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Normally, your postman or your local post office scans in your packages before they leave for a sorting facility. From there, the item should be scanned and then shipped off to the next facility for another scan, and so on until the item is delivered.
The post office is currently dealing with a lower number of employees due to the pandemic, a huge increase in the number of people shopping online, and financial problems from before this whole thing started. Packages are not getting scanned by the local office. Trucks are packed with packages and sent to the closest sorting facility. Some have no capacity, so the packages are unloaded in a holding room somewhere and just sit.
Because of an experience I had years ago, I bring all my packages to the local PO to get them scanned in. It is a pain and takes time, but my eBay ratings show no defects due to late shipments in spite of many of my packages seemingly lost in USPS sorting hell.
Most likely, your packages are sitting in a holding pattern somewhere until that facility finally catches up. I will say that I have had issues with midwest (Michigan, Illinois), and I have two packages to the same person that suddenly stopped movement in Philadelphia (I’m an hour and a half away in NJ). I do have a package or two hanging out somewhere in Maryland, so maybe your local facilities are having issues.
Most likely, your packages will eventually be found and delivered. Up to you whether you want to refund or not, but you should try to placate your buyers and hold off as long as you can.
In the meantime, consider getting all your outgoing packages scanned at the local PO and/or using FedEx or UPS as your carrier.
I should mention that I’ve heard of a way to have your item rerouted back to your home, but it does cost money. I’ve never used it, but someone on the forum says that it costs $15 plus the cost to ship back. If you create a missing mail case on the USPS site, it will ask you where you want the package sent. I can’t tell you the exact steps, but, if you have to refund for an expensive item, you might want to consider it.
Steve – So, did the guy who bought the Marantz leveling leg also buy the name plate?
I purchased the contents of a bookcase for a dollar or two bid, and this two book set on the history of two counties in NJ sold for $60.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184540945802
I bought this in an auction for a few dollars. I don’t have its history, so I can’t really say that its age or origin, but it looks really old and primitive. Sold for $28.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184403756573
I keep seeing all these articles about how the Queen’s Gambit was increasing the interest in chess, that it was becoming the next pandemic game obsession, and that chess sets were flying off the shelves. Then, I remembered that I had two in my basement waiting to be listing. Duh! This stone one sold for $69, one of my commission items.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184575108063
I bought this a year or two ago for a few dollars. It’s an interesting fish knife and fork set. Sold for $39.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184233456475
The last time I picked up items from my commissionee, I received several sets of flatware. I was excited to see that one was sterling. I’ve made quite a bit off those in the past two weeks. Six soup spoons for $258 and two forks and a teaspoon for $98.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184452138090
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184593755458
This is a hot plate for lab use. I bought it at the beginning of the year with a bunch of vintage scales. Paid about $3, sold for $52.
I listed the three thermometers yesterday, and one sold about an hour later. Interestingly, the buyer asked me not to leave feedback for him. I shipped via FedEx.
Anyway, thanks again for the help!
I don’t use the mobile app to create listings, so I can’t answer the question exactly. However, I know that I have to start with a fresh listing (no sell similar or copy) on the computer in order to get variations. If I use sell similar, the variations function doesn’t come up unless the original listing already had it.
It sounds to me like someone just fishing for a refund. They figure that one seller out there would give them some money back.
Early this year, I sold a leather bag with a vintage brand called Land. The buyer sent me a message saying that it didn’t feel like an authentic Land bag. I messaged back saying that Land was a small unknown brand that wouldn’t be worth copying. Never heard back.
I recently found this out as well when I went to list two different vintage (and unused) calendars. During my research, I found that some sellers listed years when the calendar repeated, so I looked it up.
For a 1977 calendar, I wrote in the description “According to a website, the 1977 calendar will repeat in 2022”. I’m wondering if I should put “Repeats 2022” in the title since it could sell next year for that purpose.
The other calendar is for 1953 and won’t repeat until 2026.
I see that I misunderstood the original question. I thought the question was about sending out offers with “make offer”, but this is an offer you received from a potential buyer. When you click “accept offer” or “counter-offer”, you will see the buyer’s location. Note that you still have to click confirm in order to formally accept an offer or to send out a counter.
My point about the address change still stands, though. If you accept on the computer (and not on mobile), you are given an opportunity to add in a comment. You can stipulate that you accept the offer based on the buyer’s location. Or, you can counter-offer with the same price he offered and say that you accept the price, but it is contingent on it being shipped from the location eBay gave you when you accepted.
If the address ends up being in a different location with a higher cost, you can cancel the sale and chose “problem with buyer’s address” as the reason. That won’t affect your rating.
Steve – I saw your response in my forum email notifications and totally cracked up!
I hope everyone’s holidays were wonderful, and have an excellent New Year!
Week of Dec 20 – 26
Total Items in Store: 1448 eBay, 27 Etsy
Items Sold: 12 eBay
Cost of Items Sold: $12.60 + $71 Commission
Total Sales: $352.29 eBay
Highest Price Sold: $99 for 2 sterling forks & 1 sterling teaspoon (on commission), $52 Corning lab hot plate
Average price: $29.36
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 21Yes, the week was definitely quieter. I’m focusing on listing or moving everything currently in my garage so that I can actually park there!
You can’t. That is why free shipping is not recommended by many sellers on this forum.
One thought is to offer a small percent off, say 5 or 10% where you would still be comfortable with included shipping. Then, if someone makes a counteroffer, you will be able to see where they are located. However, that person might be buying the item for someone else, and they might want it shipped to a different address. So, you would have to make a condition on the offer to ship to their location.
Another thought (for the future) is to change your listings so that shipping is extra.
Excellent, and thank-you for that help! I will be in the business of vintage thermometers shortly 🙂
When my children were young, the doctor would want to know their temperatures very accurately. The digital thermometers at that time were not that great. In addition, the battery would die eventually, and I wouldn’t have a replacement on hand.
So, I switched back to the mercury thermometers I had from “back in the day” and just made sure that my kids didn’t bite down. No problems with batteries or inaccuracies. Nowadays, the newer digital thermometers are better, but I’m keeping my mercury ones on hand.
From my research, a vintage thermometer would have more mercury than the 100 mg that the post office allows.
I researched the FedEx site, and I found on the bottom of page 87 at the link below is “Not accepted unless contained in a device and the package does not exceed 1 lb. (0.454 kg) of Mercury”.
https://www.fedex.com/content/dam/fedex/us-united-states/services/HazmatShippingTable.pdf
The weight of one thermometer is less than 5g, and it is contained in a device, so I think I’m good.
What I couldn’t find is the correct method of marking the package. I might call FedEx tomorrow and ask. Does anyone know where I can find that information?
