Why do eBay sellers do this?

[Monty]

If you live in a small town like I do, you use eBay to get things that aren't otherwise immediately available to you. That said, I've noticed a weird change in sellers' behavior in the last year or so that I'm not thrilled about:  Why do they create a shipping label but hold on to the product for another two or three days? 

On my most recent purchase, I was notified that the seller was "packing  your item for shipment!" as soon as payment went through, yet three days later it's still sitting there.  Am I mistaken in thinking USPS will pick up a package once it's got a shipping label?

Just asking 'cuz I've shared my multiple issues with USPS delivery, and now the sellers are adding to my consternation.

[Ace-Garageguy]

They do it because they can.

Some sellers are really great about shipping the same day they get payment.

Some take their sweet time, often not getting the item to their local PO for several days.

Not much you can do as far as I'm aware.

I've had to become pretty patient over the years, and have seriously cut back buying anything online because a lot more people seem to be jerks now.

It's just the brandy new oh-so-mo-better world of muh technology we live in today.

[1930fordpickup]

I think that maybe ebay thinks if the lable is printed that it is being shipped? 

Some sellers say they ship on these 2 days. We know that going in. But to have no time table is not good.

[stitchdup]

some people also have these things called jobs that require you to be there during business hours, which conveniently is also when the shipping agents are open.

[Mark]

Seller might be having the shipper pick up the sold items at the place of business, and maybe the shipper charges for that service unless there's a minimum number of items to pick up? 

Yes, eBay flags the item as "shipped" the minute a shipping label is stuck on, and tells you it has been "shipped".  But, open the link to the tracking number, and you get more accurate info.  That used to irritate me, but no more.  As long as the item gets to me, it's cool.

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 hours ago, stitchdup said:

some people also have these things called jobs that require you to be there during business hours, which conveniently is also when the shipping agents are open.

There are sellers who say exactly this in their listings, or that they only ship on thus-and-such a day because of their other commitments.

Fine. Perfectly reasonable. Understood.

It's the ones who just don't bother letting the buyer know what's going on, or who don't respond when contacted after several days go by after the label is created but the item is still not in transit that get annoying after a while.

Sure, you can have a job and a life. But how long does it take to send an email?

This one took less than two minutes.

EDIT: And if you're selling so much stuff you don't "have time" to keep buyers updated, selling IS a job, and needs to be treated as responsibly as a "real" one.

EDIT 2: As Mark implies though, you can't control what other people do. All you can control is how you react.

Edited 18 hours ago by Ace-Garageguy

[Monty]

16 hours ago, stitchdup said:

some people also have these things called jobs that require you to be there during business hours, which conveniently is also when the shipping agents are open.

This is (eventually) coming from a brick-n-mortar business in California.  Unless I've been misinformed, the same USPS guy who drops off their mail can grab this package and get the process rolling.  

 

[Monty]

14 hours ago, Mark said:

Yes, eBay flags the item as "shipped" the minute a shipping label is stuck on, and tells you it has been "shipped".  But, open the link to the tracking number, and you get more accurate info.  That used to irritate me, but no more.  As long as the item gets to me, it's cool.

There's nothing there but a brief sentence saying "Shipping label created, USPS awaiting item." 

[Mark]

But that does tell you that the package is still with the seller and hasn't started moving yet.  I'd guess the seller has to create the label to start the clock ticking for USPS to pick the item up.  Might as well start the notifications with the first action (creating the label).

[Monty]

2 hours ago, Mark said:

But that does tell you that the package is still with the seller and hasn't started moving yet.  I'd guess the seller has to create the label to start the clock ticking for USPS to pick the item up.  Might as well start the notifications with the first action (creating the label).

This is where being a tightwad worked against me.  If I’d paid $15.00 more, I could have gotten it from Amazon and had it by now instead if waiting for someone to get off their (expletive) and fulfill their end of the deal. 

What does printing the stupid label early accomplish if it’s still half the country away half a week later?  Maybe issuing neutral or negative feedback could help reverse this trend.
 

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, Monty said:

This is where being a tightwad worked against me.  If I’d paid $15.00 more, I could have gotten it from Amazon and had it by now instead if waiting for someone to get off their (expletive) and fulfill their end of the deal. 

What does printing the stupid label early accomplish if it’s still half the country away half a week later?  Maybe issuing neutral or negative feedback could help reverse this trend.

Your frustration is understandable, and I used to get kinda bothered by this stuff too.

But in the final analysis, if it's not something I need for business, waiting a few days won't really affect anything.

And if it IS something I need for business, I can almost always find plenty to do while I wait for whatever thingamajig is running late.

Fifteen bucks is fifteen bucks, after all.  

EDIT: Don't get me wrong. It DOES chap my backside when I message some clown with "You know, you've had my money for two weeks and I see my package hasn't made it to your shipper of choice yet" and all I get is crickets for 3 more days and then it pops up on the USPS tracking app.

But I don't even bother with negative feedback. Why?

Because someday the same guy just might have the only chrome plated 1st gen grangefluriffigur in the known universe, and he's got a $10 BIN price on it when the cheapest one I've seen anywhere else is half a mil.

I can wait a few extra days.  

Edited 2 hours ago by Ace-Garageguy
clarity