Help! ebay seller question: "Item not received" by buyer :(

[gk90]

So I sold some of DD's AMerican Girl doll clothes, packed up securely, used the printed out label from Paypal/USPS. According to the tracking info the item was delivered on Dec 22 but now the buyer says it was never received and has opened up a case

I responded through the Ebay dispute resolution page but I'm not sure what to do next. Do I contact USPS, does the buyer or do both of us? If Ebay finds against me do I have to issue a refund and am I out the $25 that the buyer paid?

TIA for any help!

 

[SandrA9810]

If the item is stated as delivered, then the buyer needs to contact the post office. You have your proof, you don't need to do anything on your end. I would just state "Here is your tracking number, and the post office has it as delivered. Please contact the post office for further information on this. "

Ebay won't do anything against you since you have tracking information. Not much else can be done. Now if there was insurance purchased on the package with the post office, you can file a claim to receive a refund on it and pass it on to the buyer.

It's also five days later. The buyer should've been tracking the package and made contact on the 22 or 23. It's easier to contact the post office and the delivery person the day of rather than a week later. If they were out of town and package was stolen off their door step, that's not your fault. They buyer should've placed a hold with the post office and the box would've been kept there until they picked it up.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Agree with above.

I find it also mysterious that he responded TODAY instead of on the 23-24 when if I was missing a present (which I assume it was) I would be notifying the seller even if its a FYI it hasnt arrived yet comment (which then could be responded with- it appears to have been delivered on X date an X time can you check with your postman?)

 

[sweetdana]

If the item is stated as delivered, then the buyer needs to contact the post office. You have your proof, you don't need to do anything on your end. I would just state "Here is your tracking number, and the post office has it as delivered. Please contact the post office for further information on this. "

Ebay won't do anything against you since you have tracking information. Not much else can be done. Now if there was insurance purchased on the package with the post office, you can file a claim to receive a refund on it and pass it on to the buyer.

It's also five days later. The buyer should've been tracking the package and made contact on the 22 or 23. It's easier to contact the post office and the delivery person the day of rather than a week later. If they were out of town and package was stolen off their door step, that's not your fault. They buyer should've placed a hold with the post office and the box would've been kept there until they picked it up.

Agree with all of these.. except.. not every one tracks packages.. I have way to much stuff delivered to track.. I would remember/notice if it was a Christmas present and late.. or diapers I needed.. but on 100 deliveries, I maybe check tracking on 1 of them.. If the item was not specific to the date, I might not notice for 5 days either.. so this is not weird to me at all..


Also Buyer can most certainly give you a bad rating, I am not sure why PP implies it is only a buyers problem. In the respect, of require repayment, or even it is their fight with the post office maybe.. .. but honestly a few bad ratings stinks for a seller, and if I didn't receive something them had to fight with the post office for something (even with proof it was delivered), I would be sure to give the worst rating ever

Maybe seller has it.. and maybe they don't, but it stinks OP and I am so sorry

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

If tracking shows it was delivered then your part is done.

If the buyer leaves you a bad feedback because of it you can respond to the feedback right under it and say PACKAGE WAS DELIVERED PER USPS. Ppl will see your response to the bad feedback.

If you have proof of delivery Ebay will not make you refund them. Now if the buyer keeps on and on about it Ebay may give them a courtesy refund that does not come from you.

You can also contact Ebay customer service if a bad feedback is left for something like that where it shows your package WAS DELIVERED they will remove the bad feedback.

 

[gk90]

Thanks for the reassurance and helpful advice! The buyer actually made contact me through Ebay on Dec 25 by opening a case. I only saw the email for it today and responded with the tracking info as soon as I saw it. I haven't been able to check email too regularly since power has been on and off here (we came up to for Christmas with family in Ontario in the aftermath of an ice storm) and when the power is on I don't have my own computer.
I contacted the buyer again and told her to check with her post office and/or mail carrier. I have to say that all of you here are more informative than Ebay's dispute resolution center!

 

[Eastern]

... and if I didn't receive something them had to fight with the post office for something (even with proof it was delivered), I would be sure to give the worst rating ever

Why would you give the seller a bad rating? If the post office says it was delivered, how is that the seller's problem

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Why would you give the seller a bad rating? If the post office says it was delivered, how is that the seller's problem

Because the buyer wants to blame someone.

