How do you handle when package is returned "RTS" (return to sender) by USPS?

[outdoorbrands4less]

I've had a couple of Return To Sender packages returned to me.  Post office shows:

" Return to Sender. Unclaimed (or no such number). Unable to forward"

When this occurs, I notify the buyer who typically then asks me to ship the item again. Because I always include free shipping (and am selling low margin items), that's not an ideal situation for me.

Would appreciate others sharing their routine in handling similar situations.

Thank you

[joseh1445]

I had 1 similar situation couple of weeks ago.  Buyer enter wrong address.  Post office return it.  I did not contact the buyer about the return.  Instead I issue a refund to buyer,  minus the shipping charges, as I did nothing wrong.  I do free shipping both ways.  After I issue the refund, I added this person to my BBL.  I Relisted the item.  And sold it to some one else couple weeks later to some one else.  

[duffy4444]

    Instead of giving in and shipping the item again (at your expense), consider refunding the buyer LESS your original shipping fees AFTER you receive the item back, with an explanatory message to go along with the refund... when this occasionally happens to me, I do not entertain putting myself into the same possible scenario again.

   After refunding, you can let the buyer know that they are welcome to purchase the item again, if you want. This almost always encourages the buyer to be on their toes the second time, and often alerts the buyer to the possibility that the address the first time around was entered by them incorrectly.

   I have done this process occasionally over the decades I've been here, and have never had a buyer object or throw a fit over their own failure to have the first transaction completed as it should.

Cheers, Duffy

[jimw1776]

Did the buyer enter a wrong address on his payment acct?  I use eBay labels, and I ship to the address on the label.

This happened to me recently.   The box was marked all over, RTS...Do Not Want, by  the buyer and RTS-Refused by the PO.  The only call I made was to eBay for advise. RTS voids the ebay MBG. I did not contact the buyer about the return. I waited for them to contact me...they never did.  

[inhawaii]

I was under the impression that "return to sender" means the address was valid,

but somebody at that address refused the package.  Am I wrong?

If your return is due to the buyers error, they need to pay you to re-ship it.

[joseh1445]

Buyer enter wrong address.  

[fab_finds4u]

You did your job as far as eBay is concered but you should have the buyer pay to reship or refund. They can always file a chargeback which buyers almost always win if you don't refund.

Notice that free shipping really wasn't free if you deduct what you offered free. It becomes conditional free shipping. Shipping with strings attached.

eBay says you can deduct buyer paid shipping when you can deduct shipping. The buyer paid zero. You deduct zero.  If you want to deduct shipping don't offer its free.

[vintage-camerastuff]

I had a buyer, just recently, email me letting me know that they forgot to change his old shipping address to the new one and that usps was returning the package to me.  After I received the package, I relisted the item and I refunded his money less the shipping charge and emailed him to buy it again if he still wanted it but to be sure to change his address to the new one.

[reallynicestamps]

UNDELIVERABLE ITEMS
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

EBay does not require you to refund one red cent.

The buyer is required to supply a usable address.

If your item was Refused, that's not a usable address.

If your item was No Such Address, that's not a usable address.

If your item was Undeliverable, because of a forest fire or typhoon or volcano eruption, that's not a usable address.

Personally, I would wait for a complaint.

Then refund the original selling price *  when I got the item back, and not a penny more.

I might also, depending on the circumstances, add the customer to my Blocked Bidder List as a time waster.

Maybe not for the volcano...

*Most of my items are Free Shipping/shipping included, so that means I'm out the original shipping cost.

[john.roscoe]

Hi

What happens when the address is a pick up point stated on ebay?

Then it's not the fault of the buyer. 

What would you do then ?

[ittybitnot]

What happens when the address is a pick up point stated on ebay?

@john.roscoe 

What is a "pick up point"? 

[john.roscoe]

Hi

A pick-up point is a shop or similar that you can have an item delivered too, instead of home address. So when an item state's click and collect, you can choose as an option to pick a preselected ebay point of collection.  In UK,  not sure about other countries 

[onefootflipper]

These are relatively common in gaming trading cards. I used to immediately contact the customer. However I found that led to ebay claims, bad feedback and a guarantee that I lose time and money somehow on what is usually a $2 order.

Now I put them on the shelf and see if I ever hear back from the customer. It isn't my fault if someone orders something and then moves 3 days later and doesn't have their mail forwarded.

[wastingtime101]

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@john.roscoe wrote:

What happens when the address is a pick up point stated on ebay?

Then it's not the fault of the buyer. 

What would you do then ?

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Hey @john.roscoe. That question is best posted on community.ebay.co.uk instead of the .com forum.

[kh-gary]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.