Customer gave incorrect address
How do you speak with a live person at ebay? Someone purchased a book set from me and gave ebay the wrong city and zip code, so the box with the prepaid ebay label was returned to me. After almost three weeks of sending messages, I heard from the buyer with the city and zip code correction She had been sick. I need to know how to get a new label so I can ship it to her again.
Joy
22 comments
ejoy
OP1 month agoThank you for all your comments and suggestions. I ended up refunding their purchase price and relisting it. We will see if the same customer purchases it again. I read somewhere online that to speak to a real person at ebay, you need to type "agent" in the virtual assistant communication. That worked and someone from ebay called me within a few minutes.
christworks
·1 month agoFYI...this is not an issue you need to speak with somone at eBay about as eBay policy already addresses this situation.
When a customer provides the wrong address, you are not at fault and do not have to issue a refund. That's fine that you did, but seller protections apply in that situation as buyers are responsible for providing the correct address. Refunding and allow them to rebuy is fine and probably the cleanest way to do it if you are going to refund anything.
The other way to do it is to not refund them, but create a Shipping Services listing and they can buy that so they are paying to have you reship it to them. Then just slap that label onto the box.
ejoy
OP1 month agoThanks for the information. I doubt it will happen again, but just in case, where would you create the Shipping Services listing?
christworks
·1 month agoWhenever I need to sell "shipping" to someone, either due to your situation or if someone needs something shipped Priority and they have already purchased, I make live a draft listing for shipping services. I list it in the Specialty Services > eBay Auction Services>Packing & Shipping category. I adjust the price and the shipping service to reflect what the buyer is purchasing and make clear in the description they are buying an upgraded service or are paying for shipping to have a specific order re-shipped due to an address error.
iguara
·1 month ago · EditedTHIS SOUNDS LIKE THE BEST OPTION!
So let me see if I understand right? I'm a little confused, I don't have to make another "ghost listing" for same item, which will take care of not paying the Ebay fees since it was already paid in first listing, if I put zero in price item but will it take zero? and just fill out the shipping label? OH wait but the shipping label would want the amount to be insured (I can't remember if its defaulted) to the price of the item listed, so it may NOT be able to be "insured"? Or does it let me enter ANY amount even if the listed ghost item has ZERO amount, so it can be insured?
OR do you mean, there's an actual EBAY "shipping" service, I can go as to just fill out a shipping label (I don't have to do a ghost relist item). I don't understand what you mean on how to adjust price, wouldn't the value price remains the same? So as to be then insured for that or will Ebay see it as another sold item?
Any ways both options, I would then just specify in description the order is being re-shipped due to customer address error! Is this correct? Please specify which one to do...
Sounds GENIUS idea! Especially because I don't have to REFUND and relist original item, than hoping for he won't change his mind after refunding! THANKS FOR SHARING
stainlessenginecovers
·1 month ago · Edited@iguara What a mess.
1st- don't make a listing for $0 (you could make it for .99c) BUT- another buyer could snap it up.
2nd-When you refund, the FEES get credited back so stop worrying about that.
Simply relist using twice the postage amount (use your own 'flat rate) and tell the customer the 12 digit number.
This way, if buyer doesn't buy, you can 'edit' the shipping after a week or 2 for someone else to buy.
christworks
·1 month ago@iguara Here is an example of what I'm talking about. Since you cannot have a listing with $0, I make the shipping for the service 'free' and set the cost of the service to the amount I'm charging the buyer to upgrade.
You can do it as @stainlessenginecovers suggested, but what if the buyer does not buy? You might miss out on other buyers who passed because the shipping was twice what it should be. In my view, keeping a service listing handy is the best way to handle it. I do not keep it active unless a buyer has messaged after they bought from me that they need it shipped faster. I'll deactivate late tonight once you've seen it.
iguara
·1 month agoTHANKS, that was very helpful!!! So the price is for the SHIPPING Label and for shipping I would put FREE. So how do I get the "item value" to be insured?
janet9988
·1 month agorefund the buyer the item cost and relist it.
iguara
·1 month agoThat's what I'd like to know too... I mean if you go to chat, the AI will have an agent call YOU, but my son has that cell phone number, the phone is not with me... But in your case, Ebay can call you... I'm going through something similar. The buyer put the wrong address, and I got the item back, but he wants to pay for another shipping label to be sent to the correct address. The chat AI said that I'd have to cancel the order because I can't do another label with the correct address because the item shows as out of stock now (tracking shows it was delivered), but how do I cancel an order that shows it was delivered? I don't know why there's no way to call eBay to talk to customer service. I used to find that option in the past, and I'm looking everywhere. I can't find it except the chat, and if through THERE, if they can't help you, they have eBay agent to call you... Please let me know if you get through, and ask them in my behalf my scenario of how can I resend this item to a buyer to the correct address and charge them for another shipping label? THANKS hope you get through! =)
dryophelia
·1 month agoRefund your buyer and create an entirely new listing where the buyer can buy again with their correct address.
iguara
·1 month agoI'm afraid that if giving that option to the buyer, he may just keep the refund and forget about it... I also don't want to lose a sale, and it wouldn't be fair to me that all this time the item was out of eBay... Would giving him a bad review still be available if he just keeps the refund?
momtoabeautifuldaughter
·1 month agoYou can't give a bad review to a buyer.
As already stated I would refund for the item and then relist and have them purchase again.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 month ago"it wouldn't be fair to me that all this time the item was out of eBay"
Fair to you is not an factor in what must be done.
