Ebay advice - I sent a package and it has not been received

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cheapfrag

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I sold a NEW Call of Duty 2 (PC) game on Ebay for $20.20 plus $4.99 shipping. Insurance was optional and not purchased. I sent the package on Monday, 11/27 via USPS 1st Class mail with delivery confirmation from NJ to MA. The delivery confirmation shows that the item was accepted at my Post Office, but nothing else after that - no delivery. I have only 20 feedback but 100% positive.

What would an expereinced Ebayer do if the package is not delivered today? Does the buyer get a refund? Does that refund include shipping? Can I get any fees back from PayPal or Ebay if I refund the buyer? I have shipped out 4 other Call of Duty 2 PC games and have not had any problems and received positive feedback from everyone.

So do I get screwed because the USPS lost my package? (I had another one of my packages go from NJ to GA to MI via First Class and it took 7 days - that's media mail timeframe.)
 
try calling usps. it took over 2 months for me to send something through media mail in the same state once...i kept staring at the delivery confirmation and all that it showed was that it was received at my post office. i finally called them and they tracked the package down
 
[quote name='cheapfrag']I sold a NEW Call of Duty 2 (PC) game on Ebay for $20.20 plus $4.99 shipping. Insurance was optional and not purchased. I sent the package on Monday, 11/27 via USPS 1st Class mail with delivery confirmation from NJ to MA. The delivery confirmation shows that the item was accepted at my Post Office, but nothing else after that - no delivery. I have only 20 feedback but 100% positive.

What would an expereinced Ebayer do if the package is not delivered today? Does the buyer get a refund? Does that refund include shipping? Can I get any fees back from PayPal or Ebay if I refund the buyer? I have shipped out 4 other Call of Duty 2 PC games and have not had any problems and received positive feedback from everyone.

So do I get screwed because the USPS lost my package? (I had another one of my packages go from NJ to GA to MI via First Class and it took 7 days - that's media mail timeframe.)[/QUOTE]

If the DC dosen't show it was delivered, Paypal will always side with the buyer, so you're screwed, unless you do what VG said.
 
You need to give it at least 3 weeks to a month before giving a refund IMO. But if it doesn't get delivered you should refund IMO. True, it should have arrived by now, but mail is delayed sometimes. It's been less than a week, no need to panic too much, yet.

Have you heard from the buyer that they don't have it, or are you just checking your DCs and noticed that one isn't delivered? If you haven't heard from the buyer it could be it was delivered but not scanned. (Don't contact them about it, if they don't get it they'll let you know.)

If the buyer has complained, I'd ask them to wait for it to show up, but if it doesn't eventually arrive you will refund. I'd refund their full payment.

Contacting the post office is also a good idea, but I'd give it more time. I asked about a package at my post office a while back and they told me you have to wait a month before they will investigate. (Not sure if that was BS or not.)
 
Honestly, if he didn't purchase the insurance and the package doesn't arrive, it is NOT your responsibility to do anything. Buyers always seem to think it is...but you didn't lose it yourself did you?

You can be nice a refund him, or you can tell him you're not responsible, it all depends on how you want to handle the situation...just remember, it may be less likely that you'll recieve negative feedback by giving a refund but it doesn't mean that you won't recieve it. I've given refunds only to be followed up with a negative feedback.
 
[quote name='Cmosfm']Honestly, if he didn't purchase the insurance and the package doesn't arrive, it is NOT your responsibility to do anything. Buyers always seem to think it is...but you didn't lose it yourself did you?[/quote] Paypal disagrees. They'll give a refund.
Credit Card companies also disagree. And will give a refund.
(Not sure but I think the law also requires delivery -or- refund.)

So yes the seller is responsible even if the Carrier loses the package.

To the OP:

I wouldn't do anything until the buyer complains. When the buyer complains you have ~15 days to fix the problem (if you stretch the process as long as possible). During that time I would drive to the USPS and say, "Where's my package?"

Oftentimes, especially in December, the package will arrive 2-3 weeks late.
[ So the problem self-resolves via a little patient waiting.]
 
[quote name='fred_h_haddad']Paypal disagrees. They'll give a refund.
Credit Card companies also disagree. And will give a refund.
(Not sure but I think the law also requires delivery -or- refund.)

So yes the seller is responsible even if the Carrier loses the package.

To the OP:

I wouldn't do anything until the buyer complains. When the buyer complains you have ~15 days to fix the problem (if you stretch the process as long as possible). During that time I would drive to the USPS and say, "Where's my package?"

Oftentimes, especially in December, the package will arrive 2-3 weeks late.[/QUOTE]

True, and that's good advice, unless the buyer takes it up with a higher authority then just don't do anything.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone - The buyer sent an Ebay message asking about the package. I also asked the USPS this morning and they said to bring in the DC # and they'll have the Supervisor call the other PO. If the buyer doesn't get it today, then I will go into the PO on Monday.

Also, in looking around Ebay, Ebay also considers it the seller's responsibility for delivery.

