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?

Yes, you're quite right :). I'm treating it as a learning experience.

The oddest eBay experience I had was as a buyer. I bought a fairly trivial item which didn't arrive when they said it should. Contacted the seller who admitted they'd forgotten to post it and would do so that day. Waited a few more days and it still hadn't arrived, seller promised they'd sent it and had proof they'd sent it. Ok I said, I'm willing to wait to whenever the 14 days was as RM has stated to the seller.

Item still didn't arrive, seller then proceeded to accuse me of lying saying they had proof I had the item. I think great, a neighbour must have it, can they give me the tracking details so I can find out where it is? They just sent me some foul languaged messages about how I was a lying scammer. So I put a case through eBay. eBay asked for their proofs, they wouldn't provide them. Closed the case in my favour and the seller kept messaging me abuse. eBay stepped in and they left me alone.

4 days later a parcel arrives. It's the item which by this point was about a month after I'd bought it. I think rm have really cocked this up then spot the postage date. 2 days after the eBay case was closed

I couldn't return the item as there were no details and a 'hypothetical' chat with eBay suggested as the case was closed they couldn't give me their address (don't know how true that actually is). I gave the item to charity.

There's nothing you can do here, if you didn't send signed for then there's no proof of delivery therefore if she says it didn't arrive eBay will side with her so you will have to refund.
eBay can see if a seller/buyer has opened a message. I had to call eBay about what looked like a partial address, I had messaged buyer with no response and eBay was able to tell me the buyer had not opened the message. No help to you in this case though, just thought I'd mention it it might be useful in the future.

magik how incredibly bizarre and unpleasant! I one bought an item that didn't turn up, so I contacted the buyer who said it was out of stock. I said I didn't mind waiting a few days (it wasn't anything important) but they were insistent cancelling the order and giving me a refund there and then, despite me saying I was happy to wait. I thought it was a bit odd at the time, but now I see why they did it.

very that is helpful, thanks .

It was really bizarre. I still can't figure out if the thing that shocks me most is that after being forced to refund me they then sent the parcel two days later or that even after that they didn't even send it tracked . I probably learned more lessons on how to be a seller than a buyer from that though.

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.

Repeating this doesn't make it true. The RM practice varies and they sometimes refund based on the listing selling price if you provide the relevant details. It's worth putting in a claim and seeing what you get.

I'll definitely be putting a claim in - its got to be worth a shot, even if I do just get stamps .

I had something similar happen to me a few years ago. Buyer didnt contact me at all via ebay but merely put in a claim for non-receipt through Paypal directly (which at the time was different to eBay's procedure).
I contacted her several times and included copy of proof of postage etc but heard nothing at all from her and Paypal merely refunded her and took the money out of my account. I did eventually manage to get some money back via a Royal Mail claim but it was a lot of hassle.
That was a hard lesson to learn - since then I send everything tracked - (small parcels via RM and larger items via HERMES) and always include the tracking number on the eBay item.
Hope you manage to get it resolved - there are a lot of chancers out there.

Thanks Ginge, sorry to here you've had the same thing happen, it's really annoying isn't it? I've put my claim in with RM - it was a new item (unused foundation) so hopefully I'll get the value back.

Here? I mean hear.

Update - I got a refund from RM for the full amount (that the buyer paid for it) and the postage, so I'm happy with the outcome. A bit of a palaver but it got sorted in the end.