topic Re: Ship it to where???? in Selling

Ship it to where????

lezned-toycollector — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 12:01:15 GMT

I haven't started a thread in the eBay forums for about 14 or 15 years... so here goes nothing!

As a regular seller of 21+ years, I have never encountered a situation such as this... so I'm seeking opinions from others

I sold an item almost 2 days ago. Please bear in mind that I have 1 business day handling. The buyer selected and paid for Sendle, but they have a PO Box as their delivery address.

Within about 30 seconds of payment, I sent a message asking for their delivery address. For whatever reason, said message was ignored.

12 hours later, I sent another message explaining that they had chosen and paid for Sendle, and said service requires a street address (as stated in the listing). For whatever reason they ignored my message again.

This evening, I have sent a third message requesting their delivery address, and copied the text to their mobile phone number. Yet I am still to receive a response.

I think it's utter garbage that my shipping times are about to take a hit because someone (for whatever reason) refuses to provide their delivery address.

What is really mind boggling is.... who on Earth pays for something and then flat out refuses to receive it??? I'm gobsmacked.

I really don't know what more I can do. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Re: Ship it to where????

gutterpunkz05 — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 13:46:20 GMT

Cancel the transaction. Problem with buyers address. If they really want it, they can buy again and provide a suitable address.

Re: Ship it to where????

lezned-toycollector — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 14:21:16 GMT

You know, that's probably just what I needed to hear. Sometimes the obvious answer is right there in front of your eyes, yet you can't see the forest for the trees... and I really can't fault that logic.

Thankyou

Re: Ship it to where????

cezm — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 19:43:11 GMT

Perhaps modify your listings to exclude PO Boxes and remove Australia Post from your postage options if you don't use it. The few listings I looked at had AP as an option in the description and postage options

I have a PO Box and there is nothing to indicate I couldn't buy from you - my delivery address is my PO Box

Domestic

Australia Post regular letter (default)
Australia Post express
Sendle
Local pickup
Any other service of your choice

Re: Ship it to where????

paper-jack — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 23:16:29 GMT

Now we have access to buyer's phone number I've been solving such problems by a quick phone call. One (for another ebay account) resulted in taking an order for a handmade item.

Re: Ship it to where????

lezned-toycollector — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 04:08:01 GMT

Wow, that's some pretty ordinary advice. Why would I remove Australia Post as a delivery option? It's there for anybody who wants to use a PO Box, Parcel Locker or Parcel Collect address. Why do you suggest I should exclude these buyers from purchasing from me? That really doesn't make any sense at all.

Just to further clarify, the problem I was facing was that the buyer selected and paid for Sendle, but refused to provide a delivery address.

Personally, I couldn't give a hoot who delivers their parcel. They're paying for the service, and the carrier is entirely their choice. They could get it delivered by a 6 foot tall bald hermaphrodite riding a three legged camel for all I care, as long as they pay for it. The point is... if they wanted to use a PO Box address, then they could/should have selected Australia Post delivery, and paid for the service - as stipulated in the listing.

Selecting and paying for the cheapest shipping option which is unsuitable for them, and then expecting a free upgrade to a more costly option is just downright rude... and it's not going to happen. If they want the dearer option, they can pay for it - simples.

Since the buyer ignored all messages (both email and SMS) and caused the sale to exceed my advertised handling time, I decided it just wasn't worth the hassle and cancelled the transaction as previously advised.

Re: Ship it to where????

lezned-toycollector — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 04:15:06 GMT

Oh, and of course you could buy from me. Especially for the listing you have copied and pasted my shipping terms. Although it's not in any way relevant to this thread, as you can clearly see, that particular listing provides shipping via Australia Post regular letter.

It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to understand that Australia Post letters can be delivered to a PO Box 😀

Re: Ship it to where????

padi*0409 — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 04:33:21 GMT

............."rocket surgeon"...............

Re: Ship it to where????

lezned-toycollector — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 04:35:24 GMT

Yep... Sumner Heights High... great show that, hey.

Re: Ship it to where????

padi*0409 — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 04:40:00 GMT

@lezned-toycollector wrote:

Yep... Sumner Heights High... great show that, hey.

Dunno, I never watched it. But cleaning my coffee-splattered keyboard is strangely therapeutic........

Re: Ship it to where????

jellybirddesigns — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 04:52:22 GMT

Sendle doesn't have a great reputation on these boards and I believe they are a broker for different courier services. There are many disaster stories, including one buyer who paid for Sendle, only to have his parcel couriered by the dreaded Fastaway and then returned to the seller because the buyers town was considered out of their delivery area. What a mess.

