To think 2-3 days isn't a long time to wait for something to be posted?

[cherrycandles]

Not a major issue, just wanting opinions

I sell items on a private site, mainly secondhand clothes, shoes and make up. Have done for the last 3-4 yrs. I've sold quite a lot over the yrs and haven't had any problems. You always get the odd one that complains over something small though.

A lady has just bought a top and some make up. She didn't message before buying (it does say on my profile to message first if they have any questions). After she bought the items she then messaged to ask how long it would take for me to post. I said Tuesday and asked if that was okay, she came back and said "hmm not really, I was hoping you'd post sooner". I explained that the post office is shut on Sundays, I'm working all day on Monday and that my day off is Tuesday. She replied and said "fine, but I'm a bit disappointed" I haven't replied to her and don't plan to although I am a bit worried she may leave an unfair review on my profile once she receives the items. I was thinking of offering her a refund but she hasn't specifically asked for one.

No where does it say on my profile that I post same day or next day (some people offer this service so they have more of a chance of selling items) but I can't promise that service due to work and other commitments. The site also gives sellers a 5 day timeframe to post items anyway.

AIBU to think 2-3 days isn't a long time to wait for something to be posted and she's just being an arse?

Well I'm glad no one disagrees with me at least

Are you selling on EBay? Did it sell today? In which case posting Tuesday would be within two working days.
You say other listings say next day postage or similar. So I do think your listing should explicitly say "I post twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday/ I post within 3 working days or whatever. If you stated clearly, there would be nothing for them to be disappointed in.

Lol, its depop.
Only started using it this week and was a bit surprised by the automatic time frame of 5 to 7 days to post. But let's be honest, make up and shoes are not really an urgent purchase usually.
I think Tuesday is fine, and you let her know. If she needed it sooner rather than later she should have messaged before hand and asked.
I wouldn't refund without discussing with her first though, that would piss me off more than the (not unreasonable) time frame for posting.

Tbf this is why I use amazon prime...

Honestly buyers are so cheeky sometimes.

Ignore!

You asked if the time frame was okay and she gave you feed back. Take it on board, along with other feedback and decide whether you want to change your process or not. But it’s not “wrong” for her to hope you’d be quicker about mailing things out. It’s just what she was hoping for. She hasn’t been unreasonable in telling you that.

Amazon has raised expectations. People are judging you against them or others who have almost 24/7 operations.

I'm used to most people selling to be organisedcenough to end sales on a 'post day' so prompt payers receive things quickly. I get not every seller thinks ahead though. I guess it's experience or seriousness. If you're only selling randomly it's not worth it though and your rating is probably not so significant.

I would generally expect stuff to be posted next working day, especially if there's a Sunday in between. So I can see where she's coming from.

If you are just selling odd bits and pieces (e.g. you are not a business) then I think a couple of days wait is fine.

If I was ordering from an actual company, then if I ordered on a saturday I would expect it to go out Monday at the latest, and that means actually in the post not claiming something is dispatched because it's been booked at the courier.

I used to use depop but I found the buyers far too cheeky and some of the sellers too.

People message you constantly to try and make you buy their stuff. People will get angry because you won't take £8 for a £30 item. Just completely unenjoyable for me and made it not worth the hassle.

Can you include the days you post on your listings?

People want stuff immediately - like Amazon - so it’s best to state your arrangements.

She sounds like a bit of a moaner though.

Sorry - posted then went off to do something and forgot to check replies.

Yes it's Depop. I have used eBay in the past but much prefer Depop due to the fact we don't have to pay fee's unless we actually sell something. Good idea about putting a delivery timeframe on my profile. Honestly I've never thought to only because the site gives sellers 5 days anyway and I've not had any problems with other customers. I've actually waited longer for items myself when I've bought off there. I always aim to post within 2-3 days or even next day if I can, or sometimes if I can't post sooner I will ask my mum to do it for me if she's popping into town. It just so happens that she is working Monday also otherwise I would have asked her to post it then for me instead.

@BoomBoomsCousin I have no problem with her giving me feedback but I do wish she would have messaged beforehand if delivery was an issue as I could have told her then that the item wouldn't have been posted until Tuesday. It would have been up to her then to decide if she wanted to wait.

I have no problem with her giving me feedback but I do wish she would have messaged beforehand if delivery was an issue as I could have told her then that the item wouldn't have been posted until Tuesday. It would have been up to her then to decide if she wanted to wait.

She probably wishes she had too. But she made an assumption, realised after that she might not get it in time so emailed to check and was disappointed to find out she was unlikely to get it when she hoped. That's not particularly abnormal buyer behaviour. Emailing a seller before buying something is a pain in the arse. But she hasn't tried to cancel, so while she's disappointed she seems to have accepted that it's not unreasonable of you, just not what she wants.

I'm used to most people selling to be organisedcenough to end sales on a 'post day' so prompt payers receive things quickly.

I can appreciate that with ebay. But depop isn't a bidding system and nothing "ends" until someone buys it. Can be on an hour and can be online for 83 weeks. I post same day as I'm a stay at home mom and its a short walk to my post office. I can appreciate other peoples lives are different and someone selling bits and pieces they no longer wear can take a few days with other commitments.

I personally think 2-3 days is perfectly reasonable

Hey OP I'm reading a lot about assertiveness at the moment so maybe I'm being too sensitive to this, but in your exchange maybe you shouldn't have asked her "is that okay", and nor should you have explained the logic for posting on Tuesday. Apparently this is something we do more as women as a general rule. Going forward maybe just say "your item will be posted on tuesday" - no checking if that's okay, no explaining.

If she bought the things on Saturday afternoon, most post offices are closed until Monday anyway, so it's only a day longer than the minimum she should expect, so it's not a big deal really. Plus, it's not like there's anywhere she can go in her new top.

I don’t use depop but have used eBay lots over the years and I’d never expect a seller to post next day, it’s always ‘within 3 working days’.

Hey @CrotchBurn that sounds good advice. Is there an easy read you recommend on these sorts of techniques? I could do with this. Thanks

Yanbu

You shouldn't have asked if Tuesday was ok though as that gave her a chance to say she'd prefer earlier.

You asked if it was OK. She said it wasn't. YABU.

My daughter sells on depop and people seem absolutely fine with her posting a couple of days later. They aren't expecting amazon style delivery so hopefully this experience wont be typical for you. I'm not sure I agree with comment above re being really blunt with customers though. That way will definitely lead to poor reviews. I think it's more about what you feel than what you say. Eg dont feel awful for not posting right away if your page doesn't say you will but you can still say give polite reply to customer (although do agree you dont need to give a detailed explanation). We had an online business for quite a few years and I'm not sure that replying to customers is the place to practice your assertiveness skills!

Don't ask people if something is ok if a) it's what you are expected to do in the first place and b) there is nothing you can do differently anyway.
You should have responded 'I will post by Tuesday' and left it at that.

You gave her an "in" to make a demand you couldn't meet by asking her if it was okay. I sell stuff on ebay and have learned not to do this as it just opens you up to unreasonable requests for Amazon-like service. Never say things like, "I won't be able to post until Tuesday". Just say, "Your item will be posted on Tuesday". No "sorrys" or asking if it's okay. It brings out the cheekiness in buyers IMO.