Shipping time.

nicksison

nicksison

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I would like some opinions on this subject. If I sell a member something, as soon as I am paid for the item I let the buyer know when I plan on shipping it to them, usually the next day. If there are any delays within the timeframe that I give for shipping I will let the buyer know immediately. My question is , if you purchase an item and you don't get any shipping information for 3 or 4 days and when you ask the seller about it they tell you they have been busy and they haven't shipped yet but they will soon, would you consider that acceptable?
 
I would not. If I am the seller, and I tell you 1 day shipping, then I need to update you that day if circumstances change. Only way I would find that acceptable is if there were extenuating circumstances (e.g. illness, family emergency, accident, etc.). Otherwise, timely updates and good communication make for a smooth transaction.
 
Deinos said:
I would not. If I am the seller, and I tell you 1 day shipping, then I need to update you that day if circumstances change. Only way I would find that acceptable is if there were extenuating circumstances (e.g. illness, family emergency, accident, etc.). Otherwise, timely updates and good communication make for a smooth transaction.
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Ok but let's say they didn't give you a specific shipping time, as a buyer when would you expect the item to ship ?
 
nicksison said:
Ok but let's say they didn't give you a specific shipping time, as a buyer when would you expect the item to ship ?
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If no date was specified, I would be more lenient and give the benefit of the doubt unless a pattern formed over multiple sales. I would say anything past 4 days without any communication would be poor form on the seller's part (again, unless there were extenuating circumstances).
 
I will make EVERY effort to mail via USPS on the day of sale or the next day. I always email the tracking to the buyer that very day of shipping... with a short note that it will be delivered on Thursday...for instance....normally 2-3 days anywhere in U.S. (even Hawaii) but Alaska often takes longer. Mail delivery by dog-sled can be dicey.

Buyers are ANXIOUS to get their new baby. We need to do our part toward that effort.
p.s. Nobody's perfect. People sometimes forget to mail things right away, or they get sick. One recent transaction...the seller was very sick and could not work or leave his home for nearly a week. But he WROTE me and explained in advance. I'm okay with that.
 
My theory is if you cant mail with a day or 2 you shouldn't take that person's money. I'm with Sonnydaze Sonnydaze on this. As a seller I try and ship that day or the next (unless it's a Sunday) and I'm in constant communication with the buyer. Once its shipped I send them the tracking info before I leave the parking lot of the post office. Always ship USPS priority.
I do this cause I know when I buy something I want it yesterday. After 2 days I start getting impatient. Ymmv
 
nicksison said:
I would like some opinions on this subject. If I sell a member something, as soon as I am paid for the item I let the buyer know when I plan on shipping it to them, usually the next day. If there are any delays within the timeframe that I give for shipping I will let the buyer know immediately. My question is , if you purchase an item and you don't get any shipping information for 3 or 4 days and when you ask the seller about it they tell you they have been busy and they haven't shipped yet but they will soon, would you consider that acceptable?
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It depends. In general, if I felt comfortable that I would get the knife, I would be comfortable with a couple day wait. It is not like they are licensed businesses (unless you are talking about a regular knife dealer).

What if the seller is out of town working? You expect someone to take off work to ship you a knife they are probably loosing money on in the first place? Communications are the key.
 
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Some people are pretty lax on their shipping. It isn't a good thing, but if you pay by PP G&S it is nothing you have to loose any sleep over. Just another example of where good communication makes good transactions.
I personally think fast shipping is the flip side to being paid fast, and try to get the knife out as soon as possible-it is a responsibility I take seriously.
 
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I state in the beginning that there will be a minimum 4 day handling time frame, but I usually ship same day or next day. Open communication is a must.

Anything less is uncivilized.
 
Peter Hartwig said:
Some people are pretty lax on their shipping. It isn't a good thing, but if you pay by PP G&S it is nothing you have to loose any sleep over. Just another example of where good communication makes good transactions.
I personally think fast shipping is the flip side to being paid fast, and try to get the knife out as soon as possible-it is a responsibility I take seriously.
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I believe that's a good policy... Pay fast=ship fast... I have only shipped one knife, communications are important. I have shipped guns and there often is a shipping box issue involved with them. Sometimes it's hard to have a suitable box on hand and getting or finding a box, can take a little time. With guns, I charge the buyer whatever the insurance cost is if they want it. I'm generally willing to risk not insuring something overall even if it is a $5,000 piece.
 
Dogdrawz said:
I state in the beginning that there will be a minimum 4 day handling time frame, but I usually ship same day or next day. Open communication is a must.

Anything less is uncivilized.
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Yeah. Key is setting the expectation early and letting the buyer decide if that is acceptable or not. Then, if you beat expectations, all the better!
 
I've had a couple guys hit the 4 to 5 day after they said they'd ship and I never said anything about it. They sant a tracking # and all was good. If it hit a full week I'd inquire.

On my end I always inform the buyer of everything. I typically ship next day after payment received and I send tracking number right away. If any delay on my end I let the buyer know that day.
 
Blues Bender said:
The same can be said about the buyer. If your bar is set that high and you need instant gratification then you shouldn't be buying.
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For sure; if the buyer wants the equivalent of retail customer service they should shop retail.

I've only got a few knives on here but all of the sellers sent them within a couple days and told me the tracking #s.

If you're selling something here though once that ad goes up it should be packed and ready to ship. None of that we'll I have to find a box somewhere first and then the car's out of gas so I can't drive to the post office till next week when my cheque comes in kinda stuff.
 
No it is not acceptable.

If the seller does not say in the sales thread how soon (not just soon) the item will be shipped, it is better to ask for a specific timeframe of shipment before committing to buying. If the seller cannot tell you for sure, then it is your call, but I would skip.
 
It’s all about communication.
When selling I ship same day or next. As soon as I receive payment I let the buyer know I received payment and that I will ship that day or the next.
When buying I expect similar communication. After I pay, I usually PM seller that I have paid. I do this mainly to open up communication. Most people respond with a “Thanks” or “I got it” and a shipping timeframe.
 
Danke42 said:
For sure; if the buyer wants the equivalent of retail customer service they should shop retail.

I've only got a few knives on here but all of the sellers sent them within a couple days and told me the tracking #s.

If you're selling something here though once that ad goes up it should be packed and ready to ship. None of that we'll I have to find a box somewhere first and then the car's out of gas so I can't drive to the post office till next week when my cheque comes in kinda stuff.
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I've never sold on the exchange but have done private sales through PM. If I know I'm busy I'll flat out tell the buyer that they might need to wait until Saturday until I can ship, I'll state this before I accept any payment. Sometimes it's hard for me to get to a ship center if I'm pulling 12+ hour days through the week.
 
Blues Bender said:
I've never sold on the exchange but have done private sales through PM. If I know I'm busy I'll flat out tell the buyer that they might need to wait until Saturday until I can ship, I'll state this before I accept any payment. Sometimes it's hard for me to get to a ship center if I'm pulling 12+ hour days through the week.
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If you go into that from the open with the buyer and they're happy then no harm. Especially if they're the folks PM'ing you and asking to buy something that you posted a pic of and didn't list. It's all a negotiation and they're coming to you saying I want you XXX knife and Ill do anything to get it. Then you say; OK it'll cost you $$$ and I can't send it till Saturday. That's part of the deal.

If there is someone on here selling who can only visit the post office every 2 weeks because they live above the treeline then they have to put that in the listing. Otherwise it's another one of those threads in here where the buyer is looking for news and the seller has gone dark, and then in the worst cases they've spent the guys money or traded his knife away and a problem comes up that they can't unwind.
 
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