topic Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods in Selling

No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

daddykool-123 — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 00:22:37 GMT

Apologies in advance if covered already, but I have many inexpensive goods that I pack into Padded envelopes and post.

As I print off my own labels, it's a minimum of $7.15 to send in a bag with tracking.

However, selling small inexpensive items, I will generally put them in a padded envelope with a couple of stamps at $1.40 .

Cheaper for my customers, $6 cheaper to send it.

Most of my customers are honest, but I was ordered to refund a full amount because the Customer "never received it".

So, the tiny bit of profit I was going to make is gone, so are the goods, so are my postage costs. Now the item was only sold for $12.50, So not only am I down these costs, the customer got a freebie.

Instead of emailing me first, the Customer opened a dispute with eBay.

There will always be unscrupulous buyers, this is the 2nd refund in hundreds of posted items, which brings me back to the point:

Does anyone know how to supply tracking for inexpensive items? I don't think it's possible.

Thanks in advance,

D.K.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

joethenuts — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 00:33:33 GMT

try adding a signature might be cheaper

as long as its tracking or signature ebay is fine with that, but if you only loose a couple of things a year , why bother for the extra costs

the old saying if you can afford to loose thats fine if you cant then go to tracking or signature

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

chameleon54 — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 01:29:07 GMT

I send around 70% of my items untracked. I simply add 50 cents to $1.00 depending on the value of the item to the postage cost as self insurance. This works out much cheaper than tracking costs for my buyers.

. When something goes wrong I just refund, no questions asked, no stress. I dont have too many problems as most of my buyers are pretty honest mature aged men. If they say something hasnt arrived I expect that 90% of the time it didnt arrive. ( Who knows, maybe I put the wrong address on the package ) If you sell computer games to kids or mobile phones it might need a different strategy.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

lyndal1838 — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 05:27:55 GMT

Just a question......how can you be so sure that your customer is lying? If there was not tracking then you can't know for sure.

In case you did not realise it, buyers read here as well as sellers and many buyers resent being labelled liars unless the seller has absolute proof that the buyer got the item and is saying otherwise.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

daddykool-123 — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 07:23:49 GMT

I don't remember calling my customer a liar....

@lyndal1838 wrote:
Just a question......how can you be so sure that your customer is lying? If there was not tracking then you can't know for sure.

In case you did not realise it, buyers read here as well as sellers and many buyers resent being labelled liars unless the seller has absolute proof that the buyer got the item and is saying otherwise.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

daddykool-123 — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 08:00:54 GMT

Sending an item requiring a signature costs around $2.75 I think, but I think that we need to accept this as a fact of eBay "sellership". As previously mentioned, (sorry, don't have the name in front of me), we can't prove that customers are right or wrong, and yes, some buyers do tell verbal inexactitudes to get something for nothing. But I have accepted that nothing can be done about this issue except to refund and put that person on your blocked bidders list so you'll never have to deal with them again.

My 100% rating is important to me than a few lousy dollars and I'd rather take the loss and let Karma deal with the offender. By

the way, I always put my return address on the envelope and I still haven't received the item back, so someone got a freebie.

To the buyers who read Seller posts, please understand that this is a periodic problem to most Sellers and we Sellers genuinely believe that 99% of you are honest folk and incapable of subterfuge.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

imastawka — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 08:36:31 GMT

@daddykool-123 wrote:
I don't remember calling my customer a liar....

Most of my customers are honest, but I was ordered to refund a full amount because the Customer "never received it".

I think it's implied by the quotation marks

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

daddykool-123 — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 09:02:55 GMT

The quotation marks indicate a direct quote from eBay, not me.

Apologies if that confused you. I have NO desire to confuse.

My main question remains partly unanswered.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

imastawka — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 09:15:01 GMT

No. No cheap way to send large envelopes with tracking that I know of.

If you don't lose that many, then self insurance is your only option.

Re-send or refund

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

k1ooo-slr-sales — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 10:23:49 GMT

"the customer got a freebie " means?

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

daddykool-123 — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 22:25:22 GMT

I have no desire to argue with you.

If you had goods to sell, you may sometimes experience this problem.

Lets just say that I've accepted a solution and move on from nit-picking.

Thanks to those who had something positive to say on the topic.

D.K.

@k1ooo-slr-sales wrote:
"the customer got a freebie " means?

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

springyzone — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 00:04:20 GMT

Imastawka wrote. daddykool-123 wrote:

I don't remember calling my customer a liar....

Most of my customers are honest, but I was ordered to refund a full amount because the Customer "never received it".

I think it's implied by the quotation marks

--------------------------------------------------

It is, but it is a reasonable suspicion I think.

If an envelope or package has a return address and a buyer's address can't be found, then normally it would return to sender.

I know some things may occasionally go missing in the post but sheesh, the number of ebay items reported as missing must be some sort of record.

