Buyer Request for Item Not Recieved

[bornasht]

Hey there, so I sold an item a few weeks ago, and it apparently never got there. The tracking shows the item left the USPS facility from my town, but was never scanned again after that. The tracking on USPS website says 
"arriving late, still on the way" on May 23rd. The buyer's request says he still wants the item, but I have little faith in the delivery system nowadays. Should I wait for Ebay to get involved on the 7th, or just bite the bullet and issue the refund? It would suck to do the latter, as I've done my part, but I've never been in this situation yet and was curious about the best action to take.

[katzrul15]

Make sure you handle this before the deadline, not E-Bay.  Can you request an extension for time to respond?

[octa-hex]

Open a search mail request with USPS. The delay are common due to covid or bad weather.

[dbfolks166mt]

As others have suggested go ahead and file a missing mail report with USPS.. Since the 23rd was the last time any USPS information was added you are already past the 7 day timeline. The missing mail submission often breaks the package loose or it suddenly shows up. If it is not found you can follow up the missing mail request with a claim for reimbursement from USPS. The following link will give you the basics. Keep your buyer in the loop and let them know you have initiated action with USPS. 

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Missing-Mail-The-Basics