Buyer notified to pay additional fees by USPS
Summary: catchdealsmichigan sold an item with FedEx shipping but the buyer received a USPS notice requiring $101.80 for additional postage. They shared past shipping issues involving mistaken drop-offs at USPS with FedEx labels. Various participants provided insights on shipping policies, highlighting that FedEx labels should not be dropped at USPS. Additional suggestions included refunding the buyer to maintain goodwill, and stepping up understanding of shipping practices. catchdealsmichigan acknowledged their mistakes and is awaiting further updates from the buyer.
I recently sold a big item and shipped through FedEx, the buyer is expecting delivery today but instead he received a notice from USPS saying he has to pay additional postage. His message: "Good afternoon. USPS left a note on my door today indicating they could not deliver my package because "It requires a payment of $101.80 for postage due." The trike was advertised as free shipping, and my payment receipt shows free shipping as well."
What should we expect next? Will USPS eventfully deliver this item?
I recently resolved another shipping issue where I printed a FedEx label that also had a USPS tracking # on it. And I dropped it off at USPS where the teller told me as long as it has a USPS tracking # on it we will take it. The buyer did not receive any shipping updates since it only shows him FedEx tracking on eBay. So I called FedEx and they told me I should have dropped it off at FedEx and to call USPS, so I called USPS and they said my package was sized since it had underpaid or counterfeit postage, which is weird since I've dropped off many other packages the same way. I then went back through my recent sales and noticed two other items that still didn't get tracking updates so I had to tell the buyers to request a refund and I had to take a hit on these two items, long story short the buyer of the 1st item messaged me today and it seems he miraculously received his item today. I am still down 2 items though. I am guessing the 1st thing i mentioned is related to this issue where FedEx requests USPS to deliver a package during the last stretch of the delivery process.
I definitely learned my lesson and I will not be taking FedEx labels to USPS even if they have USPS tracking.
Side note, I've been selling on eBay for almost 1 year now and this past few days I've had sooooo many shipping complications its stressing me out!
Any help or guidance is appreciated. Thanks
Sorry if this story is hard to track, I haven't typed a message this long in ages.
lesegouts
·1 month agoAnd now you know why I never use FedEx. And don't use UPS Ground Saver to save a few pennies. Just have UPS deliver directly with their own drivers. No intermediaries.
monroe67
·1 month ago · Edited"I recently sold a big item and shipped through FedEx, the buyer is expecting delivery today but instead he received a notice from USPS saying he has to pay additional postage. His message: "Good afternoon. USPS left a note on my door today indicating they could not deliver my package because "It requires a payment of $101.80 for postage due." The trike was advertised as free shipping, and my payment receipt shows free shipping as well."
Yikes. What a fine mess.
"What should we expect next? Will USPS eventfully deliver this item?"
USPS will eventually (ideally non-eventfully) deliver the item ONLY IF the addressee
-- your buyer, the one who bought your Big Item partially because the shipping was, you know, FREE -- USPS will deliver ONLY IF the addressee, your buyer, pays the postage due.
However: If I were that buyer, there is no way in this or any other universe that I would cough up $101.80 to accept delivery of any item, big or small, that I bought that was advertised with FREE SHIPPING.
It seems to me that the only honorable thing for YOU to do --
YOU, the seller, the person who told your buyer that delivery would be FREE --
YOU should immediately send your buyer $101.80.
You can process a refund to your buyer through eBay. The money will be available to your buyer very quickly so that he/she can go to the local post office and pay the Postage Due on that Big Item.
A very, very honorable eBay seller, a true mensch, IMO, would round that $101.80 up to at least $105.00. Better yet, $110.00. Or $125.00.
BTW, your buyer, as suggested above, will be well within his/her rights to refuse delivery by refusing to pay the Postage Due.
If that happens, the USPS will return the Big Item to you, and YOU will have to pay whatever the postage due is, to take it back.
Moreover, your buyer will be allowed to file an Item Not Received (INR) claim through eBay's Money Back Guarantee (MBG). The buyer should mark the reason as "Postage Due." If the buyer does that, YOU will receive a defect on your selling record.
And your buyer will be allowed to leave Negative Feedback on this transaction.
You will deserve Negative Feedback on this transaction UNLESS you step up and send your buyer enough money for him or her to pay that Postage Due.
You say you've been selling for only a year. There is a lot for you to learn.
Please, please, please, come back and read through this Shipping forum and the Selling forum in these eBay Community Pages.
There is a lot of wisdom of many years in the responses to questions here.
catchdealsmichigan
OP1 month agoThanks for the suggestion 😂. Obviously I won’t be doing that one reason being the item doesn’t even cost that much. If I had to make the customer whole I would just refund him or send another one. I’ll keep you posted!
monroe67
·1 month agoIt is not necessary to keep me -- or the Shipping Community Forum -- posted.
