eBay, etc. General Question/Answer Thread

[MAGJES]

Ebay is supposedly supporting sellers in encouraging buyers to wait to file an INR case or just requesting a refund. I had a similar situation to @BeenBurned. Package picked up 11/30, not scanned at all until 12/14--two full weeks. You shouldn't have to refund and ebay should not insist. Ask your buyer to be patient; tell you buyer you'll make it right but please wait for the scans.

You can also go online to the USPS website and open an inquiry. It will show up on your ebay tracking and may help the buyer be patient. Go to this page: https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm and complete the missing mail form. As the sender, only you can complete this anyway. Then tell the buyer what you've done and, again, request patience.

Same happened to me - I handed my mailman numerous packages during that same week and 95% of them were not scanned for over a week - a few took longer. One buyer did file a INR even though I had messaged her with details of the situation. On the other hand some of my buyers were incredibly understanding. I mailed my grandson Christmas presents - never did scan and I was the most upset about this one package. It FINALLY arrived on Wednesday - January 6th.

Interesting.....I stood in line just to have my package (a pricey ebay sale) scanned on Sat. - Jan. 2nd. It should have arrived two states away on Tuesday. Jan. 5th. It made it TO THE TOWN on the label early Tuesday morning and expected the scan to read next.....”on truck for delivery.” .....seriously it then begin to move state to state to state all along the east coast. The scenic USPS tour. Right now it is back in MY TOWN. Thank goodness I waited in line for it to scan and I can at least see where it is.

 

[ThisVNchick]

I know this has probably been asked before but what happens if the buyer forgets to put her apt # on the shipping label, USPS cannot deliver, and the item is coming back to me?

I tracked it and saw that the status updated to "insufficient address". I immediately contacted the buyer. She responds back today (2 days after I sent my message) and says USPS is returning the package back to me and she can no longer retrieve it. It is not my fault that she forgot her apt #; I printed it directly from eBay. She says she still wants the item. I don't mind sending it back out to her but I can't be held accountable for the shipping fees to resend. How would one respond to this situation?

Thank you all in advance!

 

[whateve]

I know this has probably been asked before but what happens if the buyer forgets to put her apt # on the shipping label, USPS cannot deliver, and the item is coming back to me?

I tracked it and saw that the status updated to "insufficient address". I immediately contacted the buyer. She responds back today (2 days after I sent my message) and says USPS is returning the package back to me and she can no longer retrieve it. It is not my fault that she forgot her apt #; I printed it directly from eBay. She says she still wants the item. I don't mind sending it back out to her but I can't be held accountable for the shipping fees to resend. How would one respond to this situation?

Thank you all in advance!

Ask her to pay for shipping again when you get it back. You can send her a paypal invoice. If she doesn't agree, I believe you'll have to give her a complete refund, although you can ask ebay if you can keep the shipping cost.

 

[ThisVNchick]

Ask her to pay for shipping again when you get it back. You can send her a paypal invoice. If she doesn't agree, I believe you'll have to give her a complete refund, although you can ask ebay if you can keep the shipping cost.

Really? Even if it is her fault?

 

[BeenBurned]

I know this has probably been asked before but what happens if the buyer forgets to put her apt # on the shipping label, USPS cannot deliver, and the item is coming back to me?

I tracked it and saw that the status updated to "insufficient address". I immediately contacted the buyer. She responds back today (2 days after I sent my message) and says USPS is returning the package back to me and she can no longer retrieve it. It is not my fault that she forgot her apt #; I printed it directly from eBay. She says she still wants the item. I don't mind sending it back out to her but I can't be held accountable for the shipping fees to resend. How would one respond to this situation?

Thank you all in advance!

Ask her to pay for shipping again when you get it back. You can send her a paypal invoice. If she doesn't agree, I believe you'll have to give her a complete refund, although you can ask ebay if you can keep the shipping cost.

Really? Even if it is her fault?

I'd tell her that when you get it back (and it might be a while), you'll refund the price of the item but since you paid for the shipping label and the loss is a result of her error, you can't refund the shipping.

RTS (return to sender) items can take a month to come back. Add Covid into the mix and who knows how long you might have to wait!

I'd also call ebay to have them put a note on the transaction that the package is being returned to sender because of buyer error and in case she files INR, you want to document what happened. (I assume that tracking shows a problem with the address which ebay should see and will also be able to verify that that's the address you used on the shipping label.)

 

[fashion_victim9]

all of my packages go through Philadelphia USPS sorting center. I see on the news that in Philadelphia things are especially bad at the USPS. I have already reimbursed the cost of 3 packages that were sent in early December and still have not been delivered (each about $ 500). I was hoping that after the holidays the situation would start to improve, but 90% of my parcels sent since December 31 have not appeared anywhere but my PO. I literally make the postman scan every parcel in front of me when he picks it up, otherwise everything would be even worse. this whole situation is just a disaster.

