I sold a big ticket item to someone through eBay. They used the Buy It Now feature and paid for the item via PayPal. On all my auctions I require that the buyer purchases insurance for the item via the USPS (which is what I use to ship everything). This particular buyer said he was overseas and asked that I ship the item to a shipping company in Miami, which I agreed to do. Then 11 days after I shipped the item I get an email from the buyer saying that he hasn’t received it and when he checks the tracking information given from PayPal it just says processed. I checked and for some reason it’s still saying just processed and that the item left the USPS Tampa, FL facility on 08/19/08, which was just the day after I shipped it. I called the USPS and put in a lost package report. They are tracking it and are supposed to contact me by Tuesday (that’s the next business day due to the holiday). Now, the buyer is saying things like I need to hurry because he is running out of time to ask for a refund. My main question is that since he purchased insurance for the shipping through the USPS, who should he expect to get his money back from? I do not allow returns on eBay for any items I sell. Also, I REQUIRE that insurance is purchased because of just this type of thing. I don’t even have the money to give him back because I paid off a credit card with it. Can someone help me please?!?! What am I supposed to do?
Thanks!
PS. I looked up the shipping company on Google and found a phone number. I called it and it went to a voicemail that didn’t even have a message saying who I called. I have left messages, but no one there has returned my call.
When I look at the shipping information through PayPal when it lists the first time it says CONFIRMED. At the bottom where it says SHIP TO: it says the address is an unconfirmed residential address. What is up with that? Should I still be protected? It’s the same exact address.
Shipping Address:
BUYER NAME
8032 NW 66ST
Transervice Cargo Inc
Miami, FL 33166
United States
Confirmed
Ship To:
BUYER NAME
8032 NW 66ST
Transervice Cargo Inc
Miami, FL 33166
United States
Unconfirmed Residential address
I’ve put in an insurance claim with the USPS. I also called PayPal and was told by their customer service representative that I had taken all the right steps. That of course was before the buyer put in a claim with PayPal. PayPal has put a hold on my account for the original amount of the transaction, but that money isn’t in my account so my balance is now negative. Will they refund the buyer that money? I’m confused as to how this works. I’ve never dealt with anything like this before.
Specifically, the answer is: the shipper will refund the money and then you refund that payment to the buyer. It is NOT your responsibility to refund prior to that. Explain to the shipper this:
Dear buyer, I am just as distraught about the loss of this item. The shipper has explained to me that they will investigate the loss and make refund. I apologize but I cannot be responsible for the loss and it is now the the shippers responsibility to make refund. Upon that refund, you will immediately receive the amount they send, which will naturally be minus the shipping and handling costs.
I am sorry this has happened and these are the standard policy any seller on eBay utilizes and I am sure you can understand why.
Thank you again and please work with me to resolve this.
Sincerely…
Never let a customer guilt you or pressure you into refunding out of your pocket. It is not your fault it was lost in shipping and if you have proof it was shipped and insured for full value, then you are 100% in the right to respond with the info I gave you above.
Wow. You have a trainwreck…
To start with, insurance protects YOU, as the seller…not your buyer. It is YOUR responsibility to get the item to the buyer in the condition described. You will have to refund and then file a claim with the PO, and hope they pay.
By sending to a “shipping company”. (which I’m sure was not the buyers confirmed address), you voided any Paypal protection you may have had. If the buyer files an INR, you will automatically lose.
It sounds like either a. the package is truly lost….or (more likely) b. you’ve been scammed.
So sorry this happened to you….but you are going to have to refund them.
Oh, and if you take Paypal….you take returns. That’s just the way it is.
You don’t know if the buyer is trying to scam you. Since there was insurance on the item, I would let the mail service handle it in terms of refunds.