Sigh, ebay

I haven't used FedEx since they lost ONE of a set of Boyd Smoothies I bought ten years ago. It never did show up.

Lesley, I wouldn't worry about it quite yet. I've had to wait well over 8 weeks for stuff from Canada before and the only answer I got when I tried to find out where it was was "we can't help you, we take no responsibility, blah blah blah." In the meantime, going the other way, I sent my Dad a package for his birthday a few weeks ago using the cheapest option possible and it arrived in 3 days. Canada Post is the most useless clusterberkeley of a postal service there is outside of, maybe, the Congo.

I just feel bad for the buyer... I just hope the bloody thing arrives in one piece after all this.

I phoned ebay, they said I will be responsible for refunding payment in full if the item doesn't arrive.

Lesley wrote: I phoned ebay, they said I will be responsible for refunding payment in full if the item doesn't arrive.

If you have shipping insurance you should be the one filing the insurance claim so you should end up with money in pocket to give him.

Lesley wrote: a) Did someone crap in your cornflakes? b)The other choices were horribly expensive - $250 and up. c) I realize that... the buyer has emailed me every week since the transaction closed.

No, not at all. I just don't understand how this has anything to do with ebay.

I ship to Australia all the time (I can charge my price, plus $133 shipping, and still be half their local price). I rarely ship surface, but when I do, I make sure they understand that it will take 8 weeks, possibly more. As for Canada post, I have been shipping with them almost exclusively for the last 10 years, about $5k a year. They have lost 1 package, and I was reimbursed almost immediately. They will not open a claim under 8 weeks. You just have to know the system.

At Christmas, I surface shipped some cams to a customer in Romania. I had shipped to Croatia the day before, and accidentally put Croatia on his paperwork. The customer caught it 2 days later when I emailed him a copy of the shipping doc. I called Canada post, told them what happened. They said with the millions of packages going through at Christmas time, it would be awfully hard to find it, and re-label it, but they would put a tracer on it.

He got them 4 weeks later.

Lesley wrote: I phoned ebay, they said I will be responsible for refunding payment in full if the item doesn't arrive.

It would be expensive, and I know this is awfully sexist, but call him.

A lovely slight British accent (enough to be polite but not enough the churn his Aussie anti-empire ire) explaining what a gearhead you are yourself, the Dakota and you really hope it gets there but 6-8 weeks is like 2 months.

Again, awfully sexist, but we are men, we are predicatable and most of the time we are idiots. Politely pionting that out to him might help.

Ah, I see, I will make him understand (after emailing it repeatedly) that it will take at least 8 weeks. Didn't think of that Zomby, thanks. Glad to hear about your shipping luck, but what has that got to do with my case?

Mental, thanks - he's been fine, just persistent.

I feel your pain, Lesley. As a publisher, I'm in effect partnered with the USPS. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with subscribers who are missing the magazine every record I possess tells me has been mailed to them, yet fail to believe that there could be a problem with the postal service because they "always get all their mail." (And if they have a consistent delivery problem with the USPS and our magazine, it's especially frustrating because WE can't put the screws to the postal service--we're not the customer, technically speaking.)

All we can do is replace missed issues and apologize (even though it's not our screwup) and hope our "partner's" poor service hasn't cost us a customer.

In the end, though, most people are fairly patient and understanding, as you're finding with your guy. Information is the best key, since most folks just want to have some reassurance. Sounds like you're on the right track. I'll cross my fingers for you as extra insurance.

Margie

Thanks Margie. It is frustrating, I can't really do much to rattle the post office's cage. Hopefully it turns up... in one piece!

Lesley wrote: Ah, I see, I will make him understand (after emailing it repeatedly) that it will take at least 8 weeks. Didn't think of that Zomby, thanks. Glad to hear about your shipping luck, but what has that got to do with my case?

Well, no, you have to do that before you ship, and let them make the call. Then it's in the customers hands.

I've been doing this for 10 years. I'm just trying to help. If you look at it rationally, there is no problem here. This is exactly what is supposed to happen. The drama is a result of your inexperience with the system. I offered you help with Canada post before, but I guess you'd rather do it your way.

My shipping experience was a counter response to Jay who seems to think Canada post is useless, and had just about nothing to do with your situation either.

USPS and Canada Post have worked for me every time, including the time I had something shipped to Kingston eventhough I haven't lived there for 10 years.

They dutifully shipped it back to the guy in Oregon and I paid hime to ship it to me again.

They are slow, but I will take them over UPS and their damn brokerage fees any day.

Patience is the key and your Aussie customer needs to hold on. Chances are it will show up. Quite often they sit in Customs for a week before they even go out the door.

When he asked about shipping, I gave him a list of options including the time each choice would take. I was quite explicit about it taking at least 7 weeks, unless he wanted to take his chances with a more expensive choice. He has the tracking number.

My "drama" due to "inexperience" thank you very much zombywoof, is nothing of the kind, it's merely frustration over answering the same question from the buyer, week after week. How could that be considered "doing it my way" and refusing your help?

Lesley wrote: Ah, I see, I will make him understand (after emailing it repeatedly) that it will take at least 8 weeks. Didn't think of that Zomby, thanks. Glad to hear about your shipping luck, but what has that got to do with my case? Mental, thanks - he's been fine, just persistent.

Did you tell him "at least 8 weeks" as in this post or "up to 7 weeks" as in your original post or "at least 7 weeks" in your latest post? You might want to look back and see what you originally told him. That might help us understand the situation a litte better.

Sorry, I told him 7-8 weeks, which is what Canada Post estimated at the time of shipping. Should have been more clear.

Sounds like he shouldn't have started bugging you about it until sometime next week. I guess I'd just reply with something like "based on the shipping date, the package should be expected to arrive around April 13-20" (or however it works out). And it sounds like you already doing that. So, I give up. Everybody gets a pain in the ass buyer here and there.

Yeah. I just wanted to vent a little