Buyer wants refund before estimated delivery date due to non-arrival of items

[Naetha]

What do I do?

She's claimed I've been trying to scam her from the beginning due to the fact that I listed an identical item straight after she bought it (I wanted to see if the first one would sell before listing the second). I don't know if she's genuine and panicky, our taking me for a ride. The irony is, that of all the hundred odd things I've sold on ebay in the last three months, this is one of the three things I don't have a postage receipt for.

The estimated delivery date is 28th to 30th August, yet she's been ob my back for nearly a week asking for a refund.

I think regardless of what happens I'm going to be out of pocket as I can't believe that she'd return the items is they did arrive late, or admit they'd arrive before I'd refunded her.

I hope you sent it recorded - otherwise I think she may claim not to receive it

How long after the auction did you send it

I sent it second class, as I state on Ebay. I posted it on the 17th, so yes it should have arrived by now, but sometimes things take time, and the estimated delivery date hasn't even passed yet. If I send it recorded, people don't buy it as the margins are small enough as it is.

It's just getting me all flustered because I really do have much more important things to be doing! We're emigrating in 2 and a half weeks and I still have to sell the motorbike, the car and a whole load of other stuff!

honestly - she is either neurotic or trying to scam you

when did you post it - you are right about 15 working days, so after 3 weeks have passed since you posted the item you will have to refund and file a claim with royal mail for the lost item.

unfortunately if you didn't send it recorded you will never know if she received it or not. How long ago did you post it.

ok - well I think you should wait until the 9th Sep I think (?) and then refund her and claim from royal mail. There is no point sending long emails, just tell her that it has been posted, and if she doesn't receive it by that date you will refund her and then you must claim from royal mail.

And send the next item recorded, it is for your benefit, not the buyer.

Grrrr I would never had admitted no having proof of postage. She has got you there.

Plus not all recorded gets signed for and I reckon as bunny works for royal mail I bet he doesn't have to sign.

I would ignore til 1st sept and then issue refund.

And block her!

I agree about admitting no proof of postage - I think you should phone her sorting office anyway - and you must file a claim with royal mail. If she makes a habit of this and claims stack up against her address royal mail will ask questions and investigate.

What is her feedback left for others like - does she leave lots of not received item negatives?

i would stop all contact, let her file a dispute, drag that out as long as possible to get her refund. she is going to leave you a negative anyway.

you might want to ask mn to delete her name though.

don't enter in any more lengthy conversation. wait until the 'correct' date for refunds - just ask her to e-mail you on that date if she still hasn't received the goods, and that you will refund then.

end of.

but make sure she knows you will not be replying to her until she has confirmed on (whatever date it was - 1st Sept?) that she has not received it. otherwise you will assume she has received it in the interim.

but fgs, make sure you get a bloody receipt every time.

i suspect you're going to end up refunding it anyway, but waiting another week won't hurt.

hope the emigration foes ok. to be honest, just paying her and getting her off your back might at least rule this nonsense out of your stress levels. and £24 is a drop in the ocean compared to the costs of emigration. are you just giving the stuff away if it doesn't sell? we ended up giving away 24 cubic feet of household goods including all of our white goods. cost us about £5000 if i add it all up lol. emigration is a blooming expensive business before you even factor in shipping costs!

lost items are considered lost after 15 working days, which is 21 days on a calendar - if her husband works for royal mail she will be well aware of this. I think her haste for the refund makes me smell a very large rat.

until 3 weeks have passed, unfortunately she will just have to be patient while both you and royal mail investigate the loss

I have a feeling you are going to lose out here.

As you haven't sent Recorded you can't tell for definate if she has received it or not. If she now SAYS she hasn't received it you'll have refund her and as you have no POP you can't even make a claim with RM!

just a thought, but why is her husband collecting mail from the distribution centre - is this allowed?

You paid for royal mail to deliver an item, not for him to collect it - all seems very odd and dodgy.

I can kind of understand why she's pissed off that it still hasn't arrived.

You should have sent it recorded. I think you are right to let it go through the right ebay channels though.

I can also understand why she is annoyed. While you know that you are honest, if I had been on the other end of that conversation I wouldnt be happy either. I think that the fact that you have told her you didnt send it recorded means that you will end up having to refund her.

Do you know you have included her ebay id halfway through the messages?

Naetha I really do suggest that you ask for the buyer's ID to be removed (as already suggested).

Not only to protect them, but it is very easy to find your ebay ID too

i've reported the post. if naetha hasn't been back, it's not fair to let the customer's (and naetha's) privacy be compromised. it looks like a genuine cut and paste error, but hopefully mn will delete it.

I'm on her side. I had two very bad experiences on eBay (my final two experiences) where sellers claimed to have posted substantial items (Polly pocket castles) to me, which never arrived. These items were supposed to be my DD2s main birthday present (she loved classic Polly Pocket at that time - the stuff that is really tiny, that they don't sell any more and you can only get on eBay or from charity shops). Both sellers sent me abusive emails when I queried non delivery, both insisted the fault lay with me, the address must have been wrong, the items must have been delivered etc - neither had proof of posting and both kicked up a real stink when I opened a dispute. The whole experience put me off eBay for life. I think for a seller to send an email saying they are too busy to sort out a problem with a sale for which they have taken the money and the goods haven't been delivered is very poor. If the OP is too busy emigrating to sort out eBay queries she shouldn't have listed the items for sale in the first place.

I think the buyer was being well over the top. However, OP should have simply responded in a businesslike manner, without bringing in motherhood and emigration and lack of proof of postage. She could have sent a simple assurance that she had two identical items to sell, that she had posted the item on X date, and that if it was not received by X date she would refund the money. Repeat the message as necessary as buyer continues to pester. There's no need to bring personal lives into a business transaction.

And really that eBay id needs deleting.

Ahh, it's gone now! V good.

Thanks for all the replies, sorry I didn't realise i'd left a username in, genuine error.

I will wait until the 3rd september, contact her to see if the items have arrived, if she says they haven't, then refund her and chalk it up to experience.

Just one of those things I guess. Thanks for all the advice!

Won't that be too early - you have to wait 15 working days for an item to be considered lost, which is 3 weeks, not 15 days which is 2 weeks and 1 day.