eBay

cgillingwater · ‎08-14-2017

A little over two weeks ago I sold a heavy antique snowglobe. It was expensive. When I saw that the person purchasing the globe had zero feedback, that made me VERY nervous. Unfortunately, I can't set my listings to prevent zero feedback buyers, so I had no choice but to move ahead with the sale.

I packaged the item carefully according to ebay and USPS guidelines. I then shipped it out via Priority mail.

16 days later the buyer contacted me and said the item had just arrived today and it was destroyed. I asked for photos of the destroyed item. She sent me a picture of the box I sent the item in which was literally wadded up into a ball and a note stuck to the box claiming the item was "shattered." She also sent me a photo of the base of the globe sticking out of the bottom of the mutilated box. None of these were a photo of the actual, broken item.

I looked up the tracking and it never says the item was delivered. I also found it odd that if an item shipped via Priority didn't get there for over two weeks that the buyer didn't contact me to ask what was going on. She said she called and was told the item sat in a warehouse in my hometown for over a week (what??)

I was writing the buyer back asking again for a photo of the actual broken globe when I thought it might be a good idea to tell her I was requesting a full investigation from USPS (without sounding like I suspected being scammed, of course). My hope was that she would realize she might get caught and drop the whole thing. But I'm not sure how to phrase that.

Now, I know so many of you out there know exactly what to do in this situation, so I figure it's probably smart to wait and get some of your wisdom before I respond to this buyer or provide her with a refund. This item was expensive and I hate losing a big chunk of money like that.

As of right now, eBay has not been notified that there is a problem.

So should I claim there will be an investigation? Just ask for photos? Not sure where to go from here.

tunicaslot · ‎08-15-2017

We're looking at a new buyer - who may not be scamming but just saw the globe - registered and bought it. They may be afraid of fooling with the package and maybe cutting themselves.

Not every buyer is a scammer and people seem to assume if there is a problem the buyer is scamming me. Things do get broken and things do get stolen.

You can ask for more pictures - but the claim may be denied anyway if you did not send it ground as you should have.

getitright1234 · ‎08-15-2017

If the snow globe was indeed shattered, I would expect the buyer to have shown pictures of the actual damaged item and the box would have an appearance of being wet. For those obvious reasons, I WOULD NOT BELIEVE THIS BUYER.

Food for Thought?

If an item is damaged in shipment by USPS, I do not understand why a seller has to pay for return shipping, the item should be dropped off to the USPS office and the post office should offer free return shipping on damaged items

OP, your buyer's story sounds fishy, you should have every right to see the actual damages of the "item". eBay would be a better sight if they required the buyer to provide photos of the actual damages before they could make a formal claim of damages. Almost nowhere on the face of this earth can a buyer claim damages: WITHOUT PROOF , EXPECT A REFUND and KEEP THE ITEM.

I would contact the post office and find out what is happening/happened with the tracking, remember, you paid for tracking by sending it Priority? The buyer claiming delivery despite the tracking not showing delivery and the package being held in a warehouse sounds fishy.

At the very least: tell the buyer, you need proof of damage of the "actual" item via clear photograph(s) of all sides: top/bottom before you can move forward with any consideration of a refund. In the meantime, do some homework and check this buyer out with other sellers to see if this "damage" stuff is a pattern. Please require the buyer to open a case with eBay before you entertain a refund and also require the buyer to return the item. It was stated by another poster for you to go to paypal and just issue a refund, I would not do that, ...............if you are forced by eBay to give a refund, you also want to have your eBay fees refunded.

Good Luck!

tunicaslot · ‎08-15-2017

Love your food for thought and on this I agree - if a machine ruined the packaging and an item is damaged - return shipping should be on them.

rolenboy01 · ‎08-15-2017

@tunicaslot wrote:
We're looking at a new buyer - who may not be scamming but just saw the globe - registered and bought it. They may be afraid of fooling with the package and maybe cutting themselves.

Not every buyer is a scammer and people seem to assume if there is a problem the buyer is scamming me. Things do get broken and things do get stolen.

You can ask for more pictures - but the claim may be denied anyway if you did not send it ground as you should have.

I honestly believe they are a scammer in this case, I don't feel the claim will be denied as low value as it is, I do feel the buyer will probably not produce the pictures because there is nothing wrong and they don't have an identical broken item to show in the place of the perfectly fine item the seller sent them.

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎08-15-2017

Ok. First things first. There is no such thing as an "antique" snow globe that has a circular "made in China" sticker on the bottom. It is not antique, it isn't even old. It is just made in the style of antique snow globes.

