I guess all sellers have been through this so maybe just venting?

[udoittwo]

I sold an item and the envelope fell from the lot I was mailing. 

A little after a week, I get the "where is my item?".  I swore I mailed it but found it the next day, it fell between my car seats. I email back that I totally messed up, apologized and that it was mailed that day. It happens and let's face it, the P.O. has been very slow lately. A few days later and I get the buyer asking for a refund and saying the seller is "full of excuses" and that bothers me.

Some will say, "just add tracking".  I understand the value of tracking and eBay WILL listen to a seller that used tracking. It's $7 item and tracking starts at $5. If I add a shipping $5 fee, it will never sell so why bother listing on eBay at all?

I put in my ad as I am retired and don't drive that much that I may take an extra day or 2 to get something mailed. EBay allows a couple days to get something shipped and hopefully eBay is aware that the P.O. is actually slower. EBay should automatically issue to the buyer that asks for a refund a notification saying that refund can not be asked for until a certain # of days after the sale[2 weeks?] and to please have some patients if needed. 

? 1. I know it was mailed and I am fairly certain the buyer will receive the item plus I issued the refund to end it. Judging by the buyers comment, I probably will get NEG. feedback. We all know eBay favors the buyer but 90+% of the sellers are honest, why does eBay allow NEG. feedback in these case. The seller has done all they can and issued the refund. Neutral feedback should be the max a buyer can give IF a refund has been issued. 

? 2. Is there a time consideration here. How soon after a sale can a buyer ask for a refund?

To add just the slightest help to the seller, eBay should allow buyers to ask for refund but not have a refund issued until a certain amount of time has passed[16 days?]. 

? 3. Does eBay keep track of buyers that have asked for many refunds?  A scammer can get the item + a refund and there are some that will do that.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@udoittwo wrote: ... Is there a time consideration here. How soon after a sale can a buyer ask for a refund?

To add just the slightest help to the seller, eBay should allow buyers to ask for refund but not have a refund issued until a certain amount of time has passed[16 days?]. ...

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eBay provides an estimated delivery date for every transaction, based on factors like the type of shipping offered in the listing, the seller's shipping history, and the distance between buyer and seller.  A buyer can file a claim for "Item not received" on the day after the latest estimated delivery date.  Without tracking and a delivery scan, a seller has no protection against that claim.

For lower-value items that can be  mailed as a First Class letter or flat (AKA Large envelope), it's up to the seller whether to take the chance that they will have to issue a refund for a package that is lost or just very late.

[aeparts1]

It's a $7 item. You sell a decent amount of items. Just refund it & move on, don't worry about it. The buyer gets it for free, not a big deal, as long as you don't misplace an envelope every day.

Sometimes you just have to put mustard on it & eat it.

[kensgiftshop]

A buyer can open an Item Not Received case 1 day after the estimated delivery date.

Without tracking, it wouldn't matter how much time they give, the buyer will get a refund.

[caldreamer]

Feedback does not impact your EBAY Seller ratings (but negative feedback will deter customers).   EBAY considers "negative feedback" opinion and does NOT have to be factual.

EBAY considers not having tracking# a very big deal (this affects Top Rated status).  Also when customer "opens case" for any reason this impacts your rating negatively.

[redlinear]

If you have a tracking number, you have a few days to respond.  Wait until the last day and upload the tracking number. And ignore any messages from buyer.
If you mailed it without tracking, send a refund asap and move on.

[turtles-trading-post]

I had one of those!  After two weeks the buyer inquired and I "knew" I had mailed the order.  When I was still working I'd mail my eBay sales from work.  I found it in the bottom of my briefcase!  It had slipped down.  I let the buyer know and all was well!

Usually buyers in collectibles areas are nice and treat you like a fellow collector, as many of us  are.  But every so often you run into an idjit! 

[jameshen1]

First of all, you messed up.  Not on purpose, but you didn't mail the item in a timely manner. If you had, none of this would have happened most likely.  So don't put the blame on buyer or eBay.  We have all messed up at some point.  Just own it and move on.

The buyer bought an item, didn't receive it when they were told they would, never received any tracking or notification.  So they contacted you only to be told, don't worry I am sending it now.  Again, no tracking so they have no idea if they will receive it or not.  At this point they are frustrated and not sure if you are telling the truth or not.  So they ask for refund.  They receive a full refund, but now must start over trying to find and get the item after being out  their time and  much worry.  Doesn't sound like a positive experience to me.

