminds me of a story told to me (and this really happened) about a man who was literally at the end of the line. Like in his last few minutes. His wife was by his side and the last thing he said to her was, "Don't forget that Thursday is trash night and you have to take the cans to the street".