You're right - it's probably not "panic" time yet but this is why I use 1st class instead of media mail so that it gets there quicker and I can close the books on it.

If it doesn't arrive soon, I will tell the buyer I will refund after 3 weeks. Does that sound reasonable?
 
[quote name='RegalSin2020']You offered them insurance they did not take the offer so you win.[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately I don't think Ebay or Paypal see it that way. The seller is responsible for delivery of the item.

What about PayPal fees if I refund - will I get those fee credited back to my account? What about Ebay fees - is there any way to get some of those back if I do a refund (me thinks not)?

Thanks all!
 
[quote name='RegalSin2020']But the seller offered insurance for the item. The buyer did not take the insurance so case closed.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. The whole point of offering insurance is that if the item is lost in the mail, you will be insured the value of the item that was lost and can offer a refund without taking a loss. If the buyer is willing to risk not having it at the sake of a couple of bucks then its their problem, its a risk some people are willing to take because the post office is usually very good about packages. You're only obligated to do whats stated in your auction, if you don't mention a refund, you don't have to give them one. But they'll probably give you negative feedback. In that case, you ought to figure out where the package is. Only on 1 occasion the post office has ever lost an item that was sent to me. I won an auction for an anime DVD online, and received a letter from the post office that it was damaged. I faxed it to the seller, and luckily it was an ebay store with a guarantee and they shipped out a replacement (after I had to explain the situation to them 3 times).

Also, order tracking on the USPS is not accurate, it takes a long time to update your package in the database. I've sent packages where it still says "item not found" and they were delivered before it ever showed up online. Wait it out a few more days.
 
Regal and Stealth:

It matters not what you believe. If the buyer paid by Paypal they WILL give a refund. If the buyer paid by credit card they WILL give a refund.

You as a seller have no recourse.
The decision to refund or not is out of your hands.
The only way you could say 'no' is if the buyer paid by check or cash & has no "higher power" force the seller to refund.
 
Yes, you can get all PayPal fees and some eBay fees back if you issue the refund through PayPal by clicking on the payment details of the payment he sent you and click "Refund". Then you'll have to tell them that you're going to file a mutual agreement to cancel the purchase on eBay. Make sure you refer to it as a mutual agreement and not a non-paying bidder claim. Just tell him that all it does is release both parties from the transaction and gets your eBay fees refunded. Also assure him that with the mutual agreement, a non-paying bidder strike will not be issued and no negative feedback will be left. Then, go to file a non-paying bidder claim like you normally would, but make sure to select the "mutual agreement" option. eBay will send him an email, and if he accepts (which there's no reason he shouldn't) you'll get your Final Value Fee refunded.

--EDIT--
But my advice is to wait AT LEAST a week before going that route. Also, like wubb said, don't bring it up if they haven't contacted you about it yet.
 
First Class can take up to 10 days to be delivered even during the non holiday season so I wouldn't worry about it being lost yet.

Even if a buyer gets insurance, it takes weeks to file the claim (from the minimum time which I think is 3 weeks), for the post office to review it and then pay the claim. I wonder if most buyers would understand they have to wait that long to get their money back.
 
Paypal always does side with the buyer....Do you still have documentation from the post office? You can win in these situations, I have in the past when Paypal tried to charge me back...I'd like to say that I've never had a problem with the USPS, their service has always been impeccable.
 
my 2 bits:

WHEN PAYPAL IS INVOLVED, If you, as a seller, don't insure your items, you are rolling the dice.

It doesn't matter if you offer insurance, state in your ad that you aren't responsible if the buyer chooses not to buy insurance, or use DC and the Post Office loses the item... if the buyer doesn't receive the item and files a claim thru paypal, they will win EVERY time.

Save yourselves the headache and either make insurance mandatory (which I do for big ticket items) or include it for free (I do this for small stuff)...it really doesn't add that much more to your total shipping costs.
 
I recently sold a Xbox360 here, sent it 1-2 days priority. It took over a week to get to where it needed to be. I don't think I will be using the USPS anymore.
 
[quote name='toper']my 2 bits:

WHEN PAYPAL IS INVOLVED, If you, as a seller, don't insure your items, you are rolling the dice.

It doesn't matter if you offer insurance, state in your ad that you aren't responsible if the buyer chooses not to buy insurance, or use DC and the Post Office loses the item... if the buyer doesn't receive the item and files a claim thru paypal, they will win EVERY time.

Save yourselves the headache and either make insurance mandatory (which I do for big ticket items) or include it for free (I do this for small stuff)...it really doesn't add that much more to your total shipping costs.[/QUOTE]

Yea - I've been thinking about requiring insurance and using media mail (assuming it's cheaper than 1st class given the weight) to balance out the cost.

My buyer doesn't mind waiting another 2 weeks to see if it shows up - I think he was relieved when I told him I would refund if it doesn't eventually show up.
 
