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Yes i understand. But how can you provide tracking if items are not shipped? 

 

I use Stamps.com, UPS and FedEx. As soon as I print a label for either of these, I have a tracking #. I put the tracking number into my order and mark it as shipped. I still have to either have the boxes picked up, or go drop them off myself. I am willing to bet that 99% of the time you receive a "Your item has been shipped" notice, it has not actually been received by the carrier yet. 

There has been times in the past, where I have not been able to get the items picked up or dropped off after I have marked something shipped. If the customer is expecting something on a specific day, I will expedite at my own cost to make sure it still gets there on time

You won't see a tracking update or any info until it is physically scanned by the driver, or when you drop it off at the post office. My pickups are 4-5pm. So If I mark something shipped and have a label printed in the morning, you won't see it being picked up until that evening. 

You don't have to actually leave your house to have boxes shipped. The USPS will come to your house for free to pick them up during their normal route, but you have to put the request in. Same day pickups are $20, next day pickups are free. 

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Thank you for the write up. I am suprised that the seller can generate tracking numbers before the physically takes the item to the P.O.

Then i would say Ebay have many honest sellers,still have in favour of being scammed on there. I have seen people getting angry at sellers

in the feedback section where they have bought model-kit parts and assumed it to be 1:1 real car parts :D

That is how these services work and have been that way since the capability of printing shipping labels from home was introduced.  Not just for eBay. There is nothing sinister about it.

Since the label is printed through the USPS website, that action is recorded in the tracking info. If the recipient looks at the tracking for that package at that time, it doesn't say that the item was shipped but just that the shipping information was received by USPS. The person generating the label also has a capability to print it couple of days in advance.  The next tracking update will be when the label is actually scanned by the clerk or mail carrier who physically receives the package. That again updates the tracking info stating that the package was accepted by the post office.  Then as the package goes through various parts of its journey the tracking info is appropriately updated.  USPS is not as good in updatign the status with all of the intermediate steps as is FedEx or UPS, but the tracking info is still acceptable.

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My paint order was paid for on August 16th..... and shows that the Label was printed on August 22nd, and ive gotten the tracking number, but nothing has shown up. It says that its 2 day parcel, and ive got it being sent to a buddy in Florida...... nothing yet. I really like the product and I understand that he is backed up, but I bit more communication via a bulletin on his site or something informing customers would have been nice. Ill wait for it to arrive though, no biggie as long as It shows up eventually, im a pretty patient person.

Edited by mademan
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That is how these services work and have been that way since the capability of printing shipping labels from home was introduced.  Not just for eBay. There is nothing sinister about it.

 

 

Here you have to physically deliver the package to the P.O and they then give you the tracking number. You cant just print a tracking number and send a

package as you feel like,days or weeks later. It might not be the most easy way but you as a customer now know that the package is on it`s way.

The seller cant just print out a tracking number,give it to the customer,then wait days or weeks before actually ship the package.

Anyway,thanks for the answers,maby nothing sinister about it but i see red flags all over the place with this method. But that is just me.

 

Also i have to point out i have zero experince with Scalefinishes so this is not directed at them,i was just curious on the method in general.

Edited by om617
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Anyway,thanks for the answers,maby nothing sinister about it but i see red flags all over the place with this method. But that is just me.

There are literally millions of packages shipped using that method without any problems. I repeat, when you print out a postage-paid label with tracking info at home using the post office website (or an app) the tracking info update shows that a label was created, not that the item was shipped. The label can be created to ship the item next day or from a post office different than the ZIP code in the shipping address shows. But only after the package is accepted by a postal employee the tracking info shows it being accepted by the post office.

I don't see any red flags in this process.

Edited by peteski
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Here you have to physically deliver the package to the P.O and they then give you the tracking number. You cant just print a tracking number and send a

package as you feel like,days or weeks later. It might not be the most easy way but you as a customer now know that the package is on it`s way.

The seller cant just print out a tracking number,give it to the customer,then wait days or weeks before actually ship the package.

Anyway,thanks for the answers,maby nothing sinister about it but i see red flags all over the place with this method. But that is just me.

 

Also i have to point out i have zero experince with Scalefinishes so this is not directed at them,i was just curious on the method in general.

When you ship a package on your own, at a Post Office, the receipt printer prints a tracking number on your receipt right then and there, along with the website to go to, and track the package.  Pretty much the same sort of system that UPS and FEDEX have used for years as well.

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I got my Scale Finishes order yesterday. I made and paid for the order the first week of August. I never doubted that I would receive it but I understand we all get a little twitchy when an order takes longer than usual. A lot of us have been ripped off by unscrupulous or overwhelmed vendors so I understand the concern.

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I know this as I've sold on eBay quite a number of times, and I've had shipping labels printed out on my printer with a tracking number affixed to it, and I've even had buyers email me after one day wondering where their stuff is! :blink:

I sold a lot on eBay back in the early days, when it was primarily a collectables venue.  No problems, it was collector to collector. If I took a few days to ship it was no problem.  Then my bro-in-law who had worked for Dell gave me a bunch of computer accessories to sell when he cleaned out his home office.  Instantly I had problems. The buyers of computer accessories were real pains in the tail. I'd get payment from a guy and I'd ship the item on my way home from work the next day.  I'd get feedback noting "Slow Shipping"!   So I checked out the competition and found that the companies that sold this stuff on eBay were full time 24/7 fulfillment centers.  They were all shipping out within the hour and people would get stuff the very next day.   I threw the rest of the computer stuff in the trash!  I didn't need those headaches!

