---

@countessalmirena wrote:

The police are there for this sort of criminal behaviour just as they are there for carjacking, burglary and homicide.

 

speechnot_76, if you go via civil court, you will need to present evidence that the buyer returned an empty box. Even with the lower burden of proof, without evidence that the box was empty upon arrival to you you would be making it difficult to reach even the level of "more likely than not". The judge would wonder (as well he/she might) why you did not open the box in the presence of a disinterested witness of sufficient official stature that his/her word will be considered compelling.

 

You lose nothing by going to the police or to an Australia Post shop, and asking for an authorised person to examine the untampered-with box, witness the opening of the box, and making a statement about the contents.

 

It also means a much quicker resolution than hanging around for a date in Small Claims. You take home the Stat Dec (and case number if you make a report), scan the Stat Dec and save as a PDF, get onto Live Chat, explain that you have this information and that you are more than happy to upload it immediately, do so to the email address given (or however the CS rep asks for the information), provide also the case number if you have one, and ask for the buyer's claim to be closed on the basis of that information.

 

 

 

From my own perspective...

 

... I vehemently disagree with letting people get away with thieving or cheating behaviour because it seems too hard or too much trouble. That only encourages people who behave badly to continue down that path.

---

Well said. Too many people take the 'easy' path and these thieves are then empowered to continue their thievery.

Of course, the OP could well be rich enough to write the loss off. They don't seem interested in upholding the interests of society in general if it costs them any effort.