Item Not Received

[patchoo78]

IN early December I ordered a screen protector for a Wii U from Hong Kong, it was marked as posted on the 7th of Dec but still not received,

I sent the seller a message and he asked me to check at the post office, so I did and nothing was there.

I sent him another one saying it still hadn't arrived and he asked if I wanted a refund. The problem is, I still need the screen protector so I asked to send another one and would pay for the extra one should they both arrive

He replied back that if he sent another one then maybe the same problem would happen again and it would go missing, and offered another refund. I could understand if it was an expensive item but it's a screen protector worth $1.98

Am I being unreasonable for wanting another one sent?

[*new2vintage]

No you aren't being unreasonable. Let the seller know you are serious by opening a Paypal dispute. This advice is often given but buy this type of item from a shop. Presumably you'll receive a refund so that may be your only option.

[patchoo78]

Well I would have bought one from a shop, but the ones sold at the local shops here are $15.. It's not electronic, just a piece of plastic to protect the screen

If I open a dispute I will only get a refund and the seller has offered that anyway so it would be a bit unfair to go that way.

I might just have to accept the refund after all 😞

[*new2vintage]

I've never bought a screen protector but I've wondered how much they cost. Unfortunately your options are limited. You might be able to find another cheap one.

[patchoo78]

Looks that way. 

I sent another message asking for another one, if he still won't I'll have to accept the refund

[foxette-in-sox]

Patchoo,I had a similar situation late last year.Long story short,item was only a dollar or so,told seller not to worry about refunding as the item they'd resent to replace missing item was most likely onboard the delivery van that was stolen (that had an international registered post item of mine onboard) & I was very happy with the 3 items that HAD arrived weeks earlier (package was supposed to contain 4 items,only contained 3 but no damage to packaging).

Lo & behold,item showed up last week :O:O

Have NFI if this was item that was resent early October or seller resent AGAIN at some point.No date stamp on tiny package from China.

[*new2vintage]

No Foxy Idea again eh ?

[protect*the*innocent]

Am I being unreasonable for wanting another one sent?

Yes and No.

As a seller if I feel a replacement has the possibility of also being lost then I will give the buyer a refund.  It's a seller's prerogative to do so as long as the result for the buyer is that they are not out of pocket for the transaction.

As a buyer I can understand that the China seller is sending a sooper dooper cheap as chips product so of course you would rather get a replacement than have to source a (possibly) more expensive product elsewhere.

At the end of the day, though, you said yourself that the item's only $1.98

Seriously.. I'd just take the refund rather than push a point over a transaction worth less than $2 

[digital*ghost]

Refunding is probably more cost effective for the seller, and the preference could be based on past experiences. (eg Item not received, replacement sent, buyer gets nervous at the 45 day mark and opens a dispute, probably wins because there hasn't been enough time for the replacement to be sent, and if the buyer is never heard from again, they're out two items with no payment and no idea if either of them was ultimately received). 

Postage is relatively cheap, but after item cost, processing and packing (x2), the cost to resend probably outweighs the cost of a refund for an item of that value. 

[patchoo78]

I see your point DG.. I have accepted the offer of a refund and bought the protectors elsewhere.. 

For the record, I had no intention of opening a dispute over $1.98 when the end result would only be a refund, which has already been offered..

The other time this happened to me, the seller refunded me the money and the item turned up in the end, which I paid for again.