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AIBU?

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Original poster

How will I get my parcel?

23 replies

Duckeggbluebutton · 01/12/2023 18:51

Bought something from ebay. Was delivered to a shop by Royal Mail. I had no idea it had arrived as delivery was quite a long time period. Went to shop to ask and they returned it yesterday. Ebay seller says there is no return address. It is an expensive item..I have a tracking number for delivery to shop that is no help.

OP posts:
Bleakmidwinter1977 · 01/12/2023 18:52

If the item hasn't been delivered to you, open a claim via eBay.
Expensive items should be delivered by trackable service. Trackable service requires return address.
The responsibility lies with the seller until the item has been signed for by yourself.

Original poster
Duckeggbluebutton · 01/12/2023 18:59

Thanks. Am I an idiot to have expected a text to tell me it had arrived?

OP posts:
Bleakmidwinter1977 · 01/12/2023 19:10

If the parcel was to be delivered by Royal Mail and they couldn't deliver e.g. you were out, they should have left a calling card stating parcel was being held and offering redelivery/collection.
Ebay seller takes responsibility. Parcel should have been shipped tracked/insured. You're not the idiot here.

Original poster
Duckeggbluebutton · 01/12/2023 19:29

Thanks. I chose for the parcel to be delivered to that shop but had no notification it had arrived.

OP posts:
Original poster
Duckeggbluebutton · 01/12/2023 22:27

Unfortunately there is a signature on the tracking information from Royal Mail showing the shop signed for it. The shop sent the package back yesterday but seller said he gave no return address so where will it go?

OP posts:
Thedm · 01/12/2023 22:30

You will have had an email, so this is kind of your fault for missing the email. If it goes missing because of no return address then I don’t think it’s fair for the seller to lose out, but how can it have no return address? If they bought the postage online then they have to provide it, if they bought the postage in store then they’d have been asked for it there too.

Original poster
Duckeggbluebutton · 01/12/2023 22:35

I did not get an email or text so not my fault

OP posts:
Original poster
Duckeggbluebutton · 01/12/2023 22:37

Seller said he gave no return address

OP posts:
Thedm · 01/12/2023 22:38

Right, but you will have for an email. It’s automated. If the tracking info is on eBay then you’ll have for an email from eBay and you’ll have got one from Royal Mail if he gave your email address on the postage.

Thedm · 01/12/2023 22:39

It’s also not possible to send through royal mail using a tracked method without giving a return address.

Original poster
Duckeggbluebutton · 01/12/2023 22:47

I did not get an email. Seller says parcel won't go back to him as they don't know his address. Also says he does not know method he used when it is clearly Royal Mail.

OP posts:
Original poster
Duckeggbluebutton · 01/12/2023 22:48

Thedm · 01/12/2023 22:39

It’s also not possible to send through royal mail using a tracked method without giving a return address.

Thanks. Why do you think he is saying that? It is an expensive item.

OP posts:
Original poster
Duckeggbluebutton · 01/12/2023 23:15

Just checked seller did not have to provide a return address for Royal Mail. It is only "strongly advised". Surely that is negligence on the sellers part?

OP posts:
Noodledoodledoo · 01/12/2023 23:20

Thedm · 01/12/2023 22:39

It’s also not possible to send through royal mail using a tracked method without giving a return address.

It is - I sent a signed for letter in the summer, forgot to put my address on the back, recipient didn't go to delivery office in time its in the national centre somewhere........ Posted at the post office and was not asked to add my address.

MsAdoraBelleDearheartVonLipwig · 01/12/2023 23:38

I’d ask to see proof that the shop sent the parcel back and ask them where the hell they sent it. Sounds more like it’s been kept. If there’s no return address how did they return it?

Original poster
Duckeggbluebutton · 02/12/2023 00:43

Good idea. The shop keeper was looking through receipts for me to check when it was returned.

OP posts:
Original poster
Duckeggbluebutton · 02/12/2023 00:45

What is making me so angry is that seller could not be bothered to put a return address so I may lose money.

OP posts:
user96327888 · 02/12/2023 02:23

Do Royal Mail deliver to shops now?

tommika · 02/12/2023 05:17

user96327888 · 02/12/2023 02:23

Do Royal Mail deliver to shops now?

Yes.
Participating shops are among the ‘collection point’ options

@Duckeggbluebutton If you had selected the shop under a collection point option then eBay will have generated an address label which included a reference number.

A return address is also automatically included from the sellers account details, these can be declined so they don’t show on the label - but I believe that Royal Mail may identify that if required from the coded references etc

If the sender doesn’t use the generated label and instead hand writes the label whilst buying postage in the Post Office then it only includes the details they put down - most importantly the collection reference

I once had a package via the shop in a garage on the way to work that I couldn’t get because the sender hadn’t written the collection reference:

The garage would not accept delivery as there was no code to receive in the system & therefore they couldn’t tag it as ready nor identify it when anyone came to collect

There was a Royal Mail tracking reference from when they purchased postage. This showed it going back and forth from the local depot to the garage and ultimately on return to sender. I vaguely remember that they had also not put in a return address, and as it wasn’t the eBay reference there was nothing coded - so in that case it was in limbo

I needed it by a particular date, and the garage on the way to work gave an extra little time allowance to pick it up last minute on the way
Ultimately I claimed back on eBay, but the refund was delayed as the package was not missing but in transit - if I’m wrong and there was a return address then they didn’t pay back until the sender had accepted the return l, if I’m correct on my memory the system wouldn’t pay back until it was accepted as returned and needed more time (or an eBay customer service intervention ) to close the refund

In such a case with the buyer purchasing postage at the post office rather than buying the generated label than eBay would show the tracking due to a seller entering the reference number, but the collection reference wouldn’t be showing and would not be able to generate the collection email

onemoretine · 02/12/2023 06:19

If it was sent to a shop that wasn't a post office then most need an ECP code written on it and they don't need to be a tracked item. The shop doesn't accept items without the code. I'm a postie and I have one shop I deliver to that does this, you wouldn't have got an email because it doesn't have tracking info. If it was to a post office and you have arranged that then that's different.

Returned items get sent to the local depot who then return to sender, if there is no return address then it gets sent to national returns where I have been told they open them to see if there is any way to work out where it came from although I have no clue if this is true or not.

autienotnaughty · 02/12/2023 06:30

You did nothing wrong here. Contact eBay to say you haven't received it and request a refund

lemmein · 02/12/2023 06:42

Did they purchase the postage online? If so it should have a returns address on it - ask them for a screenshot of the label.

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