Help with non responsive vendor

[Reenie]

Hi,

I hope you are all well. I am more of a lurker here than a poster but need some help. I recently purchased a pair of matched sapphires from an eBay vendor who I have seen recommended on here a couple of times. As it was my first coloured stone purchase both online and via ebay I went for a relatively inexpensive purchase so we are not talking a huge amount of money here but i still wouldnt want to lose the cash. Once i confirmed I would purchase the item i received the confirmation email which advised me to contact the seller to get details of the postage as the seller hadnt provided them as part of the auction. I saw in the details beforehand that i was to contact the vendor post purchase for the total amount and as the store's feedback was good and had been recommended here i didnt think to check before confirming as i assumed the vendor would come back to me quickly to complete the sale. As I am in the Uk I wanted it shipped via fedex or dhl as it is quicker and i have emailed twice now and requested a total invoice figure but 2 days later and I have still heard nothing. I haven't made many ebay purchases and so only have 15 feedbacks but am currently at 100% but don't want to risk getting negative feedback by not paying but equally don't want to pay for a stone when I am not sure how much shipping will be or if I will even receive the stone.

Any suggestions as to what I am best doing?

Thanks in advance!

Reenie

 

[m76steve]

reenie-if you bought through ebay/paypal you are almost guaranteed a full refund w/shipping-you have 45 days from date of sale to protest the sale-keep all paperwork & stay involved-buying from ebay today is a lot safer than it used to be-if the seller offers insurance-use it-if they offer free shipping-shai away from it-to many chances of loosing in the mail or not being sent at all-ems or fedex is the way to go-good buying-steve....

 

[Lee Little]

Hi Reenie,
First of all as a buyer it is impossible to get a negative feedback or even a neutral feedback, buyers can only get positive on eBay. Two days is not long, I would email the seller then wait a few more days. A case may open against you after one week of not paying and I believe you can request an invoice including shipping at that point once again.
Certainly some members here have better advise than I do as there are some experts here on buying in eBay, I mostly just sell, have very little experience as a buyer. Best regards, Lee

 

[chrono]

I wouldn’t panic or worry quite yet as some vendors are a little slower to reply than others. What I’d do is to email another reminder, this time using short and very simple sentences if the vendor is from Thailand. If there is a language barrier, you’d get a quicker response if they can understand your email.

 

[JewelFreak]

There is a 12-hr time difference between the U.S. east coast & Thailand. (Don't know where you are, but check it out for your location.) So a day is lost -- email them at 7 a.m. here & it's night there. I'm waiting for a response on returning a stone too. It may take a few days but as long as you have proof you asked for a return code w/in the 7-day period or whatever the vendor allows, you should be ok.

--- Laurie

 

[LD]

I'm in the UK Reenie and I've got to add that I also think 2 days isn't anything to worry about. Thailand and that part of the world are usually only awake early in the morning (our time) until just after lunch. So you can take almost a day out of the equation if you've emailed them just after lunch. Also, if it's one of Tan's stores, Tan has been very ill and is recuperating. Unfortunately, his staff are not great at answering emails OR writing emails in English that you can understand fully.

One final thought ..... are you aware that if you use Fedex or DHL, the parcel will almost 100% of the time be stopped by customs and you'll have a hefty amount in import duties to pay? If the seller puts the true selling price on the envelope when exporting (some do, some don't), you can add on about 30% in inport/admin duties.

I always use regular mail when getting stones from Tan and that part of the world. It very rarely gets stopped by customs and I very rarely have to pay import duties. It takes about 7-14 days for the parcel to arrive (SOMETIMES much quicker) but it's a cheaper way to buy from abroad.

Hope that helps.

 

[minousbijoux]

LD's point about Fedex, DHL is a good one. In fact, I just received a bill from Fedex for customs fees they had paid on my package's behalf - thank God the items weren't all that expensive so the duty wasn't terribly high, but it is something to be aware of - it can get pricey really quickly if there are expensive goods involved.

 

[LD]

Just a warning for UK buyers ........... anything and everything coming from the US and China gets stopped by customs and thoroughly examined. I have no idea why and was told that directly by them! Worth bearing in mind. I always have to pay customs on LOGRs even though they come by regular mail.

Customs is calculated as a percentage of the declared value of the item AND then some companies add on VAT AND a handling charge!

 

[Reenie]

Thankyou all for your replies. Guess I am just a touch nervous as is one of my first ventures into online coloured gemstone purchases (have bought diamonds from PS vendors in the states before but never any gemstones from Thailand) and have always had super speedy replies to my emails in the past but i guess the language can be a problem. Sorry to hear that Tan has been poorly - it is a pair of his stones - hope he gets better soon.

Interesting about customs and fedex - I assumed they stopped all parcels from all countries. Weird that is is only the states and china but am not complaining! Have now paid for the item and added on the postage for regular airmail so we will see how we get on!! Ifthis goes well I have a feeling this won't be my last gemstone purchase as am all diamonded out and need a new avenue for my jewellery fix

Thanks again!

Reenie

 

[LD]

Sorry Reenie - just to be clear...... all parcels from the US and China are stopped and random ones from other countries! I wasn't trying to imply that nothing was checked from other countries just that it's not a foregone conclusion!