At least Aus Post will delivery anywhere.

I have a PO Box and when I order something, I want it send there.

Not my job as a buyer to evaluate different services and know whether Sendle will deliver to my PO Box or not.

Re: Ship it to where????

padi*0409 — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 05:53:18 GMT

@jellybirddesigns wrote:

Sendle doesn't have a great reputation on these boards and I believe they are a broker for different courier services.

Yep Jelly, and they will always use the cheapest courier to the destination - usually Aramex (Fastway) or Couriers Please. The amount that sellers save by using an inferior delivery service is minimal, and leaves them wide open to buyer dissatisfaction. There is no need to use a courier at all unless the item is outside AP's size or weight limits.

Re: Ship it to where????

lezned-toycollector — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 06:10:39 GMT

Well then you'd be in luck if you purchase from me, then. It clearly states in the listing description under the shipping heading that Australia Post Standard Parcel is default for PO Boxes, Parcel Lockers and Parcel Collect addresses. It also states that Sendle is default for street addresses only.

There's no evaluation required by any buyer. They just need to know how to read, and if they want the item sent to a PO Box or a street address. Surely that's not too much to expect of a buyer. After all, if they can't read, they shouldn't be using eBay... and if they don't know their own delivery address, they really shouldn't be purchasing anything from anywhere that requires delivery.

As far as Sendle not having a great reputation, I can't fault them in any way... but I'm not the buyer, or the person making the decision on which shipping service is used. I just give the options, and it's entirely up to the buyer which carrier they select. If they have a perceived problem with any service I offer, then it's not hard for them to select a different one.

Oh, and FYI, Australia Post most definitely do not "delivery anywhere".

Re: Ship it to where????

jellybirddesigns — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 06:41:59 GMT

Very few buyers are going to read all that blurb in your listings - it is a well known fact that buyers barely get past headlines, never mind reading all the text (especially if they are looking on a mobile phone). Which would probably be the case in regards to the buyer you started this thread about.

Re: Ship it to where????

lezned-toycollector — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 07:33:32 GMT

Well if people don't bother reading the relevant information, that's really not my problem.

"all that blurb"??? Seriously?? Five domestic shipping options and three international shipping options hardly qualifies as "all that blurb". Just exactly how do you propose I should offer shipping other than listing the available options?? If you prefer to keep your shipping methods a secret, that's entirely up to you... but it's not something I'm prepared to do.

As for reading it on a mobile phone, that's exactly what the listing is designed for... created on a mobile phone, and compatible for viewing on a mobile phone. So viewing it on a mobile phone (as designed) is really no excuse for not bothering to read the available shipping options.

Anyway, it's all totally irrelevant. I was given advice in the first reply - which was appropriate, and the perfect solution for my situation. Trying to pick holes in my listings now is completely unnecessary, and to what end?? I'm not about to change my listings because they don't fit the mould of how you would do it, so what exactly are you trying to achieve??

Re: Ship it to where????

davewil1964 — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 08:49:00 GMT

Maybe don't offer Sendle? I only use AP and I doubt I have had buyers going elsewhere to save a buck.

Cheap is not always best. For the seller or the buyer. Don't give them options.

Re: Ship it to where????

padi*0409 — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 08:55:05 GMT

@lezned-toycollector wrote:

Well if people don't bother reading the relevant information, that's really not my problem.

But it did become a problem for you because you said this in you opening post :-

"I think it's utter garbage that my shipping times are about to take a hit because someone (for whatever reason) refuses to provide their delivery address."

Re: Ship it to where????

lezned-toycollector — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 09:20:51 GMT

Why on Earth would I remove Sendle?? It's not only cheaper and more convenient, but it's currently operating about 4 times faster than Australia Post. Example... 3 days from sale for fastway to ship from South Bathurst NSW to Holt ACT - as opposed to 11 days from sale for Australia Post to ship from West Bathurst NSW to Penrith NSW (just over 2 hours drive time away).

Its really a no brainer as to which service is vastly superior, but ultimately it's up to the buyer which service they want to use.

Why would anybody want to remove a product in favour of a more expensive and lesser quality product? That just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

Re: Ship it to where????

lezned-toycollector — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 09:26:18 GMT

As I said previously, it's not my problem. The buyer refused to provide a delivery address, so the sale was cancelled. Pretty simple really, and definitely not my problem at all.

Re: Ship it to where????

davewil1964 — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 09:45:23 GMT

Dream on