Approach when vinyl purchases don't show up?

[parkermatt]

Sorry if this is in the wrong part of the forum however it seemed like the only place it would fit.

 

I am wanting to know what peoples approach is when vinyl they have purchased doesn't show up. I'm sure this has happened to a few people around here, maybe the postman got a little greedy and decided he wanted it for himself or maybe it was simply lost in the mail only to end up in that big storage the postal companies have? 

 

What do you as a purchaser do? Write it off as something that happens? Lodge a paypal dispute? Or if you've paid for it as a gift, come to an agreement with the seller? If so, what sort of agreements have been reached?

 

As a seller, what have you done? Ignore the buyer and put the blame onto the postal service (the company, not the band)? Met the buyer half way with a refund if no paypal dispute is lodged? Do paypal come to the party if you have a receipt for the postage?

 

Interested to know what people do in this sort of situation?

 

Cheers.

[Satan]

do you have any more questions?

[parkermatt]

do you have any more questions?

 

plenty more but I figured I would hold off and drip feed them over the course of a number of years. 

[Derek™]

Sorry if this is in the wrong part of the forum however it seemed like the only place it would fit.

 

I am wanting to know what peoples approach is when vinyl they have purchased doesn't show up. I'm sure this has happened to a few people around here, maybe the postman got a little greedy and decided he wanted it for himself or maybe it was simply lost in the mail only to end up in that big storage the postal companies have? 

 

What do you as a purchaser do? Write it off as something that happens? Lodge a paypal dispute? Or if you've paid for it as a gift, come to an agreement with the seller? If so, what sort of agreements have been reached?

 

As a seller, what have you done? Ignore the buyer and put the blame onto the postal service (the company, not the band)? Met the buyer half way with a refund if no paypal dispute is lodged? Do paypal come to the party if you have a receipt for the postage?

 

Interested to know what people do in this sort of situation?

 

Cheers.

 

As a "purchaser":  I've probably purchased 1,000 albums in the last 6 years, give or take... and I can't recall a single one getting lost.  Sometimes patience is the key.  I've had records take close to a month to show up, despite being mailed just a few states away.  That's usually someone dragging their feet for whatever reason.  One time someone wrote down my address incorrectly, and it was returned to their address and they had to try again.  I guess that happens.  And I've had maybe one or two albums ordered from labels that failed to show up, but they were very good about replacing them.  The people who deliver my mail know the routine at this point, and I'd like to think they take precautions to make sure accidents don't happen.

 

But not everyone is as fortunate.  I have friends who live in areas that aren't fit to receive packages for one reason or another.  I have no doubt that things slip through the cracks.  More than likely, though, I'm willing to bet that there's just been a holdup on USPS' behalf.  Or perhaps some miscommunication with the address.  Can't really make any more educated guesses other than those since you've kept your situation rather vague.

 

I believe you have 45 days to open a Paypal dispute, from the time you've purchased the item.  If they're failing to respond to you after several attempts in those 45 days, I'd definitely open up a case.  If you paid for something as a gift and then need to "come to an agreement" with a complete stranger, you done fucked up.  Never gift unless you know the individual... or they have an extremely reputable, active reputation.

 

As a seller: I've never had a parcel lost, nor have I had to dispute anything with a customer.  (Knock on wood.)  I'm sure that providing a receipt of shipment doesn't really do a whole lot for you.  Or rather, it'd be difficult to "prove" too much from it.  But to cover your own ass, add tracking.  Despite what a lot of people think, tracking is not included in Media Mail.  (But it is featured with Priority.)  It's an extra dollar and confirms that your record is reaching its destination.  That at least covers the problem of something being lost in transit.

 

But as a rule of thumb: if the value of the record is something that you can't spontaneously front at any given moment, insure it at the post office.  You lose a bit on the sale, but it's completely worth it.  If I sell a $20 album on Discogs, I'm going to ship it Media Mail and add tracking, since that works without an issue 99% of the time.  In a worst case scenario - if the record is destroyed in transit or lost, and I dispute the incident but still have to end up paying - I'm out $20 and a record that's not all that rare.  It sucks, but life moves on.  But it it's a $50 album... or a $90+ album... that's a whole different story.  Which is why insurance is a must for valuable items.  Even if it's damaged or lost, you're not out the funds.

 

If you really want to cover your tracks, I'd photograph the record in the condition that you're selling it, and then also after it's been securely packaged.  It would benefit you greatly in case anything happens to the album, and the USPS need to investigate the case for insurance.  Obviously this is a huge pain in the ass if you sell a lot of albums, and I very practice it.  But it's a really good idea.

 

tl;dr version:

 

As a Buyer:

• Do contact the seller more than once to discuss any delays in shipping.

• Do open a Paypal Case if you don't have your record within 45 days.

• Do not Paypal any funds as "Gift" unless you know the seller personally, or they have an outstanding reputation.

 

As a Seller:

• Do spend the extra dollar and obtain tracking for your packages.

• Do insure packages in the $50+ dollar range.

• Consider photographing your record right before it's shipped.

 

Hope that helps.

[One Hundred Fifty-Two]

Be patient. Get tracking. Don't pay as a gift. And the hardest piece of advice: don't be an idiot.  