 

[Haughty]

i received a broken item in the mail from USPS. I have googled filing a claim with USPS and have created an account and started an online claim but do not see where the Online Claims site is. Getting reimbursed should be easier than this. Can someone help walk me through this?

Thanks!

 

[whateve]

i received a broken item in the mail from USPS. I have googled filing a claim with USPS and have created an account and started an online claim but do not see where the Online Claims site is. Getting reimbursed should be easier than this. Can someone help walk me through this?

Thanks!

Usually the shipper files the claim. Have you tried to get refunded by the seller? Was it an ebay purchase?

 

[Haughty]

Usually the shipper files the claim. Have you tried to get refunded by the seller? Was it an ebay purchase?

It was an Etsy purchase and not eBay. It was my understanding also that the seller should be the one to file the claim and not the buyer. When I emailed her, she pretty much told me I would need to file. I think I read somewhere either can file but I’m not having much luck. I think I will email her again and ask if she can do something on her end. Either that or be on the phone with USPS.....

thanks

 

[whateve]

It was an Etsy purchase and not eBay. It was my understanding also that the seller should be the one to file the claim and not the buyer. When I emailed her, she pretty much told me I would need to file. I think I read somewhere either can file but I’m not having much luck. I think I will email her again and ask if she can do something on her end. Either that or be on the phone with USPS.....

thanks

I would open a claim with etsy. Throw the problem into the seller's lap. It is her responsibility to get it to you in good condition. You shouldn't be stuck with the burden. You purchased in good faith that you would receive what you ordered.

I believe that generally both parties have to provide information for the claim but I've never done it myself.

 

[2cello]

Question: What is a reasonable/standard amount of time to wait for a seller to ship an item after an ebay purchase? In my very limited experience, they usually ship within 2 days but this latest purchase is almost a week out now.

 

[MAGJES]

Does anyone know if The distribution center in Atlanta is having major problems?

I mailed a package to a town outside of Atlanta on Sat. Jan 2. Stood in line to have it scanned so I could at least know it was in the system instead of handing it to my postman. By Monday it was on it’s way and moving to the next town. (I’m in NC). Tuesday it was in Atlanta. All looked good.
Then it went down to FL.....back to MY TOWN in NC then back to Atlanta....now it has been sitting in Atlanta since Jan. 8th.
It’s been 10 days and the buyer is messaging me. She knows it’s in Atlanta but she is telling me it’s not going to arrive because another package never got to her last month. She has not opened a case .....yet.

So if she does open a case how long does ebay wait for delivery after the case is opened? Do I have only 5 days to wait it out or 10 days before I am required to refund. It’s a $500 item.
I do believe it will be delivered because during Dec. all my buyers did end up with their items. NOTHING was lost.....just very very slow.

 

[MAGJES]

Question: What is a reasonable/standard amount of time to wait for a seller to ship an item after an ebay purchase? In my very limited experience, they usually ship within 2 days but this latest purchase is almost a week out now.

Have you asked the seller if she has mailed it?
Right now if a seller simply hands their outgoing mail to their postman it may not even get scanned because of staff shortages, covid, and backed up Christmas mail (still!).
If she has not even mailed it then you can file a case after 10 days.

I mailed a lot during Christmas and handed them to my postman. I ended up waiting at least a week for some of them to even scan......one even took 2 weeks to scan.....a day before it was delivered.

 

[BeenBurned]

Question: What is a reasonable/standard amount of time to wait for a seller to ship an item after an ebay purchase? In my very limited experience, they usually ship within 2 days but this latest purchase is almost a week out now.

It's probably not the seller!

This is tracking for an item I sold on January 3, printed the label on (evening of) January 3 and handed to my carrier on the morning of January 4.

If the buyer checked tracking, she wouldn't think it was shipped because there was no tracking until January 13.


I had another that I handed to the carrier on December 12 and it wasn't scanned as accepted in my city until December 28.

 

[muchstuff]

Have you asked the seller if she has mailed it?
Right now if a seller simply hands their outgoing mail to their postman it may not even get scanned because of staff shortages, covid, and backed up Christmas mail (still!).
If she has not even mailed it then you can file a case after 10 days.

I mailed a lot during Christmas and handed them to my postman. I ended up waiting at least a week for some of them to even scan......one even took 2 weeks to scan.....a day before it was delivered.

Same in Canada. A package I was waiting for from the US finally scanned yesterday, was delivered today. It was shipped December 18th.