If you ship to any address other than the one in the order, you have broken Ebay's rules, have no seller protections, and may be punished as a risk to the community.
You will look like one of the false tracking scammers. And will be vulnerable to a credit card chargeback if opened by the buyer.
iguara
·1 month agoPlease READ AGAIN... the heading: "CUSTOMER" GAVE INCORRECT ADDRESS" ~ it's THEIR fault they didn't get the package for putting THEIR wrong address (I put down the address THEY listed) and it was returned to me, tracking agrees that it got delivered... But in good faith, I contacted the customer to let him know it was returned to me.
Now I would have to send it again, to his correct address, once he tells me what it is, or end up having to do what you all said, of refunding and re-listing. I just suspect and am concerned that after refunding the customer changes their mind and may NOT want it anymore (for whatever reason), and then that would not be fair to me... Hopefully, it won't go that route...
I'm in communication with the customer and asking him to contact eBay to see what they say to him. I'm not able to contact Ebay because my husband is out of the country, the listed phone number to call me back on, is my husband's phone (which is not with me), so I told the customer to contact eBay and see what they say to him to do...
The only other option is to make an independent shipping label with his correct address (which the customer agreed he'd pay), but then I don't know how eBay would cover that? I mean, the first tracking agreed that it got delivered, but let's say something happens on this second delivery, if it gets lost, etc. Ebay won't help with any dispute resolution because what they see is the tracking information from the first item being delivered. I don't think this option protects either one of us IF something happens...
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 month agoIf you refund, you will still have the item.
If you do not cancel and ship to another address you may not have either the item nor the payment, when Ebay refunds the buyer who claims Item Not Received or his credit card issuer rules in his favor on a chargeback dispute.
I know nothing of you, your background or your financial needs,
It may be that selling on Ebay is something that you should not be doing. If you can't afford to lose some sales, and even the payments for items not returned, you should not be selling here.
Business is not fair. Consumers have more rights than merchants do.
Sellers regularly complain that Ebay is biased in favor of the buyers. Buyers make the same complaints about pro seller buyers.
What we all seem to agree on is sellers who choose not to learn the rules of selling on Ebay, or choose to ignore them are treated harshly when Ebay discovers their misdeeds.
iguara
·1 month agoI've been selling on Ebay for many years, this is the first time this has happened, that a "buyer" puts his wrong address. I'm NOT complaining about it, I want to find out how to fix it by SHIPPING IT BACK TO HIM vs refunding and I have looked all over the Ebay informations, as to be able to find out...
if I "didn't" have the item or sold it as you imply and making me sound misleading, WHY would I WANT TO FIND OUT HOW TO SHIP BACK, the item to him, if I didn't have it? I'm in contact with the buyer, and on amicable terms, this has not been entered as a dispute/charge back or resolution yet...
I'm actually waiting for him to tell me what Ebay tells him what to do... In the meantime came here, to ask if anybody knows how to do this and some of you are HOOKED ON REFUNDING and RELISTING but someone is posting HOW TO DO IT, with listing a shipping label, which is a GREAT idea! But trying to figure out how to do that...
That doesn't make it bad for business or being misleading ... IF NEED BE and refunding is the only option left to do, I will then "refund" even if I LOSE a sell, I UNDERSTAND that, and have LOST in the call of "customer satisfaction" in the past, that's NOT the issue...
The issue is I DON"T WANT TO KEEP THE ITEM and RESELL it, I WANT TO SHIP IT BACK TO HIM, and trying to figure that out. Of course if that's not possible, I'm NOT GOING TO KEEP THE BUYERS MONEY by NOT REFUNDING and relisting, that's never been my intentions here... Absolutely, that's not FAIR at all to the buyer AND THEN KEEP THE ITEM!!! That's stealing and I don't do that, why would I POST SOMETHING LIKE THIS HERE as to make you think that of me? You're misunderstanding my intentions...
If you want to run your business that way, when buyers put their wrong address and you want to refund, fine that's your choice, I'm not going to tell you how to run your business...
I don't run it that way, if I have a "choice" and Ebay gives me another way of being able to SHIP BACK THE ITEM TO HIM, without the refunding, that's the choice I want to take and just charge the buyer for the shipping label (it was HIS error and I didn't have to ASK the buyer to do this, HE OFFERED TO pay for the shipping because he understands it was HIS MISTAKE).
albertabrightalberta
·1 month ago · Edited@iguara
So what? What's unfair? You have the item back and you can resell it to another buyer if the first buyer doesn't repurchase.
Also, if you charged separately for shipping, you aren't required to give back the original shipping payment since you already spent that money on the original shipping label.
ETA: Nothing is "unfair" to you. The buyer made a mistake, you're made whole and you have the item to resell again, either to this buyer or another!
iguara
·1 month agoYou have a point BUT it's a bumber to me to go through all this, specialty items don't sell quickly, it's WHEN that certain person comes in looking for it, whose to know while all this time it was down, I lost that opportunity to sell it to that person, and now have to wait a long time until the next person and maybe not... I just don't see that fair or that I should refund, if it was HIS error of putting the wrong address down ("sellers" are at fault when we make an error of putting the wrong address down and face accountability, we have to pay for that error, why wouldn't there be some kind of accountability for "buyers' when "he" puts the wrong address down?) To me, the FAIR thing to do, for BOTH, is to be able to just charge him for another shipping label (NOT refund).