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Original poster

buying and selling clothes on eBay.

45 replies

ilovecherries · 13/08/2017 13:41

Not really S&B, but thought lots of people here might sell on eBay. Sold a coat last week for £50. Posted it with a tracked and signed for service. Showing delivered and signed for (by a neighbour), the day after I posted it. Buyer claims no neighbour has it (looked on google maps, and its houses, not flats) and that no card was left telling her where it is. She's now escalated it to a claim. I'm pissed off because none of my normal mail ever goes missing, yet at least 1 in 10 of my ebay parcels are apparently misdelivered, even though they've been signed for (often by the person they are addressed to). In the past I've just refunded but this one feels like the last straw. Ive currently got 5 Royal Mail claims outstanding for various 'lost' parcels. Any advice? Do I just need to refund and suck it up? I know she might be the one genuine one among them, but it all feels like a massive scam ATM.

OP posts:
Madbengalmum · 13/08/2017 16:46

No,if you have tracking to show its been delivered then ebay wont make you refund.

Original poster
ilovecherries · 13/08/2017 17:28

Thanks, I guess PP might still refund her though? It's def not just one rogue post-person, because in the last 10 weeks I've had claims from all over the place - this current one is Inverness! I've double checked that the envelope, the tracking info and the paypal address all match, but the claims keep coming. I think I've had about 8 in total over the last 6 weeks or so - and I'm not a big seller, just clearing our loft really, so lots of toys/kids clothes etc. And oddly, they have all been for items that went for more than I expected them to. I'm at the point of giving up on eBay and just taking the lot to the Hospice shop.

OP posts:
neveradullmoment99 · 13/08/2017 17:35

Well I have been selling on ebay for years and have to say have never had anyone claim for a lost parcel [ touch wood] Like you, I send them signed for. However just recently I have had two things go missing that i was expecting to receive. The buyer has sent me a replacement or refunded me but it just strikes me that these things have got lost and have never arrived. In all the time on ebay, i have never had any issues with delivery with royal mail. Strange.

neveradullmoment99 · 13/08/2017 17:36

Sorry that should say it strikes me as odd

Original poster
ilovecherries · 13/08/2017 18:06

Dull, neither have I till recently. As I said, I'm not a big seller - tend to do it in bursts if I'm having a clear out. But in 15 years, I've had more problems in the last three months, with this current batch, than I've had in total in the past. They are all tracked as far as the buyer's delivery office, then as delivered and signed for, complete with scan of signature. Then a week later, I'm getting not-received complaints. I re-send the tracking info, but they still insist they haven't got the item, some at least have some dialogue with you, but the others are going straight to escalation for a chargeback.

OP posts:
Original poster
ilovecherries · 13/08/2017 18:10

A few (where it's the buyer who has signed) are saying the scan isn't their signature, and when it's apparently gone to a neighbour, they are saying the neighbour doesn't have it. It's all taking far to much bloody time to sort out. AngrySad. I'm just finding it hard to believe that RM has suddenly started to do this.

OP posts:
user1495915742 · 13/08/2017 18:26

Are you creating your RM labels online?

I no longer write address labels/pay in the post office as I find that those parcels are the ones that go astray. I send most things by RM (untracked) and pay/print for my labels via the eBay link.

user1495915742 · 13/08/2017 18:26

Could just offer click and collect at Argos?

lovingmatleave · 13/08/2017 18:28

Slight derail, but last week I had a special delivery from Royal Mail (from a high street jewellers) left in my porch and on the front of the package it said signed for by postman. Not what I would expect from RM.

Original poster
ilovecherries · 13/08/2017 19:43

No, I write the labels, long since gave up any need to have a printer in the house, and I live almost next door to a small village PO, which quite frankly I want to support - and they are getting to the delivery office, so it's the very last point its breaking down, when they go out for delivery. I certainly feel someone is being dishonest, I just don't know if it's random posties, or random purchasers. I don't offer courier delivery as I live in an extremely rural area, it's a 40+ mile drive to a Hermes or Collect plus pick up point. MaLeave, that's awful!

OP posts:
Original poster
ilovecherries · 13/08/2017 19:44

Not a 40 mile drive, I'm not that isolated! 40+ mile round trip.

