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How long do you wait until getting a moderator involved?

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How long do you wait until getting a moderator involved?
echan50

echan50

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Hello Everyone,
I am seeking some advice. I sent out a PinPics request which was agreed to and exchanged shipping info on Oct 17. I sent out my pin and informed the trader of the tracking number on Oct 19 and the package was received on Oct 21. I have not heard anything from the trader after the trader provided me the shipping information. I have sent 2 requests for updates on Oct 22 (after the trader got my package) and today (Oct 28).

Do I wait a little longer to hear back from the trader? How long should I wait until I contact a moderator to get involved? This is the first time something like this has happened to me so I am not sure how to handle this.

Thank you.
 
Definitely contact the moderator now. Even though the trader may have had some issues it is better to get the moderator involved now than later. It usually takes them a few days to get back to you anyway.

Good luck and sorry it happened to you.
 
The generally accepted rule for getting moderators involved with potential trades gone wrong is as follows. The exact time to get a moderator involved might vary from site to site and situation to situation, but I have found that the overall guidelines are fairly similar:

For domestic trades, wait 7-14 days (give or take) for the LBE to arrive. For international trades, postal time jumps up to 4-6 weeks. Once outside of those windows, it's generally expected to attempt to contact the other trader and ask for an update on the LBE prior to contacting a moderator for assistance. At that point, failing a response after 48-72 hours, send another email indicating it's a final warning before seeking moderator help, wait another 24-48 hours and provided there is no reply, contact a moderator.

The reason I say to contact the person at least twice is because the first question the moderator will ask you is: 'did you attempt to contact the other trader and what was the result?'
 
Do you know if the trader is a member on this forum? If they are you might want to try and contact on here also.
 
bookhugger's post made a lot of sense and with momin.ator's link I went ahead and filled a trade issue form. I am not sure if the trade issue was worked on by a moderator or was it my 2nd message but I did hear back from the trader. It turns out that the trader keeps some their traders in the UK and brother of the trader is shipping my pin from the UK to me directly.

I think that the pin coming from outside the states should be have disclosed as part of agreeing to the trade as the trader has now my pin as I sent to a California address and I am now waiting. I will update the mods once they contact me that the trade has become an international trade and give it some additional time to receive my pin while the trader got their's.

Thank you everyone for reading and providing advice.
 
Glad to know you have received some information regarding your trade.
I agree that the trader should have let you know that his pin was shipping
from Europe. I'm glad you now know.
 
So this is interesting: I did hear back from the trader but no response from the PinPic mods about my case. How long does it usually take for PinPic mods to respond?
 
echan50 said:
So this is interesting: I did hear back from the trader but no response from the PinPic mods about my case. How long does it usually take for PinPic mods to respond?
Click to expand...

That depends on how backed up I am. I am the one that is taking care of pin complaints and I have gotten really backed up with some personal things going on. Nothing major, just taking a lot of time I would normally be working on the site with.
 
docfish2u said:
That depends on how backed up I am. I am the one that is taking care of pin complaints and I have gotten really backed up with some personal things going on. Nothing major, just taking a lot of time I would normally be working on the site with.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update David. At this time it's been a month since the tradee got their pin and I still have no pin or even a ship date from the UK.
 
I really hope this works out for you. :( I agree that the other trader should have definitely disclosed that your pin was shipping from another country - before having you send out your pin. Definitely sounds dodgy.

A suggestion for the future (something I started doing myself not so long ago!): When arranging a trade with a stranger, ask them for a photo of the actual pin they'll be sending. (And send them one in return, of course!)

If you suspect their photo is from elsewhere - ask for a picture of the back of the pin, or a close-up, just to ensure they have it in hand.

Wishing you the best of luck, and hope this all gets resolved sooner than later.
 
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I second what Sora said for future trades going forward. I also would suggest, for future (high value) trades with new/unknown traders: suggest making the transaction through a third party.

