Why would Australia Post charge seller to collect a returned parcel?

[kitty-kat-kollection]

I'm a bit confused and annoyed. I ordered several clothes from a seller a few weeks ago, she posted them with tracking, I waited to receive them, ebay did not update the tracking info beyond the "posted" part, I received no cards, emails or texts from Australia Post to let me know the parcel was at my post office.

Almost all my parcels get delivered to my building, but occasionally they go to the post office. While checking other deliveries I was waiting for on the AusPost website, I entered the tracking number for this parcel, and saw that it had been sitting at the post office for 10 days. Grr. I also saw that it had the status of "Being returned to sender". AAAGH!

So I went there, they said it's not uncommon for people not to receive notification of their parcels, and it had been returned that morning. I asked how many days had it been and how many days I had to collect it, as I thought it was 2 weeks. She said she thought it was 2 weeks due to Covid, but mine had already been returned for some reason.

So...the parcel finally arrives back to the seller a week later, but it has a sticker on it saying there are charges owing on it for $15.35. That was also written on the card the seller got from her post office to go and collect the parcel.

She paid it, asked what it was about, the person said they didn't know, and AusPost also claimed they sent me a text the day before they sent it back. No, they did NOT.

So since I really want the clothes, I've paid 2 lots of $15 to have them re-posted and for this unknown charge. What is this?? I don't blame the seller at all. She's been very helpful.

Even if the original postage cost of $8.95 wasn't sufficient, an additional $15.35 seems odd. That equates to a total of $24.30. If the original postage should have been $15.35, then surely only the difference would be owing, of $6.40? (plus the new $15.35 to have it posted again).

I'm also unsure why they couldn't just send it right back to me as the original addressee? Even if that additional difference of $6.40 was payable.

Any insights? Thank you!

[katistrophik]

It sounds more like an A.Post issue, not eBay.

You wrote: ebay did not update the tracking info beyond the "posted" part,

eBay is a selling platform and don't have control over that, it is the sellers responsibilty when clicking on 'sent' to upload the tracking number from the A.Post receipt [or whatever  carrier service they use]

As for not leaving a card or sending notificatioon of the items due/attempted delivery, again is an A.Post issue. I sometimes think the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing in reagrds to A.Post

[twyngwyn]

according to the latest post charges booklet (page 25):

costs incurred for underpaid articles are: $1.50 per item, plus deficient postage.

[twyngwyn]

also note that A.P. don't automatically charge for the next satchel size up....but parcel rates!!

[digital*ghost]

It's not underpaid postage, it's return postage.

Australia Post now often charge for return postage in these kinds of cases, though it is not a hard and fast rule, it largely depends on how it ended up going back, because (unless an eParcel package) it's decided on by the post office doing the return, not the receiving post office (i.e. if a buyer marks a package as return to sender and just drops it in a red street box, you can be almost certain there will be no return postage applied. If it sits in a post office and the PO return it, you can be almost certain return postage has been applied. If a buyer marks RTS and lodges over the counter, it's a bit more iffy. If it was an eParcel, then it definitely gets applied no matter what, and added to the senders account to pay, as that will be written into their contract). 

Often times the return postage is assessed, not flat rate as the original parcel might be, so even though you can send up to 5kg in a flat rate satchel, if return post is applied, it will be the highest rate based on parcel dimensions or dead weight.

[curraone]

It is 10 business days - so you need to work out exactly from the tracking when it arrived and when it was sent back, because if Aust Post sent it back prematurely, you will be entitled to ask for a refund of all the extra charges incurred.  Plus there is the question of why you were not carded.     I would definitely file a request with Aust Post.

If you're not around to sign for a delivery, or there's no safe place for us to leave the item1, we'll take it to a nearby Post Office.

You'll have 10 business days to collect it before the item is returned to the sender.

If you've got mail waiting to be collected from the Post Office, in most cases we'll let you know by:

• a notification card left in your mailbox or under your door, and/or
• email / SMS notification (where we know these details)

Ideally, you should pick up your mail within 5 business days from the date you receive the first notification.

• If it's not collected within 5 business days, we'll send you a final collection notice.
• You'll then have an additional 5 business days to collect your item.
• If your item isn't picked up within this timeframe, it will be returned to sender.

https://auspost.com.au/help-and-support/answers?c=CarPar100

On the other hand - (playing the devil's advocate) - if you had the tracking no why did you follow it up sooner?    When I make a purchase and get a tracking no from the seller, I always log into Aust Post tracking site and register the number so that I get notifications independently.

https://auspost.com.au/mypost/track/#/search

[letscleanupmycupboards]

RTS is always charged. I sold an item 6 or 7 years ago. About 5 months after it sold and I posted it I received it back saying undeliverable. No contact from the buyer. Cost me $12 to collect it (was able to examine and work out what it was, had sold for about $75 so worth collecting). I tried the buyer a few times but no activity. Waited til the 180 PayPal days had passed then resold it.

[eol-products]

I can never recall being charged for a returned parcel so must have been lucky.

[kitty-kat-kollection]

Wellll yes. It is my fault that I didn't check the tracking earlier, but I don't know why they didn't send me ANY cards for it, or send a text, which they said they did the day before returning it. They didn't do that, and if they COULD do that, then why not do it to notify me I had a collection in the first place?

I've had a few RTS come back to me, always "address unknown" or "not at this address". I've never been charged or even had to collect them from the post office (and the addresses have always been correct. The mail men would misread them or just be unable to find the place)

[eol-products]

Some post offices do strange things, I sent a parcel with the wrong address so it came back. Customer gave me the correct address which was in the same area and the parcel came back a week later again. I unfortunately applied the correct address to the parcel but did not take notice of some writing on the parcel which must have been mistaken as being the same parcel not yet returned. Needless to say $45 later in postage it finally arrived as i used another box to send it in. When there is a human involved problems will arrise.