Problem with buyer saying item not received

[ra_146210]

I  new to eBay and am learning as I go, no problems until now (a few hiccups w/notifications) anyways here's the situation: I sent item to buyer and 2wks later received a msg saying not received yet. after a week of back and forth and me making two trips to the post office to enquire and being told there's delays due to covid they have now launched a buyer request thing anyways in one of the msgs she mentioned the local post office she uses and the name of the postman. Ive just talked to this person and after describing my envelope ( ordinary envelope no tracking or signature required which is my mistake) he recalled very specifically giving this package to the recipient plus a description of its contents (packing material) so I know it's been delivered. I'm wondering what should I do next do I tell the buyer that there mailman remembers giving it to them or do I contact eBay and give them this information?

[jellybirddesigns]

You have a very low chance of keeping your money if you didn't have tracking. No point running back and forth to the PO etc. No tracking = refund.

Signature is only required if the item is valued over $750.

Ebay don't care. You have zero way of proving delivery to Ebay, so there's nothing to contact them about.

What you can do is write to the buyer and just say that you have been in contact with the PO in her area and that the delivery person remembers handing you the parcel. And then leave it at that. Don't encourage them to open a dispute, maybe they will, maybe they won't. But don't refund unless there is a case opened.

[ra_146210]

Firstly I'm not giving a refund willingly. I will fight this to the end.  I always take photos of me doing up the package (displaying the packing material which mailman remembers) I have a video showing me placing it in the mailbox , I described the letter andthe fact I put buyers name as delivery and return address which the postman also remembers as well as photos of this  are u telling me this is not enough to get me out of refunding this buyer and settling the dispute

[jellybirddesigns]

Photo's are irrelevant and will not sway Ebay - in fact I don't even think there is a place to upload them. When a dispute is opened, you will only get a couple of choices to either refund or enter tracking information.

It does not matter if you want to fight it - a buyer who is seeking to take advantage of a seller will use the fact that there is no tracking to get a refund.

Think of tracking as peace of mind for yourself, not your buyer.

You have a listing for an item worth $160 and $5.00 which is not enough to covered tracking. A scam buyer will take that off your hands and open a dispute for the pleasure of it.

[jellybirddesigns]

Just to add - you are an inexperienced seller. If you're not going to send with tracking, then make sure that you can afford to lose whatever you list. There are definitely buyers out there who seek out sellers like yourself and take advantage.  Think of this as a teachable moment to ensure that everything you sell going forward has tracking. Just bump up your postage to $10 to cover you.

[ra_146210 · Accepted solution]

Do I  as a seller even have any protection against a buyer saying that there item was not received?

[papermoon.lady]

In particular if you are a new seller, you should definitely always add a tracking number. Domestic letters have a cheap tracking number starting with TMP, and it is highly recommended if you don't want to find yourself in a position like the one you describe. If you don't add a tracking number and a buyer is dishonest, the buyer will always win. 

[*sons_and_daughters*]

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@ra_146210 wrote:

Do I  as a seller even have any protection against a buyer saying that there item was not received?

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Without tracking, you have no seller protection against the buyer. Sadly, it doesn't matter what evidence you have, the buyer will win a dispute and there is nothing you can do about it. Chalk it up to experience and always send with tracking to cover yourself.

[domino-710]

Hadn't heard of TMP - so looked it up - doesn't really apply to anything other than ' documents '.

What can I send?

Domestic letter with tracking Imprint is a service for sending documents or similar flat and flexible items. Examples of acceptable items include:

• licences or ID cards
• tickets
• debit and credit cards
• membership or loyalty cards
• SIM cards
• gift cards

The minimum mailing volume is 10,000 items annually. Please note that this service is available on a contract basis only and is subject to pre-approval.3 

So probably not a viable choice for most eBay items.

[papermoon.lady]

Many sellers sent me small items using it (not breakable items though).

They are basically tough envelopes.

PS: I don't know about mailing volumes. I have sent documents using it myself, only a couple of times in possibly 5 years...