Silk Road forums
Discussion => Silk Road discussion => Topic started by: bluedev1 on August 02, 2013, 09:11 am
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Are there any rules against doing this? It's annoying of course, and I don't want to waste my time writing the vendor to find out when to expect my package, nor waste their time. But if 4 business days go by and it's been marked in transit, I start to get nervous, especially when I haven't heard from the vendor about any delay. I've had 3 vendors do this recently.
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I don't think there is any written rule against it, but it's certainly frowned upon to mark something in transit way ahead of when it's actually shipped out. Then again, vendors may sometimes have reasons for that, I don't know.
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yeah by the 3rd occurrence i figured there must not be any consequences to doing it other than perhaps negative feedback. im left a little uncertain about how much negative feedback it warrants. if there are reasons for doing this that pertain to security then i want to be understanding, but i cant really think of how it would.
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I don't think there is any written rule against it, but it's certainly frowned upon to mark something in transit way ahead of when it's actually shipped out. Then again, vendors may sometimes have reasons for that, I don't know.
One reason I can think of is that once an order is marked in transit, the buyer can't cancel it (as a buyer might very well do if the order was still in processing after four or five days).
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I dont think you can cancel an order that soon anyway, does anybody know how many days in 'processing' must pass before cancelling is possible?
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There is a clear message to vendors that it should not actually be marked 'in transit' until actually shipped.
However, it would be wise for a vendor to mark it as such when printing label and immediately BEFORE heading off to the post office to avoid buyers requesting a cancellation when it's already been posted.
I dont think you can cancel an order that soon anyway, does anybody know how many days in 'processing' must pass before cancelling is possible?
4 days for buyers
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Just message the vendor. Hopefully they are understanding of any reason you may have and will cancel the order for you.
If you've only made the order within the last couple of hours, chances are they haven't seen it yet anyway.
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I've got no beef with marking it in transit before its actually in the postbox - say the evening before, if they've got it ready to go in the morning, as that makes absolutely no difference to the postage time.
Saying that days before though is a bit off imo, ain't never happened to me but if it did i'd just give a shout to check they've not forgotten little old you!
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Seriously????? I guess you must think all vendors sit on SR 24/7 right....? Most busy vendors have 50+ messages in their in box every day, 15-30 orders...every day....and things happen all the time. In my case I ship 2 times a week and that varies for my safety. My orders stack up and are put in transit the day before packaging and shipping....sometimes those packages sit 1 day for any number of reasons......I have on my main page...shipping could take 5-7 days.....most of the time its 2-3 days.....but give my self plenty of time........I just wrote a post about this exact topic......here it is.....this guy got sent directly to vendor roundtable black list....here is his review
communication 5/5.....just excellent
Product 5/5 dank as fuck
stealth 5/5....just awesome
shipping 3/5 ordered on a Tuesday got it on Saturday......I wanted it for Friday night
overall giving this vendor 4/5.......great products.
That was his last order from me.....and most likely any vendor who checks the black list.
Hopefully the OP.....understands....you are buying drugs on the world wide web and you want it delivered right to your door.....all the preparation takes time.
yeah by the 3rd occurrence i figured there must not be any consequences to doing it other than perhaps negative feedback. im left a little uncertain about how much negative feedback it warrants. if there are reasons for doing this that pertain to security then i want to be understanding, but i cant really think of how it would.
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Seriously????? I guess you must think all vendors sit on SR 24/7 right....? Most busy vendors have 50+ messages in their in box every day, 15-30 orders...every day....and things happen all the time. In my case I ship 2 times a week and that varies for my safety. My orders stack up and are put in transit the day before packaging and shipping....sometimes those packages sit 1 day for any number of reasons......I have on my main page...shipping could take 5-7 days.....most of the time its 2-3 days.....but give my self plenty of time........I just wrote a post about this exact topic......here it is.....this guy got sent directly to vendor roundtable black list....here is his review
communication 5/5.....just excellent
Product 5/5 dank as fuck
stealth 5/5....just awesome
shipping 3/5 ordered on a Tuesday got it on Saturday......I wanted it for Friday night
overall giving this vendor 4/5.......great products.
That was his last order from me.....and most likely any vendor who checks the black list.
Hopefully the OP.....understands....you are buying drugs on the world wide web and you want it delivered right to your door.....all the preparation takes time.
yeah by the 3rd occurrence i figured there must not be any consequences to doing it other than perhaps negative feedback. im left a little uncertain about how much negative feedback it warrants. if there are reasons for doing this that pertain to security then i want to be understanding, but i cant really think of how it would.
Wow ..I can see why you would black list that guy..he got it on the 4th day, holy jesus I only wish that was how all vendors operated..that is ridiculous.
