Did I do the right thing?

[SeashellnBubbles]

I purchased a non-pony item on the 21st of February....it was a surprise win for only .99 cents and something I was really happy to get. The seller's info says to allow 2 days for shipping. Last week I still hadn't received the item, so I sent a polite message asking when it was posted. She wrote back saying her child had been sick and blah blah and then said she posted it on the 9th of March  WHAT!?
I go the package today and the postage stamp says March 11. I looked in my calendar and the 9th was a Monday...I had hoped maybe she'd posted it on a Friday and the system is like here in Canada where the post is closed on weekends so it was delayed that way, but no...it seems she just lied.
I left her a negative feedback....the first I've ever left and I feel terrible about it. I mean, I feel justified, and put the reason in my feedback statement, but I'm not looking forward to retribution emails or anything like that. The item was in Ok condition (dirty and stuff, but I didn't expect perfection as this person sells these often and I figured the price was super low for a reason) Would you have left a neutral instead of a negative? Did I do the right thing?

[bluerose9978]

I've had something similar happen to me recently. It didn't take as long as yours but they claimed to have mailed it on one date and didn't mail it until a week later. I left them a neutral. I don't like liars and I don't blame you one bit for leaving a negative. Communication is important and making excuses is what a lot of people do. If her child was really sick she could have contacted you before you contacted her to let you know it would be late. I think she put it off because it sold so low.

[CupidStrikes]

Don't feel bad. She lied to you (and, gonna be nasty here but they might not even have a kid. If they already lied about when they posted it it wouldn't shock me if they'd lied about that, too), and didn't bother to communicate that there was going to be a delay in postage.

I left 1 star for shipping and communication for an auction once because the seller made a point of messaging me to say they'd post it first thing in the morning (I won the auction on a Wednesday lunchtime) as I'd paid immediately. I didn't get the item until the following Wednesday - Ebay's ETA had been the Monday, which it would have arrived on...had the seller not waited until that day to post it  Do these people not realise the post office stamps items when they're received I think I just left a positive or a neutral overall though, as I'd been stoked to get the item so cheap.

[ponylady]

I guess I am getting to soft in my old age but I most likely would have just dinged her stars and left a positive. I would have mentioned in my feedback though that the item was not posted when stated. While you may feel she lied to you, she may not have. Unfortunately it is something you'll never be able to prove.  I like to try and give people the benefit of the doubt in cases like these. I know with everything going on with my Dad right now, it's easy to get side tracked. I also though most likely would not use it as an excuse but RL does happen.

[ringwraith10]

So I've had bad experience with Ebay sellers and I've left one or two negatives and neutrals (not sure exactly how many). It seems like a large portion of the Ebay seller community feels really entitled and acts as though they are royalty and can do whatever they want. I once made the HUGE mistake of asking in the Ebay forums if I should leave negative feedback on something, and I got all kinds of personal attacks. People were looking at my feedback and telling me that I had a history of being nasty to sellers (because I had said things in POSITIVE feedback like, "Item arrived on time" instead of "SUPER FAST SHIPPING A+++" or whatever they thought I should have said.)

So basically my point is: don't feel bad at all. You have physical evidence that she lied to you, and leaving negative feedback is an important way to warn other potential customers that this could happen to them. You're not specifically punishing the seller -- you're just warning those who come along after you!

Also, I have a lot of experience using PaperbackSwap.com, where they crack down really hard on people who mark something as shipped one day then don't ship it until days later. You can get kicked off the site for doing that more than once. So that at least teaches me that some corners of the internet do value integrity and shipping on time.

[SeashellnBubbles]

I honestly wouldn't have minded if it had only been a difference of a couple of days, that wouldn't have mattered to me at all. What got me was how LONG it took for her to ship! I mean, from the 21st to the 11th? That's almost 2 weeks just counting business days and not weekends! THAT is what has me ticked off!
I think you're right, BlueRose. I think she was miffed that it didn't sell for much and put me on the backburner since she didn't make any money. Many, MANY of her auctions have ended and new feedback left from other buyers in the meantime, so it's not like she wasn't going to the post office!

[Ringlets]

I don't blame you for not leaving a positive since the item was posted super later and she didn't mail it when she said she would. It may or may not be true about her kid being ill, but the point is she didn't communicate with you or send the item until way after you won it. If she had just been honest and contacted you to let you know it would be shipped late due to RL stuff then fine, I would have left it at that and given her a positive  .  Communication is so important! she shouldn't have left you waiting without letting you know , even if the item was only cheap. As it stands, I would prolly have left a neutral and dinged her stars for shipping and communication.