Classifieds-Item not received-WWSTWD?

Moderators won’t allow me to page/message him directly on chat.

Eh?

Did you mean to type 2023?! I think you've left it a bit long to decide what to do...

Eh?

This.

The messaging system is a bit squiffy on-and-off currently, but hasn't been so for 13 months. Paging posts are forbidden because STW cannot adjudicate in disputes.

WWSTWD? I'd have taken it up with my bank a year ago. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Did you typo and mean 2024?

When you say messages was it the site messages or emails? I don't bother with the message facility here as it does t seem to work properly so they may not have received them.

If emails or text then obviously the above doesn't apply

Bombers- Sausages and Lawn etc

Golfchick & others....I wish I'd spotted that typo before posting.

Item bought 16 December 2024.

Messages to the seller have been PMs on here. I don't have his email address.

Have you noticed whether they've posted on the forum since the purchase?

Nuke.....no activity on here since the purchase.

I know the festive period is busy for most people. There may be a reasonable explanation.

But at the moment, he has my money and I have no item.

I fear we know the answer but is there any way of reversing the payment ?

@tweeky I think maybe  your seller has perhaps befallen some misfortune? I’ve sold/given away lots of stuff on here without any issues, perhaps contact STW directly and ask them to email a gentle reminder?

sorry to be the bearer of bad news but not having any solid details of "seller" an address/phone and having paid by bank transfer it does look like you've been done. Mark it down to experience and move on and don't let it consume you, was it more than a set of brake pads?

The Classified rules do advise to pay by PayPal as that's the safest way should it go wrong  https://singletrackmag.com/classifieds-rules. I have paid by gift to others on here and many have paid me by gift mainly because they/we are regular posters with good history, that is nothing to go by though. Your sellers history to seems to be a bit thin on the ground, I wouldn't have paid by BT

Are we talking a lot of money? A walk away from STW amount? If they are a regular poster but haven't posted on here since it may be as WOF suggests and something has happened to them.

And by a "walk away from STW amount" i obviously mean £5 or more 😉

Without wanting to start a witchhunt, perhaps posting their username might be ok in this instance as someone might be able to do a welfare check on them. I know many users on here know each other in the real world...

Without wanting to start a witchhunt

... which is exactly what will happen even if inadvertently.

It's been Christmas. If it's an account of several years' standing, it's possible but unlikely that they've been ripping people off for that length of time and not been busted.

Thanks to everyone who has posted advice.

I too have bought items from the Classifieds section without issue for many years. I appreciate the sense of community on Singletrackworld and the level of trust that exists between users of the classified section..

The transaction was £25, for a few sets of brake pads.

Some will say chuck it in the '**** it' bucket and move on. Others may think differently.

Whatever the outcome, I have learned a lesson from this.

Regarding posting the seller's details on here, I will take advice on that. My feeling is that I don't want to cause hassle for someone where there is a genuine reason for the item not being received. But at the moment, as I've said already, all I know is that he has my money and I have no brake pads.

Do you have the persons email address?

Have you asked the mods if it's the same email address used to register here?

FWIW the Classifieds should always have (had) some sort of feedback/review mechanism. If someone is taking the piss, all members should be aware of that fact so they know how likely they are to get scammed.

As you don't have their email address could you ask the STW office to help?  They will have it, perhaps they could contact them on your behalf to point them towards the PMs? I know they are not obliged to do this, as it's effectively a transaction between two individuals outwith their control, but it might be worth asking?  There may be a legit reason why he hasn't seen messages on here, you can opt out of email notifications. An email from STW might be more likely to be seen?  Good luck in getting it sorted.

Mod - we’ve sent a message to the seller asking them to get in touch with the OP.

For whatever it's worth I had a bit of an issue ages back with a frame, paid, didn't get it, chased, chased, thought it was all gone but refrained from going full pitchforks, and it did eventually arrive- just one of those things, seller was drowning in other things and couldn't get it done. they're a really good contributor still and I'm really glad it worked out how it did... Maybe not too late.

That said, personally I'd rather be a person that's a wee bit too trusting and occasionally loses £25 or whatever, than a person who's totally safe and sensible and treats everyone like a potential thief and never gets ripped off. I pretty much chalk up an occasional loss on here or facebook or whatever as just a cost of all the times I get a good deal, and all the times I feel good about the whole thing and everyone just acts like good people. And at the end fo the day I've definitely wasted more money on impulse buys or stupid purchases than I've ever lost on being ripped off on the internet.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this post with advice and helpful comments. One of the things I like about this site is being able to get many hands on deck when there is a problem.

