SLOW-POKE DELIVERY

I have been buying stamps from several dealers on this site. Been quite happy with most transactions. However, I must say that I am not happy with the delivery fulfillment on several orders. One order was shipped one month after I paid for it. That seller had some medical issues; I can understand that, but he did not set his time away; vacation setting. The second order that I received today (July 29) was paid for on June 11.

Both sellers are located in the US. This turnaround time is unacceptable in my opinion. I'm just wondering if this is a one-off or a bigger problem?

Comments

  • 22 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • Hi Ronald, I've seen this question over and over on other forums, so it's not new. For the largest part, it's probably just one-off. And surprisingly sometimes the seller isn't at fault either. I have seen some items go into postal service, and for some reason, days or weeks go by before it is processed and postmarked. This is rare (I've seen it once in about 15 years), but has happened. I've also oddly had stuff postmarked months before and then finally delivered (crazy) four months later, with no indication as to why it took so long. If a seller has a serious medical issue (and face it, lots of sellers are *old* and there is a pandemic on, so I can see falling to a state without being able to get to a PC and change my "vacation status". If they are sellers you've bought from in the past, then it's easier to tell, if it's a first time, be skeptical, but I would suggest benefit of the doubt. Communicate with them specifically when/if you buy the next item from them. But it's a strange world, and lots of strange things can happen. Go on case-by-case.
  • TRACKING SHOULD HELP ...BUT NEVER OFFERED ....I DO MONEY ORDERSS WHEN I BUY STAMPS.. IT USE TO BE COAST TO COAST IN 3 DAYS AND AS A REPEAT ..USER AT A FEW STORES IN THE WEST ...AS SOON AS I SAY IM HEADED TO THE POST OFFICE ...THEY SHIP THAT DAY ...IT WAS A RACE TO SEE WHOS SHOWED UP FIRST
  • Tracking is not an option for first class mail - only first class packages and priority mail. A one ounce package is $4.00+, depending on the distance. I offer tracking for $5..50. Hardly a profit center, but still a lot. Very few opt for it, even fewer for Priority Mail.
    I try very hard to get all orders in the mail the day after they are placed. Sometimes that is not possible because of the size of the order or just because life interrupts - doctor's appointments, grocery shopping, whatever.
    What I find strange is that a customer feels that, once their order is in the mail , it is still my responsibility to deliver it to their front door. Most of my fellow sellers work with a customer over a late/lost order: many of us offering a refund once it is decided the order is lost.
    I guess it is a sign of the times that things always have to happen NOW and if it doesn't then "heads will roll".
    If you think an order is late, talk to the seller before you get so worked up you find yourself YELLING. You might be surprised how helpful and honest the sellers on Hipstamp really are.
  • IM NOT YELLING ...I FIND MOST OLD PEOPLE ..CANT READ THIS OFF THEIR PHONES OR LAPTOPS ..SO I WRITE BIG ...IM ON TOP OF TERMALTAKE SERVER ...WITH A 37 INCH TV ...AND SOMETIMES I HAVE PROBLEM WITH SEE THIS STAMP HERE TOO... NEXT UPGRADE MIGHT BE A 32 INCH TV
  • In February I had to get a new hip installed and was unable to get to my stamps for about 2 weeks, Despite putting up a vacation notice saying that I was unable to get to the stamps I had an order come in every day that I was "stampless" and unable to get to my stamps.. I was able to email all the customers who ordered and explain the delay. I have a nice bunch of customers and all waited patiently for their orders. Happiness was getting rid of the walker and being allowed to use the stairs to get back into the office. The post offices cooperated by delivering orders fairly promptly when I could start sending again..

    https://www.hipstamp.com/store/fatdanes-stamp-store
  • @Scott Payton thank you Scott. As I stated, my expectation of timely delivery was reasonable...this time. In 2020, it took more than three weeks to get a US stamps order from a seller based in Kansas (though not on this site). The seller, like me, was upset about this. We mutually agreed that the current Postmaster is unfit for the job he has. I'm sure the Pandemic was a factor too. I have a post office box. Days would go by with nothing in my box. Then it would be stuffed to the gills.

    @Wayne Camolli Yesterday, when I retrieved my mail at the post office, there was a "Certified Mail" call slip in my box. I wasn't expecting anything that would require that. When I got home, I opened the package, it was from a stamp seller on this site that I purchased from. Also included was a purchase from another customer of the same seller! That buyer's purchase was 2X mine in value; but we both paid $2.00 shipping, which I think is reasonable. I contacted the seller about my concerns about the shipping time (6 weeks) + the inclusion of stamps for the other customer. I have yet to hear from the seller..