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Seriously????? I guess you must think all vendors sit on SR 24/7 right....? Most busy vendors have 50+ messages in their in box every day, 15-30 orders...every day....and things happen all the time. In my case I ship 2 times a week and that varies for my safety. My orders stack up and are put in transit the day before packaging and shipping....sometimes those packages sit 1 day for any number of reasons......I have on my main page...shipping could take 5-7 days.....most of the time its 2-3 days.....but give my self plenty of time........I just wrote a post about this exact topic......here it is.....this guy got sent directly to vendor roundtable black list....here is his review
communication 5/5.....just excellent
Product 5/5 dank as fuck
stealth 5/5....just awesome
shipping 3/5 ordered on a Tuesday got it on Saturday......I wanted it for Friday night
overall giving this vendor 4/5.......great products.
That was his last order from me.....and most likely any vendor who checks the black list.
Hopefully the OP.....understands....you are buying drugs on the world wide web and you want it delivered right to your door.....all the preparation takes time.
yeah by the 3rd occurrence i figured there must not be any consequences to doing it other than perhaps negative feedback. im left a little uncertain about how much negative feedback it warrants. if there are reasons for doing this that pertain to security then i want to be understanding, but i cant really think of how it would.
I am curious did you blacklist him cause the overall was 4/5 or would you have if he gave a 5/5 but still said the 3/5 stuff about shipping?
I just wondering cause one of my orders is on day13 and seller claims he shipped(i don't believe) but if it gets here by Sat and is all there I would still give 5/5 but also let people know that seller takes forever to ship. Would that get me blacklisted??
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Affecting a vendor's rating usually gets you blacklisted. Not the comments unless it's something that puts the vendor's security at risk. But even then, that part of feedback comment can be removed by SR staff.
Giving a vendor a 4/5 usually doesn't end up getting a buyer blacklisted. I mean, if they show that they have unrealistic expectations and a really just being a picky prick, then yeah they're getting blacklisted. Who wants to be bothered by that kind of buyer? New sellers need to be especially concerned with that kind of buyer.
Leaving a 3/5 or less will almost certainly get you blacklisted unless it's really warranted. And "warranted" is from a vendor's point of view.
Feedback blackmailers all get blacklisted. No discussion required.
Just remember... at the end of the day, vendors are taking on the lion share of the risk. Unless they are really out of control and messing up really bad, cut them some slack. So if you get your order or a refund, leave a 5/5 but comment about whatever pleased or bothered you about the transaction. That's what actually helps other buyers. Driving down a vendor's rating with your singular, isolated 1/5 amongst a string of 5/5s, drives down the vendors rating but looks like you're just trying to use feedback blackmail.
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""Just remember... at the end of the day, vendors are taking on the lion share of the risk.""
Um isn't that why vendors on average have a several hundred percent markup on their goods? :) Certainly vendors face the prospect of more jail time if busted than a buyer with small quantities, but in some respects SR buyers place themselves in greater physical risk than vendors, who have the buyer's name and address, of which we have no control over...that's a big leap of faith. Let's face facts. Many vendors have certain kinds of contacts that might come in handy should a disagreement arise between vendor and buyer....you know where to find us but we have no way of facing you. Thankfully, most SR folk just want to engage in good honest trade.
And in doing so I don't think anyone's doing anyone any favours here - the buyer and seller have a thoroughly symbiotic role as in all marketplaces. That's why I think the 'acknowledging heroes' post is kind of stupid. Using that rationale, you may as well go down to your local cafe and thank the owner for his heroic work. I don't appreciate a vendor just because he's a vendor. I don't think he's brave or heroic for breaking the law by selling dope. He ain't doing it for the love, that's for damn sure.
I do appreciate professionalism, however. The best vendors are incredible. Watching what I can of their supply chain at work from afar until your goodies reach the end of the line in the form of a totally innocuous, brilliantly disguised piece of post in my mailbox can be a small pleasure.
Anyway, I think that if the vendor makes it clear that they don't ship every day (and tells the buyer when they're going to ship, gives an ETA if it's a time sensitive package, as they often are, so the buyer can make appropriate plans - and then more or less sticks to the delivery date they said), then buyer beware.
However if there's little or no discussion of shipping policy and I pay for express delivery (which is often the only delivery option offered and the cost is usually three or four times the actual mailing price charged by the post office), I would expect next working day delivery (not international, obviously) if I placed the order early in the morning. Day after at the absolute, absolute latest. I wouldn't be happy if I paid express post then the vendor waited a couple of days before posting my gear if they hadn't let me know in advance or given info about their shipping policy. I'd complain to them about that and if they weren't willing to do the right thing by me I wouldn't give them a positive review. To be frank I don't give a crap about the vendor's commitments outside of SR - these are no excuse for slow delivery and delays if I've paid for express postage. I don't reckon that's unreasonable....
