Buyer opened return request for "missing parts & pieces" but order not delivered yet

[andrew547]

As the title says, a buyer opened a return request for "missing parts & pieces", but the order has not yet been delivered.

I've learned enough to ask experienced members "how can I get burned by this (by ebay or the buyer) and how should I respond"?

My first response is always to work it out with the buyer, but again...reading the myriad ways sellers get burned unexpectedly (and wrongly in my view) by trying to do the right thing has me wanting to protect myself first, be nice second.

So I asked the buyer to call USPS to inquire about their package, close the return request because it was inappropriate, and deal with me directly. She said she called USPS but did not close the return request.

I suppose I could approve the request and let her suffer the consequences of having nothing to return. I could also complain to ebay about a fraudulent return request (per tracking, it has not arrived yet). I could wait to see what the buyer does.

Thoughts?

[kensgiftshop]

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@andrew547 wrote:

As the title says, a buyer opened a return request for "missing parts & pieces", but the order has not yet been delivered.

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Sometimes a buyer gets confused on what kind of claim to file.

If they didn't get their order, they are correct, it's missing parts and pieces.😀

When is the estimated delivery date, is it past yet.

What does tracking show?

If it's past the delivery date and tracking doesn't show it being delivered, I'd give it a day or 2 then refund if it's not delivered.

[andrew547]

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@kensgiftshop wrote:

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When is the estimated delivery date, is it past yet.

What does tracking show?

If it's past the delivery date and tracking doesn't show it being delivered, I'd give it a day or 2 then refund if it's not delivered.

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Why? Late deliveries have no impact on sellers if they ship within their turnaround time.  If delivery is delayed by USPS (rather than a late shipment) and a package is "in-transit", my understanding is that sellers aren't required to do anything. USPS eventually will either deliver a package or declare that it is lost, right?

[edwedw8383]

Because your buyer responded but is being coy about why the return is missing parts or pieces @andrew547 you should approve the return BEFORE YOU SUFFER THE VERY REAL CONSEQUENCES BY MISSING THE DEADLINE and issue a return label right away to get the ball roiling. This give you s headstart on April Fools Day when the new policy triples the time for the buyer to return the missing pieces.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO ESCALATE, it's just an option to have as your buyer's play plays out, and you may not even pay for the return label, as it may never be used. Then, if your buyer misses the return deadline, get eBay to close the return in your favor, and then work out the service to your customer on a person-to-person basis with your buyer.

[socalboomer50]

I think that you need more information before accepting a return on a package that hasn't been delivered.  How do you know that they won't just print out your return label and ship you back an empty box?  What does the package tracking show at this time?  Is the package late?

[equid0x]

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@kensgiftshop wrote:

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@andrew547 wrote:

As the title says, a buyer opened a return request for "missing parts & pieces", but the order has not yet been delivered.

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Sometimes a buyer gets confused on what kind of claim to file.

If they didn't get their order, they are correct, it's missing parts and pieces.😀

When is the estimated delivery date, is it past yet.

What does tracking show?

If it's past the delivery date and tracking doesn't show it being delivered, I'd give it a day or 2 then refund if it's not delivered.

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The correct request would be an INR. 

Seller should always win an INR if they can show tracking for an item that has not been delivered yet. 

Simply put, the buyer didn't file an INR because they knew they would lose it. "Missing parts & pieces" is an SNAD. So, send them a prepaid return label and wash your hands of the situation until you get an item back, if they ever send it back. 

Report the buyer. File with USPS for postal fraud. File a police report. Add them to your block list. 

[equid0x]

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@socalboomer50 wrote:

I think that you need more information before accepting a return on a package that hasn't been delivered.  How do you know that they won't just print out your return label and ship you back an empty box?  What does the package tracking show at this time?  Is the package late?

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You never do. Accepting the return and sending the return label alleviates the seller of any further eBay consequences. 

[andrew547]

UPDATE:

USPS tracking status is now "delivered". I contacted the buyer to confirm receipt and make sure everything was OK (i.e. get her to close the return request), but she said tracking is wrong and USPS can't find the package.

So I approved the return because (a) ebay's you-must-respond clock is running and (b) tracking confirmed delivery (even if wrong) means I can no longer point out the absurdity of a return request for missing parts for an item that is still in the mail to any potential ebay CS rep. should it come to that, so I'm on the hook.

On a related note, ebay billed me around $6.50 for a shipping label that I typically buy elsewhere for $3.54

I could have swore returns for missing parts & pieces was a transaction defect, or had at least some negative impact on a seller's status or rating or some such thing.

[equid0x]

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@andrew547 wrote:

UPDATE:

USPS tracking status is now "delivered". I contacted the buyer to confirm receipt and make sure everything was OK (i.e. get her to close the return request), but she said tracking is wrong and USPS can't find the package.

So I approved the return because (a) ebay's you-must-respond clock is running and (b) tracking confirmed delivery (even if wrong) means I can no longer point out the absurdity of a return request for missing parts for an item that is still in the mail to any potential ebay CS rep. should it come to that, so I'm on the hook.

