SUSPENDED MAIL SERVICES TO CERTAIN COUNTRIES

Can Hipstamp kindly inform buyers from the "service suspended countries" that their orders cannot be delivered at present due to lack of transport or local delivery problems before they make their purchases. This would save everybody a lot of time between cancelling orders, refunds from Paypal and Hipstamp etc.

Comments

  • 17 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • edited June 2020 2 LikesVote Down
    I would think that could be impractical. Restrictions to different countries vary depending on where you live in the world. Even shippers within the same country have differences. For example, here, Australia Post is not shipping to Russia but some couriers are.

    Sellers already control which countries they want to ship to with postage setup settings. Just remove any restricted countries or add them back as restrictions are lifted. Caveat: Don't use the 'Everywhere Else' setting.
  • Try "www.usps.com" for countries delivery daily update.
  • Thank you Robert for the website, I have been following this almost daily because I have packages waiting to be sent out to some affected countries.
  • Rod, I can see it being a bit of a muddle for a programmer to figure a way to allow some but not others. I just kind of feel bad about holding these orders till things clear up. I did contact everyone affected and gave them the option of hold or refund. I just like to see my "out box" clear.
  • I think a simple line saying " Please expect postal delays due to Covid-19 disruptions" somewhere on every page would cover things. I send an email to every customer using that line when I ship and have had no complaints. By this point in time 99.999% of buyers should be aware of Covid related disruptions to postal systems.

    Dennis, the Fatdane
    https://www.hipstamp.com/store/fatdanes-stamp-store
  • You can fix it yourself by removing the option to ship to those countries in your default shipping policies.
  • Dennis and Michael,
    I was just trying to lessen the load on things I have to do (more time to scan). It is no big deal, I just feel bad for the customers.
    All the best.
  • The problem is that if a seller removes those countries from the shipping options, then buyers in those countries will not even see the listings. Imo, that's more drastic than just having a system announcement that there could be covid-related delays on international shipments.
  • Phil,
    Great Point.
  • edited June 2020 1 LikesVote Down
    Speaking from the perspective of a customer (not one of yours yet, just in general), don’t feel too bad. It’s not your fault.

    I have stuff coming from people in a half dozen countries. I just log everything (Hipstamp, eBay, one-off purchases) into Excel and mark it off when it arrives.

    Green cells for things that should arrive relatively soon, yellow for intermediate, red for “maybe before Christmas”.
  • Kosmo,
    Looks like you have your "Pandemic Collecting Strategy" finely tuned. Thank you for your thoughts on the matter.

  • edited June 2020 1 LikesVote Down
    Phil, why would you want someone to see your listings if you're not shipping there ??? The idea of removing countries is ONLY for those you cannot ship to because your carrier has stopped shipping there. It has nothing to do with delayed shipping.

    This thread is titled "Suspended Mail Services To Certain Countries". Delayed shipping is not the topic and shouldn't be a reason for cancelled orders and refunds.
  • edited June 2020 1 LikesVote Down
    Rod: "Delayed shipping is not the topic."

    Read a little further up to Dennis' post, which was about suggesting a general notice: "I think a simple line saying " Please expect postal delays due to Covid-19 disruptions" somewhere on every page would cover things."

    I *was* talking about delayed shipping.

    Not appreciating your rebuke, and reminded why I rarely post on here anymore. Jeez...

    Lesson learned.
  • Jeez Phil, wrong. You responded "The problem is that if a seller removes those countries from the shipping options, then buyers in those countries will not even see the listings...". Dennis's post
    I agree also confuses the topic. Nothing personal, just trying to keep things factual.
  • edited June 2020 1 LikesVote Down
    Phil,

    Are you actually thinking about this from the buyers perspective at this point? At this point and time this has already been going on for over 2 months or more. Never mind the fact we have NO IDEA how long it's going to be before we are able to ship to any and all countries. When you list an item for sale in any country you are IMPLYING that you are able to ship that item in a reasonable time frame. When this first happened buyers would be reasonable to work with the sellers due to circumstances BEYOND the sellers control. That is NO longer the case if you already know that you can't ship to certain countries any more at this time. Why would you want to PO the buyer at this time implying that you can make those shipments when you can't? As a buyer at this time due to the fact it has been over 2 months of suspended shipments,if they made a purchase now,wouldn't they be in the right,at this time to make a Paypal claim and leave you a big fat red doughnut for you not being able to ship it now,when you already know that you can't?




  • Given that a lot is still unknown about the covid virus and the disruptions that it can cause to postal service, I would expect a buyer in his/her country to know the local situation better than a seller in another country, and to be aware of that when bidding or buying. Canada Post has a list of can ship to and cannot ship to countries and I have had mail returned from the can ship countries and delivered to the can not ship countries. Like so many things in the new covid era, we will have to learn how to cope with spotty postal service. I would still like to see a simple line on each item description page mentioning possible covid 19 delays for the .0001% of buyers that are unaware of the Postal havoc caused by covid-19.
    Dennis, the Fatdane
    https://www.hipstamp.com/store/fatdanes-stamp-store
  • First in the US and when dealing with the USPS when they have service that is suspended the package is not even suppose to be accepted by the PO because the service has been suspended. That is not dealing with delays within the postal service,but with the fact there is NO SERVICE at this time for those destinations. And at this there is NO WAY of knowing if or how long before we will be able to ship to those destinations. Is it good customer service to say that you can ship to a destination when you can't and you have no idea when you can? How long before we will be able to ship to some of these places? Is it going be another 30,60,120 days or a year or more? How long then are you going to string the buyer along?

    Now as far as shipments to countries that have gone back and forth or have been added,that is a different story. Delays are not the same thing as the suspended shipments.
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