Tales from the Crypt - BST Horror Stories

[Joli]

1. Someone backed out from a trade after I gave him my full name (I hope it was for some other reason, but he didn't say anything even when I asked). He already knew my first name and address.

2. Someone was too impatient during a trade as USPS didn't update tracking for a few days.

3. International shipping (from CONUS). Sometimes it is hard to figure out address formats. Actually, when I first sent something to @morr, I googled to figure out what is whatin his address. Last night, someone else gave me money through F&F (I didn't ask) and his address had Bizkaia, SPAIN. Thing is, in paypal shipping printing (at least in english, in USA) there is nothing called Bizkaia. It is Vizcaya. So we had to go through a few more PMs to finalize everything. I think all these can be avoided if we use G&S exclusively.

There is nothing wrong with Bizkaia. i use to buy in some internet US Shaving stores, and you can select in the check out the country (Spain) and State (Bizkaia).

 

[SeanC]

Only one episode for me. It was a BST sale involving sending an item abroad. I sent it the most secure means offered via Royal Mail, unfortunately due to RM's ridiculous idea of secure tracking, once out of the UK nobody, not even RM knew who now had my parcel as they only track to the Uk border. Add to the mix an impatient buyer who couldn't understand why it hadn't turned up after 3 days, like their other purchases had managed and I was between a rock and a hard place with nowhere to turn and emails and PM's flying everywhere. I had no choice in my mind but to refund the buyer or I was going to go mad.
Obviously once refunded the item arrived after sitting in another countries customs for a week or more before processing. The very honest buyer instantly resent the payment, so all turned out well in the end for both parties but it just drives home just how much the seller is totally at the mercy of a postal service. I had insured my item to the hilt so I should always have been reimbursed as, let's be honest, if a postal service has lost your item, how the Hell can they argue what was in the package without having it to open and check? I don't offer overseas post anymore mainly due to RM's totally inadequate tracking, which they are more than happy to charge a premium for, yet cannot be bothered to actually tell you what you are paying for isn't worth the receipt it's printed on.

Sometimes if you put the tracking number in the destination countries tracking website all the missing tracking detail is available

 

[R181]

Sometimes if you put the tracking number in the destination countries tracking website all the missing tracking detail is available

Exactly this. I can track Royal Mail incoming to Canada on Can Post's web site. This has also worked for items from the US, Germany Ireland and South Africa.

OTH getting any postal service to admit an international item is lost seems to become a finger pointing game and/or the item is not lost we just haven't found it yet.

Bob

 

[Optometrist]

Sometimes if you put the tracking number in the destination countries tracking website all the missing tracking detail is available

Yes, and if you use the Royal Mail tracking for international shipments, there is a delivery partner link that takes you to the relevant page for that country.

 

[Wayne]

Sometimes if you put the tracking number in the destination countries tracking website all the missing tracking detail is available

Yeah except this time it wasn't and RM didn't know who had it and the countries postal services didn't recognise the RM tracking number. I spoke to RM twice. Zero help apart from telling me to wait 3 more weeks before claiming for loss. They were pathetic to be perfectly blunt.

 

[R181]

Yeah except this time it wasn't and RM didn't know who had it and the countries postal services didn't recognise the RM tracking number. I spoke to RM twice. Zero help apart from telling me to wait 3 more weeks before claiming for loss. They were pathetic to be perfectly blunt.

Yes, it can happen that the other country's tracking system does not recognize the originating country's tracking number. It has been a long while since that has happened to me. Out of curiosity, was the country you shipped to listed as a partner country on the RM tracking site?

Bob

 

[Xring3]

I’ve quit transactions on EBay. I have been rooked several times with no help when I complained to EBay. Lucky for me I didn’t lose too much money.

 

[iamsms]

Never said there is anything wrong with Bizakia. As I mentioned, I use PayPal to print shipping label and it doesn't have Bizakia as an option.

 

[Francorelli]

Fortunately I've never had a problem with any BST transaction on this or any other forum.

Ebay however, that's a different matter. As a buyer, I've had the usual instances of goods not being sent, poorly packaged or being faulty/not as described. My worst experiences though have been as a seller of items that are local collection only. This type of sale seems to attract the most obnoxiously self-centred and demanding clowns.

 

[Weekly]

I have been lucky and have bought and sold many items through BST from and to all over the world without any problems whatsoever.
Good communication is the key I feel and always package an item you are selling the way you would like to receive it! P.

Doing business with you , that would be
A pleasure.

 

[Wayne]

Yes, it can happen that the other country's tracking system does not recognize the originating country's tracking number. It has been a long while since that has happened to me. Out of curiosity, was the country you shipped to listed as a partner country on the RM tracking site?

Bob

It was Germany Bob, they are usually known for being super efficient, not when it comes to overseas postage. Apparantly they are known for hold ups at customs.

 

[zealshaver]

UK is probably the only European country that does not accept insurance when receiving parcels from foreign postal services.
Our only option when sending goodies to the UK is to use private companies with next day delivery such as DHL which considerably increase the cost.

 

[Blademonkey]

Doing business with you , that would be
A pleasure.

Thank you. P.

 

[RussellR5555]

I had one UK Parcel inbound to me go missing , and the Seller refunded me, and guess what a week or so later it arrived, so I instantly paid him again. Trouble was in the meantime I had bought a razor exactly the same so wound up with 2. but no harm done and a further transaction to sell one and all was well.

Had a similar experience @Francorelli on an eBay collection a sewing machine for £ 9-99 sold as second hand and the lady complained after to eBay it wasn't like new basically, Ebay were hopeless and as a result unless I absolutely have too I won't use them anymore.

 

[R181]

It was Germany Bob, they are usually known for being super efficient, not when it comes to overseas postage. Apparantly they are known for hold ups at customs.

Yes, they sure are know for hold ups in customs.

Just had an inbound package from the UK that was sent tracked and signed for that I can not track on CanPost's tracking site. Turns out CanPost can only track tracking numbers ending in CA which this one did not. My guess after hearing that from CanPost is that you should check and see if tracking numbers to a foreign destination contain the right destination country's designator at the end of the tracking number. This is just a guess as to why some packages become untrackable after arriving at the receiving country.

Bob