GloryBells • 
@mam98031 wrote:Some apartment complexes have a handful or units, others have thousands.
Definitely! I used to deliver for Uber Eats, and imagine driving into a large apartment complex, there’s 3 floors in 6 buildings, and all you have is an apartment number, nothing further than that. It can quickly get very frustrating!
@bonanza125 wrote:"The buyer's error of not putting the complete correct address shouldn't be part of the seller's "cost of doing business." Although the seller isn't obligated to refund the buyer for the incorrect address, he certainly should refund the portion of the buyer's payment but retaining his own costs. And if I were the seller, this buyer would be on my BBL. "
Well yes I would ask the buyer to pay for the extra shipping cost it took to ship the item for the first time when relisted to recoup the cost. For my book work for taxes I refund the full amount for that. I do "Free Shipping" so I just add that amount to the cost when relisted. You have a position where you wouldn't deal with the buyer and want to block them in this particular situation. I don't do that and it works out for me and the buyer just fine.
If you are talking about sales taxes, sellers do not ever pay sales taxes on Ebay nor can they refund them. Ebay refunds buyers sales taxes if it is appropriate.
I'm not sure you understand the subject we have been discussing. Ebay has seller protection for the type of issue we have been discussing when a buyer gives the seller an incorrect or incomplete address. IDK why you would even consider eating costs associated with this happening, it is so unnecessary.
@m.ant wrote:My listing stated that I was sending the item with signature confirmation. The buyer knew and even asked that I package it a certain way because it was supposed to be a gift for her boyfriend. She said she was going to be out of town and didn’t want him to sign and open it and I informed her that it would be in a priority mail envelope.
I know you said I got lucky but if this was an intentional scam, and I didn’t have the required signature, I feel like my package would be lost right now. I’m not saying this was definitely a scam but it just feels odd that someone would forget their apartment number on the eBay address page. Only 1 feedback on their profile and I’m hoping like someone else mentioned that they moved and forgot to add the apartment number.
Thank you though for the reply.
Scam is such an over used word. You do not have enough evidence to know anything for sure except that it appears the buyer made a mistake when giving the address to ship to.
The fact that you did signatured required has NOTHING to do with the package getting returned to you because it wasn't deliverable as address. There are many of us here that have received packages back due to a problem with the address without any type of signatured required. I've got one on my desk right now.
I understand you don't know "definitely" it is a scam, but you also have ZERO evidence it is even potentially a scam. But really it doesn't matter, you have Seller Protection on this transaction and the buyer will not be able to take advantage of you financially unless you were to let them, which I don't believe you would do.
@m.ant wrote:I don’t understand what INR, INAD, and FVF mean so I’ll have to do some research. That being said I have no problem issuing a refund minus the shipping costs. I’ll lose money because I paid for the signature confirmation myself, but it’s not as much as the entire shipping cost so I’m okay with that.
Regardless is your advice that I wait until the postal service returns my item, then I issue the refund minus shipping, and re-list it here? I’m reading conflicting messages where it seems like some are saying I should just get the package, ask for shipping costs to be sent again through PayPal, then send it off without going back through eBay. Either is fine with me and I guess it would make no difference for eBay since they have already made money off the original transaction.
Thanks for the information!
They are things you should commit to memory as they are important here in the community.
INR = Item Not Received
INAD = Item Not as Described
FVF = Final value fees
Your signature confirmation costs is the only costs you should eat. You should withhold shipping and any other non recoverable FVFs. So that would be your 40 cent transaction fee and the FVFs on whatever the amount you are deducting from the refund. Ebay will auto refund your FVFs on whatever amount you refund and if the buyer paid sales taxes, Ebay will auto refund that to the buyer.
YES, do NOTHING until you actually have the package back. Personally I would wait a few days to relist it or even a couple weeks, unless you put this buyer on your BBL [Blocked Bidder List].
Yes, different sellers sometimes have different ideas. It doesn't always mean someone is wrong and someone is right. It can mean there are different ways to accomplish the same thing.
If you allow another transaction on Ebay with this buyer, then you are exposing yourself to another transaction in which the buyer can leave feedback on the transaction. If you feel this buyer is somehow trying to scam you, I'm unsure why you would want to expose yourself to a new transaction with them. But you choice of course.
Doing what I described with PayPal does not create a new transaction on Ebay and keeps you safe from any additional problems a new Ebay transaction can bring. Just make sure you create the shipping label in PayPal NOT Ebay. Do NOT create the new shipping label in Ebay. I explained this in my other post.
Whatever you decide to do I hope it all works out for you.
@iart wrote:We wouldn't send signature confirmation without the buyer's approval - especially for a $50 item. This is probably what messed you up. The carrier probably couldn't easily tell the apt number and so simply returned it. Or maybe the buyer simply wasn't home. It's not a part of the deal that the buyer has to waste their time going to the post office.
When you send a package via USPS that requires a signature. If no one is home on the day of delivery, the carrier leaves a Pink [I think it is pink] form in their mail box notifying them that they have a package that is Signature Required. It will tell them that they can pick it up at the PO on the next day OR they can fill in a date on the form for RE-delivery. So the buyer can select Saturday if that would work for them.
They don't have to go to the Post Office unless that is what they prefer.
When a seller changes the address from what is on the transaction order, the seller voids their Seller Protection. In this specific case there is no need to do that or risk it.
So be very careful when changing a buyer's ship to address on an order.
@bonanza125 wrote:
I already know that. My comment was directed towards another helper. That's not what I was referring.
I know you were responding to another poster, however that doesn't change the fact the statement was not accurate. It may have just been how you worded it, but we can only go by what is actually posted.
I'm glad you are aware that it is something you aren't responsible to do.