For those who don't know, here's how a third party trade works: both parties agree on a third party (who obviously agrees). It usually is a moderator, but it does not have to be. Both parties send their pin(s) to this third party, along with a enough money to cover postage to complete the trade (this generally is sent via Pay Pal, but other arrangements can be made). The third party opens up both LBEs upon receipt, confirms that the pins are what they are supposed to be, repackages them, and send the pins on to their new homes. If the trade somehow gets messed up, the third party returns the LBE(s) to its/their original homes.

Yes, you can spend a little more in postage that way, but it's sooo worth it when you're dealing in high(er) end pins because of the protection it provides both parties.
 
SoraPandora said:
I really hope this works out for you. :( I agree that the other trader should have definitely disclosed that your pin was shipping from another country - before having you send out your pin. Definitely sounds dodgy.

A suggestion for the future (something I started doing myself not so long ago!): When arranging a trade with a stranger, ask them for a photo of the actual pin they'll be sending. (And send them one in return, of course!)

If you suspect their photo is from elsewhere - ask for a picture of the back of the pin, or a close-up, just to ensure they have it in hand.

Wishing you the best of luck, and hope this all gets resolved sooner than later.
Click to expand...

Seconded this! I also ask if they can send a photo of the pin next to a piece of paper that has my username handwritten. May be excessive, but it's an easy way to weed out not-so-nice people.
 
Hope this gets resolved. If you ever have a trade from Europe again, I am willing to help and you can use my address and I can ship the pin(s) to you with tracking. A lot of people here don't add tracking when shipping to the US.
Did you ever get a tracking number?
 
mickeymousje said:
Hope this gets resolved. If you ever have a trade from Europe again, I am willing to help and you can use my address and I can ship the pin(s) to you with tracking. A lot of people here don't add tracking when shipping to the US.
Did you ever get a tracking number?
Click to expand...

When I made this trade the person provided me an US address to make me believe it was a domestic trade. When I didn't get my pin within 2 weeks I contacted the trader for an update and was told it was being shipped from the UK as a family member in the UK has the pin.

I have not heard from PinPics mods yet and I basically sent another message for an update or just for the tradee to return my pin, which I'm nervous about it coming back in the same condition as I sent it which was new on card. *sigh*
 
echan50 said:
When I made this trade the person provided me an US address to make me believe it was a domestic trade. When I didn't get my pin within 2 weeks I contacted the trader for an update and was told it was being shipped from the UK as a family member in the UK has the pin.

I have not heard from PinPics mods yet and I basically sent another message for an update or just for the tradee to return my pin, which I'm nervous about it coming back in the same condition as I sent it which was new on card. *sigh*
Click to expand...

That's so bad! :( bit weird it has to come from the UK while you shipped to a US address.
When I trade, I always tell I live overseas but if it's a problem I can use a friends US address
Hope it will all turn out well
 
I contacted the trader again and indicate the pin has not arrived and that if they could not fulfill the trade to return my pin I have sent and they have received. Again the trader states their brother is shipping the pin from the UK and they have done this many times. After each time the trader has told me this I have asked for them to get a ship date from their brother in the UK so I can estimate the arrival of my pin and the communication stops again.

The silly thing is that the pins we agreed to trade are nothing of super high value or even high value. I would like the pin as it's a completer pin for a box set I have been putting together via trading as I did not know if I had enough money to purchase it. I've got 3 out of the 4 pins and this would have completed the set. I want to kick myself as I could have just purchased the pin on the Bay but I REALLY wanted to say I got this box set by completely trading for it. What's worse is that all the Bay listings for this pin have sold too so I have missed my chance to complete my set before the end of the year.

I think it's time just to say I lost out on my pins and try again next year.
 
ksnuggles said:
What pin is it?
Click to expand...

I trade away Pin 111667 WDI Exclusive - Storybookland Canal Boats - Cinderella and the Prince
for Pin 116943 WDW - Pixar Party 2016 - Pizza Planet Truck Box Set - Brave

I don't think either pin are of high value just pins both of us wanted for our collections so I thought it was harmless to trade via mail.
 
Definitely contact a Pinpics moderator again. Some UK trades average 3-4 weeks if they do not send it express or insured from their end. I'm sorry to hear this.
 
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