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I dont think its against the rules but I also dont think a respectable vendor would mark in transit on purpose without sending the item. I would never purchase twice from a vendor that marks in transit on purpose without sending. Just my 2 cents
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Getting back to the actual subject content of the thread! On the bottom of the orders page for vendors this is what is said;
* If an address appears invalid, double check with the buyer
** Notice: addresses are deleted once shipment is confirmed. DO NOT confirm shipment until the item has actually been shipped!
We for one don't mark any of the daily orders "in transit" until all have been dropped off. Sometimes we cannot get back to the computer until later that evening to mark them "in transit," but we also never use or ask anyone to FE, so we always have everone's orders for the day dropped off before marking them.
Some of those vendors who so require FE HAVE TO mark in transit before they send out or it defeats the purpose, we just don't think it's necessary or professional to require FE. We also don't send out large amounts either.
NCK
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""Just remember... at the end of the day, vendors are taking on the lion share of the risk.""
Um isn't that why vendors on average have a several hundred percent markup on their goods? :) Certainly vendors face the prospect of more jail time if busted than a buyer with small quantities, but in some respects SR buyers place themselves in greater physical risk than vendors, who have the buyer's name and address, of which we have no control over...that's a big leap of faith. Let's face facts. Many vendors have certain kinds of contacts that might come in handy should a disagreement arise between vendor and buyer....you know where to find us but we have no way of facing you. Thankfully, most SR folk just want to engage in good honest trade.
You make a fine and fair point here that is often missed by both buyers and vendors alike. And why it puzzles me sometimes when buyers act in certain ways as if they are at no risk at all. You can see it in certain threads or when you see vendors complaining about certain buyer conduct.
And in doing so I don't think anyone's doing anyone any favours here - the buyer and seller have a thoroughly symbiotic role as in all marketplaces. That's why I think the 'acknowledging heroes' post is kind of stupid. Using that rationale, you may as well go down to your local cafe and thank the owner for his heroic work. I don't appreciate a vendor just because he's a vendor. I don't think he's brave or heroic for breaking the law by selling dope. He ain't doing it for the love, that's for damn sure.
LOL. Well, yeah that DPR post was sort of idealistic. The real "heroes" of SR are its creators. However, omit the idealism and in the context of drug trafficking, if there's no sellers, there's no market. The buyers will always be there. So it's not exactly symbiotic in a realistic sense. The sellers aren't creating demand, they are only meeting it. Maybe it could be best looked at it as a co-dependent relationship.
I do appreciate professionalism, however. The best vendors are incredible. Watching what I can of their supply chain at work from afar until your goodies reach the end of the line in the form of a totally innocuous, brilliantly disguised piece of post in my mailbox can be a small pleasure.
Anyway, I think that if the vendor makes it clear that they don't ship every day (and tells the buyer when they're going to ship, gives an ETA if it's a time sensitive package, as they often are, so the buyer can make appropriate plans - and then more or less sticks to the delivery date they said), then buyer beware.
However if there's little or no discussion of shipping policy and I pay for express delivery (which is often the only delivery option offered and the cost is usually three or four times the actual mailing price charged by the post office), I would expect next working day delivery (not international, obviously) if I placed the order early in the morning. Day after at the absolute, absolute latest. I wouldn't be happy if I paid express post then the vendor waited a couple of days before posting my gear if they hadn't let me know in advance or given info about their shipping policy. I'd complain to them about that and if they weren't willing to do the right thing by me I wouldn't give them a positive review. To be frank I don't give a crap about the vendor's commitments outside of SR - these are no excuse for slow delivery and delays if I've paid for express postage. I don't reckon that's unreasonable....
Absolutely agree. A vendor should not offer Express/Next day options if they aren't committed to fulfilling it. There really is no excuse for that.
We get requests for the service every now and again from a few buyers. Some get huffy about us not willing to do if for security reasons.
We make our shipping policy pretty clear, but you know, some don't read that info. It's in the listings and on our profile. Those are the days I wish we could either have the ability to use BOLD or UNDERLINE or even COLOR to add emphasis to catch the reader's eye.
SR is sort of rudimentary. LOL.
Anyway, fine points. +karma.
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Agree with all of the above except...
"The real "heroes" of SR are its creators. "
Can't really agree with you here. They had an innovative idea, developed a sound business model and executed it well. The rise and rise of SR is a fairly textbook example of the free market in action. The people behind it are no different from any other successful entrepreneur. Good luck to them. I am not at all resentful of the success of people who have a vision to produce something that others value and make it work for them - quite the opposite. Entrepreneurs are perhaps the most underrated (and most unfairly demonised) people in society. I'd even argue that the entrepreneur is actually the most important role in society. A doctor saves lives, but an entrepreneur makes lives possible. Makes the future better.
