Need opinions on a FB trade - worrying if things are legit

[Shileah]

Last Sunday, I made my first ever trade on FB from a person who posted in one of the collector's group. I only recently joined them, so I don't have much experience (actually, I have none!). Things aren't going completely smooth so I now worry if I made a mistake here, or if I am simply being paranoid, so I am asking the Arena about your opinions on it. I'll try to keep the description of the events as neutral as possible, as I honestly don't know if I am overreacting or not and I don't want to call anyone out in case I do.

I contacted the seller via PN, we agreed on the price for the ponies and shipment, and I paid the minute after I got the seller's paypal.me link. I was promised to receive the tracking number on Monday or Tuesday.
By Wednesday, I hadn't heard anything from the seller so I asked for the number. I was informed that the seller wasn't feeling well, illnesses had flared up, but it should go out on Thursday and I will get the tracking number then. Come Thursday evening (night rather), but no tracking number, no information from the seller on why there is no number. I contact them again and ask for the number, and the seller replies that they are doing the best they can, and I really shouldn't ask for a tracking number every day, they will give it to me as soon as they have it. I apologised and informed them that I am simply nervous due to bad experiences, so not receiving a tracking number that I was told to get at a certain time is a bit unsettling. The seller was understanding, and assured me that they have a lot of feedback, customers are always happy despite their illness.

Now it's Saturday morning, I still haven't heard a word, and I try not to, but I am getting really worried. Am I just seeing shadows on the wall again and need more routine in buying stuff on Facebook? What would you do?


[moving to Trader Support ~ Kiwi]

[Kanchii]

I really wouldn't stress. Getting to the post office is a PAIN IN THE BUTT - I would sell more stuff online but dread going to the P.O. If they are sick, they probably just can't face that mess. I'd honestly give them a week or two to ship, if it's not something you need for a deadline. After that, though, it's time to call them out and report them - or request a refund through paypal.

[NovelNerd]

PayPal gives you around 180 days I believe to file a claim if you don't receive your items. I wouldn't worry about it. I know when I sell I tell my buyers to wait up to ten handling days. My life is just so busy and I work from around 7 a.m. To 4 p.m. And running to the post office before they close at 4:15 is kind of hard. I would wait

[ChipsteRJ]

.... I hate to the be the one to play Devil's advocate here, but....


I am that SLOW shipper you are talking about (ask anyone who has dealt with me before).... I work 12 hours a day 5-6 days a week during tax season. It gets so crazy some years that I even forget to mail out my credit card or rent payment.

Sadly life happens.


I can also tell you how annoying a nagging buyer is- the more stress you put on your seller the longer it will take them to respond and recover by getting your ponies out to you.


I'm sorry to read about your troubles, I've been on both sides trust me I understand as a seller and as a buyer. The anticipation of waiting for a set completer to arrive....

[kitkatvintage]

I can see both sides of the situation.

If the seller told you they would ship by a certain day but didn't, the seller should have contacted you with a brief apology & explanation for the delay... you should not have to ask.

At the same time, being contacted multiple times by a buyer could cause some annoyance after you (as the seller) have explained your delay is due to a health problem that makes it difficult to get to the post office.

Hopefully you paid as goods & services, correct? I know PayPal.me links can default to friends & family if the buyer doesn't check the goods & services box. As long as you do have the PayPal protection I would suggest being a little patient and give the seller a little more time to provide you a tracking number. Hopefully the seller is able to ship soon and everything will work out for the best.

[nhal039]

Chipster i dont know if you meant to come of as rude but to say to that a buyer nagging is annoying is rude when
A, you promised shipping on x date and havent
B, havent contacted to inform the buyer of this

Yes we all have real lifes and some times we forget to do such things but there is no need for suggesting a buyer is nagging and annoying when asking for a tracking because you said you could post but havent and havent let them know that

Also chip unrelated to this post but u say you forget to mail out during tax season even forget to pay rent? Have you ever thought about not selling over tax season  and just dealing with real life and bills as it sounds like a busy time

[Shileah]

Just an update: The seller contacted me and I received the tracking number. We are in touch via FB, the seller explained themselves again and I think we came to a friendly agreement in the end.

I absolutely know how life can get in your way and there are things that are simply more important. I have no problem to wait a little while if that happens - I bought something on ebay in December and the seller contacted me, telling me that a family matter had occurred and that it would take her until after Christmas to ship. It was no issue for me and I didn't bug/nag/ask again.
Things were different this time as I was the one who had to contact the seller and find out why I had not received the number yet, twice, and this being the first time ever for me to buy something via FB without the extra feeling of protection a "real" shop system gives you, I got worried. After all, this is based on mutual trust and it is hard to trust someone you only "know" from a FB posting.

[Brightglowpony]

I'm glad it worked out Shileah   I actually would have done the same as you- send a friendly follow-up to the seller.  If you have never dealt with the person before, it can sometimes be worrisome if you do not hear anything, since it is unfortunate that there are so many scammers out there.  I recently followed up with a seller too because she mentioned she'd let me know when she would ship and I had not heard anything, and turns out she did ship but must have forgotten to message me.   She is a reputable member and I know she had some real life things going on too so it did not bother me.  Glad your ponies are on the way  

[Haruna]

I think it's totally understandable that you were worried and I think you were fine asking the seller about it. You were promised a tracking number by a certain time but didn't receive it; that would make me a little worried. You were nice and even waited until after the last day you were promised the number. Then it happened a second time -- the promised tracking number didn't come -- which would worry me even more. The seller sounds a little rude to me, saying you shouldn't be asking so often about the shipping. Maybe she was just stressed because of her real-life issues; sometimes we aren't at our best when life is crazy. But she should have remembered that she had said she would get you the tracking number and be sympathetic because being scammed is a legitimate worry for a buyer. Let us know if you don't receive the package, but I think you should be fine now that you have a tracking number and she seems to be communicating. 

If the seller told you they would ship by a certain day but didn't, the seller should have contacted you with a brief apology & explanation for the delay... you should not have to ask.

^Yes, I agree. They had health problems in this case, so we have to give them a little leeway, but it seems that she was able to at least message you back both times, so she should have at some point done what kitkatvintage says.

[Ringlets]

I'm glad that its all sorted out now Shileah   I can understand why you were worried, and you did the right thing posting about it here for advice   Sometimes things do happen where there is a delay in shipping  - the seller is ill, is working, dealing with RL stuff etc - but its always best to be cautious because there are scammers out there too. 
Good communication is important from both buyer and seller and makes the situation less stressful for both in the end
Hopefully this will all work out fine from now on for both of you. Thank you both for posting

[Shileah]

To give the last update on this - the ponies arrived today!!! Thank you everyone for your opinion and honesty, you helped me to stay calm and collected and greatly reduced my worries!

 

[kitkatvintage]

Yay!! Glad to hear everything worked out well!

[Ringlets]

That's awesome news