Thank you also to the moderators who have messaged the seller requesting him to contact me.

I genuinely hope the guy is ok and look forward to this being sorted.

FWIW the Classifieds should always have (had) some sort of feedback/review mechanism. If someone is taking the piss, all members should be aware of that fact so they know how likely they are to get scammed.

There was never a formal one but on the old system I would just leave a comment when I received the thing to say it had arrived and was in good nick, then anyone searching for that poster when buying their next item could see it. That seemed to work. Maybe we'll get something similar on forum 3.0.

Hoping forum 3.0 has a feedback mechanism for such events.

This is the only forum I use that has classifieds but no such mechanism, either within user profiles or as a separate sub-forum just for feedback posts.

Funnily enough, I had exactly the same experience as Northwind (we're not the same person!) a few years ago, started a similar thread, and it got resolved. The seller didn't seem to see a problem with taking my money and ghosting me for weeks, but did eventually send me what I'd paid for.

And I take the same attitude - there's a risk, and it sucks that you can't trust everyone, but the alternative is buying everything new, or at least paying PayPal fees (and FWIW I wouldn't sell to someone who wanted to use PayPal protection - I don't trust PayPal not to take the money off me if they decide they don't like it) and I'd have spent a lot more than £25 over the years.

chuck it in the ‘**** it’ bucket

I have learned a lesson from this.

Me too.

I have bought loads off here over the years with no issues at all.  Maybe complacency crept in but I ve paid by BT for some pretty big ticket items, all arrived in as described conditions.

Really sad if you got done for 25 quid, it's the principle.

I have a list of names that I won't deal with. Had it a long time but not been added to in a while.

I once had an issue with @Northwind when I sold him a bike.

He paid for it  but didn't seem to want to get it collected.

Took bloody ages then I still had to hand deliver half of it to him weeks later.

😉

Was it not like 6 months start to finish? God I loved that bike...

I can't remember the timescale but I know it was a fair old while.

I have a recollection that you were also a few days late meeting me to get the final bits of it. :cryinglaughing:

tweeky.

Any luck with the seller getting back to you?

singlespeedstu

Nothing. He's been incommunicado since 16 December, the date I paid him.

I have a list of names that I won’t deal with. Had it a long time but not been added to in a while.

Not being funny but if someone had ripped me off, even for £25 then their username would be posted on here to warn others too... instead the OP is out of pocket and we're talking of doing welfare checks on the ripper-offer-rer.

You don't have to be a ripper-offer; illness and life gets in the way sometimes 🙂

their username would be posted on here to warn others too

Indeed.

Then if it turns out there's a good reason a quick post on here about it all turning out good in the end to clear things up.

@boxwithawindow

Race Matrix brake pads have not been delivered.

No reply to my messages since 16 December 2024.

You don’t have to be a ripper-offer; illness and life gets in the way sometimes

I call bullshit on that. It takes seconds to log in via your mobile and let the person who's money you have know that there is a delay, you could even offer to refund it if life got in the way that badly.

I call bullshit on that.

Agreed 100%. If you've enough time and inclination to post an ad and accept payment,  you've enough time to post the items. The only reasonable excuse is if you've actually been run over by a bus or some such. Being 'a bit busy' doesn't cut it.

Or, unbeknown to the seller, there was an issue with the post and they havn’t checked STW since.

Or, unbeknown to the seller, there was an issue with the post and they havn’t checked STW since.

nope! If you're selling something your responsibility doesn't end when you toss item in post box, if he ever did.

Maybe its me but when I sell something on its always recorded post, so I can track to ensure its arrived and msg the buyer to ensure all is good. Maybe I care too much

Maybe I care too much

No, I do the same. I quite enjoy it tbh - maybe I should have started some sort of internet shopping company, maybe named it after a river, or something.

As do I, but what I’ve suggested isn’t exactly a leap into the impossible is it?

typo on the address, tracking shows it as delivered? (That has happened to me as a buyer.)

@boxwithawindow is a name I can't recall seeing on the forum.

is a name I can’t recall seeing on the forum.

Me neither. But a set of £25 brake pads doesn't shout organised crime either. It's a bit weird TBH.

Used to be known by Sam Forward.