Help responding to buyer INR that I am responsible for packages stolen off her doorstep

[modulok!]

How should I respond to this buyer claiming that I (seller) am responsible for a package missing from her front steps.  3 feedback buyer has not opened a case just messaging me through Ebay.  USPS tracking states that the package was delivered to her porch/front door.  Buyer messages me saying the package was not there and what to do about it.  I messaged her back (nicely) to check with family members and neighbors, talk to her mail carrier, and also talk to her Postmaster so they can check the GPS of the delivery.  Here is her reply:

"That was a lot of writing and steps to go thru... first I don’t know anyone around here I just moved in a couple months ago ... secondly only me and my two kids live here not a household of ppl ... I don’t know my mail person personally but I’ve seen several ppl deliver b4 ... lastly I would think this was ur job not mine ... had I known my package would be left in the porch I wlda advised to just leave at post office and I would pick up ... I know what kind of area I live in which is why I’m not fina go knocking on strangers doors asking them anything ... I just spent 50 bucks on a toy from your site I expect you to resolve my issue with the post office or whomever because I have two special need kids and a job I don’t have time to do all that ... I ordered online to make my life easier not harder..."

How do I proceed?  I feel a Neg coming my way for something out of my control.

[divwido]

You could tell here to contact the post office and her homeowners or renters insurance.  and if she leave negative feedback you can call eBay and get it removed.

It's ridiculous that she is blaming you.  You did not choose her neighborhood.

[dealio_0]

Add her to your blocked sellers list and just stop responding.

[dealio_0]

Blocked buyers list, that is

[jason_incognito]

Sometimes when it looks hopeless, it's not that bad to just cut your losses. 

I would verify with the PO that the box was correctly delivered. I've had packages go missing only to be found when they check the GPS of the scan and see that it was a block off.

After I knew it was delivered I'd send a message. 

We have double checked with the post office and they verified that the item was correctly delivered.  I am sorry that the item was stolen, but unfortunately that is outside of our control.  We will be unable to refund for this item. You can file a police report and then make a claim for theft with your homeowners insurance. 

[a_c_green]

First off, don't even mention the special needs kids and all the other stuff. Just focus on the delivery, and steer her attention to her post office and away from you. "According to USPS tracking, your post office states that they delivered the item to you on [date here]. Please contact your post office or your carrier to see if they recall delivering the package, or if they might actually be holding it for you."

I know they should have left a pickup notice if that was the case, but stranger things have happened, and anything that will get her talking to them rather than you can't hurt. Repeat the same reply if she persists. It's possible that the buyer does this with all sellers, so keep your cool and respond professionally.

[Anonymous]

She is being unreasonable but do what you can to help. You will win an INR with tracking if she files.

Call her PO and ask them to check GPS. If it was delivered to a neighbor ask them to retrieve the package and deliver to her - or put a notice in her box that the package is ready for pickup.

When you get an answer from the PO let her know what they said.

Assuming the package was delivered to her address:

Tell her she can file a claim with her homeowners/renters insurance (kinda pointless with deductables but it shows her you're trying to help by offering options).

Give her the link to file a lost package report with USPS.

https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm

Give her the link to have mail held at the PO so she doesn't have to worry about future packages being stolen.

https://holdmail.usps.com/holdmail/

Suggest that she works with her mail carrier to determine a safer place for package delivery.

[southern*sweet*tea]

If she opens a case, she'll lose, so she won't be able to leave feedback.

Direct her to file a case. If she does not want to file a case, you can safely assume she's not being honest. An honest person would not hesitate to file a case, even though they may lose it.

I say this because most buyers, even those unfamiliar with the site,  would do this:

As always, just my opinion FWIW

[retrose1]

OP, your buyer is attempting to take advantage of the fact that you are a low feedback seller and naive about how things work on ebay.  They're looking to scam you out of a free item.

Here is what you do.

First block them, because you never want to deal with them again.

Next send them something like this.......

Dear buyer,

I am so sorry that you did not get your package.  According to the tracking number xxxx xxx, it was delivered to you on xxxdate.

Since you do not have it, I will have a talk with my postmaster and file a lost/stolen package report on it and they can flag your address and start an investigation.  I can also notify your local police to give a description of the item and they can put it on their stolen merchandise list.

The post office requires that you have a secure location to receive your mail and you might want to look into a PO Box until this is settled.

