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I shipped a hat 13 days ago and the tracking has not updated in 6 days. The buyer says that they want a full refund on the item . I sent him the tracking information and asked for him to wait a few more days.
Am I responsible for a refund? It’s a USPS First Class so not insured.
How do you guys handle this issue? This is the first time this has happened to me.
Cheers
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I’d keep being polite and ask for patience. You can always send links to an article like this: https://www.wsj.com/articles/postal-package-deliveries-bogged-down-with-delays-backlogs-11590836400 Assure them that you’ll be responsible if the package never arrives (because you are).
The buyer has to force a refund by going through eBay. That’ll buy you some time to go through that process.
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so we are responsible for the refund. that’s what I thought but pretty frustrating to have to pay for it when not ones fault at all.
I sent a message saying that there has been a lot of delays and lets give a few more days. It was going to LA from the east coast.
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As a buyer, I expect the seller to get it to me. Its a common sense expectation.
As a seller, if we’re worried about an item, we charge/pay for priority shipping+ insurance.
Assume this hat was cheap so you decided to take a risk to sell the item. USPS First Class usually always arrives fine. Maybe we lose out 1 in 500 packages. Cost of doing business.
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It took me a while to find this again, but what I learned recently is that you only have to refund them if the tracking shows no movement for 7 days. Check out the “refund the buyer” section of:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/help-buyer-item-didnt-receive?id=4116
I agree with what’s been said previously about politely asking for patience from the buyer (“let’s give it a few more days”) and explaining the recent delays, including examples of other transactions of mine. I also assure them that they will absolutely guaranteed either receive the item or get a refund (b/c it’s ebay’s policy), it’s just a matter of when. And I’m asking for their patience for a while longer so that I don’t lose $$ on the transaction. I also sign up for the tracking alerts and check in with them to show them that I’m watching out for their pacakge and haven’t forgotten about them. It really doesn’t take much time and has worked every single time for me. Two of these in the past couple of weeks.
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I’ve been dealing with a missing package since 6/25.
To save you some trouble, have the buyer open an ‘item not received case’ That takes the buyer out of the equation and gives you time for their package to arrive, as the case stays open for several days. Make sure you add the tracking number to the case when prompted. Don’t communicate with they buyer anymore. They’ll get their refund when the case is closed. In the meantime file a claim with USPS for ‘Missing Package’, under the HELP option on USPS..com.My buyer wanted the item so bad that she hung in there and finally gets refunded today. The package is still missing though. I filed a missing package claim on July 9. a day later they sent me a picture of my package….label damaged, can’t see receivers address but can clearly see my address for return. There a lot more in between stuff but essentially, Im dealing with USPS myself….got the postman on it now.
Thats 1 of 2 USPS issues I currently have. The second, a package to the buyer arrived damaged. They’ve been refunded. Ive received the damage item back. Claim to USPS on June 6th.
Gotta just let it ride sometimes…..
Good luck
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I had this issue in the past week. eBay customer service added an extension for me of a few days before I had to process the refund which gave me time to do some more digging. I asked my local post office (mine was a USPS package). They told me I could go to USPS website and file an ECC case. I had to put in the tracking and the zip code of where the package was supposed to be delivered. She told me that they forces the post office to find and scan the package. If they can’t find it then it is considered lost and you can file an insurance claim. If it is located then, at least you have another scan to hold the buyer off. That is what happened with me. Some USPS distribution centers are closing down because of COVID and all the packages are having to be sent to another facility and then sterilized. I was able to hold my buyer off and the package arrived.
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Usually when I have an issue with tracking not updating for several days I fill out a missing package claim with USPS and then the item suddenly starts moving again.
It also helps bolster the buyer’s patience when they see that you as the seller are doing everything you possibly can to find the item for them.
I’ve had really good results doing this. I’ve never had a package that wasn’t eventually delivered, although I’ve had several packages that appeared to be “lost” although they turned out just to be stuck somewhere. My buyers have all been happy that I’ve done everything I could to resolve the issue. The missing package form is on-line at USPS and very quick and easy to fill out. If I remember correctly you just need the ship to and from addresses, date and tracking number.
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This week, I had two buyers contact me about packages not arriving on time. After setting up tabs to watch tracking on both of them, I realized that the last location of BOTH is Louisville, KY.
