Ebay Purchase Shipped From A Consignor????????

Has anybody ever got this for a message from an ebay sale?

Thank you for your recent purchase! We would like to notify you that your item(s) ordered is consigned. Our Consignor was informed and will be sending you the item separately. A new tracking number will be issued and updated to you once we receive the shipping information from the Consignor. We ask a little more time for this process. We appreciate your patience and understanding regarding this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us via ebay or Hipstamp email system. We can also be reached directly by contacting ****** directly at ************. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you!

By the way I purchased this on the 17th and today is already the 23rd.

Should the lister disclose this?

Sounds similar to a drop-ship operation. I've not encountered this personally, but I don't know that ebay rules expressly prohibit it.

I know that overseas buyers sometimes do the reverse of this, most frequently to get around the sellers who don't ship internationally. The buyer uses a U.S. address which is actually that of a third-party shipping agent. Seller ships the item domestically to fulfillment point here in the U.S. (at which point the seller's obligation ends), and then the agent aggregates and sends the item(s) overseas to the buyer.

Thanks Dan,

Just kind of nervous in case there's a dispute or non delivery. What's the lister's responsibility?
And if the lister doesn't know exactly what was shipped from the third party, how much responsibility do they bear?

My opinion? YES, it should be prominently disclosed in the description of the item.

Selling something you do not have at the time without noting that up front is at best deceptive.

Mystic Stamp adds the phrase "ships in 30 days" to every such listing on their website so you know before you decide to buy. Still, there is no guarantee that they will actually receive or be able to obtain that item within that time frame.

Regarding delivery, the seller is obligated to prove delivery to the shipping address in the PayPal payment (in this case the agent), nothing beyond that. Liability for nondelivery then becomes the burden of the agent.




This becomes a bit stickier of a situation when it comes to SNAD claims or goods damaged en route. If the package is damaged (not lost) between the 3rd-party agent and the buyer, is the seller still liable? Knowing ebay, I would think yes.

The problem is that the seller does not necessarily KNOW that they are shipping to an agent rather than the actual buyer. There's usually nothing in the address that is a giveaway, presumably so that sellers don't know.

The handful of times I've known that I was shipping to a 3rd-party agent were when (1) the name was clearly Asian (which is not an indicator in and of itself) *AND* (2) in the payment were instructions along the lines of "clearly mark on the outside of the package 'REF#18843'" or something similar. If you get requests like that, you're sending to a third-party agent, not the actual buyer.

Well, guess I'll have to see what I get when I get it.

I think Dan is commenting on the opposite situation of 1typesetter's purchase. If the consignor is drop shipping to the buyer, the seller (agent) is the one liable for delivery to the buyer's PayPal address. If the consignor does not perform, the seller is liable.

I have seen situations where a seller in South America used a agent in the US for delivery. I assume the seller boxes-up all their ebay lots and sends them to an agent in the US by FedEx or some other reliable courier and then the agent mails to the individual purchasers in the US.

Lots of fingers in the pie.....

I had a similar circumstance with the UK cartel when I was still on my ebay learning curve. I received my genuine, but "regummed", gem about 5 weeks later.

I bought a US Scott #75 from an ebay seller identifying as being in a town near Los Angeles. My purchase arrived from an address in New Haven, CT. Go figure...

I recently bought an item (one that I really needed for my collection) from a well-known ebay dealer. After a couple of weeks went by with no word I inquired and was informed that the consignor could not locate the item. I got a full refund eventually. Deceptive? Perhaps. Annoying? Definitely.

I done business with people in Israel and had the package come from New York City ,I am sure it was a drop shipment . I purchased a lot from a seller in Argentina and it came from a mailing address in Miami Fl. some of this type of business is done for tax reasons in the home country .It is not done to hide from the buyer ,these are highly rated sellers .

Dudley:

Annoying? Yes. Deceptive? Most unlikely, especially if the item was purchased for near what was being asked for it.

It happens more often than you might think, and not just at ebay. Just like other retailers, some sellers do not do a good job of monitoring their inventory. An item can get sold but not removed from the inventory. It is usually just an oversight. I've had it happen to me several times, always followed by an apology and a refund.

Unless you bought a $5000 stamp for $50, a stamp that now conveniently can't be found, I wouldn't sweat it. You're not being deceived.

Or maybe they just lost it. I once won a $500 book for $75. The seller told me they lost it and canceled the sale. Six months later they found it and sold it to me for the $75 price.

uboat: the possible deception lies in the item being advertised as located in one place (the seller's actual location, implying part of seller's stock) whereas in reality it was in another (the consignor's undisclosed location). But you're right--no sweat.

ETA: My error. Went back to check the original listing and in fact the item was said to be located in a place other than the dealer's location, so I should have realized it was on consignment.