You

You do not want to offer to 'help', you want to let the scammer know that if they continue with their attempts to scam - they will get on outside authorities radar.  Radar that is not favorable to them, like ebay's is.  In just about every instance when I send a message like that, the buyer either goes away or quickly finds the item and goes away.

A good scammer knows that if they file an INR dispute, all a seller has to do is enter the tracking number that shows delivered into the case and send it to ebay and it's over for them.  BUT many that find the item after a case, usually find something 'wrong' with the item to keep going for the freebie.  The ones that are made aware that I know about outside authorities usually just go away.

[modulok!]

Thank you for the replies.  This is a posting id, my selling id I sold this under has about 1200 feedbacks (all positive).  It seems like this buyer is not willing to lift a finger to help solve her issue and its all my problem (though she admits to living in a bad neighborhood and therefore won't even talk to her neighbors about the package).  Her reply seems so darn scammy to me.  Not to mention the card playing (single mother with 2 kids with disabilities).  Well, it just so happens that I also have a child with disabilities but I wouldn't ever think of using that info to get what I want.  Ebay has become such a minefield lately...sad.

[livadia]

@modulok!, I've been on both ends of the scenario you describe.  Both as a buyer and seller on eBay.

In fact, just 3 weeks ago I ordered some bubble wrap, got a notice the package had been delivered, but the package was no where to be found and I was home all day the day the PO said it was "left on my front porch" so something wasn't right.

Unlike your buyer (but probably because I'm also a seller and know how things work), I didn't even bother contacting the person I bought the bubble wrap from.  I simply took the Tracking # with me the next time I went to the PO to drop off some packages, explained the problem, and asked them to check their GSP records.

There was a sub working the day of delivery, and though he's worked our route many times, he had a brain fart and dropped my package on a neighbor's front porch about a 1/2 mile away.  It took a few days to catch the neighbor at home, but between me and my postal carrier, we managed to retrieve the package just fine.   To this day, the seller is unaware that I even had a problem as I knew it wasn't the seller's fault.   

Now, had the PO not been able to locate the package or the problem was due to a less innocent mistake, then yes, I certainly would have given the seller a head's up, but that's me, and obviously, your buyer and I aren't cut from the same cloth.  😉

Your buyer can try and claim the item wasn't delivered, but if you have tracking that shows it was, she will lose.  I had a buyer one time with the same issue.  Nothing I could do about the fact the package that the PO affirmed was delivered to the address provided by the buyer had vaporized except to be business-like, polite, and point him in the direction of possible remedies -- like "talk to your carrier," "call your Postmaster," "look in the bushes," "ask your neighbors/other household members,"  and if all else fails, "see if you can make a claim on your homeowner's insurance," "file a police report," and/or "let your neighborhood or homeowner's association know."

He couldn't leave me negative feedback and I didn't earn a defect because I could show that the item had been delivered.  Much like a seller's responsibility for GSP orders ends when the package is delivered to the Pitney-Bowes depot in Erlanger, KY technically, when your package is delivered to the address on record, your obligation as a seller is done.

I don't know if your buyer is trying to scam you, doesn't understand how mail order/PO matters work, is having a bad day, or just has "entitlement complex," but while I agree with much of what other poster's have already recommended, if it were me -- simply for my own information -- *I* would want to know what USPS' GSP records show as far as where the package was left.

You should be able to call the buyer's PO and talk to the Postmaster or someone else there who can get you that info -- or as others have suggested, file a lost package/tracing request online.  

Even though it's not your problem, telling your buyer that you have gone the extra step of verifying this information on their behalf either will make you either appear like a "good guy" or if your buyer is trying to scam you, that you're not "a babe in the woods."  Both preferable, I would think, but of course, what you decide to do is totally up to you...

Good luck!

[arumugar]

For 3$ add Signature confirmation to USPS delivery.

[missjen831]

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@arumugar wrote:

For 3$ add Signature confirmation to USPS delivery.

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thats a waste of money and doesn't guarantee delivery to the right person 😉

[dtexley3]

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@arumugar wrote:

For 3$ add Signature confirmation to USPS delivery.

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ditto to what Jen said, eBay ignores Sig unless the item is over $750 and then it's required.

[c.b.]

while i definitely feel for parents (single or otherwise) with jobs and special-needs kids... i have unfortunately had that used as a big red herring by scammers a few times now (only once on ebay).  so, unless you see the woman and kids in person, or the mail carrier lets you know it's true... you will have to go into self-protection mode.