They aren't heroes, however. Nor are doctors. Neither are the owners of SR.
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Heya,
Some larger vendors use a network of private couriers to get the packages away from where they are prepared, we do this too. We can´t have close to 100 packages a day leaving from the same town. it would cause suspicion. What we do is fake business packages from companies all over the country and then hand them off in bulk to couriers that take them to be posted in their respective towns. We mark as in transit when it leaves the package distribution office and heads on to the private couriers, it can then be anything from 6 - 48 hours till its actually in the mail system. We don´t like having to do this honestly, it aads time and effort and we have to pay all of the couriers. but weve got no choice now as weve got so big. I think were going to start looking at dividing up the company with different people handling different sections so we can go back to the one on one simple approach we had before. It was more personal, less company like and imo much better
ACE
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I don't think there is any written rule against it, but it's certainly frowned upon to mark something in transit way ahead of when it's actually shipped out. Then again, vendors may sometimes have reasons for that, I don't know.
Well there should be a rule against it. Way to many vendors are doing it . I have only been here a couple of months and its always happening . It just happened again to me today 5 days after it was said it was in transit.
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I am sometimes guilty of this but it would never be more then 2 days. The reason I do this is because
- I mark in transit when they are packaged, labelled, and waiting to be dropped off
- HOWEVER I do not drop it off it if it is a weekend, because it would not be in transit until Monday
- Hence my date of drop off does not affect delivery, just the amount of time it is spent in the system
However marking in transit in the way that would delay delivery time would be very frustrating.
WS
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If the vendor is upfront about shipping times, fine. If it takes a little longer to ship a package because you're a big operation and you have to take certain step when sending out mail which can cause delays, well....sorry to say but that isn't really the buyer's problem. Don't charge the buyer hefty express post fees. The buyer shouldn't have to be a victim of your success.
Personally, if I place an order before the afternoon postage deadline with a local vendor, I expect max two business day delivery - and actually should be one. Anything more than two and I'm going to ask for a partial refund on my postage fee. And if no refund, then I'd have to resort to a less than 5 star review.
In fact, if I ordered something on a Tuesday from a local supplier and paid express postage because I wanted it for Friday night and it didn't arrive by Friday...I'd want a fair bit more than a discount off the postal charge for screwing up my Friday night plans.
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If the vendor is upfront about shipping times, fine. If it takes a little longer to ship a package because you're a big operation and you have to take certain step when sending out mail which can cause delays, well....sorry to say but that isn't really the buyer's problem. Don't charge the buyer hefty express post fees. The buyer shouldn't have to be a victim of your success.
Personally, if I place an order before the afternoon postage deadline with a local vendor, I expect max two business day delivery - and actually should be one. Anything more than two and I'm going to ask for a partial refund on my postage fee. And if no refund, then I'd have to resort to a less than 5 star review.
In fact, if I ordered something on a Tuesday from a local supplier and paid express postage because I wanted it for Friday night and it didn't arrive by Friday...I'd want a fair bit more than a discount off the postal charge for screwing up my Friday night plans.
Totally agree with that. However vendors have 4 days of processing time, which kind of skews the entire process. Happened to me before as a buyer.
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Agree with all of the above except...
"The real "heroes" of SR are its creators. "
Can't really agree with you here. They had an innovative idea, developed a sound business model and executed it well. The rise and rise of SR is a fairly textbook example of the free market in action. The people behind it are no different from any other successful entrepreneur. Good luck to them. I am not at all resentful of the success of people who have a vision to produce something that others value and make it work for them - quite the opposite. Entrepreneurs are perhaps the most underrated (and most unfairly demonised) people in society. I'd even argue that the entrepreneur is actually the most important role in society. A doctor saves lives, but an entrepreneur makes lives possible. Makes the future better.
They aren't heroes, however. Nor are doctors. Neither are the owners of SR.
OK, fair enough. Though, would you settle for "courageous?"
Or what would you define a "hero" to be?
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You guys should also consider that some vendors do not actually drop off the items themselves and use a proxy client to do the actual dropping off. In addition to that, mailboxes do not load tracking when the item is put into the box, but only later when the actual package arrives to a facility that does that, and not all stops along the way do that either. Your item can be "in transit" but not in transit with the post office yet. In addition, some of you seem to think that the times and estimates on the usps website are absolutely accurate, when in fact we are talking about an organization that is horribly mangled by influence of government.
so yes, it can be in transit when its not in transit the way you are thinking.
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If that's the case, then perhaps my vendors lied to me and simply told me they actually hadn't shipped it out til days later, because they wanted to cover USPS's ass? ::) Seems legit.
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Agree with all of the above except...
