Ebay item damaged by post office

[pilesoflaundry]

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.

I've been selling a little over 10 years and in the last 5 or so it has slowly turned to a buyers market. You have no worries as a buyer, as a seller you can get hosed and they charge more and more so I've dropped off from selling quite a bit.

I've only had a problem buying once or twice and every time it was fixed right away.

 

[excitedfamof4]

I have been buying and selling on Ebay for about 10 years now and have only had one problem. I sold a huge lot of kids clothing to someone and she only received 1 package. USPS didn't do anything to try to help find it. Thankfully the buyer was super nice and we agreed that I would just send her more clothes to replace the ones that were lost. So, just try to work something out so you don't get negative feedback...in the long run you will loose more if you have any negative feedback.

To the pp that got the wig from China....I wouldn't do anything either. That was just good service for them to do that for you. I have always had great experience when buying things from China....takes longer to get it, but worth it in the long run! I bought a lot of Barbie clothes that were hand made and they were gorgeous!!

 

[ellone]

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.

Here's the problem with USPS insurance - if the buyer goes to the post office and opens a claim they can still open a case with eBay and get their money back from ebay AND the post office.

Nowadays either the sender or receiver can open a insurance claim online. It's very easy but they can take a while to pay out. For a lost package it took me 3 months to get my payment from the post office. They initially denied it and I had to appeal.

After that I only use the Shipcover insurance that ebay offers when you buy postage through their system. Shipcover will pay me if anything happens and Inpay the buyer.

 

[horseshowmom]

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!

I used to see that a lot but much less now. I'm guessing that people have learned that it's the buyer's responsibility to get it there (which it really should be honestly).

I have been buying and selling on Ebay for about 10 years now and have only had one problem. I sold a huge lot of kids clothing to someone and she only received 1 package. USPS didn't do anything to try to help find it. Thankfully the buyer was super nice and we agreed that I would just send her more clothes to replace the ones that were lost. So, just try to work something out so you don't get negative feedback...in the long run you will loose more if you have any negative feedback.

To the pp that got the wig from China....I wouldn't do anything either. That was just good service for them to do that for you. I have always had great experience when buying things from China....takes longer to get it, but worth it in the long run! I bought a lot of Barbie clothes that were hand made and they were gorgeous!!

If you sell a large lot, you may find that it's just as cheap (and much less of a hassle) to ship via UPS. You automatically get up to $100 insurance (unless they've changed it, it's been awhile since I shipped), and I think they do a better job of tracking it overall.

I used them regularly when I used to sell a fair amount. I once shipped a lot of show clothes including two pairs of very nice chaps. The buyer claimed they arrived smelling of cat urine. They absolutely did not when they left so I contacted UPS before getting back with the buyer. They told me they what to do to file a claim, and they would have the items picked up.

When I contacted the buyer, she immediately started back pedaling and said that she was sure they would be fine after she washed them (leather chaps? Yeah, right. ). I think she was trying to get me to give her a discount or something (basically, rip me off) and wasn't expecting me to take the stuff back (it was very nice stuff - particularly for what she paid for it). If it had been USPS, I would have had a lot more trouble.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would explain to her that insurance was offered and since she did not elect to purchase it and she is out of luck.
You should not have to make it right since you did everything right on your end. Don't worry about it I won't.

 

[happygirl]

I wonder why the post office opened the box

 

[smitch425]

I wonder why the post office opened the box

It is likely that the box was damaged in a machine, on a truck, on a flight, etc. Things happen. I doubt they decided to open a perfectly fine box. That would be illegal.

 

[excitedfamof4]

I used to see that a lot but much less now. I'm guessing that people have learned that it's the buyer's responsibility to get it there (which it really should be honestly).



If you see a large lot, you may find that it's just as cheap (and much less of a hassle) to ship via UPS. You automatically get up to $100 insurance (unless they've changed it, it's been awhile since I shipped), and I think they do a better job of tracking it overall.

I used them regularly when I used to sell a fair amount. I once shipped a lot of show clothes including two pairs of very nice chaps. The buyer claimed they arrived smelling of cat urine. They absolutely did not when they left so I contacted UPS before getting back with the buyer. They told me they what to do to file a claim, and they would have the items picked up.

When I contacted the buyer, she immediately started back pedaling and said that she was sure they would be fine after she washed them (leather chaps? Yeah, right. ). I think she was trying to get me to give her a discount or something (basically, rip me off) and wasn't expecting me to take the stuff back (it was very nice stuff - particularly for what she paid for it). If it had been USPS, I would have had a lot more trouble.

Thanks for the suggestion about shipping with UPS. I may try that next time, especially when its something that is worth more money.

I had a buyer do the same thing one time....I sent her some great kids clothes and she was saying there were some stains etc...there was not..the clothes were great and she got a great deal. So I told her she could just return the clothes and I would give her full credit. It was after that she decided to keep them and left me positive feedback. I guess she was looking for a discount too, but there was no way I was going to give her one.

 

[DawnM]

Actually, I have been told by the post office that if you are shipping something "media mail" they have the right to open it and inspect it to make sure you aren't trying to cheat the system by sending other items media when they aren't printed materials or media.

I haven't had that happen, and I sent a lot media mail.