    Last thought. Another significant shipping delay with one of my orders occurred because the seller sent my order via USPS Media Mail. I had to alert the seller that stamps DO NOT qualify for Media Mail.
  • I had three packages come to the USA from Europe. All three packages stayed in Chicago from June 4th until July 4th before they finally left Chicago. Took less or about a week to get them after they left Chicago.
  • I am new to this site and made my first purchase to test out this site on June 18th, I have still not received my stamps yet. Not the best first impression, but hopefully they arrive eventually.
  • The pandemic is really mucking with delivery. "Neither rain nor snow nor dead of night will stop us from our appointed rounds". But note there is no mention of the zombie apocalypse in there, so as the philosopher Jagger once said, "You can't always get what you want".
    Patience, I find is best. I also find the incredible irony in how the thing that brings us such joy and passion is also the cause of so much frustration and anxiety. :) Long live the postal service?
  • Gregory, have you reached out to the seller? Remember communication is a big key. Distance from the seller to you is also a key. Inside the US or outside the US? It's been a month so contact the seller.
  • Gregory - I'm a buyer living in city, ca and on my 1st purchase found out there is also a city, ga -I didn't catch my error of state until shipping address was sent to me from pcse (believe HIP autofilled) so you might just ck to be sure you didn't pull a me- i was able to notify seller prior to shipping
  • Thanks Luree and Steve, I did reach out to the seller, No word back, the seller is central and i'm northeast u.s., I did double check the address, all good. The sellers rating is 96.5% which seems a bit low.

    Does this site give any incentives for the sellers to ship fast, keep up their ratings, do good etc..? I noticed the sellers with low rating's still come back in top of searches where as eBay penalizes them and gives incentives to do their best..

    Thanks
  • Gregory:
    I would not think that a seller needs any incentive to ship quickly, customer satisfaction is all the incentive needed in order to keep buyers coming back to your store.
    We, like the majority of sellers on this site, ship same day or next business day using first class USPS or shipping easy for international. Judging by when feedback is posted by the buyer then most orders are received in the USA within five business days. Occasionally a shipment will take longer to arrive due to delays within the system but from experience of shipping approximately 6000 covers a year, 99.9% of them turn up within a reasonable time.
    Mike
  • @Gregory Palaskas ...as Michael Almond noted, customer satisfaction should be the driver for a seller to promptly ship material. On the sister site, I try to ship the next day or two days later at most. I also thank them for their business in the shipment. After a 20+ year presence on eBay, I learned long ago that timely shipping and good communication with buyers are key.
  • Mr. Palaskas, please don't judge the whole hipstamp universe based on one experience with one dealer. My favorite dealer is constantly on his store with regular auctions. I order from him two or three times a month, the returns are always prompt and accurate, and he obviously appreciates my business. I've had excellent experiences with other dealers, and some lukewarm experiences as well. For instance, I've ordered twice from a gentleman with a huge and attractive inventory, but both returns took more than a month, the second only after prompting him. He obviously doesn't need my business, and I don't need his stamps that badly.

    So please test the waters before passing judgement. And yes, that 96% feedback rating is a clear sign of trouble. Don't go back there.
  • @Phil Merrill Thanks Pal, I am still searching the stores in order to purchase more although i'm more cautious atm and seriously contemplating opening my own. Yes one transaction does not allow for any type of analytics/judgement. No worries.
    Ronald and Mike, I agree, and I understand as I have been an eBay seller now since 2005 with current 100% rating, I should have been more selective from the beginning, based on ratings, here on this site.
  • Ronald, for better or worse, you also have to figure out who ships in a timely manner and who does not. Most are very prompt and communicate well, in fact the vast majority of sellers here are/do to be fair. There are few that almost seem to not want to do anything in a timely manner, so I try to avoid them; but that's just come from experience. I'd expect 1-3 days from the time an order is placed to be mailed/shipped as reasonable but have one that you constantly have to pester. I wonder why that (to remain nameless) seller is even on here when that person can't ship in 3 weeks.

    That said and to parrot what I said above, the vast majority of sellers here are honest and want to do a good job just to be clear.
  • @Andy Richardson I appreciated your comments. I consider myself to be a reasonable person. As I said, my delivery expectations - that it be timely - wasn't unreasonable. I did hear back from the seller about my concerns and the goof (he included someone else's order with mine. He totally ignored my concerns about the shipping problem as well as wacky packaging of his stamps; he just asked that I return the other order to him...which I would have done is any case. (mailed back today).

    I had a look at his feedback; very mixed with a month shipping not uncommon. I unsubscribed from his multiple promo. offers. I think we are done here.
  • @Ronald Tegeti I'll bet a dollar I know who you were buying from!

    That said; no idea how frequently you buy but if you start making a lot of purchases you'll figure out who does what. There are sellers like (and I name him as this is a compliment) like Richard at Ft Lauderdale collectables that make mistakes occasionally but always get everything worked out in a very timely manner, and there are others you have to point out that they re-listed an item you sent back for a refund while they claim they never received it back. Won't name names in the negative; but you just figure it out and avoid those folks.

    Another good idea if you are worried about shipping times is to simply ask a few questions. Someone who responds in a timely manner is generally likely to be more active and to ship faster as I've found through experience. Sure other buyers do this too, but I freely admit to doing "test orders" where I'll make a low value purchase to see how fast a seller ships and if their listings/descriptions are accurate.
  • I've heard the official reason for the raise in postal rates is the increase in storage fees.
  • Just an example of shipping times. I just had a customer confirm receiving his order. The order was placed on a Sunday and has usual was ready same day and on its way Monday, but it take 10 days to get to Wisconsin from Québec. Its not slow but not the fastest. Normally my California customers report receiving their orders within a week, max 7 days.
  • Anything going through customs right now is really getting hammered. For a while Japan had a policy that anything that came in from outside Japan had to sit for 72 hours before handling to allow any "live virus" on the packaging to die...
    That didn't create a backlog at all...
Sign In or Register to comment.