Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

eBay

If you buy or sell items on eBay, you will find tips and advice on this forum.

Flip

Original poster

25% of my parcels have been lost by Royal Mail. Need some advice please!

19 replies

bintofbohemia · 02/11/2009 16:16

Am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pissed off. I'ev had a clear out and sold 12 items on ebay. Have just had to refund two buyers who are saying they never received their items, and am trying to claim back off the RM.

Have just got an email from a 3rd buyer who also claims not to have not received an item I sent on the 29th September. THing is, not having heard from her in over a month I dunno if I still have the receipt, and I moved house 2 weeks ago and I have no idea where it would be if I do still have it. Without it I stand to lose about £20 on this transaction. Shouldn't they have mentioned this sooner?

Am so , it seems like a hell of a lot of items to go missing, doesn't it? What can I do, do I just have to accept I've have been screwed over and suck it up?

Will never, ever use regular post again, and am quite tempted to not bother with ebay either, it's just been a massive headache.

Any advice?

OP posts:

Original poster

bintofbohemia · 02/11/2009 16:41

bumping- can anyone please help?

OP posts:

Disenchanted3 · 02/11/2009 16:43

were they signed for or recorded?

Original poster

bintofbohemia · 02/11/2009 16:45

No. Just regular old post. I had an option for the buyers to pay a pound for recorded but no one did. So is it still my problem even though they didn't take it up?

I don't even think they can blame this on strikes. They're just crap.

OP posts:

currycrazy · 02/11/2009 16:47

you have to wonder if some people are trying it on....using the postal strikes as a way of getting their money back on things they have received.
I have ordered about 8 items so far during the strikes and all but one have come through so far and all within a matter of days....

no help on what you could do though,i wonder if there is a rule on how long you have to try and claim......the buyer who has left it ages may have run out of time?

good luck

EldonAve · 02/11/2009 16:47

They have 45 days to claim item not received

People will try it on esp if you don't send recorded

Disenchanted3 · 02/11/2009 16:48

YOU should always pay 70p for signed for.

Don't give them the choice as the benefits are for you not them. If it goes missing its no odds to them if they paid for signed for or not, they still get their money back either way.

AND (this is sd but true) many ebayers will, as soon as they recieve a parcel with no traccking will simply lie, saythey did not recieve it and get their money back as there is no PROOF they recieved it so paypal always go in her favour.

EldonAve · 02/11/2009 16:48

sending recorded is for your benefit not the buyers

Original poster

bintofbohemia · 02/11/2009 16:52

Buggery buggery bugger.

I am wondering if at least one if them is having a laugh to be honest, it seems like a lot of things to go awol.

Shame ebay don't have a note to buyers saying that if you don't insist on recorded delivery you might as well give your stuff away and bend over whilst you're doing it.

(Sorry, am just so - we're skint and was trying to raise some cash towards Christmas. Now I've lost several items and money I was banking on.)

OP posts:

Original poster

bintofbohemia · 02/11/2009 16:54

Either that or someone in my local post office is bent.

OP posts:

MrsSaxon · 02/11/2009 16:54

Hi, I had this last year when the strikes were on, lost 15 parcels.

I posted on the ebay q and a boards and discovered loads of people had a problem who had posted on the same day as me.

The bottom line was that all the parcles were caught in the backlog, so would get to the customer eventually.

So I replied to all the people who had delayed parcels and politely asked for them to wait for a week and I would refund if they still had not arrived. 14 out of 15 were lovely and the parcels did turn up, only refunded one.

Its worth being really polite to people you refund as they will need to fill in any claim forms that are sent ot them in order to get your refund.

I have stopped abaying as the strikes are on as it is just to much hassle.

MrsSaxon · 02/11/2009 16:56

ebaying not abaying, damn sausage fingers!!!

maxybrown · 02/11/2009 17:19

Hmm. Not a lot you can do if not sent recorded. Sounds like they are having you on if they've waited a month to contact you? I know I would ontact soeone after a week, just to see if it had been posted, then take it from there. Recorded is to protect yourself (on ebay) not the buyer.

Even after a month they can still put in a PP claim, but as I say, I personally would have contacted someone long before a month if genuine!

exrebel · 02/11/2009 17:38

I am still waiting for 8 items bought on eBay before the first strike. No parcels have been delivered for the past 10 days. I am in London, so it is possible that all these people are genuine and all items are stuck in the backlog. They have delivered a DVD rental I reported lost at beginning of October though. I am waiting towards the end of the 45 days before I report them missing, as I hope they will turn up while the backlog is being cleared. I have also sold some items just before the strike and obtained proof of posting, so if I have to refund my buyers I will be able to claim from RM. I will not be crossed with buyers as I think rules on refund should be accepted as we are going to benefit from this at some point when we do the buying.

Carrotfly · 03/11/2009 12:00

Reading this has put me off ebay. Shamer really.

Exrebel, I would be a bit suspicious if somebody told me their parcel hadnt arrived after 44 days .. is there any reason why you cant contact them sooner ?

maxybrown · 03/11/2009 12:19

Ebay can be daunting, but as long as you insure yourslef with a signed for delivery then you are on a better streak as it were!

I too would be suspicious, I always contact people along the way so that they know early on, although has hardly ever happened. I have had one recently that hasn't arrived and contacted seller after a week to which she responded, but she didn't reply to me after that, it hasn't arrived and so I have put in claim through PP. £5.50 inc postage so not a huge amount but besides the point....they haven't responed to PP either so...

Firawla · 04/11/2009 09:52

i don't know why people are so quick to presume people are trying it on, there have been a lot of parcels missing in the postal strike. some areas worse than others, like London. I think you will just have to refund them and try to get your compensation back from royal mail, especially if it has been a whole month. If its been less then try asking them to wait another week it may turn up?

exrebel · 05/11/2009 22:27

just noticed more posts on this thread ...thank you for tips about contacting the buyer earlier, I had already thought of that after reflecting on reading this thread. I thought I was being nice to sellers (yes, don't like upsetting people)but then I thought they would rather know in advance to be prepared for incoming refund to give. So i did contact sellers of oldest undelivered items.
I have opened a dispute for one item, after contacting the buyer, who said to wait please another couple of week??? No thanks!!! it is been a while now and dont want to leave it too late.

I also went to my local London post office to check whether items were there waiting for collection and some were there. hurrayyy.

They told me that there are lot of casual postal workers at the moment in London who do not leave the red slip for items which are too big for letterbox. She advised me to go back next week if anything else is still missing.

So I think anyone been waiting for parcels for 2 weeks and more should do this

Bucharest · 06/11/2009 16:43

As a buyer I had 7 parcels not arrive last year, and tbh, didn't even claim back on the last 2 as I didn't want ebay getting alerted to me, even though I was completely honest!

I now always email sellers and ask if they'll send me RD/signed for. Just not worth the hassle otherwise.

nikkid21 · 06/11/2009 21:43

I'm a pretty big seller on ebay (over 10400 feedback) and the vast majority of my items go regular post. I used to send recorded but the extra 75p on each parcel was pushing me near the VAT limit and adding an extra 30-45 mins to the packing each day.

Since i've switched back to unrecorded post I haven't had any increase in missing parcels to be honest. It does depend on what you are selling - if selling computer games or mobile phones I would be a lot more careful than with the bras that I sell.

From a sellers pov I ask customers to let me know if something hasn't arrived within 2 weeks. Royal Mail don't consider something lost until 15 working days (monday to friday not including strike days) after posting so it's always worth asking buyers to wait until that point .

Flip