When To Cancel A Payment?

[welcmhm]

I recently made a purchase from someone who is generally known to be a trusted seller of fountain pens here (I prefer to leave this anonymous because I do not want to tarnish anyone's reputation unless there has in fact been a problem). We communicated back and forth via e-mail over about a week and I finally decided to make the purchase. The pen was removed from the site, a Paypal payment request was sent to me and I paid the amount. Afterwards, I wanted to double check that the shipping address was correct, so I e-mailed back. After 3 days of no response, I e-mailed again. After 7 days, I e-mailed a third time. It's now been 10 days and I have had no communication: no confirmation of the correct shipping address, no mention whether the item has shipped and no tracking number. The only evidence suggesting that I will ever receive the pen is that the listing was removed from the site.

 

How long would you wait without any communication before cancelling the payment via Paypal?

[TheGreatRoe]

If I've no received confirmation, shipping details, or some sort of communication within 3 business days I'd cancel it through Paypal.

[parthjpatel]

I hope that the reason why they have not emailed you back is because they are soo busy. I would hate to see a reputable seller try anything mischievous. Personally, I would wait a few more days, then you can go about cancelling the payment. I see not reason that a seller cannot email back even once in almost a two week time period.

[Rach31]

Same country or different country? I have had the same issue with a few sellers, but received the items. Location might matter- just a thought.

[welcmhm]

Thank you everyone for your responses. The seller is in fact in a different country from me, so I was inclined to grant additional leeway. I sent another e-mail saying that I was getting worried and would have to cancel payment if I did not hear anything back by next week. I did get a response with a tracking number saying that the pen was shipped Monday. I am glad that there was nothing to worry about and that a good seller's reputation was upheld.

[Buzz_130]

Glad your story ended well!

 

Buzz

[Glenn Atkins]

Thank you everyone for your responses. The seller is in fact in a different country from me, so I was inclined to grant additional leeway. I sent another e-mail saying that I was getting worried and would have to cancel payment if I did not hear anything back by next week. I did get a response with a tracking number saying that the pen was shipped Monday. I am glad that there was nothing to worry about and that a good seller's reputation was upheld.

 

Is there any movement on the tracking number?

 

Glenn

[welcmhm]

 

Is there any movement on the tracking number?

 

Glenn

The package is still abroad, but moving. Given that yesterday (Good Friday) was perhaps a holiday in some countries and tomorrow (Easter) definitely is, I'll have to be patient.

[Wahl]

In Europe some businesses close for a full week during Easter holidays.

[parthjpatel]

The package is still abroad, but moving. Given that yesterday (Good Friday) was perhaps a holiday in some countries and tomorrow (Easter) definitely is, I'll have to be patient.

I am glad to hear that your packager is on the move. Although I wonder why it took so long to ship. I hope the seller explained their reason as it is only good customer service. Anyways, Enjoy Easter weekend!

[welcmhm]

Actually, the package was shipped Monday, he just forgot to forward the tracking number. Shipping on Monday after payment on a Thursday is pretty reasonable.

[zwack]

Particularly with time zone differences...

 

Late on your Thursday might already be his Friday. If he doesn't get it in the mail Friday then Monday is the next option.

[welcmhm]

Just when I was beginning to worry that there was no movement on the tracking number, my pen arrived today. Packaged well, safe and sound, and in the pristine, mint condition stated by the seller. All in all, a good transaction with just a bit of a delay in some communication. Given the distance (US to Europe), I'm sure it happens from time to time, even with e-mail, smart phones, etc.

[vPro]

Congratulations on your newest acquisition.

 

I share the same worries when I purchase something on eBay and don't hear from the seller for some days.

I have tried to understand why I react that way - why can't I just be patient? It's hard to give a definitive answer, but I think we're just used to getting everything fast. We want things and we want them now. And we think that other people care as much about our things as we care about them but in fact they don't.

 

I'm waiting for a pen I purchased over eBay. I won the auction Monday evening, paid for the pen immediately (thinking the seller would ship it faster) and on Wednesday I was provided with a tracking number that gave no results. On eBay it said the package was dispatched but on the main site of the carrier it said that the package wasn't found. So I started worrying because I paid as a bank transfer - it just turned out that the pen wasn't shipped till today...

Edited April 1, 2016 by vPro

[welcmhm]

It's completely understandable. As buyers we're waiting anxiously, but sellers have their own lives too. If they are a retail or very active trader, they may have other pens in the queue to be sent out first. If not, they may have other things more important than shipping out a pen. I hope your wait isn't too much longer!

[Kelly G]

vPro, understand too that if your eBay seller uses eBay to print the shipping label and pay the shipping charge, you will receive notification that your item has shipped even though it may remain in the seller's possession until it is delivered to the physical shipper. This can cause confusion.

[vPro]

Thank you both

 

You're very right about the sellers having their own life and jobs.

I really value patience - being able to wait for something is a beautiful ability. I don't know why I find it so difficult being patient when I'm buying something.

The pen arrives sometime early next week and I'm really looking forward to it.

 

 

Thanks Kelly! I didn't know that.

[TheRealMikeDr]

Congratulations on your newest acquisition.

 

I share the same worries when I purchase something on eBay and don't hear from the seller for some days.

I have tried to understand why I react that way - why can't I just be patient? It's hard to give a definitive answer, but I think we're just used to getting everything fast. We want things and we want them now. And we think that other people care as much about our things as we care about them but in fact they don't.

 

I'm waiting for a pen I purchased over eBay. I won the auction Monday evening, paid for the pen immediately (thinking the seller would ship it faster) and on Wednesday I was provided with a tracking number that gave no results. On eBay it said the package was dispatched but on the main site of the carrier it said that the package wasn't found. So I started worrying because I paid as a bank transfer - it just turned out that the pen wasn't shipped till today...

 

I agree 100% with you. That's why when I sell something on eBay I respond with a thank you message as soon as the auction ends to let them know when I expect to ship their item (usually the next day) - then when the item ships I send them the tracking information. It only takes a minute to fire off a quick message and it means so much to a buyer who is excited about their purchase!

 

Aren't we blessed to live in the age of ebay - giving us the ability to purchase just about anything we want assuming we're able and willing to pay for it!!

[ppdiaporama]

My experience so far has been that no everyone possesses good communication skills. Some sellers promptly keep you informed while others dump the item the mailbox and are never to be heard of again.

 

In many cases, these are foreign sellers who posses limited English language skills.

 

Not that any of this makes it OK! But then again, none of us are profesionnal sellers!

[kmeredith923]

vPro, understand too that if your eBay seller uses eBay to print the shipping label and pay the shipping charge, you will receive notification that your item has shipped even though it may remain in the seller's possession until it is delivered to the physical shipper. This can cause confusion.

This is something I really hate. You get a tracking number and it shows as shipped but it could be days away from getting into the post office system. Even once it's there things go wrong. I was recently waiting for some pens I won in a PIF. The went from origin to Boston where it spent days delayed only stating "delivery exception". I learned you can no longer talk to an actual person at the usps no matter what you do. Then, even though the phone robot said it would inform me of any movement it suddenly shows up at my door. Personally I think they gave up and hired a Hogwarts owl.