Shipping

[minx_ie]

I bought a product from a seller on the 19th of August. They said it was posted on the 20th of August, but when I use the tracking number the provided to track my package on Aus Post, it says its being prepared. Nothing has changed for over 12 days and I'm not sure if I should be worried. The package was estimated to be delivered on the 31st of August - 1st of September, but I still haven't reviewed a package and it's the 1st. The seller also says that they have send with Couriers Please, but the tracking number is for Aus Post.  Should I be worried yet? 

[jfmgray]

I have had this situation a few times when a seller is based in Oz but the item is coming to them from China. Once the item arrives with them they then send off the parcel and the tracking starts moving.  Not sure if this is your scenario.

[jellybirddesigns]

@jfmgray - I think you have a good point.

As soon as a shipping label is created, it actually gets marked as "sent", even if the item is not physically in the system. It is entirely possible they are awaiting arrival of the actual product. It's a bit of a seller cheat though, as technically they should not be selling an item they do not have in stock, but this is one way to avoid getting a defect on their account.

OP - since we don't know for sure what is going on, whether it be a backlog of parcels, or the seller waiting on the item to arrive from China or something else entirely - I would open a case for "Item Not Received", as soon as Ebay allows you so that you get your funds back. You can always repurchase it when you feel more confident.

Does the seller have good feedback though?

[domino-710]

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@minx_ie wrote:

I bought a product from a seller on the 19th of August. They said it was posted on the 20th of August, but when I use the tracking number the provided to track my package on Aus Post, it says its being prepared. Nothing has changed for over 12 days and I'm not sure if I should be worried. The package was estimated to be delivered on the 31st of August - 1st of September, but I still haven't reviewed a package and it's the 1st. The seller also says that they have send with Couriers Please, but the tracking number is for Aus Post.  Should I be worried yet? 

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Yes.

[minx_ie]

The seller has like 95% positive feedback. I'd understand if it was coming from China and they didn't have the stock but they replied to a question of mine saying my stuff had been sent and should have arrived. I have opened a case with ebay so I'm hoping that will figure this stuff out once and for all. They are based in VIC, so it's not saying it's coming from China, even if it is. I'm just really not sure what to do about it all. 

[sandypebbles]

The seller's feedback is really pretty average, including comments items were sent from China

Quite possible they are dropshipping 

[padi*0409]

If it's the buyer that left feedback for you with 95.6%, all their responses to negs suggest a Chinese seller.

I would have been very hesitant about buying from a seller with that level of feedback, normally for a high-volume seller my limit is 99.5%.

[minx_ie]

Thank you. At this point I'm just waiting and seeing what happens. The seller has gotten back to me saying that my adress is correct and that my package is in transit. Not sure if their definition of "transit" is that it has yet to be sent, but I guess we'll see. I will definitely pay closer attention to the feedback for sellers from now on. 

[countessalmirena]

Do not close the eBay case.

Once you close it, you can't re-open it.

All of the assurances from the seller about its being in transit, all of the soothing words, all of the pleas to close the case - they may simply be delaying tactics. As the seller claims to be in Australia (yet writes without native English-speaking syntax), and claims that the items are in Australia, the fact that the items appear to be sent from China has me agreeing with the other posters here, in particular with sandypebbles about this being a seller dropshipping from China.

Strictly speaking, claiming that the items are located in Australia is a no-no. I'd be wary about the seller just for that detail.

[papermoon.lady]

I have checked some random items in that seller's store and they all say Couriers Please.

What did *your* listing say? Maybe you can check the Couriers Please tracking site, just in case... The seller might live in Australia, but I agree that he or she is Chinese, not because of his or her poor language skills, but the typical "dear buyer" to reply to negative feedback.

As for "it's being prepared", it usually means it has not been scanned yet, either because it has not been posted or because it has been posted in a red mailbox and won't be scanned until it arrives at a sorting centre.

However, once I had been given a wrong tracking number (by mistake, it was not a scam)  and it said "it's being prepared"...

[sugar249]

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@minx_ie wrote:

The seller has like 95% positive feedback. I'd understand if it was coming from China and they didn't have the stock but they replied to a question of mine saying my stuff had been sent and should have arrived. I have opened a case with ebay so I'm hoping that will figure this stuff out once and for all. They are based in VIC, so it's not saying it's coming from China, even if it is. I'm just really not sure what to do about it all. 

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Wow 95%, and you purchased,  did you actually check their feedback before you hit the big lets commit myself to purchasing this.   If you think 95% is ok,  maybe get used to delays and issues.