"The real "heroes" of SR are its creators. "
Can't really agree with you here. They had an innovative idea, developed a sound business model and executed it well. The rise and rise of SR is a fairly textbook example of the free market in action. The people behind it are no different from any other successful entrepreneur. Good luck to them. I am not at all resentful of the success of people who have a vision to produce something that others value and make it work for them - quite the opposite. Entrepreneurs are perhaps the most underrated (and most unfairly demonised) people in society. I'd even argue that the entrepreneur is actually the most important role in society. A doctor saves lives, but an entrepreneur makes lives possible. Makes the future better.
They aren't heroes, however. Nor are doctors. Neither are the owners of SR.
OK, fair enough. Though, would you settle for "courageous?"
Yep :)
I'd also consider a person who quits their job, mortgages their house and starts up a business as courageous.
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I left a 1/5 for this one time. I don't give a shit if he blacklisted me or not, my stats speak for themselves.
My order was processing for 5 days. I contacted the vendor, rather than just hitting cancel, which I should have done in the first place, just to make sure he had not sent it and forgot to mark it "in transit" and told him that if he had not sent it, especially considering I paid an extra 15 bucks for his fast priority extra stealth, the he could cancel it or just tell me and I would cancel it.
Well, I was on for about an hour and checked my messages a few times. As soon as he read it, he marked it in transit and told me that he made a mistake and forgot to do so. He advertised that he would provide tracking if the package had not arrived within a week of placing the order, so I waited a couple of days and asked for the tracking number and was told that he would look it up. A few days later with no response, I asked again and he gave me a lecture about how much work he had to do and hundreds of orders he had, all the work and his personal sacrifice and risking his freedom. He didn't mention all the fucking money he was pulling in and being dishonest as fuck, so I responded that he could give me a refund and just let me keep the product that he had sent since he was so keen on performing such a selfless service to humanity and all I wanted was what I paid for according to his profile. Shipped within two days, usually next day if ordered before midnight and I paid extra for shipping.
This cocksmith fucked me around for two weeks, finally telling me he had lost all the tracking info because he was so diligent in protecting his customers identities. This same vendor was banned for keeping customers addresses. Anyway, almost 21 days after the order and numerous extensions, I just started copying and pasting the same message over and over, about 100 messages a day or 20 or so every time I logged on. After three days, he told me that I was violating the rules by messaging him so much and he issued a refund. So I kept messaging him asking exactly what the fuck was going on with my package that was sent three weeks earlier, because at that point, I felt I deserved the package for free after him fucking me around. Well, he told me that he had not sent a package.
Now that is how some vendors act. If we are expected to follow your "rules" on your profile, then you should follow your own rules. Be a little more like a retail store. If you fuck up, eat the cost 100 percent. It is not like you are not making money. I get tired of all this bitching from a few vendors about all the risk. Well, I am more likely to die driving to my box every day for a month checking for a package that has not been sent on schedule more than the vendor is of getting busted, plus, the vendor is anonymous once it is mailed. He uses a fake address and I have my info, or at least my fake info on mine and I actually have to pick the shit up.
I say all that to say this. These fuckwads who will cancel your order for the slightest error and then lie and not follow their own rules, really REALLY make me appreciate the majority of the vendors who are honest. I have had more of them go above and beyond, upgrading my shipping for free, making a trip just to drop off my package before the end of the day, throwing in extras and lots of other stuff that they didn't have to do, but did anyway.
I guess that is why I don't go with the cheapest vendors. Maybe their prices reflect their willingness to put actual effort into their business. I have a few that I deal with and I am never disappointed by them and I have asked them to price match their shitty competition and they often have done so.
These are the vendors that keep me on the road and I give them a great amount of respect.
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Some larger vendors use a network of private couriers to get the packages away from where they are prepared, we do this too. We can´t have close to 100 packages a day leaving from the same town. it would cause suspicion. What we do is fake business packages from companies all over the country and then hand them off in bulk to couriers that take them to be posted in their respective towns. We mark as in transit when it leaves the package distribution office and heads on to the private couriers, it can then be anything from 6 - 48 hours till its actually in the mail syste
You guys should also consider that some vendors do not actually drop off the items themselves and use a proxy client to do the actual dropping off.
However vendors have 4 days of processing time, which kind of skews the entire process.
OK fine. So you'Ve either got some system in place which slows the ETA down A LOT to cover your own asses, or perhaps you're using a shitty slow system (your courier takes up to 48hrs to drop a package into a mailbox???) to get your gear to your clients. No problem at all. Just give the buyer a realistic timeframe. And don't charge $20+ for "express" delivery that's slower than regular mail.
