Would you refund the buyer who claims item was not received?

[brighttomato]

I've had this happen before and I am just dreading another conflict situation so I am tempted just to refund without question. Before I do, I just wanted to get some advice from other experienced sellers.

We use Australia Post Regular Post and have a flat rate of $6.60. Obviously, there is no tracking which, of course, creates problems occasionally. Like in this case - buyer purchased an item and is now claiming that it was not received/lost.

With the unfortunate feedback system which can often be used as a blackmailing/extortion tool by some (rare) buyers it is impossible to negotiate a mutually acceptable outcome. Anything less than a refund or replacement would result in a negative.

So do people just refund with no questions asked in these situations to avoid a ruined feedback?

p.s. I am considering eparcel but what concerns me is that I won't be able to absorb the extra postage costs considering that many of my items are cheap and light.

[*sparklz*]

Then use the 3kg satchel for a couple of dollars more then and still get paypal protection.

Or just fork out the $3 or what ever it is these days yourself for registered post.

You can state in your listing that paypal requires proof of postage to be protected so an extra $3 (or what ever uit is) is to be paid when paying by paypal.

Bank dep payments are less that that amount

[bundygal92]

I personally think its a best idea is to post the items with registered (tracking ID) and also signature upon delivery as that will stop people claiming that they "never" received the items.. 

[brighttomato]

I personally think its a best idea is to post the items with registered (tracking ID) and also signature upon delivery as that will stop people claiming that they "never" received the items.. 

but if you calculate the expense - it's at least $3 per item so even if you are only sending 20 parcels per week that's still $240 per months that you are just giving away to AP. Not sure it's worth it, even if several items are lost per month.. For more expensive items, definitely. but with cheaper ones it's hard to calculate. that's what I am struggling with right now.

[lpede5]

With click and send there are also flat rate postage charges for boxes too. Buying in bulk makes it alot cheaper. The prices are:

$6.50 B1 Box
$10.50 B2 Box
$13.25 B4 Box

This would make combine postage alot cheaper too, like previously mentioned it's $1 extra for $100 coverage, but the click and send tracking number will suffice in an INR case.

[brighttomato]

With click and send there are also flat rate postage charges for boxes too. Buying in bulk makes it alot cheaper. The prices are:

$6.50 B1 Box
$10.50 B2 Box
$13.25 B4 Box

This would make combine postage alot cheaper too, like previously mentioned it's $1 extra for $100 coverage, but the click and send tracking number will suffice in an INR case.

are the prices above for under 500 g?

[lpede5]

The weight is up to 15KG - which is pretty great considering their pricing. The prices were checked yesterday by the way, I entered in the codes for the B1, B2 and B4 boxes and made up a fake customer, so they are all accurate 🙂

[lpede5]

http://stores.ebay.com.au/australiapoststore/pages/australia-post-store-boxes/

Shows the boxes and bulk pricing, they removed the price for some silly reason, but my prices are what were on the site a couple of weeks ago. In my opinion it's the best value for money

[cliffsearch]

This is becoming a regular occurrence.  EBAY NEED TO SORT THIS ISSUE QUICKLY. The problem is that the postage is so high in Australia that postage costs often is higher than the cost of  the item. So who in there right mind would use tracking if the postage cost more than the item.

EBAY need to set up there own postal service and offer cheaper postage than Australia Post. If item does not turn up then EBAY wear the cost.

At the moment it is TOO EASY to be scammed by buyers....

[i-love-my-sheep]

Given that this thread is now TWO YEARS OLD, pretty much EVERYTHING written in it is irrelevant. There is no point whatsoever bringing up years old threads because a lot can change since it was first posted. The person you replied to, and the OP aren't even member of eBay any more. If you want to bring something up, start a new thread.

[collect247]

Incorrect sheep it's two and a half years old lol