The MLP Arena

TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: Sweetheart on March 03, 2014, 01:53:14 PM

Title: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: Sweetheart on March 03, 2014, 01:53:14 PM
I'm awaiting on a Gusty who I'd already paid for. The item is overdue and at this point in time I'd like my money back to buy the pony elsewhere. Sadly I used guest check out on Paypal and it's hard to get a claim. I've messaged the user regarding the situation, but at this point I'd like my money back.

What else should I do?
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: ponylady on March 03, 2014, 02:04:28 PM
When was payment made? Also was there a tracking number provided for you?

Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: himmie on March 03, 2014, 02:04:38 PM
Did you purchase the item here on the Arena?

When did you pay for it?

Did the seller confirm when it shipped or provide tracking information?
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: Sweetheart on March 03, 2014, 02:06:37 PM
The seller's being non responsive. I ordered from ebay.
It's about a week late, coming from the UK.
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: ponylady on March 03, 2014, 02:10:07 PM
I wouldn't rely to much on the item being a week late coming from the UK. The weather here in the states has really put a damper on delivery times.  :huh:

Also if this was eBay, unless you agreed to pay for it off site, you can open a case.
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: MaronaPossessed on March 03, 2014, 02:21:46 PM
If a valid tracking number was provided by the seller, then the seller is safe. International shipment, at most, takes a month to a month and 15 days.

Quote
but at this point I'd like my money back.

I know how impatience feels, but international shipments take a long, long time:P
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: Lollipop on March 03, 2014, 02:23:03 PM
I presuming you are in the usa (cant see on my phone).
It takes over a wk for anything to come from the usa to me here in the uk (normally just under 2wks).
How many days ago was it posted? Best to give it at least 12days to arrive in normal weather. As ponylady said weather can effect (i dont no the weather there) but if its bad that could b it. Unfortunately when things get delayed due to weather it can take up to a month for your item to arrive :(

Lollipop sent from her Nokia Lumia 1020 using Tapatalk
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: ponycake on March 03, 2014, 02:29:38 PM
That's way too soon imo. And that would only be fair if you sent it back when it arrived at your door, which the seller can't be sure you'll do and has no way to make you do that if he/she refunds. If you're going to buy overseas, you're going to need some more patience, I'm afraid.
I'm still waiting on a package from Germany (that was $400) and it's been over a month now, and I'm giving it another 2-3 weeks. I truly believe the seller posted it though and just figure it's very delayed, that's just me. But definitely 2 weeks should be the point where you start thinking about it, I think.
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: Stormness_1 on March 03, 2014, 03:45:59 PM
Yep, you have 45 days to open a claim for a refund, and I usually wait out that time, because firstly, it's not always smooth sailing for international mail, and secondly, if it does turn up, then the right thing to do is either pay for it again, or ship it back out of pocket, and either way you lose if you've already bought another.
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: goddessofpeep on March 03, 2014, 03:47:39 PM
Packages from the UK used to be like clockwork - one week and it would be here.  Then the USPS budget cuts happened, and now things seem to take anywhere from 3 weeks to over 2 months.  They closed a bunch of sorting centers, and cut back on the staff everwhere. It's going to show at some point.

A week overdue is really not much. I'd even go so far as to say the package is really not overdue unless it's been in transit for over 2 months.
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: ashlyne on March 03, 2014, 04:35:13 PM
At the very least, you should give an international seller 3 weeks from the time they say they've shipped the package. If I suspect it's taking too long, I go to my calendar and mark 44 days from the time I've paid. That way, when that day comes, and I don't have my package, I've waited as long as I can to file a claim.

Please try to be patient and don't file a claim too quickly.   More and more these days sellers are becoming reluctant to ship internationally because claims are filed before buyers give the postal system enough time to do its job.  More often than not, it's not the seller's fault.   If it becomes too much of a hassle, these sellers will just stop shipping internationally and that just shrinks our pony world.   
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: ponycake on March 03, 2014, 04:42:02 PM
At the very least, you should give an international seller 3 weeks from the time they say they've shipped the package. If I suspect it's taking too long, I go to my calendar and mark 44 days from the time I've paid. That way, when that day comes, and I don't have my package, I've waited as long as I can to file a claim.

Please try to be patient and don't file a claim too quickly.   More and more these days sellers are becoming reluctant to ship internationally because claims are filed before buyers give the postal system enough time to do its job.  More often than not, it's not the seller's fault.   If it becomes too much of a hassle, these sellers will just stop shipping internationally and that just shrinks our pony world.

IA. The huge impatience of buyers makes me not want to ship internationally ever. It's not their fault when the postage is slow, and they get buyers on their back demanding a refund when it's likely the item will still arrive and they'll be out of both. When I start selling it'll 99% most likely be within the US only.
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: babylofty on March 03, 2014, 05:20:50 PM
I know you know this, as you live on the the East Coast as well, but we've been absolutely HAMMERED this winter with bad weather, from Maine to the Carolinas. It took two weeks for a Valentine's card to get to me in Maryland from Texas.  International packages have to go through customs, and considering there is probably a HUGE backlog at the moment, your item is probably stuck there, if it's still not on it's way. We just got another major storm today that cancelled every flight in and out of every major airport here in MD, DC, and VA. Imagine how that alone could affect packages getting to and from their destinations, let alone the passengers.

One week is WAY too soon to be asking for a refund - as someone said, 3 weeks is a good wait.  You just need to sit on your hands or distract yourself for another two weeks. :)
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: Sweetheart on March 03, 2014, 06:05:30 PM
If a valid tracking number was provided by the seller, then the seller is safe. International shipment, at most, takes a month to a month and 15 days.

