topic Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit in Selling

Sold Item Lost in Transit

cattychu — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:31:51 GMT

Hi there, I've recently sold an item that may be lost in transit. My listing specifically states that if a buyer wants to ensure that they receive compensation for any lost or damaged parcels due to transit, they can take out insurance when selecting a postage option. As this is the case, will I need to refund or make good if the parcel is actually lost in transit? Besides out of good will? Kind regards, Peony Rouge.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

clarry100 — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:46:02 GMT

Was the parcel mailed with tracking?
What does the tracking status show?
If it shows not delivered then you may be able to approach AP for a discretionary payment, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Meanwhile your buyer will rightfully want either their money back or a replacement sent out.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

kylies*swap*cards* — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 12:35:07 GMT

This only happened to me one time (in 8 years of selling, touch wood!) and it was around 6 months ago. Don't think rules have changed but this is what I was told to do/and did. Obviously a copy of the receipt showing when you paid, a copy of the ebay invoice (showing cost of item, description and postage paid). If it is under $100 they said they cover parcels and gave me a refund which I then gave to the buyer. She was good about it as I had proof it was posted and proof of the Aust Post refund etc. They keep it quiet that parcels under $100 are covered but if it is over $100 then you get a tough luck you should have chosen insured. Mine was regular parcel post and receipt showed postcode which matched the ebay invoice.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

cattychu — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 21:32:04 GMT

The parcel has been marked as delivered now.

But are you suggesting I provide a refund or send out a replacement because I have to? Or out of good will?

Even if I specifically state that the buyer can purchase insurance for any transit related loss or damage?

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

cattychu — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 21:32:27 GMT

Great tip. Thanks!

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

wilk1149 — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 21:42:02 GMT

Australia post insurance is practically useless. They will do anything not to pay out

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

jensmanchester-australia — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 22:07:34 GMT

peonyrouge - under the new ebay money back guarantee which has come into effect this month you will be required to prove delivery. If you cannot prove delivery then you will have to either refund the buyer or send a replacement.

It is really up to the seller to decide on whether a not a parcel should be insured or not. There is really no valid reason why a buyer would want to pay extra if they are already covered under the Money Back Guarantee.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

cmcoins2000 — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 22:12:39 GMT

@cattychu wrote:
The parcel has been marked as delivered now.

But are you suggesting I provide a refund or send out a replacement because I have to? Or out of good will?
Even if I specifically state that the buyer can purchase insurance for any transit related loss or damage?

Why would you want to provide a refund or send a replacement when the parcel is now marked delivered.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

i-love-my-sheep — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 22:29:14 GMT

With the tracking number saying delivered, is that good enough proof of delivery under the new MBG, or does the OP need to go to the buyers house and actually take a photo of them holding their parcel as proof that it's been delivered?

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

jensmanchester-australia — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 22:51:14 GMT

Helen - I don't think the OP is thinking about offering this particular buyer a refund or replacement now that the parcel has been delivered.

The way I read it is that they are seeking clarification if it does ever happen in the future.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

jensmanchester-australia — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 22:53:43 GMT

Tracking number showing delivery is proof of delivery - unless there is something strange showing in the tracking such as a parcel being delivered to WA when it was addressed to a Victorian address.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

cattychu — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 05:26:40 GMT

So I'll only need to provide compensation if I can't prove delivery. But if I can, wouldn't that be a reason for the buyer to want to pay extra for insurance to ensure their parcel is delivered safely?

Thanks.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

cattychu — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 05:27:35 GMT

Hi Helen,

I started this thread before the parcel was marked as delivered.

But I'd like to know the answer anyhow for future reference.

Thanks.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

phorum_junkie* — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 07:31:17 GMT

A buyer does not need to pay extra for insurance as they are covered by ebay and Paypal, if you want to cover yourself then it is up to you to take out extra cover and either include it in the total postage cost or pay for it yourself.