Or maybe I just have a nasty, suspicious mind.

Oh and I wouldn't worry too much about buyers lurking on these boards and being too shocked at seeing in print that some sellers think some buyers tell porkies or might even be dishonest. We're made of sterner stuff.

I can only speak for myself but the only thing I base my purchases on is if I want the thing and if the feedback & rating looks as if it is likely the seller is reliable enough. If I saw any of them on these boards (not that I ever have), I don't know if I would take much notice.

Actually it is the whole question of tracking costs for inexpensive items that turns me a bit off selling much on ebay these days. I don't trust some of the buyers either, even though I am one too.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

mbselections00 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 01:32:12 GMT

A bit late adding to this thread and chameleon has offered the solution, but just to add to that, likewise most of my items are sent in padded envelopes for $1.40 also and it just isn't viable to send with Tracking.

I normally do a daily mailing list (unlike this week when for the first time ever I haven't had a single sale until today !) and when I post (always over the counter) the staff kindly stamp each address on the list for me. Then if a buyer contacts me to say an item hasn't arrived I am at least able to show them proof their item was sent, which is important to me as I would hate to think a buyer thought I was dishonest. I ask them to check with neighbours and also the PO in case they are holding the article for some reason (eg. padded envelope may not fit in letter box).

Horrible as this may sound, in most cases the item miraculously turns up within a day !! Leading me to believe the obvious . . . . . .

By memory, I have only ever had 3 orders I have had to replace and of those one was eventually returned to me about 6 weeks later.

So to be honest, I don't even self-insure, but that would depend entirely on the average cost of the items, if they were higher in value, then I probably would.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

chameleon54 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 02:54:33 GMT

I would probably have one parcel in maybe 300-400 "go missing" in the mail. In most cases I dont have any reason to believe the buyer has not recieved it, although there have been a small handfull that seem a bit suspect.

On a couple of occasions when the buyer has claimed the item was faulty, I suspect they may not know how the item was originally made, or how to actually use it correctly. They still get refunded and get to keep the item for free, as I cant be bothered arguing with them and getting their back up, just to prove I,m right and they are wrong. ( remembering they honestly believe their claim is justified and maybe I,m the one who is actually mistaken )

Occasionaly after refunding for item not recieved, the buyer messages to say they recieved the item after maybe 4 or 5 weeks and offer to re-pay. I usually thank them and just tell them to keep the item for free. ( my self insurance mentioned in previous post has already covered the cost. )

Only 3 or four items have ever been retuned by AP to me and on most of those occasions, the buyers listed address was incorrect in ebays order details.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

stickittoit — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 05:42:55 GMT

I sell alot of items in Australia at $4.95 to $8.95 (trading cards) and can only put them in an envelope with a 70 cent stamp, adding registration or tracking to a standard envelope is $3.50, you are at the mercy of the honest people and the cheats. As I started to get ripped off quite abit I started a database that will eventually help others would love you to let me know what you think sellsafer.com

any assistance would be appreciated

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

chameleon54 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 09:55:04 GMT

There is a well established site already where sellers can share their experiences with ebay buyers. I,m not sure what its called, but I did have a look one night. It seemed like the wild west where people can make any sort of slanderous accusation and the recipient has no right of reply.

It came up when I was searching an old aquantances name, right at the top search, so ranks fairly well in google searches. My friend may or may not have been guilty of the claims, ( he was always a fairly fast mover ) but it all made me a bit uncomfortable really. Once the accustations are out there on the web, theres no way to take them back, and they will follow the recipient around the net for years. I have come across the site again when researching a problem buyer, so it is quite an active site.

I hope you have thought all of the issues through.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

chameleon54 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 09:59:05 GMT

Site is called Badbuyerlist. Google that for a look.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

lyndal1838 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 10:46:03 GMT

@chameleon54 wrote:
Site is called Badbuyerlist. Google that for a look.

Ouch, a couple of sites come up....one is very detailed and well set out.

Re: No Tracking Numbers for inexpensive goods

chameleon54 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 22:18:54 GMT

I had a better look at my old aquantances issue. To me it looks like he purchased a mobile phone listed as being in Australia, when it was really being drop shipped from China. ( probably a fake ). My friend Negged the guy when it took weeks to arrive instead of the advertised Australian delivery time. Knowing my friend he probably needed it yesterday and didnt appreciate the ebay scam of being told it was an Australian item when it was really being drop shipped. ( and wouldnt have spared the language if he found it was fake )

The aquantance is a succesfull, high placed, proffesional businessman in his field. He now has his real name, ebay ID, residential address, phone number and email address plastered across the internet, with unflattering comments from an ebay scammer. Unless you looked very closely and knew how to follow the ebay trail, you would just take the scammers defamatory comments at face value. ( as I first did )

It all looks a bit of a worry to me.