Missing package

[rover39]

I recently shipped a package that buyer claimed to have not received. Despite having confirmation from the post office of delivery, eBay refunded the buyer from my account. Very frustrating particularly because I had spoken with two agents prior to their decision and was assured that this would not occur. Do I have any options?

[slati_2013]

Did you upload the tracking? That is the first thing you should do when tracking shows delivered. If you did not use tracking, there is nothing that can be done. 

[rover39]

I did enter tracking when it shipped. The post office didn’t update it but I did obtain tracking information directly from the post office confirming the date and time of the actual delivery to the buyer and provided this to the buyer and ebay

[slati_2013]

When a claim is filed, you HAVE TO upload the tracking again in the filed claim form. If you do not upload the tracking you lose. If you upload the tracking showing "Delivered" eBay rules in your favor. 

[duffy4444]

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@rover39 wrote:

I recently shipped a package that buyer claimed to have not received. Despite having confirmation from the post office of delivery, eBay refunded the buyer from my account. Very frustrating particularly because I had spoken with two agents prior to their decision and was assured that this would not occur. Do I have any options?

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      The biggest option you have is to NOT "talk to" any standard eBay CS agents. They are not eBay employees, and will often tell you anything just to get you off the phone. Contact real eBay employees by using the message button at eBay For Business on Facebook. They get things done.

Cheers, Duffy

[dolcetreasures]

eBay asks for redundant info that they already have as if it’s a gotcha to the sellers. It’s really one of the most bizarre elements of using eBay and quite frankly it’s something that I feel deserves class action. 

[gurlcat]

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@rover39 wrote:

I did enter tracking when it shipped. The post office didn’t update it but I did obtain tracking information directly from the post office confirming the date and time of the actual delivery to the buyer and provided this to the buyer and ebay

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What you're saying doesn't make sense.  
First, when you say "I did enter tracking" --do you mean you entered it TO ebay, like you typed the number from your receipt into the blank box where Ebay asks you to provide the tracking number? 
If so, then can you show us the window that opens when you click 'View tracking' for that item?  Or if you don't know how to take a screenshot, can you tells us what scans it has received, if any?  
When you say "the post office" do you mean your local post office, like where you bought the shipping label? 
Then you say "the post office didn't update it" --what does that mean?
Then you say "but I did obtain tracking information directly from the post office" 
UGH! How could they provide that, if they never "updated" it????  And how did you show it to an Ebay employee OVER THE PHONE?  How did you show it to the buyer? 
Please be more specific with what kinds of things you see on screens or whether they're paper, or whatever.   

[rover39]

Sorry I was not clear. The item was taken to the post office where a label was generated and a tracking number provided. This number was entered into the eBay system for the buyer to have. When checking the package’s movement through eBay’s system it shows the post office’s receipt  at my local post office but no movement beyond that. When I spoke with the Postmaster at my local post office they were able to generate a detailed tracking report through their system. The print out they gave me was comprehensive and showed movement at each stage of its transport. It showed the date and time of delivery to the buyer and  the carrier’s identification when they scanned it at drop off. I sent a picture of this to the buyer and eBay confirmed that they had access to this. When I spoke with an agent they assured me case would be found in my favor as delivery was documented. Next day I received notice funds were withdrawn and buyer was refunded

[rover39]

Thank you very much

[toysaver]

I'd double check the number you entered was the actual number.  It's easy to make a mistake when the tracking number is a gazillion characters.

[stuff4divas]

@rover39   Read this ebay link and click on appeal at the end of the page>   https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/ask-ebay-step-help-sellers?id=4702

[rover39]

Thanks for the information. My frustration is tied to the fact that they had the information but evidently didn’t look at…I am going to initiate the appeal process. I appreciate your input

[gurlcat]

Thank you so much for those details -- okay now the story is crystal clear. Well, almost.  The only thing I still don't understand is why you had to go back to the post office for a printout of the actual scans including delivery that occurred.  I get that no scans showed up in the Ebay view, but did you try entering the tracking number on USPS's website, just using your own computer or phone?  Are you not aware that you can do that?  Or did you in fact do it, but that also showed no scans? 

It is VERY common to see significant differences in scan activity on ebay vs. the USPS website.  For one thing there's a "lag" of minutes to hours, from when you'll see a scan on USPS to when you see it on Ebay. And often the wording is different.  This would be the first time I have ever heard of ebay's tracking view to never catch up with any of the scans, but it wouldn't really shock me either.    I highly recommend you start an 'Informed Delivery' account on the USPS website, where you can watch tracking with much more accuracy.  I don't mean you should enter the tracking number of every item you sell, but me personally--I add one there if it starts looking sketchy on Ebay's view.  

Now, if you DID check this tracking on the USPS website but it showed no scans just like the Ebay view, and the only way you got the real story was by going to the p.o., I in particular really really REALLY need to know, because guess what? --I currently have an (unprecedented) FOUR missing package cases right now, all of which show no scans after acceptance, on either ebay or the USPS site.  If there's something going on with the USPS not showing scans that actually occurred, that would be HUGE, possibly lots of us are going through this, and your case would be a very important canary in the coal mine for us to know about.  

[dbfolks166mt]

I did enter tracking when it shipped. The post office didn’t update it but I did obtain tracking information directly from the post office confirming the date and time of the actual delivery to the buyer and provided this to the buyer and ebay

     When you say "provided it to eBay" how did you provide it? Was this the information you uploaded to the INR case the buyer opened?

[dbfolks166mt]

Sorry I was not clear. The item was taken to the post office where a label was generated and a tracking number provided. This number was entered into the eBay system for the buyer to have. When checking the package’s movement through eBay’s system it shows the post office’s receipt  at my local post office but no movement beyond that. When I spoke with the Postmaster at my local post office they were able to generate a detailed tracking report through their system. The print out they gave me was comprehensive and showed movement at each stage of its transport. It showed the date and time of delivery to the buyer and  the carrier’s identification when they scanned it at drop off. I sent a picture of this to the buyer and eBay confirmed that they had access to this. When I spoke with an agent they assured me case would be found in my favor as delivery was documented. Next day I received notice funds were withdrawn and buyer was refunded

     Just curious why you take your items to the PO and pay full retail shipping cost rather than purchasing the labels either through eBay or through some other discount postage provider like Pirate Ship. If you purchase the labels through eBay the tracking information is automatically uploaded to the order. If you use another provider like Pirate Ship or even going directly through the USPS site you can simply copy and paste the tracking number and not have to worry about typo's. 

     Of course eBay will require the full tracking history be uploaded to an INR case showing delivery despite the fact that this is information eBay already has access to but simply refuses to check and dumps it back on the seller.