Sellers who say they accept no responsibility for loss in post

[purplesuz68]

I'm just curious as to what others do when they see the usual "I take no responsibility for Australia Post" blah blah.

Do you just avoid these sellers? Or do you buy the item anyway (especially if it's something that's hard to come by), of course paying with PayPal so you're covered if the item does get lost in the post? And do you point out to the seller that they are actually responsible, or do you just let it slide if there are no problems?

This is all assuming that their feedback is good with no complaints about items not received.

[phorum_junkie*]

In extreme cases where a bueyr/seller has claimed something has been sent/received and the buyer/seller has received a worthless bit if carp instead then Paypal have been known to accept a police report/crime number but I hope they would not accept a stat dec.

[drpeake]

I used to look at where the item was based. Ie in Australia.

After my recent purchases, I am finding Australian sellers are actually onselling chinese items and having items sent from there. Risk of loss could seem low from Oz however they are really comming from China. Risk goes up

[gec2002]

Lane-ends and phorum_junkie you do realise that a stat dec is a legally enforceable instrument and that intentionally making a false statement in a declaration, is an offence. The penalty for making a false statement in a statutory declaration is a maximum of four years imprisonment.

[lyndal1838]

gec, you have to prove that a Stat Dec is false and it would be rather difficult to prove postage or otherwise if that is why the Stat Dec was made in the first place...because you had no other way of proving it.

And anyone who would lie about one thing is highly unlikely to be bothered about a false Stat dec.

[dumberdash]

I fail to see any reason why an Ebay buyer anticipates more protection than any other internet shopper over a third party's delivery performance.

I have consistently found Ebay the safest way to shop online;  and the vast majority of the sellers I use are not business sellers. The worst online buying experiences I have had are from massive online discounters who bombard your mailbox with deals (that are often good) that once paid for take 6 mnths to arrive.

Assuming that a seller can provide proof of postage then the seller is safe from losing their sale. It is a shame that AP refuses to be accountable for lost items.

[marian_100]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Don't worry, pj, I have seen tall_bearded's lengthy explanation numerous times, and he appears to have a different opinion of PayPal protection than everyone else.

I'm interested to know if a buyer has ever won a case where the seller has proof of shipment and the tracking shows the item has been delivered, but the item did not actually arrive (eg may have been stolen from the front porch). I can't find anything in the PayPal policy which deals with this situation.

pj, would you point out to the seller that their terms are unenforceable, or just leave them in their blissful ignorance?

How on earth do you work out that a seller should be punished for an item being stolen from a buyer porch or mailbox?

[jameshouseofstyle]

Hi again purple,

in our many years on Ebay I have not heard of anyone winning the case if the seller can prove postage.

I guess it would be almost illegal if PP just took the money from the seller in that instance, it would be like  robbing them if they did everything right - but the buyer still didn't receive it in spite of all their efforts.

There could be few reasons for that:

*it got stolen from their letter box/front porch

*PO stuffed up somewhere along the line

*PO worker took it (it has happened before)

*customer is lying through their teeth

*Customer supplied a wrong address (this happened to us just the other day, patcel came back to us and when notified the buyer this was the reply: "It just proves I'am a moron."

PP can't/wont spend the time investigating all the above possibilities - so the buyer looses out.

Those instances are very rare, thankfully - so Ebay is still just as safe as anywhere else online to buy and receive your goods.

I would't be so rude to mention anything to sellers about their TOS, their shop their rules - and certainly would't think that advising customers to choose Registered for their own protection is bad. After all, what is the most important for the buyer, to just know that they will get their money back or actually making sure that they receive the item that they presumably wnated in the first place? Knowing you'll get money back is nothing - big deal - but actually getting the item safely is my preference, as I would have used my time and effort to find and buy it - because I really, really, really wanted it!

Enjoy your day sweet pea,

cheers, January, JHS

[phorum_junkie*]

How on earth do you work out that a seller should be punished for an item being stolen from a buyer porch or mailbox?

I am sure there are cases where trackable delivery has been used and the buyer has won the case with Paypal but the whole point is that if the seller has used a delivery method that qualifies for seller protection it is Paypal who cover the refund, not the seller.

A buyer would obviously have to do more than just say they had not received it, I imagine they would probably have to have at least confirmation that they had put in a complaint to AP and possibly a police crime number too.

Hi January, hope you have packed plenty of warm clothes, heavy duty rainwear, rubber boots and an umbrella for your trip;-)

[jameshouseofstyle]

Hi gorgeous (pj),

will be staying with James's father's son from his first marriage, they have all of those horrible "wet weather" gear, thank Lord I won't have to lug them from here - they are always heavy!

I'm planning a quick trip to France afterwards, so I'll be leaving here with my handbag - that's all.

Take care, enjoy the Olympics exicetement in the air and on TV -if you prefer it that way.

With regards, J.xx

[tall_bearded]

“A buyer would obviously have to do more than just say they had not received it, I imagine they would probably have to have at least confirmation that they had put in a complaint to AP and possibly a police crime number too.”

Tell me PJ, with all your years of experience with giving buyers advice in connection with PayPal INR claims, exactly what is the “more” that you say PayPal would “obviously” require the buyer to provide other than just saying "I did not receive it”

Is this something new.