What do I do when an item is lost

[kneipp6200]

This either never happens for a whole year or you get it happening all at once. I just don't know what to do. I say in my descriptions and conditions that I'm not responsible for any losses. But when I do get some one who hasn't received there item I feel bad and send them another lot. But when they approach you the buyers are so rude and just bluntly say things like my recent one. "Where is my order, it was suppose to be 4 days not 2 weeks, explain". Just so rude. How do I know where it goes after I post it. Why is it my fault. Why do I have to lose my profits and send the items out again because I'm in fear of receiving negative feedback. I also say in my listings that if you want your item tracked, then to let me know and I will get a quote. What do you all do. I'm just really disappointed when this happens. This last one that just happened, I answered her and said please don't worry as I will send you out new items, it will be resolved. This buyer only had 4% feedback and I asked her to please not leave me negative feedback as its not my fault and will fix the situation. But I was literally in hospital waking up after just having a 4 hour operation on my feet and I was in pain, crying, and still coming down from the anithestic. Then to do the right thing I responded to this buyer, to reassure her and explained that I was in hospital. As soon as I sent my reply to her, she went straight to my feedback and left me bad feedback but accidently clicked on positive. She did not give me a chance to send her another. I then left a reply after her feedback and blocked her. Now I won't be sending her the replacement. What sort of a person was she. I was just upset. I do all the correct things on my side but then get abused for stuff out of my control. How do you deal with this situation. I'd appreciate any advice and or experience. Thanks Maria

[foxette-in-sox]

Maria,in order to have full seller protection via Paypal,you NEED to post all of your items using trackable postage.You don't give buyers an option.

As it is,if that buyer has paid via Paypal,you will lose the dispute & have to refund or replace.If they paid via bank deposit & they're genuine re non receipt of their item,they are well within their rights to report you for internet fraud.

Under ebay policy,you ARE responsible for lost items no matter what you write in your listings.

Sorry that you probably don't want to read the above but better to give you the heads up rather than delude or deceive you by writing prettied up or sugar coated rubbish.:-)

[bigbrickshop]

Maria, it is easy to take feedback comments personally, but you should not be stressing over your buyer.

When selling low value items you have to weigh up the risk of sending items with no tracking.

To send every item with tracking for PayPal protection would mean increasing your postage price or unit price, potentially losing sales.

vs

Sending items with no tracking and replacing or refunding any items that are lost in the mail.

Assuming you have to replace 5 items a year sold for $5 each it would cost you less than $25. If you want to cover this cost you would only need a small increase in your sell price. If you make 500 sales a year that would mean a 5c increase per item.

You need to work out at what value you send everything with tracking so if a buyer makes a multiple purchase you are covered.

Starting a business is all about taking a risk. Staying in business for the long term is all about managing those risks.

[tall_bearded]

eBay Myth- Busters

“Maria,in order to have full seller protection via Paypal,you NEED to post all of your items using trackable postage.You don't give buyers an option.”

Excepting for letters, all items sent regular post, be they satchels or parcels, come with tracking included in the postage cost..  In any event, nowhere in the seller protection policy does it state, to be protected,  the seller MUST provide tracking details.  Instead the policy clearly states an Aust Post receipt showing that something was sent to the suburb in which the buyer resides (or instructed the item to be sent), is sufficient to prove it was posted.   

“As it is,if that buyer has paid via Paypal,you will lose the dispute & have to refund or replace.If they paid via bank deposit & they're genuine re non receipt of their item,they are well within their rights to report you for internet fraud”.

On what basis.  That is the seller has proved postage they have proved they sent the item.  Now as any legal obligation was extinguished when the item was handed to the carrier, where is the fraud.

“Under ebay policy,you ARE responsible for lost items no matter what you write in your listings”

This policy does not exist, has never existed, and if you say it does please cite same.

“When selling low value items you have to weigh up the risk of sending items with no tracking” and “To send every item with tracking for PayPal protection would mean increasing your postage price or unit price, potentially losing sales”.

As previously stated all satchels and parcels now come with tracking.  So where is the extra cost?

[bigbrickshop]

“When selling low value items you have to weigh up the risk of sending items with no tracking” and “To send every item with tracking for PayPal protection would mean increasing your postage price or unit price, potentially losing sales”.

As previously stated all satchels and parcels now come with tracking.  So where is the extra cost?

The OP's items are obviously being post at Large Letter rate. To get tracking they would have to be sent either as Registered or at Parcel rate.

[tall_bearded]

Postage re large letters is proved simply by maintaining a properly constructed postal register.  The Supreme Court accepts such registers as proof of postage.  As such any court or tribunal of lower jurisdiction, including any quasi judicial authority such as an Ombudsman, must also accept it as proof of postage.

Therefore if an item is not received but postage has been properly recorded in the register, and if PayPal refuses to accept it as proof of postage, as all of PayPal’s decision are subject to judicial oversight by the FOS, all seller has to do lodge a dispute, after which PayPal’s will immediately reverse its decision.

Been there.  Done that.  Haven’t lost one yet.    

[extra-keen]

Hello OP, Almost all I send is by standard letter rate or large letter rate.

I insure myself by adding a very small percentage to each item for sale to cover the cost of lost items, items not delivered etc.

Most customers are genuine when they tell you they haven't received their item. I ask them to check other members of the household, check with neighbours (around where I live, missing mail is most often miss delivered to a neighbour). I also ask them to check at their local PO to make sure it isn't waiting for them to pick up. It is surprising how many come back a day or two later and tell you they have got it and what happened to it.

If the item still hasn't turned up, I post another. Then I decide whether to block that buyer on the basis of their attitude when making contact.

A couple of customers have become regulars, so don't jump to conclusions too quickly.

I have found overall, Australia Post is very reliable, just a very very small number of items go missing and most of those do turn up. In fact I would have to say the most unreliable service by AP is in fact Express Post. LOL

[gamezanstuf]

Look on the bright side, unless buyers are scrutinising your f/back, nobody will even notice that the they left a negative positive, & that your 100% rating hasn't been hurt.

"What sort of a person was she."?

Oh, that's an easy one, were just not allowed to use that kind of language here.

B-)

[kneipp6200]

Thank everyone for your input and advice. It's hard sometimes as people don't want to pay too much in postage and my items go into small letter rate envelopes, most of the time. So to pay more for postage than actual item just seems silly. I just have to suck it up. Thanks again. 

[bsal6160]

One small statement in all listings puts the repsonsibilty on the seller.

Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.

The big word here is "ALL" not "With the exception of .........."