What's the main issue with ordering on ebay in Melbourne? Delivery of ebay items to your door!

[hpc6656a]

Hi,

I live in Melbourne and I am a frequent ebayer - and my main problem is getting things delivered to my door. How annoying is it when you get home from work and you find a slip in your mailbox saying "pickup from local post office" or "pickup from local collection centre". Those places are usually only open from 9-5 Mon-Fri - the exact times I work! I end up having to take time off work just to collect my item from the post office or collection centre.

There must be an easier way? Any ideas out there? I once heard of local ebay pick-up centres, which charge 1 receive and store your goods and who are open till late most nights of the week - anyone heard of this?

Thanks

Dave.

[barney_rubbles]

zanadoo ap probably think they are doing you a favour by leaving the cards in the door as its easy to see etc. Contact ap & insist they leave the card in the letterbox, i'm pretty sure there would be a rule they should do so. jensmanchester's suggestion is also a good idea.

I agree it should not be too much to ask for sellers to specify this in their listings, there are choices there, ap regular parcel + tracking or + signature, express etc, although that does seem somewhat outdated as all parcels now have tracking do they not? (except for large letters which technically speaking are still letters, but there is no choice for that which i think there should be, so i choose 'standard delivery').

Anyway doesn't seem to me anyone is saying they're a lone ranger, they just want to know up front which postage method the seller is using, not rocket science.

[2106greencat]

OK - My mistake,

All  sellers should send all parcels without registration, without tracking and without signature required.

They should also advise AP or whoever they use to 'safe drop' so all buyers can sit and wait for the item to arrive.

[barney_rubbles]

well thats a silly idea greencat, for buyers like myself who are home alot, it would be sensible i guess, but it certainly would not suit all sellers or all buyers

[zanadoo_56]

Thank you barney_rubbles - you at least understand my point.  It's not that sellers shouldn't use registration, signed for, tracking etc but that they should let their customers know up front what method of postage they prefer.  That's all I am asking for.

I also think it is better to know before payment, not during it as it puts the buyer in an awkward position, possibly even wanting the sale to be cancelled, and the seller in an awkward position wondering of the buyer might mark them down on DSRs if they refuse to use a different postage method if the sale goes ahead.  You need transparency in sales....in B&M and on eBay as well. 

[davewil1964]

---

@bookinvestaustralia wrote:

The solution to your problem hpc6656a seems to be that one: ask your seller to use www.fastwaycourier.com.au  , it will save them (hence, you) a lot of dough and you will be able to sign for an item (or many) delivered in a flash to your door (there would be some exceptions to that rule, as always, if the item is worth a lot more than $1500, then other couriers or AP is better, but dearer, also, if you purchase stuff which fits in an A4 enveloppe or smaller and is quite light, etc...).

---

Apart from their reputed lack of reliability, how does this help zanadoo, who has the issue of signing for an item, and just wants them dumped on the premises?

Did you actually read the question?

[cmcoins2000]

A listing at first glance will show STANDARD POST.

Perhaps try the tab ( Postage & Payments ) next to the tab in the listing (Description).

A seller can offer more than one method of postage - Standard & Yes, Registered is still available for 'Large Letter' size.

Your invoice will show these methods - you can amend your invoice to the preferred method prior to paying.

The listing will only show STANDARD POSTas this is what is offered for the so called 'FREE POSTAGE'.

Beware of that one - 'FREE POSTAGE' in this country is a myth - eBay do not offer the seller a more honest choice of 'POSTAGE INCLUDED'.

Australia cannot compete with the asian market in postage - theirs being the cheapest in the world to encourage international trade.

[2106greencat]

---

@barney_rubbles wrote:

well thats a silly idea greencat, for buyers like myself who are home alot, it would be sensible i guess, but it certainly would not suit all sellers or all buyers

---

Exactly my point.....

[the_pooze]

C'mon!  Where's everyones sense of adventure! 

My wife and I love the thrills and excitement of knowing a parcel should have arrived and searching through the front garden, courtyard, up the driveway and the neighbours yard in an attempt to track it down and you can only imagine our excitement when the OTHER neighbour, who's yard we didn't search, arrives with the Aus Post collection card that was actually in their letterbox.

Even more exciting when you have the parcel delivered to work and watch the Aus Post employee pull up, look at the building, see you standing in the HUGE open roller door, and pop the card in the letter box which you then retrieve and read the note "no access to premises".

Then there's all the fun and frivolity of doing battle with the hordes at the PO on Saturday and waiting in a line 20 people long, being jostled, bumped, deafened by the screaming kiddies and trying not to faint from the odour emanating from the guy 3 in front of you who hasn't showered since some time last year.

Ahhhhhhhhhh, Aus Post, what would I do for thrills and excitement without you?

[zanadoo_56]

Then there's all the fun and frivolity of doing battle with the hordes at the PO on Saturday and waiting in a line 20 people long, being jostled, bumped, deafened by the screaming kiddies and trying not to faint from the odour emanating from the guy 3 in front of you who hasn't showered since some time last year.

You forgot the other kind of queue...where there's only 8 people.....but the AP staffer can't find the customer's parcel, so then the only other staffer at the counter is roped in to look for it. First there's the search, then the interrogation of the unfortunate victim (Do you know what it is, Is it a big or small parcel etc etc) then there's another search (or two) until it is finally found, or it's discovered that it must still be in the contractor's van, or until the customer gives up and says he or she will be back tomorrow.

Then it starts again with the next customer....and by now the queue stretches to outside the shop and into the mall.

[2106greencat]

reply to glasscannon and zanadoo

never thought of it that way