Ebay's charging me refund for item that got lost

[jayphare]

I sold and shipped a ps5 on november 3rd to a customer in the marshall islands,it was expected to arrive on the 22nd

On December 1st the customer leaves a review saying "good deal",but a few days later he opens a case for item not received

It turns out that the the last location the item was tracked was in sacramento on november 11th

I opened a missing mail case with usps since december 10 and they're telling me i have to wait for them to figure out what happened to my package.

Ebay ruled in the customer's favor and will be deducting the refunded money from my account in 2-3 days

I can't afford this,do i have any options?

Usps and ebay customer service have not been helpful

[luckythewinner]

---

@jayphare wrote:

I can't afford this,do i have any options?

Usps and ebay customer service have not been helpful

---

Your buyer did not get his package.

Exactly what "help" are you expecting eBay customer service to give you?

[oldskoolmadskilz]

Did you insure it?  File a claim with UPS.

This is exactly why I never ship overseas.

[kensgiftshop]

As far as the buyer is concerned, you have no options.

The buyer didn't receive their item, so you have to refund.

[marnotom!]

eBay offers seller protection (for what it's worth) on fraudulent claims of non-delivery, not legitimate ones.  If there's no evidence that the buyer received their item, they're owed a refund.  As noted elsewhere, insurance  is your protection against a legitimate claim of non-delivery.

Whether you can file an insurance claim or not will depend on the outcome of the USPS investigation.

[stuff4divas]

@jayphare   what method of shipping did u use? Did u use one of ebay's international methods?

[a_c_green]

---

@jayphare wrote:

I opened a missing mail case with usps since december 10 and they're telling me i have to wait for them to figure out what happened to my package.

---

If you shipped it via Priority Mail, you should have at least some coverage (up to $100, if I remember right) from USPS. It's a lot easier to get reimbursed for lost packages than damaged ones, since the USPS' own tracking will show that it was never delivered.

[jame234]

Perhaps the buyer can't afford to pay for an item he did not receive.  The buyer has eBay's Money Back Guarantee.

[jayphare · Accepted solution]

I finally was able to speak to a competent usps rep earlier.

She actually got one of the main post offices down there to call me directly.

It turns out this is a recurring issue on this particular island that doesn't have an proper scanning system.

Some customers take advantage of this in order to get refunds.

They told me they'll do their best to get me an update by the end of the day

Hope this could help any future sellers who are shipping expensive items there

[fashunu4eeuh]

There is substantial risk to selling online. That risk goes up with pricey items. It goes up again when selling items in high fraud categories. And it increases when selling internationally. 

On eBay, it is the seller’s responsibility to get the item to the buyer in a timely and intact condition as promised in the listing. So that responsibility does not end at the mail drop. While it is not your fault the package went missing, that does not alter your obligation to the buyer. 

eBay has an ironclad Money Back Guarantee that is binding on the seller. The buyer has 30 days after the estimated delivery date to file an Item Not Received claim. Until that date is past, it is in the seller’s interests to hold the sale funds in case refunding becomes necessary.

And even then, a buyer can also do a chargeback for months after the sale. So having a suspense fund with ready cash benefits the seller who unexpectedly must refund. It is a cost of doing business. 

Sorry this happened to you. Good luck in ro you in the New Year.

[stuff4divas]

---

@jayphare wrote:

I finally was able to speak to a competent usps rep earlier.

She actually got one of the main post offices down there to call me directly.

It turns out this is a recurring issue on this particular island that doesn't have an proper scanning system.

Some customers take advantage of this in order to get refunds.

They told me they'll do their best to get me an update by the end of the day

Hope this could help any future sellers who are shipping expensive items there

---

@jayphare   I asked on my other post, which method of shipping did u use? This is important info in order for us to properly help you.

Great to hear USPS got back to you, actually close to a miracle!

Thanx for giving us that info bc u r right, sellers need to beware when shipping to certain int'l countries, but using eBay's shipping methods protects us.

[jayphare]

I used Parcel select

[dbfolks166mt]

     I am a bit confused. It appears you sold 2 of these one on 3 November and one on 24 November. Both listings show free local pickup as well as free shipping. You also specify you do not accept returns. The 3 November listing had shipping to multiple countries outside of the US using Fed-Ex 2 Day delivery. 

     The 24 November sale only shows shipping to the US and the Marshall Islands are no part of the US so not sure how the buyer made the purchase. Did they go through a freight forwarder with a US shipping address?

     Your shipping method on that item also shows Fed-Ex 2 day delivery so did you ship USPS or FedEx and others noted did you fully insure?  As others noted if you cannot prove delivery in response to the INR and the buyer asks eBay to step in they will automatically refund the buyer. Your only recourse is to hope the shipper can provide you with the delivery information or at least the tracking status. If they cannot and the package is truly lost that the shipper reimburses you. 

     As a side note this is something I would never have listed on eBay it is a high target item for every scammer out there your situation could be a whole lot worse. 

[714ricki]

What shipping method did you use to ship to the Marshall Islands? Did you go to the USPS office & ask them if they can check on its whereabouts for you?

[dbfolks166mt]

I finally was able to speak to a competent usps rep earlier.

She actually got one of the main post offices down there to call me directly.

It turns out this is a recurring issue on this particular island that doesn't have an proper scanning system.

Some customers take advantage of this in order to get refunds.

They told me they'll do their best to get me an update by the end of the day

Hope this could help any future sellers who are shipping expensive items there

This is somewhat of a good news story with regards to the USPS response but I fear it is too late to do anything regarding the INR claim the buyer filed especially if you did not respond to the case and eBay had to step in. If you responded to the case once you have the tracking information and can show delivery you can try appealing the case.