If I send refund to buyer, then they receive item, can I get my money back?

[negan]

I sent two items on the same day, one to New Zealand, the other to Canada.

I just got notified that the buyer of the item in Canada opened a case against me for item not received.

The item did not include tracking, therefore is untraceable, and because I never had this issue before, I threw away the receipt, so have no proof of posting the item.

I sent the item on 14/03/17, so it has been about 5 weeks, which I would be concerned about as a buyer.

I went to Australia Post and they said it can take up to 6 weeks to an item to be delivered and Canada doesn't have the best postal service reputation. The buyer and I both noted on Aus Post website, economy post says 11 days, so 6 weeks was not assuring at all.

I am thinking to offer a refund to the buyer, however if the item shows up, they may not tell me and therefore they will have the item for free and may not pay me if I send them another invoice. I may have no choice but to refund them anyway but I do believe the item is still on it's way so it would essentially be stealing if they got the item and the refund.

Just wondering if there's any other option for me with this case?

[springyzone]

Because you didn't include tracking costs in your original price, you have no real option except to refund.If you don't, ebay would side with them if they open a dispute.

There are 4 things that can happen

-they may get the item later and let you know and pay you

-they may get the item later and decide to just keep it, especially if they have already bought another replacement. They might not be interested in the hassles associated with paying for an item they no longer need when they can just choose to do nothing.

-they may already have the item and are trying it on because they know they can.

-the item may genuinely be lost forever in the postal system. (most doubtful option)

I would say your chances of getting any money back are therefore about 25% at best. Even some usually honest people won't bother with payment for a case that has been finalised soem time beforehand. They may not even be exactly sure how to go about it.

If i were a betting person I would say you have most likely lost the money this time so upping the prices in future to include tracking is the best way to go.