It's amazing to me, that the seller is still responsible for the package, even if the buyer chose not to buy insurance...If infact that is true, which I did not know...I've been selling on eBay for years, and always state that if insurance is not purchased, that I am not responsible what happens, after I mail the package
 
[quote name='YoshiFan1']First Class can take up to 10 days to be delivered[/quote]First-Class mail is 3-4 day delivery time....Priority is 2-3 days....You must be thinking of that awful media mail, which is the worse thing ever created
 
[quote name='Black05Hemi']First-Class mail is 3-4 day delivery time....Priority is 2-3 days....You must be thinking of that awful media mail, which is the worse thing ever created[/quote]
My experience with media is that it takes far longer to ship something in-state by media than across the country. One package went from PA to CA in 2 business days, 3 days for delivery. A package that went across the state took 2 weeks. :cold:

But I generally love media mail. It saves me so much money and nothing's ever been lost. Since I started selling/trading online, I must've sent close to 100 qualifiable items by media mail and not a single one has been lost.

But this thread's given me a new idea...to justify inflated shipping costs, I will include insurance in the cost of shipping. (That means adding $1.35 [for up to $100 coverage] on top of my skimmed shipping costs to cover eBay/Paypal fees.)
 
[quote name='Black05Hemi']First-Class mail is 3-4 day delivery time....Priority is 2-3 days....[/quote] Keep repeating that lie..... er, propaganda... er, claim by the U.S. Government and you might actually believe it.

In reality I've seen 1st class/Priority take as long as 14 days.
And media mail as fast as 3 days.

It depends upon weather conditions, the busy christmas season, and whether or not your package falls under the mailman's front seat where it gets temporarily lost.


[quote name='Black05Hemi']It's amazing to me, that the seller is still responsible for the package, even if the buyer chose not to buy insurance...[/quote]
U.S. Legal Code assumes that if the package never arrived then the Store never mailed it. This law was written with multi-billionaire corporations like Sears or Penneys in mind. Being rich they can afford to lose a package or two & refund the customer.


I've been thinking about requiring insurance and using media mail (assuming it's cheaper than 1st class given the weight)
Click to expand...
1st class is cheaper up to 6 ounces & I often use 1st class to mail lightweight games.
Over 6 ounces media mail is only $1.52 for 1 pound.
 
[quote name='Black05Hemi']First-Class mail is 3-4 day delivery time....Priority is 2-3 days....You must be thinking of that awful media mail, which is the worse thing ever created[/QUOTE]

Those are suppose to be the "norm", but life isn't always perfect (yea.. I know this must he shocking for you).
Some of my usps first class packages has taken considerably longer than than the norm, 3-4 weeks (other members here have stated the same thing in the previous posts).

Media Mail isn't exactly useless, but I do have to say that people shouldn't be using it for games out since 1st class is only a few cents more. On top of that, usps doesn't consider video games as part of Media Mail in the first place though this seems to vary between different employees. Back to the original subject, Media Mail is useful when mailing out heavy items such as textbooks. What is ironic is that sites such as half.com don't even reemburse you enough money to ship the book out (charging the buyer $3.70 to ship out a hardcover textbook but only reemburse the seller $2.78). Why the hell does half.com charge a commission on the shipping??
 
[quote name='wbc1228']shouldn't be using it for games out since 1st class is only a few cents more. On top of that, usps doesn't consider video games as part of Media Mail in the first place though this seems to vary between different employees.[/quote]

Balonie. Games are CDs and DVDs. CDs/DVDs are media mail according to usps.gov. For that matter ANY "computer-readable media" can be sent at the Media rate. If a postal employee asks, "What's this?" I just tell them "DVD" or "CD" and that's the end of that.

Using media instead of 1st saves me about 20 cents per package times 100 games/dvds/cd sold this christmas == $20 saved. Not trivial.
 
Looks like this may be coming to an end. Finally an additional status on the USPS web site for the delivery confirmation:
----Arrival at Unit, December 06, 2006, 3:25 am, xxxxxx, MA xxxxx
----Acceptance, November 27, 2006, 8:12 am, xxxxxxxxxxxxx, NJ xxxxx
----Electronic Shipping Info Received, November 26, 2006

Still not delivered but I have faith at this point. 10 days for 1st class delivery for a distance that takes 4.5 hours to drive straight through. Oh well at least it's getting there. The buyer was patient (especially after I said that I would refund if not delivered after 3 weeks.)

Thanks to all who provided advice. I will be considering including insurance from now on (I certainly charge enough for shipping to include it!)
 
[quote name='vietgurl']try calling usps. it took over 2 months for me to send something through media mail in the same state once...i kept staring at the delivery confirmation and all that it showed was that it was received at my post office. i finally called them and they tracked the package down[/QUOTE]does anybody know if usps can help me even tho I did not buy delivery confirmation??

a buyer is claiming to have not received the package I sent her, however she had already left me positive feedback saying the delivery was quick -_-;;; she claims she left it by mistake.

I don't wanna give her her money back, but I feel the only way outta this is by being an asshole
 
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