The Online Auction Story
Reputable online auctions are great places to obtain unique or hard-to-find items. There is also a bit of a gamble to it, because why not try to get the item you want at a price you can live with (or at least ask for forgiveness later if you spend too much and your significant other has some difficult follow up questions for you). As it turns out, an online transaction between a buyer and a seller can also be a great example of how good things can happen to those who take the time to get the story.
Recently I made a purchase online through an auction site. The purchase was small and it was for pieces to a board game that we own. The game has needed to be put back together again so we can play it as a family. Time is not always kind to small pieces that are easily misplaced in an active house. Thankfully, there are savvy sellers out there that know their market and are prepared to provide us with solutions that don’t involve shelling out the money it takes to buy a new game when we only need a few items to make the old game still playable. I obtained the items for a very reasonable price and made payment to the seller on the same day.
I had made the purchase on a Saturday, and did not have an unreasonable expectation of shipping going out that day. I waited until Thursday the following week to check the website for an update on my purchase. What I found was that the site stated the item had not yet shipped. I will admit, my first reaction was, “Why the heck has it not shipped. Four business days should have been more than enough time to put the items in an envelope and get it in the mail.” I also considered leaving bad feedback on the site for the seller, which is a very easy thing to do.
However, an equally easy thing to do is to contact the seller. I know individuals who earn their living by running stores that utilize online auction sites, and chose to not be blind to the fact that bad reviews can have a negative impact on someone’s livelihood. For me, the more civil approach was asking for the story of why the order had not been shipped. I am not perfect, nor will I ever claim something so ludicrous. However, some days I try to be better than my first reaction, and that day was one of those days.
Within a few hours I had a response from the seller. They provided their story of what had transpired that prevented a timely shipping, and a tracking number for the item which had been sent out that same day. Coincidently, it was shipped a few hours before I had sent my inquiry, the website had just not been updated.
Had the website updated immediately would it have prevented me from sending my inquiry to the seller? Sure, maybe. But as I stated, it was a small purchase. I think a few hours of processing to update a site that monitors thousands of transactions a day is not that bad.
If the seller had sent me an update regarding the delay, would it have prevented me sending additional follow up? Possibly. But how often do we provide unsolicited reasoning to people who don’t ask for it? The seller had gone through a matter in their life that prevented a timely shipping, received a request for an explanation from a buyer, and provided their story and the remedy had already taken place. The duty of the seller was fulfilled. Unknown to me then, until the mailing was received, is that the seller even included a few extra pieces as a courtesy for understanding. The items received were in great condition and I provided some very positive feedback.
By choosing to be receptive, instead of reactive to my first instinct, and by letting my eyes and ears be open to the story someone else had, I got to enjoy a positive outcome. In our professional lives as well as our personal lives, getting the story is important.
