Seller Scam? Tracking shows no progress, Seller didn't get desired price, Blames Carrier? Thoughts

[philchad2020]

So I purchased (2) items from same seller w/ no reserve.  1st was for $1.00 item with $7 shipping, 2nd was $50 item also with $7 shipping.  The 1st item could have easily sold for $25+ and the 2nd for $100+.  Nobody bid and I was able to purchase both items for starting bid price.  Win for me!!

I paid via PayPal same day and seller provides tracking info within 24 hrs (Sunday).  It has been over a week and there has been no movement/progress on the tracking status.  Seller is approx 3 hrs (200 miles) from me and shipped via USPS Priority.  I should note that one item would fit in a USPS large flat rate box, the other would need to fit in an oversized box - so not something that could easily get lost.

After stated/estimated delivery date passed, seller contacts me to check if I received the item - he/she also notices no movement/progress on the tracking status.  I confirm that nothing has been received and he/she "opens" a case with USPS.

Again, I was able to get these items well below fair market value.  Seller has 120+ feedback, so not new to the game.

What's the chance that they printed a shipping label but failed to ship - claiming USPS lost it somewhere?  He/she would issue a refund  -  cancel the label - then relist the item to attempt to get more $$$?

They offered a full refund - so I won't be out of any $$$, but the opportunity of saving over $100 vs other listings is hard to give up.

I suppose I can keep an eye on their future listings to see if the items "magically" resurface.

Looking to get some thoughts/input from the community?

[itsjustasprain]

It might be fun to see if the Usps can tell you if the tracking number was voided by the seller after the label was printed. Otherwise theyd be eating the cost of the label in order to refund you for the shipment that suppsedly got lost.

I think i would take the refund if offered and watch their listing like you said - but if they are selling new items then you really cannot tell if they relisted yours or what. Also do not leave any feedback right away because the missing shipment might show up anyway. Although if your post office tells you that the tracknig number was never used & the lavbel was canceled instead then you have a smoking gun there. You have 60 days to leave feedback so you can afford to wait a while to be more sure that your feedback will be accurate.

[xgoblazersx]

You can't void a label after 48 hours.  Also, it's very hard to file a claim with no proof of dropoff/pickup for the seller.  If this really was their plan, it was a very stupid one.  There could be a chance that the tracking simply never updated, which happens.  If they are lost, chances are slim you will ever get them.  I haven't recovered a single package the PO lost.  They all had tracking and normally disappear in a sorting facility.

It's good that they offered you the refund in full.  I would wait until maybe Wednesday, then file INR (item not received) cases.  It's good that you messaged them first.

[philchad2020]

Thanks for the reply. These items are used - so I have added them as a "favorite seller" to track if these reappear - for my own inquisitive purposes.

Shipping was $14 total - so it may be worthwhile for them to "eat" if they re-listed and received a higher selling price overall. I would assume he/she would "cancel" this transaction to avoid any eBay listing and/or PayPal transaction fees.

[philchad2020]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I forgot that USPS gives you 48 hrs to void a label - and we're past that point now. Again, one of the items is approx 30" x 12" x 16" so not unlikely - but difficult to misplace.

Two things came to mind since writing this:

1.) The seller said he/she shipped in two separate boxes. Both items could have fit in Item #2s box - so that was a bit odd to me. However, how would USPS handle it if he/she printed x2 copies and placed one on each box? Not sure if it was created as a 1 of 2 and 2 of 2 labels.

2.) Not sure if the seller dropped these off at a USPS location or arranged for them to be picked up outside his/her residence. With a lot of porch grabs lately, I suppose someone could have picked them up prior to the USPS driver - thus leading him/her to believe that the packages were in USPS' possession.

I'm trying to think of other possible/reasonable explanations on how such a large package 3 hrs away went missing with no tracking status since the label was printed a week ago.

[mr_lincoln]

@philchad2020  Interesting thread and situation.  Just looking in from the outside a few comments:

1. Seller's job is to make the pacakge(s) get the acceptence scan either at their door when picked up or at the post office.  Without making sure that happens Sellers are at risk.

2. Multiple packages: the last time I asked at the post office about this they basically said each package needs its own lable with paid postage and its own tracking number.  eBay is also set up that an order with say 3 items in it goes under one label and one tracking number.  This in the end is a deficiency in the system because at times it does make sense to have to 2 or more packages but neither company has a simple solution to it.

3. We've seen more than one thread about a Seller not getting what they want for an item and then "fumble" the transaction in bizzare circumstances that basically all end the same way ... the item does not ship and eventually gets relisted.

4. If Seller has more than one ID they could possibly try selling the item on an alternate ID ... if that happens maybe that is how they work the system.

5. See if the Seller offers to simply refund you the full amount through PayPal and not have you process an INR claim through eBay's Resolution center.

[a_c_green]

---

@mr_lincoln wrote:

2. Multiple packages: the last time I asked at the post office about this they basically said each package needs its own lable with paid postage and its own tracking number.  eBay is also set up that an order with say 3 items in it goes under one label and one tracking number.  This in the end is a deficiency in the system because at times it does make sense to have to 2 or more packages but neither company has a simple solution to it.

---

Well, we're talking about two different multi-item scenarios here: combining multiple purchases into one box vs. combining multiple boxes for one purchase.

Multiple purchases into one box is pretty straightforward: you just do one item as usual, then mark each of the others as Shipped, and upload the first item's tracking number to each of the others.

Regarding multiple boxes needed for shipping one item, I have not had to do this myself, but my understanding was that you do have that ability: after printing the label for the first box as usual, you select "Print Another Label" from the Actions column pulldown menu for that item on the My eBay page, and that lets you go round again to print a new label for the second box. That will get its own tracking number. Repeat as often as needed for each box in the shipment, I assume. As far as the USPS is concerned, each box is an independent shipment; there's no need for them to be aware that any one box is a member of a larger group.

[mg152]

I've had items delivered to myself & to buyers where the tracking never updated from shipping label purchased. Most if not all eventually updated to delivered but sometimes it takes a month or more. It's disturbing to think dishonest folks could be refunded. In fact, my shipping metric was 94.4 % for weeks & I had shipped everything early. Eventually it righted itself but I was worried.

[carlmarxx]

---

@mg152 wrote:
I've had items delivered to myself & to buyers where the tracking never updated from shipping label purchased. Most if not all eventually updated to delivered but sometimes it takes a month or more. It's disturbing to think dishonest folks could be refunded. In fact, my shipping metric was 94.4 % for weeks & I had shipped everything early. Eventually it righted itself but I was worried.

---

---

@mg152 wrote:
I've had items delivered to myself & to buyers where the tracking never updated from shipping label purchased. Most if not all eventually updated to delivered but sometimes it takes a month or more. It's disturbing to think dishonest folks could be refunded. In fact, my shipping metric was 94.4 % for weeks & I had shipped everything early. Eventually it righted itself but I was worried.

---

I have had same thing happen  with packages  comming to me  and  fell off the USPS radar  . I did have one  I shipped   out  that cleared departed the USPS sorting  center   then show to the buyer  6 days later .