Item not received - no tracking number

[funnypooky]

Hi, I bought a DVD more than two weeks ago which I still haven't received. I paid 3,40 for australia post parcel, without signature. The seller says since I only paid for standard delivery, they can't provide a tracking number. According to the seller, the DVD was sent right after I paid on April 1st. I am new to Australia and I don't have any experience with parcel post - is it true that a standard parcel does not include a tracking option? According to the Australia post website, it does.

Also when would it be reasonlable to recover the money via pay pal? The seller states that Australia post has been "absolutely disgraceful" recently and that it can take up to 14 working days for parcels to be received. Well that wasn't mentioned in the listing, and I wouldn't have bought the DVD had I known.

[harley_babes_hoard]

Parcel post all has tracking however letter post does not. Seeing as though you only paid 3.40 postage I assume that is what you have paid for. Once items are posted it's in the hands of australia post, sometimes they can be extremely fast other times painfully slow.. The seller does not have to mention this in the listing. And please remember, You are not marking the seller on the time it takes for australia post to deliver the item,  you mark the seller on the time it takes them to lodge the parcel once paid for.

Where was parcel from and going to?

[chameleon54]

As Harly has mentioned, $3.40 will only pay for a standard large letter without tracking. Sellers who send items this way are taking responsibility for loss through the postal system, as paypal require tracking to exempt sellers from Aust. Post loss. You sould allow two-three weeks from date of mailing for delivery ( as it may get mislaid for a week or so in the mail ).  If it does not arrive and you payed with paypal ( or another "safe " payment method ) it would be wise to open an "item not recieved" case around this time and have your money refunded. Dont allow the seller to string you along too long or you will not be eligable to put in a claim. ( 45 days max I think from memory ).

[green-gifts-mkd]

Hi, if it is just a standard DVD (not a box set etc.), most sellers will post it as a 'large letter' in a plain, padded or tough bag envelope (less than 20mm thick) to keep costs down for the buyer. It would be very expensive to post it as a tracked parcel for $7.00-$8.00, which is the next available option in our postage system here (up to 500g, more than 20mm thick).

If you really need something reliably and like checking its online progress, you can pay an extra $3.50 or similar to the seller to post it via Registered Post with Signature Required (if they agree, as this involves lodging your article over the counter at an AusPost outlet). However, this would not be economically viable in your case, as the total would've come to around $6.90 postage for one DVD.

It does seem to be taking its time to get to you but it really depends on where it was sent from and where you are located. As you know, Australia has a large area with massive distances to cover/travel. The area of Australia is 7,692,024 km2, whilst the area of Germany is 357,168 km2. So, yes, things will take a while to arrive between states in this nation.

If you live in an apartment or similar, a large letter may not fit in your letterbox, and may be at your local post office 'Awaiting Collection'. You should receive a card in your letterbox, but sometimes the posties can be slack with this.

I would wait a little bit longer before considering opening an item not received case. Mail may take a while to arrive in this nation, but loss rates are actually very low.

If you don't really like waiting for online packages, I think that shopping in actual stores might be a better way to go for you.

[rkwm888]

registered post protects the seller not the buyer so the buyer doesnt have to pay for it

14 days since the OP paid for the dvd so i think they have waited long enough and i would open a paypal dispute

[green-gifts-mkd]

Yes, I understand that as Registered Post is basically the only method I use to post.

But, with other sellers, if Registered Post isn't standard, the buyer pays for it if they insist upon it. Reasons they may insist upon it include:

- Wanting a tracking number because they suffer from online buying anxiety/nervousness (there are such buyers out there)

- Wanting the package to require signature on delivery for their own peace of mind (linked to reason above)

- Wanting to minimise the risk of a regular letter being lost or having to go through the INR process (i.e. requesting Registered Post to heighten the likelihood of timely delivery).

[2106greencat]

Contact the seller to confirm the date they sent - if you think it is long enough, open INR and escalate to a claim if you have still not received within the next couple of weeks.

[funnypooky]

Thanks for the replies, as I said it is my first experience with Australia post (we live overseas, we will be leaving again on friday, hence I"m getting a bit anxious about parcel not arriving).  It is capital city to capital city.

It isays on 3.40 Standard on the listing, upon clicking on it, it says (exact wording, as I copied and pasted):

AUD 3.40 - Standard Postage (Australia Post Parcel Post Parcel) 

Now shouldn't that be a parcel if it says parcel? Or what does the "post parcel post parcel" in the brackets mean? Will have to apologize to the seller if this is just the standard way to say that they will send it in an envelope. I just assumed it was a bargain parcel, with seller paying half of postage.

I am a bit annoyed though - the seller told me in a message that for the past couple of weeks, delivery is estimated about 14 business due to issues with Australia post - so they knew that well before I bought the item, even though they are not in fault, I would have liked to know.

[green-gifts-mkd]

Hi, if the item is to be sent as a 'large letter', there are limited options for the seller when creating the listing. I would personally choose 'Standard Delivery' for such an item, but maybe the seller has the 'Parcel Post' method saved as a default setting because it is their most commonly used shipping method (and didn't change it for your particular item). Some sellers also classify a 'large letter' as a parcel. For example, most of my items are Registered Post 'large letters' and the only option eBay has available for me to choose from is: 'Australia Post Regular Parcel Registered (1 to 6 business days)'. But my buyers receive chunky 'large letters' in paper envelopes, not a box or satchel.

Listing postage method choices:

I am not sure what the seller means by 'issues with Australia Post', unless they live in a remote area or an area experiencing a natural disaster at present.

Is your address a temporary one? Is it possible the item hasn't been passed onto you?

[chezzy]

If the item says "Standard Postage (Australia Post Parcel Post Parcel) " on the listing then I think that is how

the seller should have sent it. Parcel Post is the name of the service (as opposed to say Australia Post Express Post Parcel).

My understanding is that all Parcels include tracking now? I am guessing the seller has used the cheaper letter post

service (no tracking) in which case they perhaps should have specified Standard Postage without ANY mention of Parcel Post.

If it was me I might have sent the seller a screen shot of what it says on the listing and quizzed them on that. Regardless of what amount you paid.