Before you read any further, know that this post has nothing to do with the TV show Lost, I just thought the picture made sense here. Anyway, have you ever made a trade or bought something on eBay only to never have it show up? I can say this has happened to me for the first time, for now anyway. I've got one trade in progress where I sent my end of the deal and haven't received any cards or communications for a few months now. Then I have one card I bought on one of the hobby message boards that seems to be lost in the mail.
Both are from Canada, so I kind of expect things to get held up at the border once in a while, and I have no problem with that as long as they show up eventually. Hopefully these two packages will just appear out of nowhere now that I said something about them...
How often does thing kind of thing happen to you? Also, what are your experiences with something taking a bit longer than expected to cross the border? I'm not sure if waiting a month is long enough to get worried or not.
It has happened to be (on both sides). I have sent cards that have never shown up and I have had cards sent to me that I have never received.
ReplyDeletePretty much in every instance, I have found that respectful, open communication is key. Staying calm is key. Working WITH the other person is key. When these things do not happen, then that's when ill feelings or unresolved issues occur.
I think missing mail is part of the risk taken in mailing cards back and forth (it's bound to happen to everyone). That means at some point I'm going to end up on the losing end of something - it's just gonna be that way. But the question is "How do you deal with the circumstances?"
I prefer to wait a little longer...keeping the lines of communication open, I like to discuss possible compensation whichever way it may go and I like to err on the side of caution as opposed to attack the other person.
Many times I have had to calm the other side down and have found that being a good listener helps.
At the end of the day though it's about working together. Lost cards are likely to not surface, so that means somebody will be "out" something. It happens.
ps. I've waited as long as 2 1/2 months sometimes. For what it's worth. And they ended up arriving.
Being a hockey cards collector from Europe (Slovak republic), I experience this kind of stuff pretty often. Sometimes, my cards arrive to me in more than a month.
ReplyDeleteAnd few items were also lost in transit (or were not sent by the seller? I can´t blame anyone, cause it was not a registered mail), which really break my heart.
Anyway, everytime I buy or trade cards, I consider them "my own" only when they arrive into my post box. This way, I´m prepared for lost mail and take it at least a little easier...