HOWEVER I do not drop it off it if it is a weekend, because it would not be in transit until Monday
- Hence my date of drop off does not affect delivery, just the amount of time it is spent in the system
So I've been bitching a lot about vendors, but any buyer who complains about the above yet placed their order on a Fri/Sat - or even late Thurs - and expects Monday delivery's a retard. Express/priority mail often won't do it that fast, even direct from buyer to seller. FFS get to know the delivery times.
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hey, I'd like to weigh in on this, being one of the larger vendors here on SR. Being a large vendor doesn't give me the right to mark an order in transit, not ship it, and then not tell the customer what's going on. Personally, I only mark orders "in transit" once they are actually in transit. But that is besides the point.
The problem I think that customers have with vendors here is bad communication - It is totally unacceptable to mark an order in transit before it has shipped, and NOT tell the buyer. That's the problem.
If a vendor ALWAYS ships 24-48 hours after they mark an order in transit, and this is communicated to the buyer, then maybe, because the buyer can factor that into when they should expect the package to arrive. But if the vendor marks it in transit without shipping it and doesn't tell the buyer, the buyer is expecting an order to come in the mail that hasn't even been shipped - this is just bad communication, and bad business. These are sensitive items, this can make a buyer think that LE has snagged their package, causing undo stress on the buyer, because the vendor didn't communicate what was going on.
The problem of packages not being shipped but marked in transit, and bad communication about that, is a result of a larger problem here on SR: Many vendors here on SR think that customers should thank their lucky stars that they are allowed to purchase from them. In fact, it should be the other way around: The vendor should be thankful to the customer for their business! Any vendor who thinks they can do whatever they want because they are large, better check themselves. No buyer likes a vendor being cocky just because they are in the top 3% of vendors. It doesn't give me the right, or any vendor the right, to take a buyer for granted. My customers each feel like they are my only customer, and that's the way it should be. I hear evidence of this problem all the time. When I first started here on SR, customers would apologize to me all the time in advance when they have any kind of comment which could be construed as a complaint, as if I was going to cancel their order and ban them from ordering from me for life for insulting me, as if I'm some kind of Vendor God. They would say, "I don't mean to complain, and I'm so sorry if I'm taking any of your time or if this insults you, but...", or "I'm so thankful for what you do, and if I'm being out of line by saying this, I'm terribly sorry, but can you tell me when my order is going to ship?" Wow, customers should be able to freely talk/communicate with us vendors without fear of reprisal or fear of having their orders cancelled or being banned. It never ceases to amaze me how scared many buyers are of offending me. Cmon guys, let's have open communication. I'm not perfect and I screw up sometimes, and if I do, buyers, feel free to call me out on it. Just be respectful about it, I'm doing my best here. If you are respectful to me, I'll be respectful back and I'll probably want to make it up to you, in spades.
But back to my point - it's a mutual respect that needs to occur between the buyer and the vendor, that is the big issue here. As long as that exists, as long as vendors don't have a God complex, as long as there is open communication, there probably won't be this bitternesss that I sense from many buyers here on SR. And then buyers won't have to be so angry about something a vendor does and have to make a thread here in the community forum about it, because they feel they can't say it directly to their vendor!
QM
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The vendors with lots of listings and heavy traffic are the only ones I've had processing troubles with. There is usually some mention of it in the feedback so I like to read a few pages into the comments. The smart vendors go into stealth mode or pull the listings when orders back up like that, some try to fight through it and have delays though.
I prefer the vendors with fewer listings that focus on a specific drug, there seems to be less confusion and better consistency with shipping. With these vendors my orders usually go out the same day, cuts out the stress of waiting for it to be marked in transit. I seem to get the best weed from vendors that operate this way, it's like they care more about the quality of the product and not just moving weight.
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hey, I'd like to weigh in on this, being one of the larger vendors here on SR. Being a large vendor doesn't give me the right to mark an order in transit, not ship it, and then not tell the customer what's going on. Personally, I only mark orders "in transit" once they are actually in transit. But that is besides the point.
The problem I think that customers have with vendors here is bad communication - It is totally unacceptable to mark an order in transit before it has shipped, and NOT tell the buyer. That's the problem.
If a vendor ALWAYS ships 24-48 hours after they mark an order in transit, and this is communicated to the buyer, then maybe, because the buyer can factor that into when they should expect the package to arrive. But if the vendor marks it in transit without shipping it and doesn't tell the buyer, the buyer is expecting an order to come in the mail that hasn't even been shipped - this is just bad communication, and bad business. These are sensitive items, this can make a buyer think that LE has snagged their package, causing undo stress on the buyer, because the vendor didn't communicate what was going on.
