Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Online Auctions, eBay Craigslist Petroliana ...uh, what?

...so I bought some fragile paper on eBay, and sent this note (which I send to everyone I buy from on eBay) to the seller with my Paypal payment:

Hi - please pack these well to avoid them getting mangled in the mail. I will be sure to note your packing job in my feedback. Thanks

...and get this in return:

Mr. xxxxxx - we always pack all books in plastic (to prevent water damage) and between heavy cardboard for shipping.

Your comment, which is the first I've seen worded that way in may many years selling on eBay, comes across as a threat. I do not appreciate the way it sounds, so I'll presume you did not mean it that way.

However, if you would like to cancel your purchase I would not object. You, and we, have differing attitudes on life, and we probably should not do business with each other.

I am sorry about your choice of words, sir.



WTH??

I usually include a note with my payment with some packing instructions. But I don't say anything about feedback. Usually the ones who don't pack well also don't read instructions anyway. But it is worth a try.

You never know what the seller may have been dealing with recently. He may have had a string of problem buyers.

...I reckon...

...I put the feedback thing in there so the seller knows (1) I'll leave feedback and (2) that if they do a good job packing the item, I'll mention it...the same if they do a poor job...

I generally give instructions to sellers on sending paper items as well. Most don't seem to care too much about paper unless they specifically deal in it. I guess they assume not much can happen to it, but in my opinion more damage can happen to it in 3 or 4 days in the mail than it had in it's 60 or 70 years previous.
I just received a large size WW2 Mobilgas map book in a bubble mailer with nothing else to prevent bending and damage in mailing. These maps are very fragile, being they are made of cheap wood pulp paper and acid filled cardboard card stock covers. I had SPECIFICALLY told the seller to please put the item in between cardboard to prevent further damage in mailing. I was mad before I even opened it. It was way too flimsy to be packed the way I had requested. The item was certainly in worse shape than I bought it, extra tears in the spine and bends and creases all over it. I just threw up my hands....sometimes it just doesn't pay to get into a spitting match over a small dollar item...... I must admit though if I had received that email I would have wondered why he thought the request was out of line. Hard telling.....
Darin

Don't feel bad I received 2 tire sign in the mail 1 guy taped it to mdf so it wouldn't get bent....the 2nd guy just packed it in cardboard....and It came bent ..and his reply was that the other 1 he mailed made it to the other guy fine....I told him he would of been better off folding it up and putting it in an envelop cause that how it looks like it came to me. ....come on when you pay $400+ for a sign and $40 shipping you think he would be shipping it right....don't worry I will be leaving sh*++y feedback.....when you do the job halfway that's what happens...just cause they have their money does mean it over ....it over when the item gets to the buyer safely......and poor packing goes back to the seller who packed it.....

Send it back AFTER telling PP WHY, LOUSY PACKING, ITEM DESTROYED.

Well said Jim. Feedback is a VERY touchy subject with most sellers on Ebay. They can ONLY leave a POSITIVE feedback to the buyers!!! CRAZY!

You throw out the old feedback threat(that's how I could have perceived it too) and you pushed a big button! There is a lot of nutty and dishonest buyers on there to deal with....NOT fun.

Jim

I have 5 or 10 none payers a month. Its a pain !!

With a response like that, I might actually consider cancelling my purchase. If he has a problem with your request, it makes me wonder how he intended on packing it!

Cancel it...the seller would be happy too I am sure!. Less to worry about is often better than one small sale. I just had a sale were my invoice I sent was 16 cents more than what Ebay quoted with the calculator and she was threatening the feedback retaliation if I didn't adjust it!. I offered to cancel the transaction also...and was hoping she would...she didn't.

Seller was probably just proud of the good job they were doing.....my take on it. No mention of their feedback rating???

Jim

I had one show up a couple of weeks ago the same way. I was *****. I told him I would give him a good feedback on the item because it was as he described in his listing, I recommended a future shipping method to avoid an problems with future sales via email. He however made it up to me since he felt bad and lives an hour away. He gave me great prices on several other items I bought and picked up from him before he listed them on ebay.

...wow, I guess someone had to play devil's advocate...

...the 'threat' of bad feedback is the whole point of feedback!...keeps the sellers on their toes...

...Jim, have you ever bought something from someone with a great feedback rating, or a very experienced dealer - those who should know better - only to have them do a shoddy packing job?...BELIEVE ME - I have...

...I did say 'please' and 'thanks'...I send that message (or a similar version) to all of the people I buy from...when the item is packed well, they get feedback like this:

"GREAT packing job and fast shipping - very nice item - 5 stars, thanks!"

...most of the time, when the seller doesn't bring his A-Game, I just don't leave feedback, as opposed to leaving a neutral or negative...

...a LOT of sellers don't bother to leave feedback - even after you've received the item and left feedback for them..

...here's a thought: if you don't want to bother with small sales, don't list small items on eBay...problem solved...

...if they're so proud of their packing jobs, they should be glad someone would take the time to leave detailed feedback...

Points missed!

"the 'threat' of bad feedback is the whole point of feedback!...keeps the sellers on their toes..."

***Don't throw the threat -- or what could be percieved as a threat--out there before the fact! Ask for good packaging, but don't use the "F" word (feedback). Sellers are very touchy about bad unwarrented feedback. It's a flawed feedback system. Some idiots will leave a bad feedback for no apparent reason! And there is NOTHING the seller can do about it!

"here's a thought: if you don't want to bother with small sales, don't list small items on eBay...problem solved"

***??You missed the point entirely here...I'm saying it's better to cancel *A Transaction* rather than deal with the headache of a possible problem buyer down the line. If there is a red flag...maybe best to use the conservative approach and cut the losses.

Certainly there are undesirable sellers....same as what you run into in the course of other aspects of everyday life with dealing with the human race.

Well put.

I have you all beat on packing. I bought an air meter on pedistal from CL. I should have known. Great deal, pretty picture. I was going to pick it up on a trip to FL but was delayed, so I gave instructions to pack it really well (taking apart if neededed), and being sure it could not move in the box. I sent him a check and waited for it to clear. (I did find out more about my seller - he is a policeman, so I won't go there, as I respect authority, just not his packing ability.)

Well - fed ex pulled up when I was out in the drive way. My driver was complaining about white powder all over his truck. IT WAS COMING FROM MY BOX. I hauled it into the garage, and felt like I was smuggling contraband and about to be arrested. I slowly opened what looked like a box for shipping golf clubs. He had put the air meter in loose, NOTHING around it, I say again - NOTHING around it.

There were 2 pieces of dry wall cut in 12" squares on the top and the bottom. WTHWTHWTHWTHWTH...the piece is so beat up I threw up my hands! There is really nothing I can do except call it a lesson learned.

I am still upset over a year later every time I look at the air meter. I want to sell it but need to work on it first. I tried to contact him but he would not reply.

I still can't believe it.

Feels better telling someone. Could not tell the wife.

Jay