Ebay item damaged by post office

[jmartinez1895]

Did not know where to post this exactly, so I figures I would try here first.
A few weeks ago I sold some Abeka flash cards. When I list items I offer insurance for an extra charge if it is requested. I sent the item out ( priority with tracking number). I get a message from the buyer the other day that said that she had received the item, but it was in a large plastic bag with a note from the post office saying they had damaged the item and where sorry. She only received 20 of the 175 cards. I called the post office and they opened a case, but said there is really nothing they can do because insurance was not purchased. I sent her this info and she responds telling me that it is not fair that she paid for the item and never got what she paid for.
I do nto really know what to do at this point. I hate that the item was damaged and I feel bad about it, but what can I do. She has implied that she wants a refund, but I don;t think that is fair because I did everything on my end.
What would you do?

 

[smitch425]

Did not know where to post this exactly, so I figures I would try here first.
A few weeks ago I sold some Abeka flash cards. When I list items I offer insurance for an extra charge if it is requested. I sent the item out ( priority with tracking number). I get a message from the buyer the other day that said that she had received the item, but it was in a large plastic bag with a note from the post office saying they had damaged the item and where sorry. She only received 20 of the 175 cards. I called the post office and they opened a case, but said there is really nothing they can do because insurance was not purchased. I sent her this info and she responds telling me that it is not fair that she paid for the item and never got what she paid for.
I do nto really know what to do at this point. I hate that the item was damaged and I feel bad about it, but what can I do. She has implied that she wants a refund, but I don;t think that is fair because I did everything on my end.
What would you do?

Given that you offered insurance that the buyer decided not to buy, you should not be required to do anything. Perhaps you could offer half of the amount as a gesture of goodwill? Otherwise, too bad so sad for her. This is exactly what insurance is for.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I agree. You are not responsible. She chose not to protect her purchase.

 

[MyHappiestPlace]

Actually as the seller you are responsible for making sure that the item arrives in the stated condition listed in the auction. You cannot charge extra for insurance either. You must include the insurance cost in the shipping cost. Its against ebay rules to add on additional shipping costs/fees after the auction ends.

If the buyer files a claim, they will find in the buyer's favor. You have a couple of things you can do at this point. Offer a full refund and hope the buyer leaves positive FB since you did resolve the issue. Offer a partial refund and hope the buyer accepts it and hope buyer does not leave negative FB. Offer nothing, let the buyer open a claim and let ebay find in buyers' favor which will probably result in negative FB.

eta: i am a bronze ebay powerseller and trading assistant with over 6000 feedback and over 10,000 transactions

 

[jls886]

Yep, unfortunately the PP is correct. Really insurance is not for the buyer's protection, but for the seller's protection. It doesn't matter that you offered it and they chose not to pay for it...Paypal and eBay will both always side with the buyer in a case like this. Their expectation and rule is that it is the seller's responsibility to get the item to the buyer in the advertised condition. I know it totally stinks, but it just is the way that it is. I am a Powerseller and Top Rated Seller so I sell quite a bit and those are just their policies that you have to get used to. Luckily these kinds of incidents happen very rarely, I have only had it happen once that I can think of. And if it is a valuable item I always purchase insurance just in case.

ETA: my most recent example of this is that I had a buyer with an incomplete address in ebay, but not incomplete enough for the system to catch it. She had her address listed but not her apartment number. So...the item was 'undeliverable as addressed' and then appeared to be lost for weeks. She filed a claim with Paypal and they refunded her entire payment, the purchase price AND shipping paid even though I had paid for shipping to her. So even though that was entirely her mistake and not even a little bit my mistake I actually lost money on the transaction because I paid for shipping and then Paypal refunded her that amount. The boots were finally returned to me but I am still annoyed at her.

So all in all, many of their policies may not seem fair but they just are what they are. And they (so far) have not negatively impacted me enough to stop selling on eBay.

 

[Lewisc]

Interesting the first two replies gave the absolutely wrong answer. Insurance protects the seller not the buyer. The buyer is entitled to a refund.

You don't think that's fair? Then you should have included the fee for insurance with the shipping charge. or You shouldn't have sold on ebay.

edited to add--There really isn't any reason for an intelligent buyer to purchase insurance. The liability rests with the sell and paypall will process a refund under those circunstances.