My advice for anyone ordering from the aftermarket in this hobby.... ASSUME that the seller is a part time shoe string operation. This is not a 24/7 fulfilment operation.  For the most part, they all have full time jobs, families and lives. Things change in their lives like overtime, kids get sick,  sudden needs to move. When they "Promise" to ship at a certain date (I prefer to call it an estimate) they probably have best intentions, but don't have time management skills honed all that well.  This is a business where it's easy to get many more orders than can be fulfilled by a part time operation, so stuff happens. Nobody needs model supplies immediately. It's a friggin hobby.  

 

Edited by Tom Geiger
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I sold a lot on eBay back in the early days, when it was primarily a collectables venue.  No problems, it was collector to collector. If I took a few days to ship it was no problem.  Then my bro-in-law who had worked for Dell gave me a bunch of computer accessories to sell when he cleaned out his home office.  Instantly I had problems. The buyers of computer accessories were real pains in the tail. I'd get payment from a guy and I'd ship the item on my way home from work the next day.  I'd get feedback noting "Slow Shipping"!   So I checked out the competition and found that the companies that sold this stuff on eBay were full time 24/7 fulfillment centers.  They were all shipping out within the hour and people would get stuff the very next day.   I threw the rest of the computer stuff in the trash!  I didn't need those headaches!

My advice for anyone ordering from the aftermarket in this hobby.... ASSUME that the seller is a part time shoe string operation. This is not a 24/7 fulfilment operation.  For the most part, they all have full time jobs, families and lives. Things change in their lives like overtime, kids get sick,  sudden needs to move. When they "Promise" to ship at a certain date (I prefer to call it an estimate) they probably have best intentions, but don't have time management skills honed all that well.  This is a business where it's easy to get many more orders than can be fulfilled by a part time operation, so stuff happens. Nobody needs model supplies immediately. It's a friggin hobby.  

 

Im definatly not in any hurry to get my paint, but I paid on the 16th of August and the label was printed the next day, and I recieved an email from paypal noting that my parcel had shipped..... its now one month later and the tracking number is not valid and I have gotten no response. I know that I will get it, just communication from SF would have been nice.

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Im definatly not in any hurry to get my paint, but I paid on the 16th of August and the label was printed the next day, and I recieved an email from paypal noting that my parcel had shipped..... its now one month later and the tracking number is not valid and I have gotten no response. I know that I will get it, just communication from SF would have been nice.

One of the issues with Paypal and eBay is the shipping timing guarantees they put on sellers.  And as someone said, as soon as they print a label, their system sends the buyer an email that the item has shipped.  I get those on a Sunday morning... yea, nobody can ship on Sunday.  

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I ordered mine on 8-14 and was notified that it shipped 8-22. The package was finally received at the post office on the 14th and arrived today.


It took a week for the shipping notification to happen and then 3 weeks for the package to get to the post office?  And you're OK with that disgusting service?

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If you are not happy with the service, then stop using them. Others will continue to use them until they are not happy with the service. Individuals have different thresholds of what is acceptable. There are other options out there. Once he gets situated his service will get better, or it won't.

I think some of these establishments order the paint from their supplier after you order it from them. Perhaps the shipping labels are generated when they put the order into their supplier and part of the wait is the time it takes for the supplier to deliver your order to the reseller.

If you are not willing to wait from a supplier you know takes a long time to deliver (which is most of the small volume auto paint resellers) don't order from them. Go to Walmart or your local auto parts store and get instant gratification.

 

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It took a week for the shipping notification to happen and then 3 weeks for the package to get to the post office?  And you're OK with that disgusting service?

I was not in a hurry for the paint plus I have used his stuff and have met him at shows. He has never offered a deal that cheap before so I was expecting it. Plus he stated on his sight why he was having the sale. Normally one bottle is 12.50 plus ship so I got 8 for the price of two. This hobby takes patience to do so waiting a month was no big deal. Modelhaus used to be about a 6 week wait right up until they announced the retirement. Now if you got an order in before they closed you will see it next year. I have two orders in myself. I think the longest I ever waited was 18 months for a resin kit from Historic Racing Miniatures. 

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I think some of these establishments order the paint from their supplier after you order it from them. Perhaps the shipping labels are generated when they put the order into their supplier and part of the wait is the time it takes for the supplier to deliver your order

From my conversation at a show with him, he actually has one of the computerized paint machines, that mixes the pigments etc, so he does not sub-contract his paints.

I ordered mid Aug, still not here, but I am not too stressed, I have at least 10 bottles of his stuff right now,  6 bottles of Cobra Colors, 5 bottles of un-thinned Ultra Colors, around 15 bottles of MCW paints, and lord knows how many spray cans, and bottle paints, so need is not a factor. I just thought it was a good deal, and I chose some colors that I think would lend themselves to a lot of different future products. While I did not order mine based on a time line, or immediate use, I can certainly see how the lack of contact would shun customers away. No matter how busy he is, I would think a simple mass email, or post on his site, something would help reassure folks. 

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 Modelhaus used to be about a 6 week wait right up until they announced the retirement. Now if you got an order in before they closed you will see it next year. 

I was speaking with Carol last week and she said  they were completely overwhelmed with the response to their retirement news.  She said that my order would be processed "sometime in 2017"  and wouldn't even venture a guess.  I told her that was fine, and that nobody needed a model immediately.  She said that she and Don feel blessed that most modelers felt that way.

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