If you are in contact with your buyer, you may suggest he/she refuse delivery rather than pay (in my humble opinion) an exorbitant Postage Due.
I took a glance at your Sold listings. Of the 16 items you've sold in these past 7 days, the first 7 days of September, each and every one of them was listed with Free Shipping.
You will be very lucky if none of the other 15 buyers are presented with Postage Due bills from the Post Office.
Most eBay sellers who use Free Shipping successfully have already added the postage amount into the price of the item they are listing.
Please ask any questions in these Community Forums. There are a lot of knowledgeable people who
wastespend a lot of time here, ready to help.christworks
·1 month ago · Edited@catchdealsmichigan You might have learned a lesson. I just hope it isn't too late.
When you purchase a FedEx Ground Economy shipping label, the packages always goes to FedEx. That is the carrier who takes the package most of the way to the buyer. They then drop that package off normally at the buyer's local USPS office. That USPS carrier then does what is called the last mile delvery. They are the ones who take the package to the buyer.
If you drop off one of these packages at USPS, they are supposed to destory them. Many of the front end clerks are idiots and cannot keep up with the rules, so they may take it. It is also possible the postmaster for that specific post office has told the clerks to take them, and they then hand them off to the FedEx driver when they come. That is not USPS policy, however. Even if they tell you they will take them, do not ever do that.
I'm not clear on whether the package your buyer got the note on was dropped off by you at FedEx or USPS. Either way, depending on how big the item is, it may have been too big for FedEx Ground Economy. Or, if you took it to USPS, then they have likely figured the postage based on what it would have cost had you bought a USPS Ground Advantage label.
Your buyer can refuse delivery and have the package sent to you. You will have to pay USPS if you want it back. You could send your buyer the money to pay for the postage so they get their item.
Your store profile says you value honest. Message your buyer, apologize and let them know your mistake. Either work something out to send them the money so they can get their order, or direct them to refuse delivery due to insufficient postage.
No matter what, you are responsible for payment to USPS - not your buyer.
Edit: Did you downgrade that buyer's shipping? I cannot find a recent sale where you offered FedEx Ground Economy. I only see FedEx Ground/Home Delivery and USPS Ground Advantage.
catchdealsmichigan
OP1 month agoFor clarification the item that the buyer was asked to pay additional postage for was originally dropped off at FedEx with a FedEx label. The buyer is saying USPS is asking for the $101. I removed the listing until I resolve this issue and figure out what if anything I did wrong, maybe that's why you didn't see it. As far as I know I did everything correctly so far. I also mentioned another issue I had with dropping off a FedEx label to USPS in my original post, I think that may have been confusing sorry.
I have messaged the buyer (who isn't very responsive) to provide photos of the notice that was left on their door, still haven't heard back. I also called FedEx to see what is going on, they just said the package is available for pickup at local post office. I then followed up with the buyer asking them if they can go to local post office to attempt to get it wile also instructing them not to pay anything.
I am pretty much waiting to hear from the buyer now
Here is the original listing.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/366616129315
Thanks!
carlmarxx
·1 month agoYou down graded from FedEx Ground /Home Delivery you had listed to their Smart post which is against Ebay UA policy ,Your buyer's can file seller complaint's and will get strikes on your account.
catchdealsmichigan
OP1 month agoNo that's not it. I paid for FedEx home delivery.
carlmarxx
·1 month agoThen USPS should not have had it for delivery ,only FedEx for home ground delivery then ?
shire123
·1 month agoWhen you print an ebay mail and are using FedEx economy there is a warning to not drop the package off at the post office but that it must be dropped off with FedEx.
You are lucky the USPS didn't just dispose of the package.
I am guessing since the USPS accepted the package (they should not have) they figured out their own postage which is almost always more than FedEx. So postage due.
The above also applies to UPS economy
catchdealsmichigan
OP1 month agoYes I am well aware of that warning now. I always seen it, I just took the agents word when she said I can drop it off. My mistake was listening to her
catchdealsmichigan
OP1 month agoFor clarification the item that the buyer was asked to pay additional postage for was originally dropped off at FedEx with a FedEx label. The buyer is saying USPS is asking for the $101. As far as I know I did everything correctly so far. I also mentioned another issue I had with dropping off a FedEx label to USPS, I think that may have been confusing sorry. Thanks!
krazzykats
·1 month agoDon't use FedEx Smartpost.
carlmarxx
·1 month agoThe OP down graded to FedEx Smart post ,when FedEx Ground/Home Delivery was listed. .