I only purchase extra cover for items over $50, for everything else I allocate a few cents from each sale to a 'slush fund' which is enough to cover the cost of a couple of refunds or replacements for an item that goes missing without sufficient proof of delivery.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

jensmanchester-australia — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 09:44:17 GMT

If the buyer uses an eligible payment method they would still be covered by the ebay money back guarantee if they claim INR even if the parcel shows delivered. How they can prove that would be between ebay and the buyer.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

thecatspjs — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 10:10:56 GMT

@phorum_junkie* wrote:
A buyer does not need to pay extra for insurance as they are covered by ebay and Paypal, if you want to cover yourself then it is up to you to take out extra cover and either include it in the total postage cost or pay for it yourself.

I only purchase extra cover for items over $50, for everything else I allocate a few cents from each sale to a 'slush fund' which is enough to cover the cost of a couple of refunds or replacements for an item that goes missing without sufficient proof of delivery.

Get with the program - paypal no longer offers buyer protection for goods scanned as lodged where addressee proof can be demonstrated..

Paypal has not provided buyer protection in this situation for some time now.

You post is a bit rich, given you consistently criticise other posters including newbies for not being familar with purchase and selling policies, paypal and eBay announcements, and reading the terms and conditions of paypal and eBay.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

digital*ghost — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 12:43:07 GMT

@cattychu wrote:
So I'll only need to provide compensation if I can't prove delivery. But if I can, wouldn't that be a reason for the buyer to want to pay extra for insurance to ensure their parcel is delivered safely?

Thanks.

Yes, that is definitely a reason for a buyer to choose registered or signature on delivery. It gets easy sometimes to only think about this scenario in terms of which service qualifies for what etc as far as eBay / PayPal is concerned, but that neglects to take into account registered post was introduced in the late 1800's, looooooooong before PayPal and eBay, let alone buyer and seller protection, were ever conceived.

It still has a purpose outside of making sure someone's money is/isn't protected, and although these days the people who will choose to pay the extra to help protect their item from certain situations are few and far between, you will find that there are some, still (there is, of course, something to be said for considering this scenario in purely practical terms, and in the context of what's most likely, but it's not all there is to it)

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

tall_bearded01 — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 19:40:42 GMT

”A buyer does not need to pay extra for insurance as they are covered by ebay and Paypal, if you want to cover yourself then it is up to you to take out extra cover and either include it in the total postage cost or pay for it yourself”

You may also want to take into consideration this exclusion provision as contained in the Guarantee - “If (we are) asked to step in and help, we review the information provided by the buyer and seller for evidence of successful on-time delivery to the buyer's address. We require proof of signature to confirm delivery for items with a total cost of $750 or more” and “If we determine that the item wasn't successfully delivered, we refund the full cost of the item and original postage via PayPal or as otherwise agreed.

That is the wording makes it clear that, for the purposes of Guarantee, payments under the Guarantee are limited to claims where the evidence is “the item wasn't successfully delivered, which in turn means there may well be instances where, though the item wasn’t received, it was still successfully delivered, and in those cases no refund is payable.

So how can an item be found to have been successfully delivered and yet still not received – dial back a few years to the time PayPal first introduced Buyer Protection, a time when I amongst others’ successfully argued deemed delivery defines the meaning of the words delivered/delivery for the purposes for that agreement – and it would appear, history is about to repeat itself.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

misterforgetfulsbooks — Tue, 05 May 2015 22:09:05 GMT

at the end of the day paypal refunds the total amount.

Should we just refund after receiving a not received message and then leave a follow up comment - lost in the post, fully refunded?

If not to prevent a dodgy buyer from doing it again, it will highlight previous history for future sellers to reference if it happens to them.

Re: Sold Item Lost in Transit

clarry100 — Tue, 05 May 2015 23:05:39 GMT

Also put the buyer userID in the FB comment too so the rest of us can see who it is.

Remember ebay hides the buyer IDs from everyone but the original seller.

So...

UserID - claimed lost in the post, fully refunded?