Peculiar eBay situation - thoughts?

  • Thread starter Thread starter quincy
  • Start date Start date
Q

quincy

Guest
In my 11 years on eBay and many, many more than that in the hobby...this is a new one.

I ran a set of auctions that ended just before New Years. One card ended at around $20. The buyer - a Canadian - elected to pay for registered mail. Alright, no problem, we can do that. I sent it on the 30th or 31st. Ten days ago, he emailed asking where it is. I replied with the tracking information.

Today, I received his package back. It had sat unclaimed at his local post office for almost 3 weeks before they returned it to me.

I contacted the buyer via eBay to let him know this. I told him that I would be happy to re-send it. I also told him that as I had sent the card as requested the first time, and he failed to claim it that I was unwilling to ship the card again out of pocket and that I thought it is only fair that he pay for the postage a second time.

I have not yet recieved a reply, but I would like to hear the thoughts of the membership here. For the record: I don't think the buyer is out to scam or defraud in any way, nor do I wish to imply that he's a bad guy. Just interested in thoughts on the situation, suggestions, etc.
 
Sounds like a post office screw up, his mail slip may have fallen out of his box....I'd give him the benefit of the doubt on this one forsure. Especially since it ended up back at your place.
 
This could have been for several reasons:

1.He wanted it delivered right to his door. Unable to do that with registered shipping, as he has to provide ID and signature proof.

2. He may have gotten the card,assumed it was a bill collector or something else less than pleasant and opted not to retrieve the package.

3. Perhaps he has gone away or otherwise been detained, and was not around to receive notification.

Regardless, if you both agreed on registered mail, and he was unable to fulfill his end of the bargain, then you should be entitled to ask him to cover the additional cost.
 
Q, you've been very fair with him, and he shouldn't need to argue with you about paying for the postage again. There is one possibility with this situation that could explain why he didn't pick up the package. The postal worker could have forgotten to put a card in his mail box/supermailbox slot to let him know it had arrived if he wasn't home to receive it. One time I got a 2nd notice to pick up a package but never did see a 1st notice.
 
Steve, if he had the tracking info the whole time, I wouldn't pay a dime out of my own pocket. If you failed to send the tracking info once shipped, and he was just being patient, then I believe 50/50 on the postage would be fare.
 
Is there anyway that they could resend it without paying a fee, if the original tracking is there could they not just enter it into the system again and change the shipping date.??? There is no harm in asking the post office to make it right.
 
I know for me, they leave a slip in my mail box telling me I have a package to pick up at the nearest outlet. He may have thought the slip was junk mail and tossed it out. I have almost dont that a couple of times.
 
hi there

i think it is no body's fault but i don't think u should pay for the shipping that is unless you would like to. You did your job on shipping the item the way he wonted it to be done. Some time thing don't go exactly the we planed to we have to redo thing in this case re-ship the item.

thanks johnnaseri
 
I know I've had many packages sent to the wrong address all the time. I've gotten others tax return checks, titles to cars etc... I honestly think I have the worst post office ever. I bought a couple boxes of cards back in November and was patiently waiting for them only to find they were sent back to the seller cause I never claimed them. I never got a slip.

In short I think you should ask the post office if they can resend. If not then I would feel a 50/50 split wouldn't be out of the question.

In my case with the boxes I ordered the seller explained what happened and since there was no record of a slip being issued he was able to ship them back to me at no charge to me or him.

Hope it works out for you. Hopefully when they reply to you they will be reasonable.

Best of luck.
 
Considering that not only the recipient would have received the original notice of arrival - there is another one that is sent after 10 days notifying the recipient that if it is not picked up in ten days - it will be sent back.

He paid for the service, you used it, and he didn't pick up. If he wants it again in the same manner - he should pony up to get it again in the same manner
 
Steve,

I had a similar situation as a buyer this past fall. I purchased a nice group of auctions from a seller I deal with regularly and he waits to make sure I am done buying before he mails together.

1 week later - he sends me a note that items went out with insurance that requires my signature. I get a notice from the substitute mail carrier at work that a package needs my auto - this is on a Saturday - and that they will return on Monday to re-deliver.
Monday comes and no package with usual carrier. I phone the main office (I have the slip from the PO with Insurance Numbers) and they cannot find package. Short story is - the substitute carrier put the package where it did not belong, and 10 days later when someone notices this package that had not been picked up/delivered to me - they decide to return to sender.

It can happen that it was not his fault at all.
As far as wanting the buyer to pay for shipping again - I would go two ways.

Does the PO show that there was more than one attempt made to deliver???
If not I would ask them to do so at their expense.

Are you ok with a negative????
Right or wrong you will not please the buyer.

bruce
 
Actually, Bruce, he's been fairly decent the whole time - I don't expect that a negative is a likely outcome here.

I asked about the resend option when I picked it up and was given a flat "no". CP policy for returned registered parcels is that if it's going out again, it's fresh postage. For a change, I actually don't think this is so unreasonable a policy: They (like me in this instance) have tried to fulfill their end of the service contract, and could not deliver the item. They've delivered all the service I have reasonable right to expect.

I'll see what the buyer says and update when he replies.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
390,200
Messages
2,239,300
Members
4,172
Latest member
Singin
Back
Top