The problem of packages not being shipped but marked in transit, and bad communication about that, is a result of a larger problem here on SR: Many vendors here on SR think that customers should thank their lucky stars that they are allowed to purchase from them. In fact, it should be the other way around: The vendor should be thankful to the customer for their business! Any vendor who thinks they can do whatever they want because they are large, better check themselves. No buyer likes a vendor being cocky just because they are in the top 3% of vendors. It doesn't give me the right, or any vendor the right, to take a buyer for granted. My customers each feel like they are my only customer, and that's the way it should be. I hear evidence of this problem all the time. When I first started here on SR, customers would apologize to me all the time in advance when they have any kind of comment which could be construed as a complaint, as if I was going to cancel their order and ban them from ordering from me for life for insulting me, as if I'm some kind of Vendor God. They would say, "I don't mean to complain, and I'm so sorry if I'm taking any of your time or if this insults you, but...", or "I'm so thankful for what you do, and if I'm being out of line by saying this, I'm terribly sorry, but can you tell me when my order is going to ship?" Wow, customers should be able to freely talk/communicate with us vendors without fear of reprisal or fear of having their orders cancelled or being banned. It never ceases to amaze me how scared many buyers are of offending me. Cmon guys, let's have open communication. I'm not perfect and I screw up sometimes, and if I do, buyers, feel free to call me out on it. Just be respectful about it, I'm doing my best here. If you are respectful to me, I'll be respectful back and I'll probably want to make it up to you, in spades.
But back to my point - it's a mutual respect that needs to occur between the buyer and the vendor, that is the big issue here. As long as that exists, as long as vendors don't have a God complex, as long as there is open communication, there probably won't be this bitternesss that I sense from many buyers here on SR. And then buyers won't have to be so angry about something a vendor does and have to make a thread here in the community forum about it, because they feel they can't say it directly to their vendor!
QM
^^^^^ +1 ^^^^^^ Our sentiments exactly! Very well put, exactly where we're coming from.
NCK
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I find it interesting that some buyers in this thread seem to suggest that some vendors are disrespecting their perceived purchasing powers-including shipping and delivery choices-which for the most part are completely dependent upon third party delivery services of which neither parties have little to no control.
I understand money is on the line for some as resellers and maintaining cash flow and keeping clients is critical. On that point, I would expect that buyers/resellers, as in any business operation would communicate and hopefully establish a positive working relationship with your inventory supply rep before investing in product that may not meet your timeline or one that might even cut close to your deadline for moving inventory or meeting demand-despite the uniqueness of the product-I would venture to guess the demand is ever present-and unfortunately sometimes supply is erratic. As we know, until things change legislatively, this market and the honest entrepreneurs forging the way deserve respect for providing a valued service and for having the free market spirit to venture into what could potentially be a very lucrative and long lasting money making endeavor in a growing industry.
I suspect business acumen is not the only skill that some buyers and even vendors lack, most notably, maturity. From what I can discern there is no age restriction placed upon vendors or buyers, which is part of the chaff one must suffer in a wide-open marketplace/bizarre.
Understand, I have "in transit" issues of my own--and have even been jacked around for weeks--especially with overseas orders, so said courier drop delays, vendor excuses etc., and I still feel as though 95+% of vendors I select, through doing research on them, are 'good' business people and moreover I understand that shit happens-and sometimes its 'just the cost of doing business'. In that case, a simple SR message, politely composed with both parties interests expressed and expectations outlined (if you really think its needed) might turn out to be a very enjoyable exchange with a like minded individual.
ALSO--tip your vendors!!! Be positive not punitive.
Positive reinforcement and cooperation builds intrinsic motivation (pride, competition, spirit, will to succeed, etc.) which generates extrinsic rewards ($$$ for vendors/resellers & good quality supply of inventory for buyers and yes perhaps expedited processing, shipping or transit times), even in the harshest of regulatory environments. The SR the resolution center, might be considered to fit this model, so use it if you absolutely must, it is a right one has a buyer/vendor.
Anyway, buy your reps a beer by dropping some coins in their SR name. Consider doing so, especially when your needs and expectations are fulfilled or you feel they have been generous and/or a good business partner. Everyone in the service and/or supply industry likes acknowledgement for their work-and most everyone from the boss to the shipping clerk enjoys a compliment from a client, especially so with a free cold beer or martini in hand. I surely enjoy my Stella Artois when I'm ogling my timely delivered heavily padded sack of Sour Diesel. Thanks everyone.
jones21
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This only happened 4 or 5 times, and everytime was when I was trying out a new vendor with 45 orders, then I find myself messaging them saying "just send something and Ill still give you 5/5" (because after 3 days when marked in transit on express and they arent responding i just dont want to get nothing), and thats what i end up doing. Switching the bad feedback which they deserve to good feedback just so I dont totally lose. Which is wrong on my part as well as theirs and it doesnt help anyone. I never know what to do though
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"The vendor should be thankful to the customer for their business! "
Bingo! That's why I think the 'acknowledging heroes' post is a bit misguided. It totally inverts a basic market principle. Vendors need to compete for buyers, not be worshipped by them. That's really a moot point, though, as the contact I've had with SR vendors so far has been overwhelmingly positive. I've been so impressed with the professionalism of some vendors that I'd message them after the delivery to let them know I think they're the shit. So I also found the recent thread asking 'do you think it's weird when buyers are friendly?' Uh...no? I mean, if they're trying to invite themselves around to yours for beers, sure that's freaky but I wouldn't think that happens much. Hell, even if it does it's pretty easy to tell the difference between a creep and someone who's just being friendly in communications or letting someone know you think they're good at what they do. Why would the latter arouse suspicion? If it does, throttle back on the meth, it's making you paranoid.