Now, you can play with this probably scammer buyer all you want. Go ahead, demand more pictures, see if they will send them. You frankly have nothing to lose by doing so except bad feedback if you aren't pleasant about your approach. I would ask for more pictures--specifically of the broken glass, base exposed, but I don't think you're going to get them.

The simple thing is this--you have automatic insurance with priority mail if you printed your label through ebay. Since the item was never logged as delivered, USPS has to pay out, no further questions asked. So get your money that way, and refund the "buyer" and put them on your blocked buyer list.

vintagecraze50 · ‎08-15-2017

So, she has the item and your tracking shows it was not delivered? You need to call the P.O. and get the info on the tracking. Priority mail normally reaches the customer within 4 business days MAX. If the tracking still shows the item has not been delivered there may have been a problem with the last scan that is why you should call the P.O. . The tracking might have updated after you posted as well.

starroute-us · ‎08-15-2017

What does your tracking show exactly?

What percentage where you charged on the sale price via PP? International is 1% higher.

Reshipping would explain the late delivery the buyer is claiming, that still doesn't explain the tracking issue. Unless not scanned.

Google the address you mailed to, is it a warehouse?

Ebay MBG does not covered reshipped items, however PP does. So it depends where the claim is filed.

File insuance and you can call the receiving PO to get real info concerning note claiming damage. Google phone number by zip code not the 800 CS number, call early.

Buyer should have refused delivery based on extreme damage the buyer is claiming and the insurance if you had it would be a slam dunk for coverage.

autopartspuller · ‎08-15-2017

@cgillingwater wrote:
Yes, after requesting a photo of the broken item, I was sent photos of the crumpled box around the base of the globe--the only part of the item that could not be broken. The buyer knew I wanted a photo of the broken globe, yet sent me that.

For the above poster who said to check tracking to see if it has been delivered--it HAS been delivered, but tracking does not reflect this. Also, buyer has NOT filed a claim with eBay. I found that kinda odd too.

I was thinking I'd ask for another photo and then ask buyer to save packing for USPS inspection. If the item is intact (as I strongly suspect it is) the buyer will simply not do this and my refund goes kaput.

I've heard that it's nearly impossible to get a refund from Priority since they will just claim item wasn't packaged correctly. I would ask buyer to send it back, but it cost $20+ to ship and if the item is okay, buyer woudl probably just break item before sending it back.

So, to be clear, I just need to get some more photos from the buyer and, once I can see that the item is actually broken, just refund and file a claim with Priority?

If the item is not broken, the buyer won't be able to provide me with the photo. My guess is she will say she threw it away. Could she then file an INAD case with eBay if she "threw out" the item she was supposed to return?

Since I did not see a reply to this subject I want to address it. I have NEVER had a USPS claim denied. I always submit photos of the damaged box & packing materials and the damaged item (so you will need photos of the globe damaged, which gives you a reason to insist on it) I do this online. Typically within a week, the claim is approved and the check takes about another week to come. They do NOT refund shipping costs, so you will be out those.

a_c_green · ‎08-15-2017

@cgillingwater wrote:
I looked up the tracking and it never says the item was delivered. I also found it odd that if an item shipped via Priority didn't get there for over two weeks that the buyer didn't contact me to ask what was going on. She said she called and was told the item sat in a warehouse in my hometown for over a week (what??)

This part of her story alone is nonsense. What was the last notation in tracking of your package, as seen on the USPS website? It would be helpful if you could post the tracking number; you're not giving away any state secrets by doing so.

berserkerplanet · ‎08-15-2017

>>percentage where you charged on the sale
>>price via PP? International is 1%
higher

It is now 1.5% higher.

Rate went to 4.4% a while back.

postingid2017 · ‎08-15-2017

@belleoftheprom wrote:
I don't believe snow globes are a high scam item. They will break easy if not double boxed and
care taken when packing. As Dutchess said they should be send ground.

I would ditch the email about the postal inspector
And anyone that has any sense will know that a postal inspector isn't coming out for a $30 item

Ask your buyer for better pictures. Then file your claim with usps.

Well, I guess I do not have any sense, because under a similar situation with a buyer whereas the tracking did not show as "Delivered" the Postal Inspector did indeed go to the buyers home to verify that the item was indeed "Delivered" and the amount was a bit over $30, but the Inspector did investigate. Now my item was not damaged insofar as I am aware, but they do investigate inquiries.