On a related note, ebay billed me around $6.50 for a shipping label that I typically buy elsewhere for $3.54

I could have swore returns for missing parts & pieces was a transaction defect, or had at least some negative impact on a seller's status or rating or some such thing.

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Well, it is a defect and it will count against your seller performance standards.

If it is actually now delivered, you probably should have fought the claim. I wouldn't take her word for it. If USPS marked it delivered, then USPS is on the hook. You can go to the local PO and they can pull up a backend system with all of the tracking data and the GPS coordinates of where it was delivered.

If USPS delivered it to the wrong place, its up to USPS to retrieve and re-deliver the package to the correct address. 

If USPS delivered to her doorstep and it was stolen, that's not your problem. She needs to file a police report and take that to her homeowner's/renter's insurance and seek reimbursement. 

IMHO she's got herself in a pickle now, because her fraud is now perfectly apparent to anyone who is going to look at the details. She claimed it was missing parts and pieces and opened a return before she received it, therefore should could not possible have known that it was missing anything at all. Now, she is changing her story, and that's not going to look good to an investigator. 

If you already authorized the return before the delivery and she was sent the label, then the clock is running for her to return you something using the label you sent her. Theoretically, she can't go open an INR at this point until the SNAD is closed. 

Now, you can call in and escalate and cross your fingers for a positive closure to the SNAD. However, at that point, they will probably still let her open an INR. If you have tracking info showing delivery, theoretically, you're off the hook. 

At this point, I'd probably call in and see if I could straighten it out. At any rate, I would absolutely contact USPS for postal fraud and file police reports against her, if you can get your PD to take one. You have de-facto evidence of fraud. 

[andrew547]

Question:

Why should I suffer a seller defect for "missing parts & pieces" when a buyer makes this claim before the package is delivered?

I have something like 7 return requests with similar scenarios over the last year. Only one person actually returned the item (her return request acknowledged that she bought the wrong size).  In my seller metrics, these show as "very high" in the "Item not as described" category. My description is perfect. People seem to just click any old thing because none of the choices they're presented apply to their situation. Why should I suffer penalties from this? Does this happen to other sellers? How do you deal with it?

[andrew547]

ran out of time to edit...

Do I really have to call ebay every time this happens?

[socalboomer50]

Please Read carefully!    I didn't tell the OP not to accept the return.  I said they needed more information before accepting the return.  I stated that the tracking information was needed.  Whenever you get a return for a SNAD the seller gets hit with a defect.  They will need to fight this claim because the item  according to USPS was delivered but not until after the claim was filed.  It will close because the buyer won't be able to return a package they didn't receive.  However,  we don't  really know if this buyer wasn't planning some sort of fraud because they could potentially still use the shipping label to return an empty box.

[inhawaii]

Exact same thing happened to me once. Because the buyer obviously could not know if there were missing pieces BEFORE receiving the package, they treated it as a remorse return.  Buyer had to pay for return shipping.  Buyer ended up not sending the package back. 

One of the few times ebay customer service comprehended/understood the problem and acted appropriately.  

[earlyant-77]

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@socalboomer50 wrote:

Please Read carefully!    I didn't tell the OP not to accept the return.  I said they needed more information before accepting the return.  I stated that the tracking information was needed.  Whenever you get a return for a SNAD the seller gets hit with a defect.  They will need to fight this claim because the item  according to USPS was delivered but not until after the claim was filed.  It will close because the buyer won't be able to return a package they didn't receive.  However,  we don't  really know if this buyer wasn't planning some sort of fraud because they could potentially still use the shipping label to return an empty box.

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When was the claim filed? If it was on the same day that it was marked delivered, how do you know if the delivery scan update simply wasn't delayed?

[andrew547]

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@earlyant-77 wrote:

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@socalboomer50 wrote:

Please Read carefully!    I didn't tell the OP not to accept the return.  I said they needed more information before accepting the return.  I stated that the tracking information was needed.  Whenever you get a return for a SNAD the seller gets hit with a defect.  They will need to fight this claim because the item  according to USPS was delivered but not until after the claim was filed.  It will close because the buyer won't be able to return a package they didn't receive.  However,  we don't  really know if this buyer wasn't planning some sort of fraud because they could potentially still use the shipping label to return an empty box.

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When was the claim filed? If it was on the same day that it was marked delivered, how do you know if the delivery scan update simply wasn't delayed?

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Here is what the buyer said in her SNAD claim:

The order was shipped to a post office branch that was closed due to the corona virus. It was said to have been transferred to the main post office. The main post office could not locate it, then they said id was out for delivery. That was two days ago. It has not been delivered and the post office still can't find it. Please refund or resend.

This is consistent with tracking data when I first checked after reading this. I assume delivery timestamps per tracking will also confirm this but I'm not sure that would even be necessary given the buyer's statement.