Buyer wants me to send check off of ebay

[alui-52]

I sold an item to a buyer. It got to they’re local post office and supposedly they couldn’t locate it and it took them 4 days to locate it. The item shows as delivered. Today they buyer message me saying they had to pay additional postage somehow and want to be reimbursed. I asked how they want to do this. The reply was I can send them a check or money order outside ebay with the amount. Doesn’t this go against ebay rules?

[krazzykats]

Partial refund only through Paypal.

[dtexley3]

Tell them to send you the receipt showing they paid extra that includes the tracking number.  You should not send money by any means until they do so, and then I would ONLY offer to send it via paypal.

You can also go to your post office and have them verify that the item arrived postage due.  They should be able to look the tracking number and see any adjustments to size, weight, postage.

[richard1rst]

DO NOT DO IT

Sounds like a scam. If you bought the postage through eBay, Paypal, or any other online service and underpaid the postage then the post office back charges you. It would never show up as a COD for postage.

If it is an international buyer then the additional fee is customs or import taxes which are not your responsibility.

Demand (OK be polite but nonetheless) demand proof of payment. If you are sure you paid the right postage then report it to eBay as a possible scam.

[lightlily_arts]

If the package arrived postage due there should be documentation.  Ask the buyer to provide you a receipt for the additional postage they paid.  Also all payments need to be processed through eBay. Partial refund payments should never be processed off eBay per their rules.

[alui-52]

That’s what I would do only send payments through PayPal. The tracking doesn’t show any postage due or charge backs though. What should I do if the buyer insists on a check

[alui-52]

She basically wants me to refund the whole postage for the package which was 7.80$ which i already paid to have it shipped 

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@richard1rst wrote: .... If you bought the postage through eBay, Paypal, or any other online service and underpaid the postage then the post office back charges you. It would never show up as a COD for postage....

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Yes, it could.  The APV system doesn't catch everything.  If underpayment is caught by an actual USPS human employee, then it would be Postage Due for the buyer (e.g., if the buyer's PO opens a Media Mail package and finds an ineligible item).

As you and others noted, if the buyer provides proof that they paid extra postage for that tracking number, then the seller should send them the money. But I recommend a partial refund through the original PayPal transaction.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@alui-52 wrote:

She basically wants me to refund the whole postage for the package which was 7.80$ which i already paid to have it shipped 

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Well, that makes no sense at all.  You only owe her the amount that she had to pay to ransom the package -- and even then only if she can prove it.

[dtexley3]

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@alui-52 wrote:

She basically wants me to refund the whole postage for the package which was 7.80$ which i already paid to have it shipped 

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I would contact my Post Office (in person) with the tracking number and ask for verification.

If the buyer sent this through eBay messages, contact CS and make sure this is on their radar.  If the buyer did NOT use eBay messages, message the buyer through the order and formally request a copy of the receipt for the additional postage.

Smells like a scam, especially if the "overage" is what you paid for postage. 

Hmmm, did the item have free shipping when listed?  If so did you by chance have the option set that prints the postage amount on the package?

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@dtexley3 wrote: ... did you by chance have the option set that prints the postage amount on the package?

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Even if they didn't, the label shows everything that a savvy buyer would need in order to look up the postage paid -- weight, zone, and service.

[buyselljack2016]

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@alui-52 wrote:

She basically wants me to refund the whole postage for the package which was 7.80$ which i already paid to have it shipped 

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Sounds like the buyer wants to be compensated for a "late" delivery.

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[dtexley3]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

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@dtexley3 wrote: ... did you by chance have the option set that prints the postage amount on the package?

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Even if they didn't, the label shows everything that a savvy buyer would need in order to look up the postage paid -- weight, zone, and service.

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Having gone through something similar recently, I was just thinking that some silly ninny of a buyer saw the postage amount now thinks they are owed money because "it was free shipping!"

[cka197818]

Like the others here, I would ask for proof of the extra postage that the BUYER had to pay. They can take a picture of the receipt and send it to you. You had also mentioned that the buyer is requesting to be refunded for the total shipping of $7.80. Why? Are they trying to hold you responsible because the post office couldn't locate the package for 4 days? I don't see how that was your vault. If indeed the buyer had to pay extra postage, after recieving proof, only refund them through Pay Pal.

[dtexley3]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

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@alui-52 wrote:

She basically wants me to refund the whole postage for the package which was 7.80$ which i already paid to have it shipped 

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Sounds like the buyer wants to be compensated for a "late" delivery.

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ahhh, a much more likely scenario.

Tell them to talk to eBay, maybe eBay will cough up the $5 shipping voucher if it was shipped on time.