INR case - Item still in transit

[jaks_thingz]

On my main selling account I've just had an INR case opened and the item is showing as still in transit.

It was posted on Thurs 7th Dec & then a week later the customer lodged an investigation with Aus Post without bothering to contact me. I also opened an investigation which resulted in the item finally showing it had moved to the buyers state. Sadly the items tracking has stalled again - hence the buyer opening the INR. I have to respond to the ebay case by 27th Dec.

As Aus post won't resume deliveries until the 28th, what's the best course of action as I haven't responded yet?

[davewil1964]

But OP has proof of postage, which meets Paypal's seller protection test.

[padi*0409]

Darn, coffee's not working.................."continues to slap head".

[shoppingbag*]

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@chameleon54 wrote:

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@jaks_thingz wrote:

The item is worth $150 and I took out extra cover as I have heard of parcels going missing this time of year... I didn't add signature on delivery though.

Anyway I have uploaded the tracking details to the case and politely explained to the buyer their item is still in transit but is now in their state at their local delivery centre (a bit of googling) & will most likely be delivered after the xmas hols when the posties start delivering again.

Fingers crossed Aus Post do actually deliver it ....

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The problem you have is that if the buyer escalates the case on the 28th it is possible ebay will simply refund them as the item has not been delivered on time so you lose.

When you go to AP to complain, they will say tracking shows the item will be delivered in the next day or so ( it is the holiday season you know ) and so no claim with them You lose again.

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@chameleon54 wrote:

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@jaks_thingz wrote:

The item is worth $150 and I took out extra cover as I have heard of parcels going missing this time of year... I didn't add signature on delivery though.

Anyway I have uploaded the tracking details to the case and politely explained to the buyer their item is still in transit but is now in their state at their local delivery centre (a bit of googling) & will most likely be delivered after the xmas hols when the posties start delivering again.

Fingers crossed Aus Post do actually deliver it ....

---

The problem you have is that if the buyer escalates the case on the 28th it is possible ebay will simply refund them as the item has not been delivered on time so you lose.

When you go to AP to complain, they will say tracking shows the item will be delivered in the next day or so ( it is the holiday season you know ) and so no claim with them You lose again.

There is very little comon sense or justice involved. The buyer is always right and the seller gets shafted. The only way I have found to cover the risk is to spread it across all buyers with the extra $1.00 self insurance added to the postage cost of every sale. Its a bit like B & M shoplifting. The shops jack up prices to cover the loss and so all buyers pay extra as a result of the actions of a dishonest few.

The biggest problem with current ebay buyer protection policies are they are actively encouraging the blatently dishonest and even slightly dodgy buyers to rort the system and steal from sellers, pushing up the frustration levels and total costs for everyone involved.

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That's a fabulous idea to add a $1 to each postage, but seeing as I can't get a 5 star rating for postage, even though I pay for all packaging and handling and quote that I only charge actual postage, I wonder how many (or few stars this would get me) I even got 4 stars for a $2 postage cost, padded envelope supplied free by me.

The biggest problem with current ebay buyer protection policies are they are actively encouraging the blatently dishonest and even slightly dodgy buyers to rort the system and steal from sellers, pushing up the frustration levels and total costs for everyone involved.

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[chameleon54]

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@shoppingbag* wrote:

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@chameleon54 wrote:

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@jaks_thingz wrote:

The item is worth $150 and I took out extra cover as I have heard of parcels going missing this time of year... I didn't add signature on delivery though.

Anyway I have uploaded the tracking details to the case and politely explained to the buyer their item is still in transit but is now in their state at their local delivery centre (a bit of googling) & will most likely be delivered after the xmas hols when the posties start delivering again.

Fingers crossed Aus Post do actually deliver it ....

---

The problem you have is that if the buyer escalates the case on the 28th it is possible ebay will simply refund them as the item has not been delivered on time so you lose.

When you go to AP to complain, they will say tracking shows the item will be delivered in the next day or so ( it is the holiday season you know ) and so no claim with them You lose again.

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@chameleon54 wrote:

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@jaks_thingz wrote:

The item is worth $150 and I took out extra cover as I have heard of parcels going missing this time of year... I didn't add signature on delivery though.

Anyway I have uploaded the tracking details to the case and politely explained to the buyer their item is still in transit but is now in their state at their local delivery centre (a bit of googling) & will most likely be delivered after the xmas hols when the posties start delivering again.

Fingers crossed Aus Post do actually deliver it ....

---

The problem you have is that if the buyer escalates the case on the 28th it is possible ebay will simply refund them as the item has not been delivered on time so you lose.

When you go to AP to complain, they will say tracking shows the item will be delivered in the next day or so ( it is the holiday season you know ) and so no claim with them You lose again.

There is very little comon sense or justice involved. The buyer is always right and the seller gets shafted. The only way I have found to cover the risk is to spread it across all buyers with the extra $1.00 self insurance added to the postage cost of every sale. Its a bit like B & M shoplifting. The shops jack up prices to cover the loss and so all buyers pay extra as a result of the actions of a dishonest few.

The biggest problem with current ebay buyer protection policies are they are actively encouraging the blatently dishonest and even slightly dodgy buyers to rort the system and steal from sellers, pushing up the frustration levels and total costs for everyone involved.

---

That's a fabulous idea to add a $1 to each postage, but seeing as I can't get a 5 star rating for postage, even though I pay for all packaging and handling and quote that I only charge actual postage, I wonder how many (or few stars this would get me) I even got 4 stars for a $2 postage cost, padded envelope supplied free by me.

The biggest problem with current ebay buyer protection policies are they are actively encouraging the blatently dishonest and even slightly dodgy buyers to rort the system and steal from sellers, pushing up the frustration levels and total costs for everyone involved.

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 I have around 2000  transactions each year across three selling accounts. My postage stars consistently sit at 4.9 on all accounts, so the extra $1.00 self insurance is not affecting buyer satisfaction. I also charge 75 cents for packing materials, so my total postage charge is close to $2.00 above the AP. sticker price.

I suspect a lot depends on what you sell and who your target clients are. My customers are mainly middle aged, practicle sorts of guys who understand there are costs of doing business and are happy to pay a reasonable charge. Some other buyer demographics may be a lot more sensative to postage charges.

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[chameleon54]

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@jaks_thingz wrote:

A big thanks to all the responses & advice.

I have an UPDATE.... Logged into ebay this morning & have a message from ebay...

Thanks for working to resolve this issue. The buyer has closed this request. You don't need to do anything else.

That, I did not expect. 

Just on the off chance Aus Post DO lose the parcel, naturally I will do the right thing for my buyer & refund them. I wonder how easy it would be to claim the compo from Aus Post? I've never had to claim from them before...

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I tried recently for an international parcel that had taken too long to deliver. I had already paid the buyer out and when I went back to AP they said I had to wait six weeks ( I think it was from memory ) before I could lodge a claim. Once I did that I had to wait a few more weeks for an investigation and determination. In that time the parcel was delivered. AP closed the case. The buyer got the item for free and I sucked on a lemon.

[heihachi_73]

I copped my first INR claim yesterday (as opposed to a message from the buyer) for a $6 game which was posted three weeks ago. Christmas or not, it doesn't take three weeks to get from VIC to NSW. I refunded as I don't have a hope against eBay when 99% of my items go as large letters.