Yes, that US-to-UK-via-Zambia was from me to you. :-)
I relooked at my records, and the auction completed on 11/14, he paid on 11/15,
so I took 8 days from payment to shipment.
I'll use the PO trace to stall for another week or two, hoping that it will
arrive.
Skip
----- Original Message ---------------
Subject: [OM] Re: Ethical Q re shipping E*bay item Int'l
From: "Piers Hemy" <piers@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 16:35:13 -0000
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxx>
>
>Skip
>
>1 3 weeks is not outlandish, it may well still be "en route". I did
>have an inbound parcel from N. America take 7 weeks, because its transit
>took it via Zambia (in fact, it might have been from you!).
>
>2 Insured would not have got it there any quicker, nor would it have
>located it any quicker. I sent a package to France (outskirts of Paris)
>early this year, using an insured, signed-for service. The French Postal
>Service have not yet been able to provide the signature, still less tell me
>where the package is. Fortunately the recipient has told me.
>
>3 I would never offer an uninsured delivery option - I quote a price
>for a premium signed-for airmail postal service, with the option to choose
>UPS (which makes the postal option look good value). If your buyer want is
>cheaper, he can always ask, and take the consequences of his choice.
>Sending out uninsured is like shipping before the check clears - you place
>yourself at the mercy of an unscrupulous recipient who denies recieving the
>goodies.
>
>4 I fear that you are right, that you will have to do a refund, unless
>you have proof of shipment to the correct address. What would you do/expect
>as the buyer in such circumstances?
>
>Sorry to hear such bad news.
>
>--
>Piers
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
>Of Skip Williams
>Sent: 14 December 2004 16:16
>To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [OM] Ethical Q re shipping E*bay item Int'l
>
>
>I sold an OM4t via E*ay to a guy in France who paid very quickly via PayPal.
>I quoted him $18.00 shipping, which is the uninsured price, but I neglected
>to clearly point out that that price was uninsured (my fault). Typically I
>offer buyers a choice of insurance or not, with declared value matching the
>insured value, or it's their risk. (Please, no comments on the philosphy of
>value declaration, that's not my question.)
>
>It took me a couple of weeks to send the package because of various other
>issues, none of which were his fault. It was mailed on November 23rd via
>Air Mail Parcel Post, quoted as 4-10 days delivery to W.Europe.
>
>As of today December 14th, it still hasn't gotten there, 13 business days
>and 21 calandar days since shipping. He's threatening poor feedback and
>"warning Ebay" about me!
>
>I've told him that I really don't have any solution right now. USPS states
>that an "International Inquiry" can be started on insured packages after 21
>days (no definition of "days"), but there isn't any defined route for
>uninsured package inquries. I've offered to start the trace.
>
>I feel that we are both at the mercy of the shipper and the holiday traffic,
>and that we'll both have to wait. I'm not inclined to refund anything to
>the buyer until the Post Office tells me that the package is lost, but I
>don't have any idea of how long to wait. If the package disappears, I fear
>I will have to give him his money back, and eat the whole amount.
>
>The moral to myself? Be more careful of defining shipping options,
>insurance, etc. up-front, or insist on using EMS in the auction conditions.
>
>Any advice?
>
>Skip
>
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