Any eBay sellers here? I have a problem.

[gcvmom]

I sold an expensive rain jacket last month on eBay. The buyer did not request insurance or tracking of any type, and to keep costs low, I shipped it parcel post. Well, they are telling me they still haven't received the package and that they are going to the p.o. today to check on it (I suspect they are in a rural area).

What do I do??? I've never had this happen in all the time I've bought and sold on eBay!

 

[DaisyFace]

Oooohhh tough one...

Sadly, I have had one-of-a-kind items lost in the mail...and when that happens I've taken the loss and refunded their money. Yeah, it stinks - but I figure that NOT issuing the refund will cost me ratings and future business from this customer...which could be more expensive in the long run.

A couple of times, the customers have been very appreciative about the refund and left me good feedback - and then lo-and-behold! the items showed up in the mail weeks (sometimes months) later. The customers let me know the item finally arrived and then re-sent payment.

Tell the person you want to wait xx number of days....and then if it still does not show - you will issue a refund (or credit if you are selling similar items). That's how I would handle it.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

gvc,

I'm an eBay seller and I always charge the extra 70 cents for delivery confirmation (70 cents retail and 19 cents electronic). One thing I assume is that somewhere along the line someone is going to claim they didn't get something they did!

Check on the eBay seller information section on the site and see what their recomendation is.

Good luck,
Sharon

 

[SRL]

This won't help you for this one, but I also always use delivery confirmation for my amazon or ebay sales. If it's an expensive item I also always include insurance. I just figure it as part of the cost I set and never ask the buyer to make a decision. I started doing this after one of my first sales disappeared. I had the delivery confirmation slip to prove it in that case, but I think I was being scammed because it was something they could resell for a lot more than they paid me.

Double check the address that you sent it to. I always cut and paste whatever Paypal says.

Suggest that your buyer ask any other family members or neighbors, who sometimes set things aside without informing the recipient. I know I stashed something once and reported it missing during a busy holiday season. I've also had neighbors intercept my package. Once my mom addressed something to me at my old address--one block over.

If the buyer doesn't come up with anything on their end after a trip to the post office, I think you ought to offer a full refund. One negative feedback will hurt you a lot on ebay, unless you're a big seller. You can make an inquiry at your post office, but without a tracking number they won't have much to go on.

 

[gcvmom]

That's kinda what I figured. I told the buyer that if it doesn't turn up by the end of the week, I'll issue a refund. Ouch.

 

[SRL]

If it's any help in the future, I don't transfer the month from Paypal to my checking account until I know it's arrived, either through feedback or delivery confirmation. Then those occasional refunds don't hurt as much.

Sorry this happened to you on an expensive item. It's really easy for people to scam you when they see you haven't used delivery confirmation or insurance, so cover yourself just in case. It's worth spending $3 to save yourself the money and the aggravation.

 

[DammitJanet]

I always purchase insurance as a buyer if I am buying something expensive. Now if I have bought something rather cheap, like a lot of mixed clothes for 10 bucks and the shipping is 6 bucks...well, nah, I just dont bother. Normally I do get a tracking number but if I dont, I am not going to sweat it if something happens. I have never had something come up missing though.

 

[gcvmom]

Well, it was a $200 jacket of my dad's that he only wore once. It sold for over $50. I guess that'll teach me not to always try to be cheap for people. I should've insisted on tracking...

 

[SRL]

Insurance and tracking really benefits YOU as the seller most, so include those with the reserve cost. I never ask the buyer to pick those up because if something disappears or is damaged en route, I'm the one who is going to be faced with making the refund. I'm also the one who is open to negative feedback if something goes wrong.

Bummer you're out the $50 and the jacket.

 

[gcvmom]

Bummer is right! I'll keep my fingers crossed that something turns up as it did in Daisyface's case... not holding my breath, though!

 

[Lothlorien]

If I'm selling something expensive, I always purchase the insurance. It really isn't that much. I usually add it into the shipping and handling,
Parcel post is really slow sometimes and other times can be fairly normal time. Hopefully it will show up.