Sellers standards in decline

[higgle]

I have been really disapointed over the last 3 weeks or so when I have made purchases on ebay. I always get worried that things will go missing in the post but all the items I have bought have been offered with 2nd class post only - at a charge which far exceeds the cost. Only one of the sellers ( out of 5) marked up the chart to show the goods have been posted, and none sent me a message of any kind. No one posted out within 3 days, and now I have left 5 lots of positive feedback ( because the items were lovely) not a single seller has left me any.

I will be listing a few items next week, they will all go first class recorded at cost, be posted the morning after payment and I will send my usual cheery message confirming this - why am I in the minority? This used to be what everyone did.

I post second class to save my buyers money. If I send recorded it is at my cost as it is protecting me and not the buyer, but I only send recorded on higher priced items or if the buyer has given me cause fo concern. I charge 25p to 50p on top depending how I package it. I also live quite a distance from the post office so need to offest some of the cost of petrol.

I post every week day in the afternoon, occassional Saturdays.

I'll admit to being really bad at leaving feedback and tend to do it in bulk about once a week.

As for emailing buyers, when Ebay took away the useful feature of being able to send bulk emails, then I stopped sending emails as I don't have time to do them individually. They are supposed to email buyers when you mark it as despatched but I sometimes wonder if they actually do always get sent.

So you are not alone, but I think sellers are getting very miffed with bad buyers and we all know that Ebay now favours the buyers over the sellers.

I've been lucky so far, only had one truly bad buyer who reversed the payment and Paypal found in their favour - even though they had left glowing feedack. But I have had several buyers complaining about items I've sent and then going deathly silent when I ask them to send me photographic proof. I've also had loads of newbies asking me for discounts, huge quantities, or to send to different address etc.

I know ebay got the reputation for dodgy sellers originally, but it is now full of dodgy buyers and Ebay appear to be helping them.

I always post 2nd clas. standard parcels or courier as it is cheapest, I only use "signed for" if higher value I do say in terms if you want it fast please ask for costs, i also state that I only post 2-3 times a week ( basically timed the day after items end it is not practically for everyone to go to PO every day there is a box which sellers fill in saying how many days to dispatch mine says 2-3 working days, if you have 10 items finishing on tuesday ecening and 6 pay you post on wednesday if 2 then pay thursday 1 friday and 1 on saturday it is not reasonable to rush 6 miles to PO with 1 parcel which they took 4 days to pay for

I do tick the dispatched box once back from PO

my DH and I after approx 500 tranactions roughly half and galf selling/buying have had few problems in past year

selling out of about 150 items
2 ceramic items arrived broke full refund given
1 cup of a teaset arrived broke partial refund given
1 item completely lost in post refund given claim paid by postoffce
1 item lost in transit buyer gave home postcode with work address confused courier but did arrive 2 weeks late after a lot of effort
1 item arrived back on my doorstep as undeliverable buyer had changed address after sale was his old address he acknowleged fault and paid postage a second time was happy
1 neutral feedback as buyer spotted some holes in oil painting canvas once held under magnifying glass and light which i failed to mention in description
well what can you say!!!!!!

buying

everything we bought has arrived
1 item arrived 8 weeks late as parcel2go sent us someone else parcel and eventually tracked our parcel dwn to suffolk we are in scotland
1 item arrived broke was refunded
3 items not as described 2 refunded easily 1 after involving resolution centre
1 item shoes were fakes and wrongly sized as 36 and a 4 got refund with postage after a while of arguing

so altogether minor problems with about 9% only 2% any hassle

personally ebayer favours buyers in all disputes

packaging costs money so i charge accordingly about 30p for clothes books, 50p for small ceramic items 75p for larger ones £1.50 for teasets and very fragile things that require metres of bubble wrap

if you sent a 99p item first class recorded you might get marked down on DSR for reasonableness of postal charges

leaving feedback is optional, I mostly lreave feedback when goods arrive, if a problem would email first most frequent is overcharging on postage get quite annoyed with sellers of baby clothes quoting £2.50 quashing it flat to large letter size and it comes with 92p postage, I leave feedback for buyers when they pay if 99p but if more expensive only once I know its arrived

Higgle - I completely agree with you on the decline in standards! I buy and sell in equal amounts and always email people to tell them when the item has been posted and when to expect delivery. I never overcharge on postage and always make sure things are packaged well etc. And I always leave feedback! Fed up of people sending me packages late, items badly packaged, being overcharged on postage, and people who never leave you feedback (especially if I have just left them a very nice one!!!) While I know leaving feedback is optional, I cant see why you wouldn't, it takes about 5 seconds!