The only issue I had that I have already mentioned was in a way my fault. I decided to send a soft sided book in an envelope (padded) instead of a box. I won't do that again.

The buyer said there were TIRE marks on it from the mail truck backing over it!

Dawn

It is likely that the box was damaged in a machine, on a truck, on a flight, etc. Things happen. I doubt they decided to open a perfectly fine box. That would be illegal.

 

[smitch425]

Actually, I have been told by the post office that if you are shipping something "media mail" they have the right to open it and inspect it to make sure you aren't trying to cheat the system by sending other items media when they aren't printed materials or media.

I haven't had that happen, and I sent a lot media mail.

The only issue I had that I have already mentioned was in a way my fault. I decided to send a soft sided book in an envelope (padded) instead of a box. I won't do that again.

The buyer said there were TIRE marks on it from the mail truck backing over it!

Dawn

Oh yes...I forgot about the specific media mail thing, but everything else (first class, parcel, etc) would be illegal. I've actually had a package arrive with tire tracks on it too.

 

[delilah]

I once had a cat who ended up in a neighbors driveway with tire marks on it. The neighbor called me and asked me to come get my cat.

 

[crashbb]

I would explain to her that insurance was offered and since she did not elect to purchase it and she is out of luck.
You should not have to make it right since you did everything right on your end. Don't worry about it I won't.

Actually, she didn't. She cannot "offer" insurance and make the buyer pay for it. She does need to make it right.

 

[jls886]

I would explain to her that insurance was offered and since she did not elect to purchase it and she is out of luck.
You should not have to make it right since you did everything right on your end. Don't worry about it I won't.

While that might sound reasonable, if the buyer chooses to open a case with eBay or Paypal (and they have every right to) the case will be found in their favor and they will automatically take the funds from the seller's Paypal account and refund the buyer. So as a seller, you might as well just refund on your own to make the buyer happy and avoid potential negative feedback since the refund is inevitable anyway.

 

[PurpleLaurie55]

This post is so timely! I listed something in eBay the other day, valued at several hundred dollars. I plan on shipping it With tracking, insurance, and 'signature required' confirmation.

If I do all of the above, I am safe, right? I am scared that the buyer will find a loophole and I will be out the money AND the item!

 

[rstamm]

I sent a package and it came back looking like a elephant sat on it.
I took it to the post office and they said it happens and I should get insurance if that is a problem. I argued for 10 minutes and got nowhere.

This is why the post office should go out of business, I now send it UPS or FedEx.

 

[jls886]

This post is so timely! I listed something in eBay the other day, valued at several hundred dollars. I plan on shipping it With tracking, insurance, and 'signature required' confirmation.

If I do all of the above, I am safe, right? I am scared that the buyer will find a loophole and I will be out the money AND the item!

You should be fine. The only 'loophole' they could try to find would be to claim that the item was not as described, but as long as you give a very detailed description you should be fine. And if you have the option, I would purchase the insurance through eBay if you print your labels through there as I think it is easier to deal with than USPS insurance if you have an issue.

 

[Srbright]

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 am a buyer in the real world (no offense to eBayer's or etsy people) for a major manufacturing facility. As most everyone has said, insurance is for YOUR protection. You are the seller and the post office acts as your agent. If your buyer doesn't get the product they paid for then it is your responsibility to make them whole either by shipping new product or refunding the money.

Stacy

 

[vicki_c]

I am a buyer in the real world (no offense to eBayer's or etsy people) for a major manufacturing facility. As most everyone has said, insurance is for YOUR protection. You are the seller and the post office acts as your agent. If your buyer doesn't get the product they paid for then it is your responsibility to make them whole either by shipping new product or refunding the money.

Stacy

Maybe they can ship FOB Destination. LOL. (Sorry folks, Purchasing joke.)

 

[rszdtrvl]

Look at it this way :

You are the seller (example : Amazon.com)

The buyer orders something (pretend it is you) and it arrives damaged.

If you ordered something from Amazon, and it arrived damaged, would you let it go, or would you call Amazon and ask for a replacement or refund?

It is essentially the same thing. As an ebay seller, you are responsible for the item until it arrives in the hands of the buyer. It sucks, as the post office destroys packages on occasion. And their insurance is a joke. But it is part of being an ebay seller.

 

[n2mm]

I sell on ebay and the buyers are protected. My job is to make sure that the buyer receives the item and is satisfied. Insurance only protects ME. I don't even offer it. I add it on the more expensive things. I know that if the PO breaks it, I'm out of money and the item and I know that I have to offer a full refund to include the shipping. It is what it is. I recently sold a pin to a very nice person and they contacted me that they didn't receive the package. It shows never delievered. Luckily I had a backup and mailed it to them (my expense) and not only did they receive it, they received the original that, like the OP, was in a bag with a note that the "machine destroyed it". I lost the merchandise, plus the shipping on both sides. It's a lost on my part. My buyer was happy and received the product she purchased. It's just a gamble of being a seller, you have to expect there will be some losses. As mentioned, the insurance ONLY protects the seller. It doesn't matter that the buyer doesn't buy it. Ebay will side with the buyer regardless. As a seller you have to make sure the buyer gets the item they purchased. If a case is open, the seller will lose. The only time the seller is covered is if the item shows delivered and the buyer says they didn't get it. If confirmation shows it was delievered to the address, the seller will win that one.