Buyer refused to accept parcel on delivery so it got bounced to returns centre

[appolospb]

I sold a item recently and the buyer contacted me saying they had not received it, when i checked the track and trace i see that they 'refused to accept delivery', as i did not have a 'Return To' address on the parcel its been bounced to the National Returns Centre.  At the moment there is a chance the parcel may be lost and ill have to claim for a lost parcel refund, or best case scenario it is returned back to me.

Questions:

1) If i get the parcel returned to me, am i entitled to re-charge the buyer for postage as its due to them the parcel got sent back and i need to re-send?, they might then even reject it again.

2) If the parcel ends up being lost and i need to claim a refund,  should i refund the full amount inc postage to the buyer?.

Next time i will learn and add a 'Return To' address, i am not confident the buyer isn't trying to scam me or just get a refund, they only have single digit feedback.

[bucslife4me]

your own fault for not having a return address. yoll be lucky to see that package again if they can track it down and confirm its yours. and then youll have to pay to send it back to you if they do. 

and no, you cant recharge buyer for postage again..lol.

your gonna have to refund them regardless. they refused the package , so if u can confirm its lost which you prob have by now, you can refund them, but i would wait till the final hour to close the case on your end. it may show back up at there address again or something u never know.

[albertabrightalberta]

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@appolospb wrote:

I sold a item recently and the buyer contacted me saying they had not received it, when i checked the track and trace i see that they 'refused to accept delivery', as i did not have a 'Return To' address on the parcel its been bounced to the National Returns Centre.  At the moment there is a chance the parcel may be lost and ill have to claim for a lost parcel refund, or best case scenario it is returned back to me.

Questions:

1) If i get the parcel returned to me, am i entitled to re-charge the buyer for postage as its due to them the parcel got sent back and i need to re-send?, they might then even reject it again.

2) If the parcel ends up being lost and i need to claim a refund,  should i refund the full amount inc postage to the buyer?.

Next time i will learn and add a 'Return To' address, i am not confident the buyer isn't trying to scam me or just get a refund, they only have single digit feedback.

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Why would you not have a return address on your item?!?! 

Did you print the label through ebay? It's added automatically to shipping labels. 

I'm not sure how it'll get back to you since you neglected the return address. 

IMO, you owe the buyer a full refund.

[heckofagame]

A tricky one. When they refused delivery, they voided the MBG.

[appolospb]

If someone refuses delivery (And no reason provided why) which then forces a parcel to have to be re-sent it seems fair to charge them at least 50% as the fault was their own doing, the parcel made it to the destination.

The parcel was sent via 2nd class signed for, so at least i can claim money back if the parcel is lost.  I will certainly always add a 'Return To' on my future parcels from now on.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Hi, You're on ebay.com, which is the US site. You'll get more informed replies if you  go to

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Discussion-Boards/ct-p/13

[m60driver]

That you did not have a return address is your fault and it is very unlikely that (1) you will see the package again and (2) it is equally unlikely that you will successfully be able to claim any type of refund on that package.  Again, the loss of the package is on your failure to have a return address.

As for the buyer, if you can verify that the package was refused by the buyer via tracking then you can refund the buyer less your expenses, including shipping.  That is if your item sold for $25 and shipping was $10 then you can refund $15.

[goodbrakes]

Why no Return address??

If you sent the package outside of the UK then I doubt you will ever see it again as the destination country has no idea where to return it to. If you have a tracking number and the package is still in the UK you might be able to find it and get it returned but you will need to prove that you are the person how had sent the package out.

Not a good situation to be in.

If you have proof that the Buyer refused the package you do not need to refund the shipping cost and you can charge the shipping price again if they decide they want the item. But... you need to get it back first.

Don't refund the Buyer right now or they may run down and retrieve the package and you will be out both the item and money. Play it out as long as you can to avoid a scam. Keep an eye on the tracking information.

[appolospb]

Yeah i have never added 'Return To' addresses on my ebay parcels, this is the first time i have had a issue with it since 2002 (When i joined), but i will do now (My mistake).  I guess i just didnt expect to get a returned parcel as my addresses are always proof read and triple checked and why would someone reject a parcel for no reason.

I always do hand written 'To' address labels as i do not have a reliable printer at home, id imagine a lot do the same.  I am a small seller, i dont do this very often to warrant having a printer.

[a_c_green]

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@appolospb wrote:

I always do hand written 'To' address labels as i do not have a reliable printer at home, id imagine a lot do the same.  I am a small seller, i dont do this very often to warrant having a printer.

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If the package has no return address on the outside, they might open it to look for a packing slip on the inside, but I doubt that would happen quickly, if at all, and from the sound of things, printer-wise, I suspect you are going to tell us that there was no packing slip inside either.

[pickermall]

USPS ALWAYS requires a return address... at least that's my experience! AND if you print the label off Ebay, there is a return address.  This can turn messy. It may not even be that they refused it... it could have been undeliverable or no one was home to sign for it.

What's the National Returns Center anyway? Hope you had at least put in a packing slip with your return address in it. In any event, if the carrier didn't make several tried to deliver, you should refund the buyer.

[a_c_green]

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@pickermall wrote:

USPS ALWAYS requires a return address... at least that's my experience! AND if you print the label off Ebay, there is a return address.

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The seller is in the UK, and hand-wrote the address label with the buyer's address but not a return address.

[appolospb]

The buyer 'Refused to accept the parcel' so in this scenario i would not expect Royal Mail to attempt re-delivery.  This is a totally different outcome to 'failed to delivery parcel'.  Also i am UK based so item was posted via UK post office.

Also to re-confirm the buyer gave no reason in advance OR after he contacted me why he refused the delivery, it all seems a little suspicious to me.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

National Returns Centre is most likely the UK version of USPS' Mail Recovery Center.

Both are the temporary homes for orphaned parcels & mail.

[carolynnq]

Giving the National Returns Center the size of the package, date mailed, the buyer's address, the contents, and any other information you have, you will likely get it back.

I have to say, it's been years since I've received a hand-addressed parcel. If I received one without a return address, I might be a bit leery of it.  Besides putting your return address on the parcel, maybe you write "Your eBay Order Enclosed" above your address.