 

[ceecee]

Same thing happened to me. I mailed the package on 12-12 and tracking says it was delivered on 12-14, I replyed to Ebay with the tracking #, buyer said # was invalid, I copied the USPS tracking and that's the last I've heard. Paypal still has a hold on the $ though. I have no idea how long it takes. This has happened more than a few times before, but once tracking info is provided the item is miraclously found!

 

[LovemesomeDW]

Agree with all of these.. except.. not every one tracks packages.. I have way to much stuff delivered to track.. I would remember/notice if it was a Christmas present and late.. or diapers I needed.. but on 100 deliveries, I maybe check tracking on 1 of them.. If the item was not specific to the date, I might not notice for 5 days either.. so this is not weird to me at all.. Also Buyer can most certainly give you a bad rating, I am not sure why PP implies it is only a buyers problem. In the respect, of require repayment, or even it is their fight with the post office maybe.. .. but honestly a few bad ratings stinks for a seller, and if I didn't receive something them had to fight with the post office for something (even with proof it was delivered), I would be sure to give the worst rating ever Maybe seller has it.. and maybe they don't, but it stinks OP and I am so sorry

Huh? You would actually give a seller a bad rating if the post office screwed up? Why on earth would you penalize a seller for something they had no control over? I hope you never bid on any of my eBay listings!! Wow

 

[seashoreCM]

Why would you give the seller a bad rating? If the post office says it was delivered, how is that the seller's problem

The post office is not foolproof.

But there are times when I as a buyer expect the overall transaction to be foolproof. If I don't receive the item then I expect not to have to pay for it. For this I am willing to pay more, for example add insurance.

(There are other time when I don't care that much.)

 

[Jeff_G]

I believe USPS now insures packages upto $50, as the seller you paid the postage to USPS and thus you would be responsible for opening up an insurance claim for the missing item.

The buyer expects you to make it right, if you purchased an item from a major retailer, they sipped it out it went missing then told you sorry contact USPS, you would be livid!

Ebay / Paypal will side with the buyer in this case and you will have to refund the money. This is a common scam on ebay and you may be out of luck.

I would contact the buyer and ask them to wait a few more days, while you research the issue. I would then contact USPS with the tracking number and ask what the deal is. the item may have been scanned delivered by mistake.

 

[supersnoop]

Huh? You would actually give a seller a bad rating if the post office screwed up? Why on earth would you penalize a seller for something they had no control over? I hope you never bid on any of my eBay listings!! Wow

Technically, it's the sellers responsibility to get the item to the buyer. Until they receive the item, the seller is to blame. The seller paid for the shipping, and if the shipping company fails to deliver, it's still up to the seller to make it right. It is not the buyer's responsibility to work with the shopping company because they do not have a relationship or transaction with that company.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I believe USPS now insures packages upto $50, as the seller you paid the postage to USPS and thus you would be responsible for opening up an insurance claim for the missing item.

The buyer expects you to make it right, if you purchased an item from a major retailer, they sipped it out it went missing then told you sorry contact USPS, you would be livid!

Ebay / Paypal will side with the buyer in this case and you will have to refund the money. This is a common scam on ebay and you may be out of luck.

I would contact the buyer and ask them to wait a few more days, while you research the issue. I would then contact USPS with the tracking number and ask what the deal is. the item may have been scanned delivered by mistake.

Actually Ebay will not side with the buyer if the seller has proof of delivery. I am an Ebay seller and you would be surprised how often ppl claim to not have received the item even when the delivery confirmation shows they did. Once I provide tracking info that the package was delivered I have never had Ebay make me refund anybody. Usually once I provide them with the tracking number showing it was actually delivered I never hear from them again. Maybe they didn't realize there was even tracking and they thought they could get the item and their money back, who knows.

But NOW as someone else said, if you ship it priority, which I ship everything priority, it comes with $50 of insurance. So in that case YOU contact USPS and file an insurance claim that the buyer claims to never have received the package. It takes a minute for them to actually end up paying you.

If it is an item for more than $50 I pay for insurance and pass that cost onto the buyer. That way both parties are protected.

