Item not received - no tracking number

[funnypooky]

Hi, I bought a DVD more than two weeks ago which I still haven't received. I paid 3,40 for australia post parcel, without signature. The seller says since I only paid for standard delivery, they can't provide a tracking number. According to the seller, the DVD was sent right after I paid on April 1st. I am new to Australia and I don't have any experience with parcel post - is it true that a standard parcel does not include a tracking option? According to the Australia post website, it does.

Also when would it be reasonlable to recover the money via pay pal? The seller states that Australia post has been "absolutely disgraceful" recently and that it can take up to 14 working days for parcels to be received. Well that wasn't mentioned in the listing, and I wouldn't have bought the DVD had I known.

[chameleon54]

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@letscleanupmycupboards wrote:

But I don't see why the seller should take that risk at all. After all the buyer wants the item, the buyer wants it posted, the buyer gets all the gains from paypal protection and yet the seller pays all the fees. Its only fair that the buyer pays a modest fee as part of the postage cost (whats $3 after all?) to protect their item. As a seller, if I sell a $50 item, why should it come to pass that I should assume all risk for that once posted? I will always offer options if people are really adamant about not paying for signature delivery, like paying by bank deposit.

I'm sorry but my trust in paypal is lacking these days.

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Agreed !!!. I have to admit it used to cheese me off big time. I must have been doing this too long, as I just dont worry about it anymore. Who knows in two years time maybe I,ll accept the 10% FVF on postage. ( or maybe I 'll be doing something else for a living if all goes according to plan !!!!!!!!!  )

[knine-1]

By that reckoning, if someone from postcode xxxx, say 2000, buys and paypals, if I post an empty box to a random address in the same postcode and have my receipt (which is the only proof of lodgement with non signed for items) then that would be sufficient to win a paypal dispute? After all, I have proof of lodgement to Sydney 2000, sure I posted that to them, must have gone missing! There would be so much fraud if this was the case. Buyers have lost paypal disputes because they fail to return articles by signed for delivery too. The seller just has to claim it never showed up.

All that a buyer need do on signature deliver is sign a false name and claim misdelivery, signatory unknown! There is no Auspost service any longer on parcels requiring addressee or signatory ID other than counter collections which is irrevent to Australian Consumer Law under and the Sale of Goods Act.

Proof of Lodgement is the requirement under the relative Australian laws in which Paypal must abide. Paypal in their own policy require an official carrier receipt showing lodgement of an item to the buyers address which they expressly nominate a postcode only meets the requirement. They will also accept a signature on delivery notice because it shows the lodgement requirement, that is date of lodgement to the buyers address. It's not the proof of delivery that wins the Paypal claim for the seller, it's the delivery notice meeting the lodgement requirements.

A seller could send a random parcel to a random address in the buyers postcode as could a buyer return an item in an item not as described cliam in the same fraudlent process with the risk of such a fraud is the random receiver returning empty boxes and bags of rocks back into the postal system for discovery

[knine-1]

Ever since I lost a PayPal dispute with a buyer a few years ago over that same issue, everything has been sent signed for. According to PayPal at the time, it is proof the item was delivered to the registered address that counts. Simply showing it was sent (which I had proof of) was not enough. Things may have changed however I have not had the same issue arise since sending everything signed for. With PayPal geared towards the buyer, there has to be something for the seller.

There was a time in the Paypal system where proof of full address was required at lodgement and Registered Post supported this, however Paypal relaxed the necessity to provide full address where a buyer's suburb or postcode will now suffice.

BE AWARE that Paypal can resolve INR claims applying USA law by error to an Australian Transaction and resolve the claim in the buyers favour even though seller provides proof of lodgement meeting their criteria as in a post coded carrier receipt. They CANNOT resolve a claim in the buyers faviour contrary to their own policies and further more, a buyer in accordance with their own policies, a buyer is NOT eligible for buyer protection for an INR claim when the seller has valid proof of postage anyway.

A standard lodgement receipt from Auspost for a basic Parcel Post item showing buyer's postcode complies with Paypal proof of postage requirements. If Paypal resolve a claim in the buyer's favour when seller produced such a receipt, the seller needs only them to lodge a dispute with the Financial Ombudsman to have the Paypal claim reversed back into the sellers favour. 

[davewil1964]

I will continue to take the risk with large letters and use Click and Send for parcels. Which DOES provide proof of buyers' addresses.

Simpler. And cheaper. And easier.

The option to go to the FOS, cleanup, is always there if you think you have been dudded by Paypal.

And I still contend that adding $3 to every sale you make MUST result in less profits or less sales.

[barney_rubbles]

knine-1 thats useful information to know & all good in theory but has it ever happened? does anyone know of a case where the financial ombudsman has overturned a paypal decision?
       i have read this discussion with interest as when i do sell its mostly magazines which i send as a large letter. I usually put stamps on the envelope & post in red box, its been so long since i posted a large letter over the counter i don't know if it shows the destination post code on the receipt? If it does & if what you say is correct it would also apply to large letters then would it not?

           or does paypal specifically say it has to be lodged as a parcel to comply with requirements? i wonder because sometimes rare magazines sell for more than $30 which i prefer to send registered post but if i can get the same protection sending regular post then i don't need to bother in future. (often buyers still don't want to pay the extra for registered even for higher priced items, sometimes i have done it anyway but am then out of pocket for it)

[chameleon54]

Large letters mailed over the counter do not have tracking. The seller needs to spend an extra $3.00 to register the letter to recieve tracking. On a $30 magazine this is 10%. The question then becomes do you lose 10% of your large letters in the mail. If not it is probably not worth the extra expense.

[barney_rubbles]

yes i am aware they don't have tracking but i asked if it shows the destination post code on the receipt? Before they put the tracking on all parcels they used to display the destination pc for lodged regular parcels on the receipt anyway, but i can't remember if they did or still do for large letters, i know they didn't for small letters (& presume they still don't)

     and rarely do i have them go missing, but i might be unlucky enough for the one that does to be the $30 item rather than the cheaper ones 😉

[chameleon54]

No - no postcodes shown on reciept for large letters sorry. Nothing at all that provides paypal protection. The postcode for parcels can be shown with tracking number on reciept if Post office staff press the right keys.

[amax-1]

I was told at the post office to receive a destination postcode on the till receipt is when the item exceeds 500grams in weight as they key in the postcode to calculate the postage costs. Under 500grams is a flat rate so the postcode isn't used in cost calculation and isn't printed on the receipt. My post office said they couldn't over-ride the software to print the postcode on items under 500grams, but I have seen photos of receipts people have posted with printed postcodes for items under 500grams, so not sure how those PO's did it but appears it can be done?