"I find it interesting that some buyers in this thread seem to suggest that some vendors are disrespecting their perceived purchasing powers-including shipping and delivery choices-which for the most part are completely dependent upon third party delivery services of which neither parties have little to no control. "
Well I was moved to comment by the dude who, in response to people complaining about tardy dispatching of orders, said something along the lines of "don't you buyers realise we have a life outside of SR? "
Um sure but that's hardly the point. If I have a shop on Main Street I can't just stop trading for a few hours or days whenever I feel like it because I want to do some work on my backyard model railway. If a vendor has this kind of sloppy business mentality, they should take a vacation for a while until they realise that treating their business like a hobby won't get them far. They're no better than buyers who think that it's perfectly ok to wait a few days after receiving their package to finalise because they were too busy to get around to it.
The bottom line is that if you're ordering from a local vendor, you place your order no later than lunchtime/early afternoon, you live in a major metropolitan area AND you pay for express/priority mail, then you have every right to expect next business day delivery. If the vendor doesn't live in a postal zone where next business day delivery is possible, they need to make that clear on their listing page. Two business days, then.
If the vendor has some kind of system in place to lower their risk profile which adds a day or two onto the delivery time, this needs to be communicated to the buyer. And personally, I think it's a bit cheeky for a vendor to charge 'priority shipping' in such circumstances, too.
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Some vendors hide the time they ship for security reasons.
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I'm fairly new to the forums and not a vendor, so I may get hammered for opening my mouth but here goes... A lot of vendors are proud to say on their vendor page that "This is my job. I've been in the game for xx years and I take my business very seriously." Or something to that affect. If a vendor truly takes his/her job seriously it seems that they would get up early, get on SR, and start processing the orders that came in overnight and keep processing that day's orders up until cut off time, and they would do this every day. And it seems to me that an early cut off time would allow vendors to get orders shipped out before the post actually leaves for the day. I guess what I'm saying is that just because a vendor drops it off on the day he says he does, it doesn't mean it's actually shipping that day. For instance, if you ship express at noon on the 1st, it'll usually arrive in the afternoon on the 2nd. But if you ship express at 4:30pm on the 1st, it's probably not arriving until the afternoon of the 3rd. So if a vendor has a 3pm cut off time then his/her product may not be shipped that day even if they get it in the box that day. If the mail's already been picked up for that day then it's the same as shipping it the next day. The main idea that I'm selling is earlier cut off times to allow packages to actually be in the postal system on the day they are marked in transit. There's no bigger bummer than waiting 3 or 4 days for an express item to arrive, especially when you pay a 200-300% markup on express shipping. But I'm not a vendor and I know there are complexities and variables regarding stealth shipping that I'll never begin to understand. And I understand that personal things come up every now and then that may cause a slight delay in getting packages out. I just think that vendors, especially the one's who brag about how serious and professional they are, would benefit from having a little cushion time by pushing their cut off times back a few hours. But hey, we're buying illegal substances over the fucking internet and the government is delivering them right to our door, so I guess in the end as long as you get your package at all you're ahead of the game. And don't we all get that certain satisfaction out of having the man bring us our drugs!
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They have to mark in transit before they ship it, otherwise orders would be canceled after packages were sent. Scammers know a vndors shipping schedule too. A good vendor has the item weighed and boxed, ready to ship, before marking in transit.
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They have to mark in transit before they ship it, otherwise orders would be canceled after packages were sent. Scammers know a vndors shipping schedule too. A good vendor has the item weighed and boxed, ready to ship, before marking in transit.
<<They have to mark in transit before they ship it, otherwise orders would be canceled after packages were sent>>
Huh?
You must know more than I, because I don't quite get this comment!
NCK
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"They have to mark in transit before they ship it, otherwise orders would be canceled after packages were sent. "
Huh? How can orders be cancelled?
There's nothing wrong with a vendor marking a package 'in transit' and then then jumping in their car and posting it, fine. But to mark a product as being in transit and then waiting a few days before dispatching it "for security reasons" - that's unreasonable. Of course most successful vendors wouldn't do this.