 

[smitch425]

Actually as the seller you are responsible for making sure that the item arrives in the stated condition listed in the auction. You cannot charge extra for insurance either. You must include the insurance cost in the shipping cost. Its against ebay rules to add on additional shipping costs/fees after the auction ends.

If the buyer files a claim, they will find in the buyer's favor. You have a couple of things you can do at this point. Offer a full refund and hope the buyer leaves positive FB since you did resolve the issue. Offer a partial refund and hope the buyer accepts it and hope buyer does not leave negative FB. Offer nothing, let the buyer open a claim and let ebay find in buyers' favor which will probably result in negative FB.

eta: i am a bronze ebay powerseller and trading assistant with over 6000 feedback and over 10,000 transactions

WOW! Thanks for the correction. Several items I have purchased over the years have said "insurance available if requested". Guess I will never take anyone up on that!

 

[kathie859]

I received a broken item that I bought off EBay. It was sent via USPS and the seller gave me a full refund plus paid for the postage to send it back! I was pleased by the service and gave her high marks on Feedback.

OP--if you don't give a full refund, expect negative Feedback. I think you're dead wrong in your thinking that it's the buyer's problem. I'd ask her to send the item back and give her refund.

 

[Egdisney]

I worked at PayPal and it is absolutely correct that it is the seller's responsibility to get the item to the buyer in the condition it was described. The buyer can open a claim with PayPal. They will then ask that the buyer sends back what they received with tracking. Once tracking shows delivery PayPal will issue a refund on your behalf. Or you could avoid the process and offer the refund on your end right away.

 

[smitch425]

OP, I hope you don't mind me hijacking for a minute. It seems we have some experts here. I ordered a wig for DD at the beginning of April. The shipping was listed as approx 3-4 weeks from China. After six weeks, the item had not shown up. The tracking number was good and showed the item going to a couple different cities within China, but it sat idle for over 3 weeks as "preparing shipment". I went in through "my eBay" to ask the seller if there were any issues and if this was normal. I even checked the box that said I still wanted the item. The next day, I got an email from eBay saying the seller issued a refund and my case was closed! I didn't even realize that I opened a case. The wig showed up several days later, but since I assumed my item was lost, I ordered a different wig from another seller in China (arrived in only 8 days!).

Okay experts, what should I do? The original wig was $9.96. The replacement was more than that. DH says I shouldn't do anything because they didn't communicate with me before refunding my payment and the shipping time was nearly double the time listed. What would you do if you were me?

 

[a1tinkfans]

OP, I hope you don't mind me hijacking for a minute. It seems we have some experts here. I ordered a wig for DD at the beginning of April. The shipping was listed as approx 3-4 weeks from China. After six weeks, the item had not shown up. The tracking number was good and showed the item going to a couple different cities within China, but it sat idle for over 3 weeks as "preparing shipment". I went in through "my eBay" to ask the seller if there were any issues and if this was normal. I even checked the box that said I still wanted the item. The next day, I got an email from eBay saying the seller issued a refund and my case was closed! I didn't even realize that I opened a case. The wig showed up several days later, but since I assumed my item was lost, I ordered a different wig from another seller in China (arrived in only 8 days!).

Okay experts, what should I do? The original wig was $9.96. The replacement was more than that. DH says I shouldn't do anything because they didn't communicate with me before refunding my payment and the shipping time was nearly double the time listed. What would you do if you were me?

Id do nothing...
I dont think they can re-charge you, they likely thought it got held in customs, which sometimes happens .....
funny thing is, we ordered something from Japan, it was supposed to take like 4-5 weeks, it took 2 1/2 and we were shocked...My own local mail takes a few days

All I know is, this thread is very timely cause the DH wanted me to throw some stuff on ebay and I was against it...I used to sell on ebay a few years back but then it seemed to get so complicated and people can be so flippant ..the work was not worth it....so Ill be showing him the thread
Anyhoo, good luck! curious what the experts say....

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

OP, I have used eBay since early 1997, and the replies telling you that you are responsible are absolutely correct. You need to refund your buyer.

Insure any item you cannot afford to replace/refund.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

......