[dmac8706]

I send a record that took three months to get to a person. I felt bad cuz I knew that I sent it and didn't want to ruin my repatation so I just refunded him the money but he said it finally showed up and was nice enough to send me my money back but I paid for tracking and everything. It can just get stuck behind a shelf or anything at USPS. Sucks but sometimes just have to wait it out.

[Sad Heart]

Cry. Or do what Derek says.

[parkermatt]

As a "purchaser":  I've probably purchased 1,000 albums in the last 6 years, give or take... and I can't recall a single one getting lost.  Sometimes patience is the key.  I've had records take close to a month to show up, despite being mailed just a few states away.  That's usually someone dragging their feet for whatever reason.  One time someone wrote down my address incorrectly, and it was returned to their address and they had to try again.  I guess that happens.  And I've had maybe one or two albums ordered from labels that failed to show up, but they were very good about replacing them.  The people who deliver my mail know the routine at this point, and I'd like to think they take precautions to make sure accidents don't happen.

 

But not everyone is as fortunate.  I have friends who live in areas that aren't fit to receive packages for one reason or another.  I have no doubt that things slip through the cracks.  More than likely, though, I'm willing to bet that there's just been a holdup on USPS' behalf.  Or perhaps some miscommunication with the address.  Can't really make any more educated guesses other than those since you've kept your situation rather vague.

 

I believe you have 45 days to open a Paypal dispute, from the time you've purchased the item.  If they're failing to respond to you after several attempts in those 45 days, I'd definitely open up a case.  If you paid for something as a gift and then need to "come to an agreement" with a complete stranger, you done fucked up.  Never gift unless you know the individual... or they have an extremely reputable, active reputation.

 

As a seller: I've never had a parcel lost, nor have I had to dispute anything with a customer.  (Knock on wood.)  I'm sure that providing a receipt of shipment doesn't really do a whole lot for you.  Or rather, it'd be difficult to "prove" too much from it.  But to cover your own ass, add tracking.  Despite what a lot of people think, tracking is not included in Media Mail.  (But it is featured with Priority.)  It's an extra dollar and confirms that your record is reaching its destination.  That at least covers the problem of something being lost in transit.

 

But as a rule of thumb: if the value of the record is something that you can't spontaneously front at any given moment, insure it at the post office.  You lose a bit on the sale, but it's completely worth it.  If I sell a $20 album on Discogs, I'm going to ship it Media Mail and add tracking, since that works without an issue 99% of the time.  In a worst case scenario - if the record is destroyed in transit or lost, and I dispute the incident but still have to end up paying - I'm out $20 and a record that's not all that rare.  It sucks, but life moves on.  But it it's a $50 album... or a $90+ album... that's a whole different story.  Which is why insurance is a must for valuable items.  Even if it's damaged or lost, you're not out the funds.

 

If you really want to cover your tracks, I'd photograph the record in the condition that you're selling it, and then also after it's been securely packaged.  It would benefit you greatly in case anything happens to the album, and the USPS need to investigate the case for insurance.  Obviously this is a huge pain in the ass if you sell a lot of albums, and I very practice it.  But it's a really good idea.

 

tl;dr version:

 

As a Buyer:

• Do contact the seller more than once to discuss any delays in shipping.

• Do open a Paypal Case if you don't have your record within 45 days.

• Do not Paypal any funds as "Gift" unless you know the seller personally, or they have an outstanding reputation.

 

As a Seller:

• Do spend the extra dollar and obtain tracking for your packages.

• Do insure packages in the $50+ dollar range.

• Consider photographing your record right before it's shipped.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Cheers Derek. Some good stuff there. Was a purchase that is being sent internationally, USA to New Zealand, so things certainly take time but I've never had anything take this long. Usually 2-3 weeks maximum instead of 7-8. I had opened a case with paypal (didn't pay as gift either) but I know the seller has sent it as they've now provided a copy of the receipt so it could be a case of waiting around until it shows up. If nothing shows up then really no one wins in this situation. Plus my partner is dutch so if she knew I let this one slip by then i'll never hear the end of it (waste of money, could've spent on food for the baby etc).

[codeine]

Cheers Derek. Some good stuff there. Was a purchase that is being sent internationally, USA to New Zealand, so things certainly take time but I've never had anything take this long. Usually 2-3 weeks maximum instead of 7-8. I had opened a case with paypal (didn't pay as gift either) but I know the seller has sent it as they've now provided a copy of the receipt so it could be a case of waiting around until it shows up. If nothing shows up then really no one wins in this situation. Plus my partner is dutch so if she knew I let this one slip by then i'll never hear the end of it (waste of money, could've spent on food for the baby etc).

was it sent air or surface? air would be 2-3 weeks, but it wouldn't be abnormal for surface to take up to 2 months

[castaway]

I preordered a record recently that never showed up. I ended up emailing them to change my address because I was moving and the response was "Oh that shipped weeks ago". I never got an email or anything. They looked up my tracking number which says that a delivery notice was left a few weeks ago (I never got that either). I went to the post office and they said it was returned to the sender. A month later I'm still emailing the guy asking if he got it back yet and apparently he still hasn't. Not sure what to do at this point besides ask if he has any other copies laying around that he'll ship to me. 

[Guest]

Barf in box and then mail it back to whoever fucked up.