Quote
but at this point I'd like my money back.

I know how impatience feels, but international shipments take a long, long time:P

Thank you everybody for your help.
It's just weird because I ordered another bunch of ponies from around the same area around three days later and they came last Friday :/

Also the shipping number doesn't work. Ebay says its shipped but the number is useless I keep getting an error. I sent a polite email just asking how it was going as they hadn't really tried to communicate with me. Maybe I'm supposed to communicate first? This is one of my first ebay transactions and I'm really confused)

And three weeks, got it! Thank you again guys sorry about the silly question.
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: cloud_weaver on March 03, 2014, 08:48:46 PM

Thank you everybody for your help.
It's just weird because I ordered another bunch of ponies from around the same area around three days later and they came last Friday :/

Also the shipping number doesn't work. Ebay says its shipped but the number is useless I keep getting an error. I sent a polite email just asking how it was going as they hadn't really tried to communicate with me. Maybe I'm supposed to communicate first? This is one of my first ebay transactions and I'm really confused)

And three weeks, got it! Thank you again guys sorry about the silly question.

Tracking #'s from overseas don't really truly track the package the same way one would in the US.  Every country has it's own tracking system so if you're getting an error it could be for any number of reasons.  :/
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: Ringlets on March 04, 2014, 03:51:17 AM
International mail times are very hit and miss unfortunately. I am in the Uk - on a few occasions I've had ponies from the US arrive in 3 days  (  :faint: )  but more often its between 2-4 weeks and sometimes a bit longer. As long as you keep your 45 day deadline in mind , you can afford to wait another couple of weeks , even if it is frustrating  ;) :hug:
  Its more worrying when a seller doesnt respond of course, but are they are seller who is new? or are they a seller who is a registered business and sells hundreds or thousands of items? because in the first case they may be wondering what to do to help, or having to think it through or get advice, in the second case it can take business sellers much longer to respond if they are dealing with many transactions and many different customers every day  :awake:
Also not only the US but also the UK has been battered by awful weather over the last few months and that has also caused delays in the mail. For some odd reason a package I sent to Thailand got there more quickly than a package I sent to someone else in the UK recently :blink:
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: MaronaPossessed on March 04, 2014, 06:55:29 AM
If a valid tracking number was provided by the seller, then the seller is safe. International shipment, at most, takes a month to a month and 15 days.

Quote
but at this point I'd like my money back.

I know how impatience feels, but international shipments take a long, long time:P

It's just weird because I ordered another bunch of ponies from around the same area around three days later and they came last Friday :/

And three weeks, got it! Thank you again guys sorry about the silly question.
Yeah that's normal. Some come fast, some come slow...that's what the USPS fate decides :P

And glad you got it! No problem:)
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: Sweetheart on March 04, 2014, 07:36:15 AM
They are a newer seller. And I think you're right I think they may have been sun sure whether to respond to me or not, they were very sweet, understanding and kind in their message. So I think we're all good. Thank again guys! Sorry again about the silly question!
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: bluerose9978 on March 04, 2014, 07:46:54 AM
They also might not have responded right away because of the time difference. When I order something from the UK, it usually takes about 10-14 days for arrival, so you'll probably have it in no time.
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: CupidStrikes on March 04, 2014, 08:52:46 AM
Some packages are fast, some are slow. Case in point - I ordered two items from Japan, chose the same shipping option. Parcel A was posted a day before Parcel B. Parcel B took 6 days to be delivered. Parcel A took 14 days (and was a much smaller package, too!). International postage is a weird one :lol: I'm sure your parcel will get to you soon :)
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: ponylady on March 04, 2014, 10:00:21 AM
They are a newer seller. And I think you're right I think they may have been sun sure whether to respond to me or not, they were very sweet, understanding and kind in their message. So I think we're all good. Thank again guys! Sorry again about the silly question!

I just want to make sure I understand this clearly, the seller did respond? And also you did already receive the ponies?
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: Sweetheart on March 05, 2014, 11:00:17 AM
They are a newer seller. And I think you're right I think they may have been sun sure whether to respond to me or not, they were very sweet, understanding and kind in their message. So I think we're all good. Thank again guys! Sorry again about the silly question!

I just want to make sure I understand this clearly, the seller did respond? And also you did already receive the ponies?

 Sorry if I'm being confusing! I sent the seller a message. It was the first time we talked other than me asking way in the beginning if they'd received the payment.
They were very kind and said they would refund me after another week, and were very polite and understanding. I have not received the Gusty I ordered from them yet.

I'd ordered another pony from the UK as well that came quickly.
Title: Re: When is it okay to ask for a refund if the item never came?
Post by: lisey_baby on March 06, 2014, 10:12:51 AM
I agree with what everyone has said here. International shipping can be painfully slow, on a good day it can arrive in a week.

The uk has had terrible weather too, maybe your seller has been affected by the floods we've been having or both po's (uk and USA) are backed up due to the horrendous weather.

I understand that postage being slow sucks, but patience in a virtue! I on average send out at least 50 parcels internationally each week and most arrive within ten working days, but a handful take much longer (up to a month). My personal record is six months for something to arrive in Canada, it arrived after we replaced it looking a little worse for wear. I personally think it went there in a row boat ;)

Also you have to factor in that weekends don't count as working days (pr posting days). So if something says for example 10 working days to arrive, in reality it could be up to 14 days and you have to count the weekends too

I hope you get your pony soon though
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