e-Bay advice

**Cymber** · 21-05-2012, 07:34pm

I sold an item on e-Bay and posted in by 2nd Class on Thursday 10 May.

On the Tuesday, I received a message from the buyer asking where the item was. I checked the Royal Mail website which stated that they aimed to deliver on the third working day after posting, so that Tuesday.

I explained this to the buyer, and suggested they wait a little longer.

I then received another message on the Friday asking the same question. I again checked the Royal Mail website, which stated that a claim for a missing item can't be made until 15 working days have passed.

I passed this info on to the buyer, who responded with 'thank you'.

Today a case has been opened, saying the item has not been received, and that they would prefer a refund.

I have replied with all of the above, but not given a refund.

Should I just be offering a refund at this point? It all seems a little premature, however I wonder that even if it did turn up now, would the buyer necessarily tell me (just a gut feeling).

WWYD?

**noo noo** · 21-05-2012, 07:44pm

Was it sent recorded?

**Cymber** · 21-05-2012, 08:11pm

Nope, but I got a receipt.

**scatterbrain** · 21-05-2012, 10:06pm

I thought you had to wait for 30 or 40 days before you could open a case? or has that changed? It does sound rather premature!

It might be worth saying if they haven't received it by Friday you'll refund and claim back from the Royal Mail. Sounds like they are trouble makers and it may just be easier to get rid of them. Either that or they might have bought it for a certain occasion?

S

**Anne** · 21-05-2012, 10:10pm

I had trouble with stuff not being delivered earlier in the year, Dh finally received the item a month after it was sent. Heaven knows where it had been as it was adressed properly!

**Sam** · 21-05-2012, 10:58pm

If they open a claim with paypal or ebay I don't think a receipt is enough, it needs to be recorded delivery. Stating the obvious but have you asked them to check their sorting office incase they've missed it?

**Cymber** · 22-05-2012, 08:30am

Originally Posted by Sam

If they open a claim with paypal or ebay I don't think a receipt is enough, it needs to be recorded delivery. Stating the obvious but have you asked them to check their sorting office incase they've missed it?

I'll ask them. So really everything should be sent recorded delivery with e-Bay, just in case it goes missing?

**Rosa** · 22-05-2012, 08:36am

Its a calculated risk... I print my postage from the Royal Mail website so I can just put the parcels in the post box rather than going to the PO so nothing is ever recorded. I am a big ebayer and have only ever had two problems with things not arriving, so for me its worth it.

**January** · 22-05-2012, 10:40am

Originally Posted by Cymber

So really everything should be sent recorded delivery with e-Bay, just in case it goes missing?

You're covered up to (I think) £39 with a certificate of posting but it will take a while for the PO to issue a refund and it's a faff.

Personally I only use recorded if the value is over about £15. I've found that very little goes missing even second class.

**Queenie** · 22-05-2012, 11:38am

I send about 200 ebay parcels a week, and TBH, the claim form is such a hassle and the chances of getting proper compensation from RM are so slim that I never bother to fill in the form. Plus, your buyer would need to sign a form and send it back to RM to confirm it never arrived. Do you believe it hasn't got there, or do you think they are trying it on?
With any sort of dispute(either paypal or ebay), unless you can prove it was delivered, you will lose. Also, disputes opened against you count against you now, and too many (I think more than 2, but I'm not totally certain) and you will lose your account.
I don't use recorded delivery very often, but if you really can't lose the money then it's sometimes worth it. It doesn't make the item any more likely to arrive, but it does mean that you can prove that it has.

**Cymber** · 22-05-2012, 11:45am

Originally Posted by January

You're covered up to (I think) £39 with a certificate of posting but it will take a while for the PO to issue a refund and it's a faff.

Personally I only use recorded if the value is over about £15. I've found that very little goes missing even second class.

That was my understanding with the certificate of posting. The item sold for £10, plus £2.50 P&P.

**Cymber** · 22-05-2012, 11:49am

Originally Posted by Queenie

Plus, your buyer would need to sign a form and send it back to RM to confirm it never arrived. Do you believe it hasn't got there, or do you think they are trying it on?

Oh that's a hassle. I have no proof of whether they are trying it on or not, but their keeness to claim it hasn't is ringing alarm bells for me.

Originally Posted by Queenie

With any sort of dispute(either paypal or ebay), unless you can prove it was delivered, you will lose. Also, disputes opened against you count against you now, and too many (I think more than 2, but I'm not totally certain) and you will lose your account.

So RM could bugger up delivery and you'd could potentially lose your account?!? Bizarre.

So would I need to refund the buyer and then claim back from RM? It seems a little unfair for the buyer to wait for that process to complete before being refunded. However there's no impetus for the buyer to sign the claim saying they didn't receive the item, once they have had their refund, is there?

Oh well, maybe I'm going to just have to suck it up and refund. Annoying thing is that it was something of DS2 that I was selling and he's already had the readies!!

**scatterbrain** · 22-05-2012, 04:02pm

This is one of the reasons postage has rocketed on ebay. I think so many regular sellers won't send anything unless it's signed for now.

**Cymber** · 22-05-2012, 04:12pm

Originally Posted by Queenie

Plus, your buyer would need to sign a form and send it back to RM to confirm it never arrived.

I've just been looking at the form...

http://www.royalmail.com/sites/defau...ril%2012_0.pdf

...and I can't see where I'd get the buyer to sign. Could you be mistaken on that point, or am I misreading it?

**Queenie** · 22-05-2012, 04:18pm

No you don't get the buyer to sign anything, RM will contact them, and then they need to sign a form and send it back to RM, who will then scratch their collective backsides for a few weeks and refund you, or not. They are more suspicious of ebay sales (which is why they ask if the item was sold on ebay), but sometimes it can all go through relatively quickly.
I wouldn't say not to claim, I'm just warning you it can be a PITA, and when I costed out the time and expense of claiming it wasn't worth it. For a single item it's probably more worthwhile.