One was shipped priority on July 13 and arrived in Louisville on July 23. It has had no status since then. The recipient is in Indiana.
The other was shipped first class on July 18 and arrived in Louisville on July 25. The recipient is in Illinois. It left on July 27 and is marked as in transit to its next destination.
The buyer for the July 13 package opened up a case. I chatted with an eBay rep, and I’ve been told that I don’t have to refund the buyer even though the case gives a due date. If nothing happens by the time I’m “supposed” to refund, I can contact eBay and they will delay the date. They are aware of the issues.
But, what’s with Louisville?
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One issue could be political: https://www.washingtonpost.
com/business/2020/07/14/ postal-service-trump-dejoy- delay-mail/ The Trump administration has consolidated control over the Postal Service, traditionally an apolitical institution, during the pandemic by making a financial lifeline for the nation’s mail service contingent upon the White House political agenda. President Trump in April called the agency “a joke” and demanded it quadruple package rates before he’d authorize any emergency aid or loans.
The Postal Service will first look to cut its transportation costs, and estimates that late and extra trips cost the agency $200 million annually in “added expenses,” or about the same amount the agency lost in May. The memo warns postal workers that it may be “difficult” to “see mail left behind or mail on the workroom floor,” but that the agency “will address root causes of these delays and adjust the very next day.
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Too funny, right after responding on this thread I got a message from a buyer I sent a priority mail package to on July 22nd. They still haven’t received their item. I’m in Colorado and they are in Florida. So I just filled out the missing package form online at USPS and USPS sent me a message back right away saying they would respond within 24 hours with more info. It’ll be a good test to see if my past experiences with the “lost” package moving again shortly after I put in a request to find it holds true.
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I submitted a “where’s my mail” request online this morning for a missing package.
To my surprise, I got a phone call from the Post Office in Virginia. He was nice, but basically told me to wait until the middle of next week, to see if it shows up.
It was mailed on 7/20 and last scanned on 7/25.
It is a priority mail package.
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Hi…update to my post on this string (above) on 7/27.
Today I received the package back from USPS that I shipped on 6/25. I had filed a second ‘Missing Package’ on USPS website on 7/25 (First one filed on 7/9).
USPS has never lost any of our packages, but this is by far the longest and most difficult retrieval of a missing one, and involved several people, phones calls to USPS from both the Buyer and myself, phone calls to eBay, etc. In the end I believe it was me talking with my mailman and giving him all the info on paper. He gave it to his supervisor and she, through him, is who directed me to file the second ‘Missing Package’ claim.
I received an email Friday (8/1) from USPS that my package was found…and it arrived today.Now I’ll re-list the item and the buyer will purchase it again.
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Update to my post above: After I filed a missing package claim on 7/31 I only got a stock reply back from USPS saying “still in transit arriving late”. The only movement on the package had been from my town to the next town hub on 7/23, the day after I mailed it.
I refunded the buyer in full on August 8th – the package tracking stopped on 7/23 and I had already put in a second request on the missing package and still hadn’t heard anything from USPS. With no information to go on as to where the package was, I felt that 18 days for a buyer to wait for a priority mail package to be delivered was way too long which is why I refunded in full.
So of course the next day the package showed up in Louisville, Kentucky and then was finally delivered to the buyer in Florida on August 10th: 20 days after I shipped it via priority mail. Ouch. My buyer got a free item and I paid for the priority mail shipping. It’s not a high enough $ item to pay for shipping back, so it is what it is. Wish I’d waited just a little longer to refund!
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I received a call last week from a USPS employee in KY. She said that my item was sent to the wrong distribution center, but it had not been lost. Like I mentioned in my post above, I really think that there is an issue with shipping through Louisville, KY. My last missing package was delivered today. All three were stuck there.
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Whenever this has happened to me I have contacted USPS and asked for an investigation. Every time I do that it ends up being delivered within 2 days. Recently I was in contact with the buyer’s PO and they said it must have been delivered. Tracking had said out for delivery for over a week. I told them the box was covered with ebay tape, if they could just have another look. The next day it was delivered.
Right now I am doing the same with Fedex. They are not as responsive as USPS. I am not holding out as much hope. This one has said out for delivery for over a week.
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