OP posts:
Sunflower6 · 13/08/2017 22:19

I had something delivered by Royal Mail last week that I bought from eBay seller sent it Royal Mail signed for but Royal Mail just put it through my letter box unsigned for and we also had a parcel left on our doorstep by Royal Mail.

DodgyGround · 13/08/2017 22:32

Can you make a Royal Mail claim?

Deecee1012 · 13/08/2017 22:35

A few weeks ago I was actually cleaning my hall when a "signed for" letter came through the door. I opened it and asked the postie if I needed to sign? His response..." No love, I've done it for you"!!!
Wonder how often this happens?

SuburbanRhonda · 13/08/2017 22:46

I had a "sorry we missed you" card come through the door while I was at home. The post man didn't ring the bell.

I ran after him to tell him I was actually in but he didn't have the parcel. He said it was because I was never in anyway (not true) so he decided to just leave the parcel at the delivery office and leave a card without knocking Shock

Original poster
ilovecherries · 13/08/2017 23:03

With all these horror stories, maybe it IS dodgy delivery people then. Our own post woman is great but maybe not the norm. I was getting pretty convinced it was the buyers who were at it but maybe not. Dodgy, I could instigate a claim yes, but I actually don't want to do that. I've had to claim 8 times already in the last few weeks, and most of these claims are still outstanding, because you need to wait 15 days after the expected delivery date before you can even start the claim, but the buyer obviously wants their money back now. The claim demands a checklist of bits of original paperwork. So it's a lot of hassle. If I have refunded the buyer I don't have my money, I don't have the item, I'm sitting out the postage. I'm fed up of it. I paid for a tracked service, Track and trace says that it was delivered and signed for, they have a scanned signature, I just want that to be the end of it.

OP posts:
Original poster
ilovecherries · 13/08/2017 23:08

I know I'm sounding peevish. I'm just so pissed off and I feel like I'm being screwed by someone!

OP posts:
Hunkle · 13/08/2017 23:12

Get them to knock on the neighbours door. Do not refund.

littlebillie · 13/08/2017 23:14

I had the same recently and it was signed for. I did get RM money back though, where are these item?

iamapixiebutnotaniceone · 13/08/2017 23:26

They need to take it up with their neighbour or postie! Do not refund, have you updated the tracking info on eBay so that they eBay/PayPal can see it too?

DodgyGround · 13/08/2017 23:32

I always thought that, pain though it is, the seller can recover money lost through Royal Mail, and there's no other way round it.

You are being ripped off by someone, and you may never know who unfortunately.

DianaT1969 · 14/08/2017 07:32

My friend has an online store. She sold on her website for about 3 years (paypal is an option) and sent all 1st class, usually unsigned for, unless a multiple order of higher value. In 3 years and thousands of orders she didn't have one claim that it was unreceived. Recently she had a clear out of stock on ebay for less than she paid for it. The non-received claims started the first week (3!) and have been a steady stream since. I think she said it's around 1 in 7 orders now. High returns too.

DianaT1969 · 14/08/2017 07:38

Maybe the Argos Click and Collect option as the only delivery method might work?? If they were planning to scam you, maybe they won't bother ordering. I'll suggest that to my friend.

arrrrrgh · 14/08/2017 07:55

@lovingmatleave postie would very, very likely lose his/her job over that Shock also leaving parcels on doorsteps is not allowed (we can leave certain parcels in a 'safe place' if you've specified one though but even then is ultimately our decision if we thing it is safe) I'm a delivery driver and I (and most of the people I work with) would never leave parcels on doorsteps. Signing for a parcel ourselves is not allowed either but it is ok for a neighbour to sign for it and then if it would fit through the letterbox you could just post it, so this may have happened in some cases if you've had a signed through your door when you're not in (I usually write 'signed by neighbour on them though)

DodgyGround · 14/08/2017 08:37

I'm not accusing Royal Mail, but I've started to receive packages from eBay and Amazon, only to find the packing has been ripped large enough to remove the item and examine it then return it as it obviously wasn't what they wanted

In hindsight I should have reported it, as perhaps it's now a 'thing'.

But my point is, it's a new thing, and I've been a member of both eBay and Amazon since 2004, but it's only been this past year I've noticed about 3 packages have been 'opened'.

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