Is this dodgy? Buyer saying item hasn't arrived and

[flippinada]

I use Ebay on a semi-regular basis - so I'm familiar with how it all works. The vast majority of transactions are quite straightforward but every so often they aren't. I also have a 100% positive seller rating.

Anyway, last week I sold something which was sent promptly (retaining proof of postage as I learnt to do that PDQ). I offer free postage, 2nd class - which I make clear in my listings.

Anyway, the buyer has been messaging me repeatedly saying they haven't received the item and asking why I haven't replied to their messages.

Each time they've sent me a message I've replied (I have proof) and have also included the proof of postage. I've also contacted Royal Mail to chase it up for them offering a full refund if the item doesn't turn up within a specified time. However, they've ignored all that for some reason and now I've gone into my Paypal account and a hold has been put on the payment.

Is there anything I can do here?

[flippinada]

I just wanted to update as I received a message from the buyer asking for a refund otherwise she will escalate and leave negative feedback.

I'm annoyed, but unless I want to run the risk of negative feedback, I don't have a choice, do I ?

[JinkxMonsoon]

Has she opened up a Buyer Not Received case? She needs to do that before the refund process can even start.

[karalime]

If there is a hold on the funds that means there is either an eBay case or Paypal dispute. If not you can refund anytime, either through cancelling in eBay or refunding in PayPal.

To be fair, Royal Mail can and do lose things. But if they open a case you will lose, it's refund now or later I'm afraid.

[flippinada]

Yes, she's opened a buyer not received case. I suspect she's trying it on but what can I do withour proof of delivery?

I have proof of postage though so I'll claim back from RM after the 10 working days has passed.

[flippinada]

Cross posts.

I thought that was the case karalime. I've given her a refund via Ebay.

[JinkxMonsoon]

You'll get your money back including postage (as long as not more than £20) so you won't be out of pocket.

[memyselfandaye]

Always always always send by recorded delivery. Don't assume people are as honest as you, they are'nt.

Royal mail will compensate you by giving you either four or six first class stamps.

[JinkxMonsoon]

That's not true me, they reimburse in full up to £20.

Anything over £20 I send recorded, but I send low value items second class.

[flippinada]

Yes, I'm thinking I must just have been lucky up to date me as I've never encountered this problem before. Ah well, you live and learn.

It's not more than £20 so hopefully I should be ok as I have PoP and proof of value.

[flippinada]

And thanks everyone who took the time to give advice - I found it really helpful.

[verystressedmum]

Unless its jewellery then you're not insured at all not even with signed for, only with special delivery

[19lottie82]

jinkx unless you have proof of how much you paid for the item in the first place, all RM will give you for a lost item is a book of stamps.

Someone on here said that they refunded them the sale price but that definitely isn't standard, so unless you can prove how much you paid for it (which is often difficult with a second hand item), that's all you will get.

That's one of the decent things about Hermes actually. If the item is lost, they refund based on the sale price.

[TeaRexit]

Will ebay let you know if she does this with every seller?

[MagikarpetRide]

Glad they've at least gone through the correct ebay route. Hope you'll have not too much issue with RM.

FWIW if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation do not refund without going through the proper channels. People have been stung by giving refunds and then the buyers opening a case so ebay have double refunded them.

[19lottie82]

I don't get why people think the seller sounds "dodgy"? If I kept asking a seller where my item was, after the delivery estimate, and all they did was provide me with a PoP, and / or asked me wait while they claimed from RM, then I'd go straight to eBay and open a case!

[19lottie82]

TeaRezix, no? Why would they?

[MagikarpetRide]

lottie Probably because a lot of the people who have given advice to the OP have been on the receiving end of dodgy buyers and sellers. And unless you come across one of them people don't realise they're not adequately protecting themselves.

[19lottie82]

magi but there's nothing on the OP to suggest there is anything suspicious going on?

[MagikarpetRide]

The sending multiple messages but ignoring the OPs responses is pretty dodgy and that tends to be the behaviour of the dodgier ebay users.

[flippinada]

lottie

I appreciate that perhaps it's not clear from my posts, but that isn't what happened.

The buyer sent me a message to say they hadn't received the item at the beginning of the week - I had posted it, 2nd class, on Thursday. I replied saying I was sorry to hear that, that I had posted it on

[flippinada]

Sorry, pressed send too soon.

...Thursday and offering to send Pop to reassure them. I then got a second message the following day, saying the same thing. I replied again saying I had posted it on x day and was happy to provide PoP. Email from them again two days later saying the item still wasn't here and why wasn't I replying to messages (that's when I thought the buyer might be dodgy, because I had been replying to them).

I then contacted the RM helpline to find out what might have happened to the parcel and they said that 2nd class items cam take up to 18 working days to arrive. I sent another message to the buyer with PoP, advised what RM told me and asked if they would consider waiting a few days. Obviously the didn't want to (and might have planned all along for all I know) as that's the point at which they opened the undelivered case.

I didn't ask the caller to wait while I made a claim with RM, not sure where anyone's got that idea from. I'd certainly be narked if someone did that to me.

My annoyance is partly down to myself as well - I can see now I made an easy target for someone who planned to pull a scam.

[millymae]

I was in a similar position to OP a couple of weeks ago in that a buyer of mine opened a not received case very quickly for a second class posting. I replied copying the proof of posting and asking if he would be willing to wait another couple of days to see if it turned up. I heard nothing from him but didn't feel I was being unreasonable because he had contacted me and opened a case before the estimated date of delivery anyway.
I did think it a bit odd that it hadn't arrived because I've never had an item go missing ( and I've sent hundreds over the years I've been ebaying) and feedback tells me that a lot of my 2nd class postings arrive next day. It crossed my mind that he was trying it on.
Within a week of me posting the item to the buyer it arrived back with me and it turned out I was the one at at fault because I'd misread one letter in the postcode. I apologised to the buyer straightaway and posted it out to him again first class.
The next evening he fed back positively in every respect so he had obviously received it, but of course I was left with a case opened against me and the money pending in PayPal. I asked him to close the case and was ignored which left me to sort things out with eBay. The less said about that the better I got there in the end but-initially his feedback wasn't sufficient proof that he had got the item.

[flippinada]

patti I'd be steaming too - what a bloody cheek!

milly I've sent hundreds too, selling on and off for 6 years and this is the first time it's ever happened.

[19lottie82]

Yes but OP, you have to remember that RM's statement "second class can take 18 days to arrive", means nothing on eBay. All that matters is, the estimated delivery date provided by eBay.

Yes, buyer sounds like an arse, but I wouldn't say anything jumps out as them being dodgy.