A little miffed

Thats how I can track it as the overnite envelope tracking number!

Originally Posted by missmymark

Well I paid the extra and had it OVERNITED. So He did get it on Thurs. I TOLD him I would overnite it!! I would NOT have worried about getting it to him quick if I knew he wasn't going to make an effort either.....but oh well. Hopefully I'll hear something by Monday!

I'm not sure what good yelling at us is going to do.

It sounds like there was not much in the way of pre-arrangements made. Were any of the details of the transaction worked out before?

You said you overnighted the MO to him, but had he agreed that if you sent it for Thursday arrival he would be able to sign for it on Thursday and would then ship out your snakes on Monday? Many people work day jobs and are not home to be able to sign for something during the day. Many people prefer paypal/CC for just this reason... it costs just as much to send money, but it's instant and they don't have to drive to a post office to pick it up, which can be a major pain. For example, in order to get to my post office I'd have to leave work an hour early, and it would still waste 2 hours of my day, plus the lost hour of pay.

Also, you mentioned that you just now noticed he only ships on Mon/Tue. (Again, it adds to the "there wasn't much planning/agreement before the deal" feeling here.) It doesn't sound like a shipping date had been worked out already. It sounds to me like there may have been a lot of assumption on your part about how everything was supposed to go, and now you are mad that the seller is not living up to the timeline you had imagined.

I think it should also be mentioned that many sellers will only ship Mon-Wed, because if there's a delay for any reason, the animal could be sitting in a box over the whole weekend. Some people play it safer and only ship on Mondays and Tuesdays. This is not unusual or suspicious, FYI.

Well tomorrow will mark a week that this mo has sat in his post office (yep its still there) The website for the USPS states that he has 5 days from the 2nd notice (which they left Sat.) then they will return it to me. What a wasted week. By the way I DO NOT OWN A CREDIT CARD nor do I want to! And I beleive that PAyPal requires one too. I guess if he has decided for one way or another NOT to sell the snakes to me then he could at least let me know SOMETHING instead of leaving me hanging....I told him I was working but had Monday Tues and Wed (this past week) off. That is why I was kinda thinking he's ship them then. Never did he say he wouldn't but I guess he didn't say he would either (did say much once I let him know the $$ was on the way).

Oh I know about how inconvienent it can be to run to the post office I live in the country no where near mine. I can drive in to send him the money as promised tho.

If by chance he don't send the snakes and I get the mo back I'll just wait until the next reptile show comes to Columbus and DRIVE to get my snakes (A good 3 hrs) but hey I'll get to choose them in person. Oh well lesson learned.

just out of curiosity, where did you find this person?

"Kinda thinking he'd ship them then"? I find it hard to believe that you would just up and send this guy money without making sure you had all of the details agreed upon, including the shipping date. I understand you're frustrated, but you can't pin all of the blame on this guy.....as a buyer, you need be responsible for asking for answers, not just assuming them.

And yes.......you can use Paypal without a credit card.

Heh, maybe I should have been more specific: by "credit card" I mean any Visa or Mastercard, which also includes debit cards that you can get with a basic checking account. Personally I can't imagine trying to do anything without one. When I had to get a card replaced and wait a week for it to arrive, I felt like I was living in the dark ages using those green rectangular paper thingies like some kind of barbarian.

Anyway, for future reference, it is definitely a good idea to work out all of the details of a transaction with the seller (method of payment, date of payment if by mail) before the deal takes place.

Out of curiosity, what kind of corns were you getting?

Sometimes shipping arrangements are made prior to receipt of payment, but I wouldn't call it the norm. As a buyer, I would never dream of telling a shipper (except one that I had a strong, long term business relationship with) that I will send money so ship them next Tuesday...nor would I expect him to ship prior to receipt of $$. Typically, the buyer sends payment (shipping requests/instructions can accompany funds); upon receipt, the seller will contact the buyer to make or confirm arrangements; the animal is shipped accordingly. I'm not going to try to second guess why this person hasn't picked up the payment. And at this point, I think all of us would be getting cranky - if for no other reason than the uncertainty of the situation. Things can happen, and I would be inclined to hold judgement until the seller is heard from...for one reason: he doesn't have the money in hand, so it isn't as if he is ripping you off. wasting time, yes. delaying your potential purchase of your snakes from somewhere else, yes. pi$$ing you off, (ya think?) yes. But as things stand, your money will be sent back to you by the post office on Friday.

Well It was gonna be a ghost, snow and anery but I get the feeling it will be nothing. I guess I'll post later if I get them or if I go to the show. I think the next reptile show is in Nov. or Dec....coming up fairly soon....(Columbus, Ohio if anyone knows please post!)

There are also Pre-Paid MasterCards. In my area I can get them at Safeway markets. There is an initial fee to open the account and small fees each time you re-charge or put more money on the card.

I don't have any credit cards either. I do have a PayPal account and a debit card. Banks don't necessarily hand out debit cards just because one has a checking account at the bank. My bank requires a credit/loan application before issuing a debit card. If a person has compromised credit or no credit they won't be issued a debit card.

Jamie, I think your frustration is valid. I can relate to being excited about purchasing some snakes. I think that most of us had an initial period where we didn't have much experience with the business side of the hobby. It's a darn shame when our idealism and trusting enthusiasm runs up against a contrary reality. Consider this a lesson learned. You are smarter now.

Yed most definitley a lesson learned...Gues what! He finally picked the MO up from the post office. I hope to hear from him soon as for the shipping date. Coyote funny you should bring that up because I just checked into that (the pre-paid MC) LOL> Even if I get these guys I'll still go to the show. Its Nov 19th. Might see some neat stuff there and meet some people that can tell me alot as far as raising and possibly breeding (tho it will be at least 2 yrs or so for that). I need to get a camera so I can post pics. I have seen some awsome pics thru this site...