Shipping mix-up - need your advice

Apr 18, 2008
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You guys on this forum have seen it all, been through at all so I'm hoping someone can offer a bit of help for my situation: In selling some of my personal items on eBay, I unofrtunately crossed the shipping labels on 2 of the pakcages. As a result, each buyers received the wrong item. I was in communication with the buyers, they were both very understanding and said they would ship the items back to me. I, of course, reimburse them for the return shipping costs. I also decided to offer them 10% off the sale price (because I really felt so bad this had happened).

Long story short, one of the buyers did as she promised, sent the item back to me, and I forwarded it to its rightful buyer. The problem is, this other buyer who has the 2nd item has ceased all communications. At first she was very nice and said she would mail it promprtly but now she will not respond to my messages or emails. I have tracking info showing both packages were delivered to her but that's about it - she technically paid for one of the items and the other items isn't hers but was sent to her in error. Is there anything I can do to get her to mail the item back to me or can she decide she wants to keep it and not return it?

Thank you all in advance for your help :flowers:
 
Was the item she kept more expensive?
I would call and try to have the buyer ship back the item. Other than that, she might keep both items and there isn't much you can do.
Sorry what a mess.
 
have you perhaps tried contacting her by phone? would also contact ebay/
paypal to see what they would suggest ..if you have an e-mail from her
through ebay's message system acknowledging that she received the wrong
item & would indeed send it back you could see what ebay/pp is suggesting.
why someone would want to have something that they didn't pay for & said
they would return is really not very honorable..and we would like to know who this
buyer is so she can be blocked from doing this to someone else..what was the value
of the item??
 
Honestly - I think you're in a bit of a bad position. I've had this happen to me twice as a buyer and always shipped out as requested (though one time it did take me about 10 days to make it to the post office). I wish you the best of luck but I'm not sure what recourse there is. You can try calling her as another person suggested, if you can get her phone number... Best of luck to you!
 
I think anyone who sells long enough makes this mistake.

Technically, she's not obligated to return it, although morally and ethically, she should. As NSP suggested, try the invoice route and see if she pays. Otherwise, there's not much you can do other than to post her BBL ID as a dishonest buyer.

Hopefully, you won't let this happen again in the future, but if it does happen, don't forward the correct item until that person returns the wrong one. That way, at least she won't have both of them.
 
I've had this happen to me as a buyer twice as well. Both times the seller arranged for the buyers to switch packages rather than sending them back - maybe a bit riskier than returning them to the seller but it worked out fine both times.

It seems that you have had the bad luck to hit an unethnical buyer. You have tracking and a record of messaging which is good. I would contact Paypal/Ebay to see if you have any recourse. Good luck and let us know.

When this happens, I guess the safe route is not to ship the item out before you have received the item back. I can understand though, as a seller trying to make amends, that you would want the right package out to the right buyer as quickly as possible.
 
ooof :sad: I don't have any advice other than what everyone else has said, but I hope it works out for you! I'm terrified of putting myself in this situation eventually...to the point that I will package up items one at a time (print the label, package up the jeans, put the label on that envelope, stick it in my bag, then go print the 2nd label) whenever possible.
 
I was a buyer in one of these situations. The seller asked me to return and then would send me the correct item. I did so, Then, he claimed I never sent it back and refused to send me my correct item. I eventually got my money back, but the guy was a jerk about it. You sound the opposite! I hope it was not an expensive item and that everything works out.
 
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions! I appreciate it.

You're right, I probably shouldn't have sent her the item but she sounded honest via messages and I wanted to make things right by everyone as quickly as possible.
The item she actually bought was the cheaper item (only about $20), and the item she received was a higher priced jacket (about $80). The items aren't exactly high value, but I feel so bad for the other buyer, who so prompt in sending back the cami to me and really wants her jacket. All of the items were mine, so I suppose if the cami fits then maybe the jacket did too and she decided to keep it? I just don't understand why someone would do this. I will try contacting paypal, hopefully they can be helpful (for a change, hehe). Will keep you guys posted and if she in fact keeps the jacket, I will post her ID. I am still hopeful she may respond...
 
well let's hope she does respond... and perhaps sending her an invoice will

light a fire under her butt to have her do the right thing...its amazing that

someone would keep soemthing that they haven't paid for & indicated that

they would return....
 
Could it be laziness and being busy with life?
I would nicely call and remind her of the arrangement. It can't hurt. How about offering to send her prepaid label? If she is a dead beat, it is over however it can't hurt to ask.
 
Wow, I'm sorry this happened to you. This potential mishap has crossed my mind many a time, while packing items. I'm a little compulsive, so I've been known to reopen packages that I'm fairly sure are addressed correctly. I totally understand how badly you feel.

You've gotten some good advice. I'm sending positive thoughts that this person returns the item. Good luck!
 
Oh gosh, I'm sorry that happened to you. How long has it been since she last contacted you? Sometimes people can be busy (especially if she views sending your package back as a low priority), but it does sound like she's trying to keep both items. If I were you, I'd be very polite but persistent in trying to contact her. Get her phone number and call her. Don't be accusatory, but tell her that the jacket belongs to someone else so she needs to send it back to you. It's much easier to rip some anonymous person off on the internet over e-mail, but a phone call might guilt her into doing the wrong thing! At the very least, you should block her from buying from you again (and if you want, you could add her to the PF blocked buyers thread).
 
I agree with the above poster. I suggest calling the person before worry too much. It is possible she sent it without tracking and it is held up. Hope for the best :smile:

If she does try to keep the item, I would call eBay about the issue, and assuming all of you contact was through eBay, maybe they can do something for you.