Silk Road forums

Discussion => Silk Road discussion => Topic started by: Solon on August 20, 2012, 09:09 pm

Title: Buyer's Etiquette - A Question
Post by: Solon on August 20, 2012, 09:09 pm
Hi folks,

Quick question:

So I placed a purchase last night with an active seller for a physical substance (not digital download or anything) - In the address box I include the mailing address encrypted in GPG (using their public key, obviously) and then labeled and included my public key below this in case they wanted to respond via encryption.

It's been close to 24 hours since placing the order - the order still says "processing" and I've yet to receive a message from the seller.  SR said they were active today. 

So my question is, how much more time to I wait before I reach out to the seller to confirm that they received my order and that it is indeed going through?  I would like to know the ship-date so I can estimate delivery time.  Is there anything I've failed do so far etiquette wise?

Solon
Title: Re: Buyer's Etiquette - A Question
Post by: Japan1980 on August 20, 2012, 09:18 pm
I wouldn't worry at this point. Sometimes orders can be at the processing stage for a few days even though the vendor has been on line. Take into account they have to package every order (they may have lots of orders to get through). Once they've sent your package it'll say 'in transit' - then you'll know it's on its way and you an sit back and wait for it to arrive.

So far you've done your part of the deal, so just hold tight. If nothing changes within a few days it might be worth sending them a polite PM asking about the order - but don't panic at this stage as it's perfectly normal for it not be sent out simply because they've been online the day you ordered.

Cheers,
J
Title: Re: Buyer's Etiquette - A Question
Post by: Solon on August 20, 2012, 09:55 pm
Japan,

Thanks - I didn't realize it goes from "processing" directly to "in-transit", ie., I shouldn't expect a status update on the order page until it is shipped.  I just wasn't sure if I had 'spooked' him by placing order and sending encrypted shipping addy without initiating an 'ice-breaker' conversation first.  Thanks for hearing out my noob musings.  By the way, this place is a god damn game-changing miracle, just for the record.

Solon
Title: Re: Buyer's Etiquette - A Question
Post by: Japan1980 on August 20, 2012, 10:10 pm
There is no no need for Ice breakers etc. Treat it like you would Amazon - place your order and then when they send it, it will simply change from processing to 'in transit'.

Don't worry about asking newbie questions we were all there once mate  ;D

Some vendors act quicker than others, you'll tend to find a particular vendor that suits your needs and delivery times etc. It's worth shopping around until you feel comfortable with certain vendors.

BTW - as you're a newbie some vendors may ask you to finalize early, to avoid you scammng them. All that means is once is says it is in transit you may have to release the funds to the vendor before they send it out to you - However, once you've got a few orders under your belt you don't have to finalize early as vendors can see your buying stats and see if you're reliable or not. Be careful with finalizing early though - make sure you read the vendors reviews as it has been known that vendors scam buyers. But overall, the site has very good buyers and vendors so don't be put off by having to finalize early if needed. Just don't do it on a big order worth lots of money, wait till you're a trusted buyer before buying in bulk, therefore no need to finalize till the order gets to you....

Rambling now, hope that makes sense.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions and I'll happily help you out.
Title: Re: Buyer's Etiquette - A Question
Post by: Solon on August 22, 2012, 01:55 pm
Japan,

Thanks for the clarification and good will.  Buyer responded soon after I started the thread - all is well. 
Title: Re: Buyer's Etiquette - A Question
Post by: Wazup7 on August 22, 2012, 02:06 pm
Just my input--many established vendors indicate the approximate timeframe that it will take them to ship your order, once you have placed it.  Many claim to ship them within 24 or 48 hours.  Some only ship on certain days of the week, etc.  Typically, what I do when I place an order is wait however long they indicated on their profile page, plus 24 hours.  If at that point the order is still Processing, then I send a POLITE message on SR asking about the status.

The thing to realize is that many vendors, especially larger more established vendors, have many orders that they need to prepare and ship each day, and this can take it's toll.  So even if they claim that they will ship the order within 24 hours of placing it, you can't hold them to that.  If the vendor is a respected vendor with good feedback, there won't be an issue.  Just be patient and respectful.
Title: Re: Buyer's Etiquette - A Question
Post by: Solon on August 23, 2012, 02:00 pm
"The thing to realize is that many vendors, especially larger more established vendors, have many orders that they need to prepare and ship each day, and this can take it's toll."

Sounds like a first- world problem to me...   :)
Title: Re: Buyer's Etiquette - A Question
Post by: fuckoffehbuddy on August 23, 2012, 02:13 pm
its all good different vendors take different times to ship but i would not contact seller until at least 4 days of processing