 

[CarouselOfProgress4]

I sell several items on eBay each week and I would just like to add a tip. Sometimes after I print off the shipping label and take the package to the PO I realize I made a mistake in the package weight. I have done this a few times and its usually due to me just not paying attention or forgetting to input the exact weight. So I end up having to pay extra postage in addition to the postage I have already paid on eBay. I am then given a new tracking number which is located on your PO receipt. Hang on to your receipt so that you can enter the new tracking number on eBay. The old tracking number will only show a blank page even after you have shipped and the item is delivered. Doing this will save you a lot of trouble. I've never had this problem because the item has always reached the destination but it can potentially end up in a situation like the PP's where the buyer tries to pull one over on you. Learn from my absentmindedness haha

 

[SandrA9810]

The only shipping issue we've ever had is when an item is held in customs. That's a royal pain. Even going to Canada it can take up to 30 days to clear customs, and an insurance claim cannot be made until the 30 days have passed. It's frustrating for us as the seller and the buyer waiting for the item.

The seller has done her part, there's not much else she can do except to file a claim if there is insurance. However, I don't know if the post office would approve it since they say the package was delivered. I would still try, the form only takes a few minutes to fill out and you can drop it off at the post office.

 

[richmond282]

OP, I would reply to the case with the tracking # and state that the tracking shows the package was delivered on X date and X time. What kind of shipping did you use? Priority mail? First class?

I have found it very helpful to contact ebay by phone if you are unsure of the resolution center. Every time I have called, ebay has resolved the problem in my favor (as the seller).

Actually Ebay will not side with the buyer if the seller has proof of delivery. I am an Ebay seller and you would be surprised how often ppl claim to not have received the item even when the delivery confirmation shows they did. Once I provide tracking info that the package was delivered I have never had Ebay make me refund anybody. Usually once I provide them with the tracking number showing it was actually delivered I never hear from them again. Maybe they didn't realize there was even tracking and they thought they could get the item and their money back, who knows.

But NOW as someone else said, if you ship it priority, which I ship everything priority, it comes with $50 of insurance. So in that case YOU contact USPS and file an insurance claim that the buyer claims to never have received the package. It takes a minute for them to actually end up paying you.

If it is an item for more than $50 I pay for insurance and pass that cost onto the buyer. That way both parties are protected.

If you purchase priority mail labels online, you get $100 of insurance. Anything I sell that is over $100, I do purchase the additional insurance. If it's over $200, ebay requires that you deliver with signature confirmation as well to cover your butt.

I sell several items on eBay each week and I would just like to add a tip. Sometimes after I print off the shipping label and take the package to the PO I realize I made a mistake in the package weight. I have done this a few times and its usually due to me just not paying attention or forgetting to input the exact weight. So I end up having to pay extra postage in addition to the postage I have already paid on eBay. I am then given a new tracking number which is located on your PO receipt. Hang on to your receipt so that you can enter the new tracking number on eBay. The old tracking number will only show a blank page even after you have shipped and the item is delivered. Doing this will save you a lot of trouble. I've never had this problem because the item has always reached the destination but it can potentially end up in a situation like the PP's where the buyer tries to pull one over on you. Learn from my absentmindedness haha

Hint: buy a shipping scale and weigh at home. I bought one off of amazon for like $18. It is soooo much easier to just weigh it, then alter the weight before you print off the label. Then if the item is smaller, you can just stick it in the mailbox rather than having to go to the post office too.

 

[supersnoop]

One caveat: if the transaction is over $250, you must get signature upon delivery. Otherwise, the delivery confirmation is worthless. eBay will side with the buyer (per their terms) even if the tracking shows delivered if you don't get a signature for a $250+ transaction.

 

[tasha99]

Tracking is only as good as the person filling in the info. We had a bunch of computer parts delivered, and several boxes from Newegg were delivered to a house up the street. My son didn't even question the missing packages until a few weeks later (this was something his dad sent hi unbeknownst to me). Of course, after a couple of weeks, there was nothing Newegg would do for us. In a last bid of desperation we went door knocking up the street and lo and behold, someone had our package. The house smelled like pot, and the guy said, "we didn't know what to do with it!" (uh, maybe either give it to us, or at least call UPS and say it was misdelivered?)

 

[mguilford1]

Just because a tracking # says delivered doesnt always mean the customer received it. I have a P O Box and I order gift cards from one certain site all the time and never had a problem with them. This christmas 2 of the packages never showed up yet the post office said the tracking numbers were delivered. If they were delivered they were put in someone else's box not mine! Luckily I was refunded by the original company. I have never had issues with UPS but 4 issues with USPS. I sell on Ebay also and when I use USPS I pay 50 cents extra to get a delivery signature!