seller lying about express post

[dolly-and-hill]

So this is a slightly complicated story

Back in August I messaged a seller asking if she could send an item express. The item listed had a postage price of $8.55 for standard delivery.

Message 1 from me: If I pay now can you send it express tomorrow?

Message 1 from seller: Not with the current postage price (listed at $8.55). I will need to charge more.

Message 2 from me: Ok it's about $3 more. If I pay tonight can you send it express tomorrow?

Message 2 from seller: "I have updated my listing to include express post"        [Listing now shows $11.99 for standard delivery]

Message 3 from me: "Thanks! Do you think it can get to melbourne by friday though as I'm flying off that afternoon?"

NO FURTHER REPLY FROM SELLER (in Aug)

The listing now showed $11.99 for STANDARD delivery (and no $8.55 option).

I did not buy in Aug as she took too long to respond and did not confirm that it could have been sent the next day.

I have since bought the item which is $11.99 postage for listed STANDARD delivery and mistakenly thought she would still send it express as above. All her other items had $8.55 postage for standard.

I messaged her again to ask where it was as I had expected to receive it by now as I was going away and if received after friday, I won't be able to pick up at all.

Now she has just confirmed it was sent standard as that was what it was listed for

She then said "That message was from August. I didn’t hear from you again or received payment so I assumed that you were not interested. "  

--this is a clear lie as she never responded to message 3 from me above until this sale and I have proof I sent that message in my inbox. Also she had not made any edit to her listing since August either....so unsure why the offer of $11.99 for express post (listed as standard) would only be for the month of August. 

And  she told me to just wait a few days- I'm not sure what waiting a few days would do. I won't be physically around to pick it up (I made it clear I was leaving on fri, albeit after I had paid due to my assumptions around express post).

She also did not explain why I had to pay $11.99 for standard postage.

eBay can't refund as this item will appear as though it is awaiting collection in my suburb next week. I won't be able to collect it (and know nobody who can help). So have I just given the seller money for absolutely nothing

Did she intentionally aim to mislead me by saying "I've changed it to express" and change the price but not the type of shipment (always stated "standard shipping")? 

[dolly-and-hill]

I doubt she would want to refund me though as this has also greatly inconvenienced her, which I understand!

Oh well it was my mistake and I've now learnt my lesson  

[dolly-and-hill]

I'm sure eBay would have proof it was in her inbox. We can only guarantee our own actions, not those of others ie auspost, or another person's ability to read a message. I mean, proof that auspost has scanned something as "delivered" doesn't really guarantee it was "delivered" either right...? Stolen posts, faulty scanning etc

I've never properly considered things from others' point of view so thanks for your perspective! I honestly just wanted a yes/no answer from her re when she could post and did not consider it would be so taxing.

[davewil1964]

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@dolly-and-hill wrote:

I'm sure eBay would have proof it was in her inbox. We can only guarantee our own actions, not those of others ie auspost, or another person's ability to read a message. I mean, proof that auspost has scanned something as "delivered" doesn't really guarantee it was "delivered" either right...? Stolen posts, faulty scanning etc

I've never properly considered things from others' point of view so thanks for your perspective! I honestly just wanted a yes/no answer from her re when she could post and did not consider it would be so taxing.

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There have been numerous, documented on these boards, instances of people NOT receiving eBay messages. It is difficult to read a message that hasn't been received, so ability doesn't necessarily come into it.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@dolly-and-hill wrote:

What had changed for the seller to alter their price from $8.55 to $11.99 (apart from them saying it was for express)? I took screenshots of the listing that had it at $8.55 before I asked them if they could post express.

I paid for the item BEFORE the october changes. An express post satchel was $11.55 then if I remember correctly.

And I should have been clearer I was asking them when they could post it rather than when I would receive it, but that part of message 1 and 2 was never replied to in susbequent messages from her. Hence I asked it a different way (ie when I would likely receive it). Definitely no guarantees with auspost! 

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I was asking them when they could post it rather than when I would receive it

and

Definitely no guarantees with auspost! 

Yet you needed it by the Friday because you were going away on Friday afternoon!

I am confused.

How many days before Friday did you send the first message?

Did it need to be posted by Express Post because you asked on the Wednesday?

Do both you and the seller live in Guaranteed Next Day Delivery zones for Express Post?

As for the change in postage costs . . . that is up to the seller, and they don’t have to justify increases . . . buyers either “choose” to accept the costs and buy, or not accept them and not buy.

You made an assumption that you should not have.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

you need to treat this as a learning experience.

- you shouldn’t leave buying til the last minute

- many sellers dislike it when members ask too many questions

- if something isn’t mentioned in the listing then you can’t assume it is included

- you can’t presume to know what the seller was thinking, ergo, you can’t know that they lied when they said “I didn’t hear from you again or received payment so I assumed that you were not interested. "  (Judge Judy 101 “you can’t testify to what they knew or didn’t know”)

- it is a big call to label a seller a liar in a public forum and you need to be careful doing so with so little evidence

- you are a seller too, but you can’t expect that any other seller would sell the way you do

[eol-products]

If you open a Mypost account you can redirect some parcels. You may also be able to contact your PO and ask to hold it for you if you are not away for too long.

[springyzone]

I actually get the bit about how you are a bit peeved about the price hike. 

BUT

there are a couple of things going on here.

I: You didn't buy in Aug when you had the flurry of communication. That's the main problem.

So this isn't the same transaction and you can't accuse the seller of lying as such because she had no possible way to know that you would actually turn around and buy it a month or so later. Her ad was aimed at any buyer. She may not even have recognised your ebay ID when the item sold.

2. You bought, based on the premise that you would be getting something that wasn't mentioned in the ad. In fact, where something completely different was mentioned in the ad. Never do that.

Plus, you seem to be making it a habit to buy right on the knocker, where you are desperate to get things by a certain date. Don't do that either. Or if you must do it, arrange for a friend who can pick items up for you. If you are always on the move, then you are going to have to ask yourself-if I buy this online and it doesn't get to me on time, will I be able to use it another time once I get home? Or must i absolutely have it before I leave, it is critical. If the latter is the case, buy in person at a shop.

Reading between the lines here, I'd say you may have come over as a tad bossy first time around. You not only asked if you could buy with express postage but you told the seller roughly how much it should cost but you also put her in a position where you wanted her to predict if you would get it in time. (by Friday). If she wasn't used to usually sending by express post, how would she know, any better than you? If I were selling, I'd be very loathe to answer that too. 

You know what a major problem has been though, all this time? Even when that ad was updated, it never said express postage. First time around in Aug, you had those messages and if you had bought then, you could have claimed she lied if she sent it standard post.

But she neglected to change the postage amount and had forgotten all about it by the time it sold. Just sent it as described in the ad.

So I agree, you were overcharged on postage compared to her other ads & I'd ding her stars on that, but next time, don't buy unless an ad says exactly what you expect to get.