Okay experts, what should I do? The original wig was $9.96. The replacement was more than that. DH says I shouldn't do anything because they didn't communicate with me before refunding my payment and the shipping time was nearly double the time listed. What would you do if you were me?

Do nothing and think twice before buying from Chinese sellers on eBay. There are many, many eBay sellers in China running fraudulent auctions.

 

[gillenkl]

Refund the buyer and be done with it.

 

[smitch425]

Do nothing and think twice before buying from Chinese sellers on eBay. There are many, many eBay sellers in China running fraudulent auctions.

Thanks for advice and the info. I don't typically buy anything from overseas, but I needed certain wigs for MNSSHP this year, and none of the Halloween stores had what I needed. DD's second wig will work perfectly and the quality is decent for the price I paid, but I also got my wig from a seller in China and it is very high quality. It feels like real hair. Almost too real...

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Ebay recently changed the rules, you cannot ask the buyer to pay for insurance and it's for your protection. You also can't ask the buyer to pay for delivery confirmation. If you don't use it and they file a claim, they will get their money back for lack of tracking. Also if the item is over $250 and paid through paypal and you don't pay for signature confirmation, same thing.

So it's your problem, it stinks but it is. If they file a claim, you could lose. I don't insure small stuff and I just take my chances. Something irreplaceable got lost and I just refunded the guy.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

OP, I hope you don't mind me hijacking for a minute. It seems we have some experts here. I ordered a wig for DD at the beginning of April. The shipping was listed as approx 3-4 weeks from China. After six weeks, the item had not shown up. The tracking number was good and showed the item going to a couple different cities within China, but it sat idle for over 3 weeks as "preparing shipment". I went in through "my eBay" to ask the seller if there were any issues and if this was normal. I even checked the box that said I still wanted the item. The next day, I got an email from eBay saying the seller issued a refund and my case was closed! I didn't even realize that I opened a case. The wig showed up several days later, but since I assumed my item was lost, I ordered a different wig from another seller in China (arrived in only 8 days!).

Okay experts, what should I do? The original wig was $9.96. The replacement was more than that. DH says I shouldn't do anything because they didn't communicate with me before refunding my payment and the shipping time was nearly double the time listed. What would you do if you were me?

There is some new stupid thing with ebay, if you email the seller and don't include a reason why or don't select the right thing it automatically opens a case. It's a pain! I wouldn't do anything, stuff from china can move super fast or really slow, it's iffy. If they are that worried about getting the money back on something that eventually got there, they will message you.

 

[HM]

Ebay recently changed the rules, you cannot ask the buyer to pay for insurance and it's for your protection. You also can't ask the buyer to pay for delivery confirmation. If you don't use it and they file a claim, they will get their money back for lack of tracking. Also if the item is over $250 and paid through paypal and you don't pay for signature confirmation, same thing.

So it's your problem, it stinks but it is. If they file a claim, you could lose. I don't insure small stuff and I just take my chances. Something irreplaceable got lost and I just refunded the guy.

I don't sell or buy on Ebay, but I'm always interested in these posts. As a prospective buyer, I've always been wary of the whole Ebay thing and have held back. But, maybe with all these assurances for the buyer, maybe I'll be more open to it in the future.

I'm sorry things did not work out well for the OP.

 

[DawnM]

If it makes you feel any better at all, I sold something NOT on ebay, bought insurance, the item was ruined, and I still reimbursed her and the Post Office won't reimburse me anything because they say SHE has to take the damaged item and open a case and she isn't doing it!

So, I lost about $30 on that deal.

 

[jls886]

If it makes you feel any better at all, I sold something NOT on ebay, bought insurance, the item was ruined, and I still reimbursed her and the Post Office won't reimburse me anything because they say SHE has to take the damaged item and open a case and she isn't doing it!

So, I lost about $30 on that deal.

Yep, insurance requires action on the buyer's part to take it to their post office and open a case...so really insurance doesn't even guarantee you anything. Any kind of insurance claim is a pain and a hassle even if the buyer is cooperative. I have had one insurance case recently (bc the item was worth $300) and I waited to refund the buyer until he went to the post office and opened the case...but I understand that only because I had a nice and cooperative buyer did that work.