eBay - shipping question

[ShortyBoo]

I won an auction on the 6th for a pony I've been wanting for a long time, but the seller still hasn't shipped. I paid within an hour of when I won, but it's still not marked as shipped and there's no tracking number. I've bought a bunch of stuff on eBay and I've never had it take more than a day or two for my item to ship and since it's coming up on a full week, I'm getting kind of worried. I don't want to upset the seller and have them do one of those things where they claim they "lost" the item and refund me because I got the pony for a really good price and I wouldn't be able to afford her otherwise. But how long should I wait before I contact them? Does eBay give them a certain amount of time to ship the item once it's been paid for?

[Radha]

So, I thought that had happened once and then just received the package one day- turns out they had opted not to track it and just sent it regular mail. I would wait a full week and then maybe send an email asking if they've had a chance to ship it?  Hope it works out!

[ShortyBoo]

I've had items ship untracked before, but usually they still say it was shipped. The pony I won is Star Dreams and she rarely shows up on eBay and when she does, she usually goes for $25+ and I got her for $17. With shipping, it came to just under $20. I guess I'm mostly worried because it was a fairly low price (I was the only bidder) for her and I've heard stories on here about people who win auctions only to have a seller who didn't think the auction was high enough and claims to "lose" the item so they're not forced to sell it at that price. I realize I'm probably being paranoid. It's just that Star Dreams is the last retail release G4 (not including the new ones that haven't shown up in stores here yet) that I don't have and I was really excited about winning the auction.

[ponylady]

I had the same thing happen Radha. I was getting super antsy and was just about to send a message off and BOOM! it was at my door.

Shorty, I don't think it would hurt to send your seller a quick message inquiring if it has been shipped. I have sent a message before asking and usually the seller gets right back to me. As mentioned some folks don't use ebays system or are unaware of having to put in tracking. They just run off to the PO and drop it off and don't think twice about it. Good luck and I hope all goes well for you.

[Galactica]

Agree with the above- they might not have printed postage through ebay so the tracking might not show up.   It wouldn't hurt (or be annoying) to drop the seller a note and ask when he or she had taken your package to the post office...

[ShortyBoo]

I messaged the seller. Hopefully I'll hear back from them soon.

[Radha]

Good luck!   Be sure to let us know!

[thekozmicpig]

I don't want to upset the seller and have them do one of those things where they claim they "lost" the item and refund me because I got the pony for a really good price and I wouldn't be able to afford her otherwise.

I've never understood why a seller who is unhappy with the sale price didn't just start the auction at the price they'd be happy to part with. That way, if you sell it at cost, you're happy and the buyer is happy. Get more? Even happier seller.

There's one auction I've been watching hoping to see it drop in price, after it gets no bids and the seller gets desperate. It has remained the same since early April. Heck, I think they jacked the price up one week, and dropped it back again.

This seller is determined to not that item leave their house for less than $25. De. Ter. Mined.

[ShortyBoo]

I still haven't heard back from the seller and I'm starting to get worried. It doesn't take long to just send me a quick response telling me when they shipped my item. This makes me wonder if they have shipped it at all.

[ponylady]

No, your right it doesn't take long to make some sort of contact with you. Just going by the date you have provided and maybe adding on a three day handling time the item should be in your hands with in a few days.

I only suggest if by Monday that if it is not in your possession that you file a case. I know no one wants to have to go through that but it may get a response out of your seller. Please know that you are 100% covered by eBay's buyer protection policy. So even if you do not hear anything from them or do not receive your item, you will get your money back. 

[ShortyBoo]

Yeah, I know I can get my money back if it comes down to it, but I really just want Star Dreams. I was so happy that I finally found her at a price I could afford. I've been looking for her for so long that I really don't want to have to start hunting all over again.

[ponylady]

I completely understand. It's easier said than done when your not the party involved.  I honestly hope you do receive her. But like I said maybe she had a handling time and it will show up to you early next week.

Keep us posted and we can hopefully help guide you if needed.

[ShortyBoo]

Since I still hadn't heard back from the seller, I went to check the listing again just to be sure I didn't miss any message about shipping being delayed or anything else, and at the top of the listing, it says "You won this auction. The seller has relisted this item or one like this." I checked and sure enough, it's the same exact pony, same pic and the listing is identical. How are they allowed to relist an item that sold and was paid for? And what I don't understand is why they're listing it for $3 less than I paid. Now I feel like crying because this is the second time I've been scammed when trying to get an international G4 pony. First it was Star Swirl and now Star Dreams. Apparently I have bad luck with ponies with the word Star in their name.

EDIT: Ok, right after I posted this, I checked my email and there was an email from eBay saying my order was marked as "shipped". But there's no tracking number so I guess I'll believe it when I see it. Though, I still don't understand why they'd relist her. The same seller also relisted another sold pony (she had several auctions all end the same day, all of them sold) which was a prototype/error pony and again, it was the same photo as the previous auction. And of course, there's the question of why the seller waited so long to ship and didn't bother to respond when I asked about it. If they had a legit reason for not being able to make it to the post office before today, I'd understand, but the fact they completely ignored me just rubs me the wrong way.

[ShortyBoo]

Star Dreams did finally arrive. She was shipped on the 14th (more than a week after I paid) and I got her yesterday. I'm relieved that she finally showed up, but I'm still kind of upset about how the seller waited so long to ship and didn't bother to answer the message I sent her on the 12th. And I'm still not sure why she was relisted with the same pic and same description. I'm 99% sure the one in the photo is mine after comparing her to it. I thought you're supposed to take photos of the actual item you have for sale, not a picture of a similar one.

[Radha]

I'm so glad you got her!    That's interesting, though- I mean, she might have 2 of the same ponies in almost identical condition and just didn't want to reload the picture?  But you have to wonder.  I don't think I'd use that seller again- the next person who buys from her might be very disappointed!