[gloryglorygifts]

Looking at your items, I'm surprised that you don't use tracking. As a buyer, I wouldn't want a stamp put on something that is either rare or one-of-a-kind. I would wager a guess that people would pay for that tracking.  At least give them the option.

For this guy, just refund them and let it go. 

[luckythewinner]

If I add a shipping $5 fee, it will never sell so why bother listing on eBay at all?

Some items are simply not a good fit for eBay. There is an increased risk to selling items that are not suited to the venue.

why does eBay allow NEG. feedback in these case

Because you disappointed a buyer, and there is a risk that they will give up on eBay and never buy here again. When you disappoint a buyer, that affects the overall perception of eBay and that affects all sellers, not just you. And when a buyer leaves because you did not do your job, that affects all sellers, not just you

Is there a time consideration here. How soon after a sale can a buyer ask for a refund?

He can ask you for a refund anytime he wants. I think he can file a dispute after the estimate delivery time has passed.

Does eBay keep track of buyers that have asked for many refunds?

Yes. And if you do not have tracking, I suspect eBay will assume you are at fault and the buyer was justified.

[yuzuha]

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@udoittwo wrote:

Some will say, "just add tracking".  I understand the value of tracking and eBay WILL listen to a seller that used tracking. It's $7 item and tracking starts at $5. If I add a shipping $5 fee, it will never sell so why bother listing on eBay at all?

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I sell many, many items that are $7 or less with $5 shipping. They sell all the time.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, @udoittwo 

Love your listings. Nicely done.

First, yes—this does happen to sellers. Happened to me. Package slipped down and was under the back seats. Luckily, it was caught early as i do have tracking. (For me, too risky not to have it.) Now i count the number of mail-pieces going out and count them again at the PO counter.

Took a look at your feedback and saw the 2 negs for items lost in the mail without tracking. So this is not the first time that no tracking has cost you.

Like @luckythewinner stated upthread, some items are not a good fit for eBay. (Not everything is suitable for listing on this platform for a variety of reasons.)

There is a necessity for tracking. But it is not an absolute it must be used in every case. Postage stamp sellers come to mind. Their low cost items are often placed in an envelope and mailed without tracking. But it is a risk they assume when choosing to forgo it.

You have done the same. Yet, now, appear angry with the venue and the buyer instead of assuming the full responsibility that you accidentally created a situation that upset your customer. Now you suspect him of being a scammer?

When we as sellers make a mistake, it is up to us to make it right with the buyer ASAP. I would have immediately refunded him, apologizing profusely, and would have told them to keep the item as my apology for gloriously messing up the transaction.

To take this a step further, it is important to note that one cannot expect that an apology, a free item and a refund can undo the damage made when the seller is guilty of making a mistake. For some buyers, that may do the trick and they leave happy, but not all. 

My advice is to do whatever is necessary to placate the buyer, immediately, and then move on. Count this as the penalty for failing to meet the obligations of the transaction, knowing this was entirely your fault—not eBay’s and not the buyer’s. But things happen sometimes.

It does not change the fact that you are a long-time successful seller, dedicated, and with many glowing reviews in your feedback. Put this all behind you and continue soldiering on. Best of luck to you.

[soh.maryl]

The package was mailed late.  It's not your fault because it was an accident, but it's not the buyer's either.

The buyer can open an item not received case one day after the last estimated delivery date.

You want buyers to be unable to ask for a refund until 16 days have passed? I must have misunderstood you.

A buyer has only 30 days to request a refund as it is.  

Regardless of the fact that a refund was issued, this was still a negative experience for the buyer and usually his FB left will reflect that.  

As far as a scammer getting a refund even if he still received the item, why would a seller refund if there is intractable proof that the item was received?  

[onefootflippers]

You should be shipping all that stuff ebay standard envelope. In the past few months ebay has greatly expanded the number of categories they allow this shipping method in to the point where you should be able to find a standard envelope category for almost anything you could ship with stamps.

They haven't actually made an announcement about this expansion, I just started seeing it as an options in tons of categories about a month ago.