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Frequently Asked Questions for eBay Items and PayPal Payments...
Please note, this page provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions for eBay (and PayPal) item related questions. For all our products in general, we offer a larger "Frequently Asked Questions-Overview" page. If you do not find the answer to your question here, please consult the more extensive "Overview" pages by clicking on this link below:
Frequently Asked Questions-Overview
Both Ebay and PayPal, (an eBay Company), have extensive and unfortunately, quite often limiting, "Rules of Use" and "Terms of Service". In order for us (FireStickers) to have access and operate on these sites, we are required to abide by these rules, regardless of whatever limitations they (eBay and PayPal), may impose on our mutual desire (yours and ours) to do business. That aside, it is our (FireStickers) hope that these rules and terms have as little negative effect on an otherwise good experience.
1. What is a "Confirmed Address" and why do you require it when shipping my item?
A Confirmed Address is the address at which your monthly credit card statement is mailed to. This wasn't our idea, but supposedly, it's a credit card company thing. Credit card companies want to do everything possible to be sure your charge is legitimate because it's a lot more worry for them to undo a charge and give money back, than it is for them to know right where you are when they want you. As the seller, we are required to ship to your confirmed address in order to comply with only one of many rules PayPal has to "supposedly" cover us, in the event of a fraudulent purchase. We write "supposedly" because we've yet to see it work in our favor, but there have been a few instances where PayPal was covered. Unfortunately, if you choose to use PayPal, we will only ship to your confirmed address.
2. Why do you charge as much as you do for shipping?
Believe it or not, there was a time we shipped almost everything for FREE, but like $1 a Gallon Gas, those days are long gone. Free shipping ended simply because too many buyers took advantage of a good thing. Since we offered FREE shipping, we didn't spend extra money for "services" like Insurance and Delivery Confirmation. We also used more inexpensive shipping containers like plain white envelopes and plastic baggies. During 2004 we saw a dramatic increase in "claims" that people were not receiving their items. The claims went up so seriously and so fast, we had a very hard time beleiving even the U.S. Postal Service could be that bad! We then started to find that the buyer, under PayPal rules, didn't need to actually not receive the item...they just had to "report" (or say) they didn't. We, on the other hand, are required to PROVE we not only mailed the product, but we are required to report where, when and how the item was shipped...yeah, that's fair! So in order to reduce the number of claims, we started to pay for Delivery Confirmation. We also took the guesswork out of Insuring items by including it in the cost of shipping. We found that nearly every claim for non-receipt came from buyers who were offered insurance and declined it, then cried foul when the item didn't arrive. While we were at it, we also started using some very nice sturdy boxes which help protect the item. As a result, we now sit back and laugh at other sellers who offer cheap, "free" and no frills "not responsible for un-insured item" auctions, because truth be told...they really are liable and with very little effort, you too can hold them to it!
3. How long does (or should) it take to receive my item?
Good question! Your item should arrive within anywhere from a week to 10 days, but a better question is...how big is a Dog? What that means is that every auction is different. We try earnestly to have every item in stock at the time it is sold, and we achieve that mark well over 90% of the time. There are however, those instances when either because of demand or other "off-auction" sales, our inventory runs low or just plain out. In those situations, we may require additional time to schedule another run of the product. In worst case scenario, you may find you must wait up to 14 days for delivery. Past documented experience has shown rare instances when even 21 days was required for the Post Office to deliver an item which we shipped within a timely period of purchase. Postal delays are NOT our doing, nor will we accept responsibilty for lengthy ship times once we have submitted the shipment to the shipper (Post Office or other means of delivery). No guarentee of delivery by a certain date is made, expressed nor implied. If you require an item for a specific date, time or event, please contact us to ascertain the availability of the item for your needs and to arrange payment of additional fees as may be necessary to accomodate your requirements.
4. What do I do if I do not receive my item?
First, contact us by email. We try to answer emails within 24-36 hours, but there are times it may take longer. Be sure to include the auction number so that we can reduce time in our search and trace. In some cases, you may find we are simply running behind. In other cases, you may find the item shipped to an old address because you failed (or chose not to) update your information with PayPal (see Question 1, "Confirmed Address"). It is imperative that the Buyer understand that it is THEIR RESPONSIBILITY to provide a current address to PayPal. Failure on the Buyer's part to do this will NOT result in liability on our part. IF YOUR ITEM IS RETURNED TO US AS UNDELIVERABLE, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY ADDITIONAL COSTS TO HAVE YOUR ITEM REMAILED. PERIOD! If you choose not to pay the additional costs, we will not remail the item at our expense. Payment of shipping fees for the original mailing, cover our responsibilty to mail the item to you the first time ONLY, NOT to remail it again or elsewhere.
Second, if you have not received your item, contact PayPal. The Buyer is required by PayPal to file a claim for items not received. Once the Buyer has done so, PayPal will initiate an investigation, at which time they will contact us requesting the shipping information for your item(s). We will submit the necessary information to permit PayPal to properly conduct their investigation and based upon their ruling, we will act accordingly to either re-ship the item, refund the Buyer's payment or take no action whatsoever, (all or any of which will be at our discretion). Why file a claim? Filing a claim with PayPal creates a documented "paper trail" and eliminates the he said/she said. PayPal will act on both our behalfs as an intermediary or "go between". Using the PayPal claims form also reduces abuse by limiting the number of claims that can be made "at will" and elimintaing those which are otherwise unsubstantiated. As of June 1, 2004, we have specifically used Delivery Confirmation on all shipments and will have proof on file that your item was shipped to a definite location and on a specific date.
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5. I live outside the United States, will you ship to me?
NO! For those of you who understand English, here is why: If you listen to the PayPal message while on "hold" on the telephone, or read some of eBay's promotional advertising, you would think international sales and shipping were the next best thing to well...sliced bread! Yeah right...THINK AGAIN! They are...for PayPal and eBay! Two (2) of PayPal's rules for shipping are first, the payments must come from Buyers who have Confirmed Addresses. PayPal, however, also states that they are NOT able to confirm addresses outside the United States, so that alone won't permit us to ship to you. The second rule PayPal requires, is that shipments must be able to be tracked online when shipped. Currently, online tracking is NOT available once our shipments leave U.S. soil, so again, we would not be able to ship to you. This includes Military APO and AFO addresses as well as Mexico, Canada and territories of the U.S. We feel PayPal and eBay's promotional tactics are somewhat questionable in light of their inability to support the Seller in the international selling arena and we will NOT put ourselves at risk to ship items these two online marketplaces merely pay "lip service" to.
6. Do you offer "Combined Shipping" on Mulitple Purchases?
Yes, but there are certain limitations. If you would like to take advantage of the savings on postage, freight or shipping costs, you must contact us directly (use the yellow www.FireStickers.net link at the bottom of this page). If you purchase multiple items from us through eBay, either in an auction, through "BIN" (Buy It Now) or our eBay Store, you will need to pay the full cost of shipping quoted per item. That's because a portion of the cost of listing and associated eBay and PayPal fees are built into the shipping charge as part of the cost of doing business with those firms, which we call "handling". In order to combine shipping, once you contact us, let us know what items and what quantity you would like to purchase. We will then advise you of the total and at your request, generate either a PayPal Invoice or make other suitable arrangements for you to pay us. Addtionally, shipping will always be at least the amount quoted of the most expensive shipping fee. For example, let's assume you want to combine shipping and purchase three (3) items, two (2) of which list a shipping charge of $2.00 per auction while the third lists shipping at $5.00, the minimum charge for shipping would start at $5.00. An item with a $5.00 shipping charge would not ship for $2.00.