sold item - sent item - buyer not received - now what happens?

[katiewins22]

Hello. I sent an item and buyer should have had it by now (estimated delivery 12-14th Sept) according to ebay. It was a large parcel and I just took it to post office and sent it cheapest option as it was heavy (bathroom scales) and I had not charged much for p&p. I had stated this on ebay - that it would be economy delivery.

Obviously it wasnt sent for signature (recorded etc). I just have the proof of postage. What do I do if it doesnt turn up tomorrow? Buyer clearly is not happy and is talking about complaining and giving negative feedback if it isnt there early in the morning. In fact buyer is being really aggressive on emails and sent me 2 messages Wednesday - 4 yesterday and 3 so far today. I have replied politely to all of them but am dreading the number of emails tomorrow if it doesnt turn up.

What do I do next and when? The proof of postage has a number on it but is there anything I can do with this? Ring anybody at Royal Mail? I cant see them checking every late item. To be fair - I dont think it is that late - I wouldnt be making a fuss until next week sometime - but this buyer is clearly cross! Anybody with experience of this please. thanking you.

[DinosaursHateUnderpants]

I would refund the buyer in full right away (inc. P&P) and then get a claim form from your post office and send it off with your cert. of posting to get refunded. You can only claim form the PO on day 15 after postage date I believe.

When did you post it?

[VivaLeBeaver]

I'm in the same boat. Did the post office give you a proof of postage receipt? They did for me even though it was just sent normal second class. This covers you for goods up to £28. Post office won't consider it missing till it's been 15 working days. So you need to tell your buyer to calm down, also tell them to check with their local sorting office. This is post office advice as sometimes postie forgets to put a card through the door.

If after fifteen working days it's not arrived then you need to refund the money and get a claim form from the post office.

[katiewins22]

Hi - thanks for that. I have got a proof of postage. funny thing - I have just had another email from the buyer The buyer said they want me to scan a copy of the proof of postage to them so that they know I have posted it.

I don't have any issue with that as I did post it - last Thursday 8th Sept - and I have prooof of postage but I am wondering if they actually want it so they can make a claim - could they do that. To be honest I sense that if they dont get it in the morning I am going to be bombarded with emails. I am happy to refund but just sense that I might be getting conned here- they don't have much feedback and their communication is very aggressive. I might end up giving them a refund and then not being able to get money off Royal Mail.

[DinosaursHateUnderpants]

Was it sent by standard parcel postage? They can sometimes take well over 5 days to arrive.

You could ask the buyer to wait until day 15 but they are likely not to want to especially if they want/need the scales right now.

Send a copy of the COP to the buyer as requested and then ask what she would like you to do next - she can't claim without filling in the form with your details and hers and she'd need the original COP. IME it takes the PO a good 30 days to get money back to you (as a cheque anyway so it would be in her interest to have you refund her sooner.

I think waiting a week for something to arrive is pretty reasonable, but you could refund tomorrow and the item still arrives next week. The problem is that when you put in a claim the PO do suggest that they will contact the recipient to confirm that the item never arrived - will she be honest?

It might be that if you send her a scanned copy it will reassure her enough to wait the entire 15 days.

[VivaLeBeaver]

You can only make a claim if you have the original proof of purchase so no they couldn't make a claim.

[fergoose]

only you can make the claim as you have the contract with Royal Mail, not the buyer.

Tell them if after 3 weeks it hasn't arrived you will refund and claim, but until then you can't refund as it is not yet considered lost.

[DinosaursHateUnderpants]

Trouble is that the buyer could open an item not received case and ebay would force you to refund in full anyway, so I'd ask her to wait 15 days, see what she says and take it from there.

[katiewins22]

thanks for advice - I have just received yet another message - does that make 5 today? I am starting to think she is a bunny boiler She is very aggressive and has just sent a short but clear message saying that i have not sent them and that i am a liar. I have been really polite but I think will ignore any further messages tonight and I will contact her in morning to see if she has received it - if not I will just refund her - cannot bear the hassle she is giving me. This has made me really think - she doesnt have to prove that she has/hasnt got it but I could end up losing out here. Maybe I wont sell any heavy stuff again. when i sell clothes i always send 1st class recorded and have not had any probs. Ah well - that is life

[fergoose]

You should at least contact her sorting office and ask her to get in touch with neighbours

It can take a week for parcel post, don't let her bully you into refunding too early. I think you should make her wait for 15 working days, it has only been 5 so far hasn't it?

[DinosaursHateUnderpants]

katie - why not just send the copy of the COP - even if you have to post it to her, tell her you've done that - the parcel could easily turn up still. And if she's calling you a liar already you're going to get some awful feedback. Why not send it and prove her wrong?

[sarahtigh]

you could report her to ebay for harrassment, 5 emails a day is too much, sometimes stuff does not arrive, someone queried me not sending something had sent by courier was sitting in depot as iundeliverable as the numpty had as his registered address his home address with business postcode for a completely different town all letters and numbers completely different some how it was my fault for not realising this was an invalid address however ebay did back me up but needed to send transcript of tracking etc, they could see his address was wrong but generally i find ebay fine but selling 99p items is a waste fo time by the time ebay and paypal have had there cut you have about 65p left

for stuff over 2kg use couriers as 1. cheaper than royal mail and secondly it is trackable if you can not wait in for courier use collectplus where you dump it at a local shop, all lighter stuff can send / first or second class recorded but I think on 99p items an extra 77p for recorded is a waste of money

people who get stuff cheapest complain the most........ it does not just apply to ebay

[ChablisLover]

It took me about a month of chasing a claim and then the item turned up - weird really as national office where all undelivered mail goes to to be sorted is only up the road and it took a month to travel 20 miles!

The following week a packet of 1st class stamps turned up as well for my-inconvenience.

Anyhow, buyer cannot claim as she needs your details and the original proof of postage. Copies are not accepted. You will get the money from claim not her.

But it has only been just over a week. They won't accept a claim until 15 working days have passes

[VivaLeBeaver]

I had no idea there was a national office where all the undelivered mail went.

I posted a very important letter six months ago to uni which never turned up. I stupidly hadn't photocopied my work and have been unable to pass my course as I can't face doing all the work again. I didn't put a return address on it either. If I contacted royal mail, only able to tell them the address I posted the letter to is there a chance it might be there?

[DinosaursHateUnderpants]

Viva - I'd contact your local friendly PO and see if you can get details of the central office for undelivered mail and take it from there - I had no idea there was such a place either, but it makes sense. I do know that items with return addresses go back to their local sorting office before being sent back so I guess there must be somewhere that things with no RA get stored.