Advice sought for item not received
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Post Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:11 pm 
 

Folks, I need some advice.

I recently purchased an ebay auction from overseas that has not arrived.  It has now been 11 weeks, which I believe to be ample time for it to show up.  My understanding is that it should take 8-10 from the UK, so it's probably lost in the ether forever.

The quandry I'm having is what to do now.  The seller appears to be reputable, they've racked up a page and a half of positives just in the time I've been waiting for my package to arrive, and over 800 total.  Many of these feedback describe the shipping as being prompt, as well.  I haven't seen any transactions with other Acaeum members, which is a little disturbing.

The seller insists they shipped the package the day after I paid (Jan. 18-19th or thereabouts.)  I don't know the method of shipping (ebay's non-descript "Seller's Standard Rate"), but based on what I paid, I'd have to assume cheapo non-tracked surface mail.

Is there a chance this thing will still show up?  What do I do regarding feedback?  Is it reasonable to ask for a refund, or am I just out the money?  I paid via Paypal, but as I understand it you need to file the claim within 45 days, which is useless for overseas.  For all he knows, I'm pocketing the thing and demanding my money back.  For all I know, he never sent it at all.  Thoughts, please.

 YIM  

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Post Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:17 pm 
 

deimos3428 wrote:The seller insists they shipped the package the day after I paid (Jan. 18-19th or thereabouts.)

Do they have a "certificate of posting"? (supplied free of charge on request by the Post Office).

My record for surface mail- albeit from the US- is ~4 1/2 months, and around the same for airmail routed via surface in error.

  

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Post Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:25 pm 
 

Hi Deim' (don't know or cant remember your name, Sorry)

Here in the UK we have two plausable ways of shipping to the US. By airmail - either as a parcel via Parcel Force or as a Small Packet (large jiffy bag) via Royal Mail. Or by Surface Mail with the same two catagories.

When we post something in the UK we always get free insurance of £30, provided we can prove to the Post Office we posted something. That £30 insurance can be increased when we post something up to £1500 depending on our shipping method (provided we pay the extra for it).

In the UK, only the person who posted an item can claim against the post office for their £30. The post office do their investigation, contact all the relevant parties and postal services, and then pay the seller the compensation. (The seller needs to prove the price paid for the goods with an eBay or PayPal printout.)

So the UK seller has is protected to the tune of £30 ($50) against the item going missing in the post, and he should have no problem claiming that off the Post Office.

If I were you I would e-mail the guy and say "Dear Mr X. It has now been 11 weeks, and I believe the item has gone missing in the post. Please initiate an investigation at the Post Office and seek the appropriate compensation.

Items going missing in the post is one reason I always buy on a Credit Card. I ignore PayPal completely when I need to claim and go straight to my CC company. I've only had to do it once, but I wouldn't trust PayPal to get it right.

Good Luck.


This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

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Post Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:34 pm 
 

If I were you I would e-mail the guy and say "Dear Mr X. It has now been 11 weeks, and I believe the item has gone missing in the post. Please initiate an investigation at the Post Office and seek the appropriate compensation.


Good advice. I have waited a little longer, about 13 weeks IIRC. The postal system from the UK, except for the Airmail, is truly abysmal.


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:40 pm 
 

Kaskoid wrote:The postal system from the UK, except for the Airmail, is truly abysmal.

Believe me, those ships take just as long coming this way too.


This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

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Post Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:46 pm 
 

Believe me, those ships take just as long coming this way too.


Even my buddies with whom I swap back and forth in my main-passion hobby, that live in the UK, say the same about the UK Post.

When I can Airmal a small package to UK and it gets there in less than a week, and a parcel from the UK is Airmailed on the same day and takes 10 or 11, on average, that's pretty abysmal in my book.


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:50 pm 
 

I suspect that has something to do with America being at Defcon 3. :D


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:56 pm 
 

Yeah, we're really worried what the French might do next,,,


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:02 pm 
 

Kaskoid wrote:Yeah, we're really worried what the French might do next,,,

At least they don't burn your sheep!


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:08 pm 
 

At least they don't burn your sheep!


Huh? Is this some Cartesian inside joke?


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Post Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:32 am 
 

We export sheep flocks across Europe by truck. When the French go on strike (they do this quite a lot. It's a hobby they have) they block major roads and set light to these trucks, sheep included.


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Post Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:20 am 
 

deimos3428 wrote:Folks, I need some advice.

I was informed a couple of months ago by my local Post Office branch (this was amazing, but considering I paid them more than 700 euros just in March for shipping perhaps now they love me  :D ), with a copy of the newsletter, that the US governement decided in February that 'all' parcels to the US had to be checked for security reasons. This was not simply for NYC, but all the entry points for overseas mail in the US. I suppose this was something of a nightmare (a BIG one) for USPS, albeit I'm sure they never, ever checked ALL mail from Europe to the US. This really slowed down my items to the US, albeit being shipped all via certified mail, with an average delivery time of a month or more  :cry:  and some complains from buyers (that were informed of course of this and stopped complaining, with me at least  :D ). And of course parcels from the US to me were irritatingly slow too... Anyway, I agree that the 'fault' resides in the US side of things.

  


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Post Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:43 am 
 

Kaskoid wrote:
If I were you I would e-mail the guy and say "Dear Mr X. It has now been 11 weeks, and I believe the item has gone missing in the post. Please initiate an investigation at the Post Office and seek the appropriate compensation.


Good advice. I have waited a little longer, about 13 weeks IIRC. The postal system from the UK, except for the Airmail, is truly abysmal.


I think there is also a time limit for credit card claims as well - IIRC when I did (two years ago) it it was 90 days.  It will presumably vary according to diff. legislation and possibly company practice.  You might want to check.


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Post Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:30 am 
 

I have sent items to different purchasers in the same country - UK and France on the same day. The items arrived ok, too bad there was like a four to six week difference in the same country!!!


And I could've bought these damn modules off the 1$ rack!!!

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Post Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:57 am 
 

faro wrote:
deimos3428 wrote:The seller insists they shipped the package the day after I paid (Jan. 18-19th or thereabouts.)

Do they have a "certificate of posting"? (supplied free of charge on request by the Post Office).

My record for surface mail- albeit from the US- is ~4 1/2 months, and around the same for airmail routed via surface in error.

This may have been the case, and I'm inquiring about the certificate.  The item was apparently shipped Small Packet Airmail, much to my surprise.  I should have received it months ago.  8O

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Post Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:03 pm 
 

We export sheep flocks across Europe by truck. When the French go on strike (they do this quite a lot. It's a hobby they have) they block major roads and set light to these trucks, sheep included.


How barbarically dreadful! While I don't eat lamb or mutton, I never felt the urge to torch a truckload. What appalling behavior; and we Yanks are accused of being nasty?


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Post Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:58 am 
 

Kaskoid wrote:How barbarically dreadful! While I don't eat lamb or mutton, I never felt the urge to torch a truckload. What appalling behavior; and we Yanks are accused of being nasty?

I think that's the point. To prove to their government they're willing to cause ourtrage to get their point across. And most of the problem seems to be that the French can't make their farms proffitable and need government handouts to stay alive. Farmers in France all live on welfare. They call it 'subsidies' but its the same thing. Its been that way for the fast 40 years. Every couple of years when the goverment want to make a change to their welfare they go to the streets, blockade foreign ports. and burn all the foreign livestock they can (alive).


This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

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Post Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:16 am 
 

An interesting pattern of burning. That would never fly in the US.  It might happen...once...possibly twice...and then never again.


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