Nervous about Insured package

[antkoz44]

*UPDATE*

**tracking in the second order updated, and is en route!*

Hi all!

I’ve been selling on eBay since August and buying for a little over a year. I recently made two transactions that make me nervous 😕

The first sale was $690 - I insured the package and signature upon delivery. The tracking has the mail carrier with “No Access to Delivery Location” and they left them a Note. This was on Saturday. I have not heard back from the buyer after numerous attempts to reach them.  It was a small USPS First Class box, and the buyer has 100% positive feedback but only 4 since they joined last year. 

The second order was $300, and I insured that one (but no signature). I dropped it in one of those Blue USPS mailboxes since it was Thanksgiving Thursday - I should have just brought it in person.  Whoever picked up the mail did not scan the letter and now tracking has it as “USPS Awaiting Item.”

I’ve gotten no tracking updates since then… just praying that it arrives okay.  It was in a Bubble mailer. This buyer has 99.9%  positive feedback and sold over 740 items. 

Has anyone been on a similar situation?

thank you!

🙏 

[iamcara]

pokemon cards are not a great thing to be into - in terms of being a collector. id say the same about video games and other "nerd" hobbies in which you are collecting items. apart from say something like warhammer 40k or something like that. something that isnt cute

theft is a common occurrence for those interested in legos at an advanced age.

i think it has to do with economic racial disparity... and i really doubt even keeping your collectibles inside of a safe or some kind of military IBM casino safe will do anything at all to prevent theft (quite literally)

seen plenty of this kind of stuff, always happens to people who collect things that are meant for kids (to be consumed by children)

[tarotfindsandmore]

You can call USPS with your tracking information and let them know the parcel is showing as "awaiting item" or, and this would be a fair more productive choice at this time of year, head into the branch associated with that blue box and do the same thing in person with the clerk.  They will be able to identify the carrier responsible for that box and find out why it hasn't been scanned.

[fashunu4eeuh]

If you dropped it into a box instead of waiting in line to get a scan at the counter, you cannot prove you mailed the item if it doesn’t show up in the system. Nor can you prove it was mailed within your stated handling time, which is an eBay requirement. From now on, ensure you get an acceptance scan.

[antkoz44]

Well thank you for your stance on my hobby, but my question was about USPS/Shipping in general. I’m going to remove the part about what I’m selling, to

avoid any other comments like this one 👍 

[antkoz44]

I know that now for next time 😭

[antkoz44]

That will be my next step, thank you 

[fashunu4eeuh]

@iamcara Wrote:

”pokemon cards are not a great thing to be into - in terms of being a collector. id say the same about video games and other "nerd" hobbies in which you are collecting items. apart from say something like warhammer 40k or something like that. something that isnt cute.”

@iamcara i am not certain how helpful that statement is. Many folks from all walks of life are collectors. There are as many different collectors as genres of items, including Pokemon cards. There is nothing untoward about those who have that particular interest. 

[tarotfindsandmore]

Don't despair.  You can go into a branch and get the help you need.  In another life (I'm old) I was a mail carrier and you most assuredly can get the info you're looking for.  Each route has a regular carrier and several subs. The branch associated with your blue box will know exactly who emptied your box and the manager will leave a notice in their case letting them know that the item needs to be found.  They can also send a carrier out to check to make sure the package/envelope didn't slip behind the tub inside the box (this happens more than you'd think). 

If you do get a defect, you can contact eBay to have it removed once you have proof that the item has been delivered.  Scans get missed all of the time, even when you take things in, because there are humans in the mix.  Many items get clear to their destinations without the status ever changing from "awaiting", just to be scanned at delivery.

In the future, you may want to consider going into the branch and using the mail drop inside the post office when it's closed, rather than the blue box.  The clerks tend to be a bit better about processing mail than carriers and there is someone in there every day (including after hours and Sundays).

[onlinecentral]

The first sale was $690
Selling at that price point is risky. The federal minimum wage for 2024 is $7.25 per hour and that is 12 days pay before taxes. There are constantly discussions about sales at a similar price going wrong with a bogus return. It is best to sell more expensive items locally for cash. Make arrangements to meet in the parking lot of a police station. Go to a swap meet. That ensures that all sales are final.

and signature upon delivery.
That will not help with disputes below $750 dollars per eBay policy. Your buyer may work a day job and never be home when the letter carrier attempts to get the signature. They may become irate about having to make a trip to the Post Office to sign for the package. Did your listing description state that a signature would be required?

I have not heard back from the buyer after numerous attempts to reach them.
Are you making the assumption that the eBay Message Center and the buyer's personal email are broken and messages are not arriving? It is better to either not send a message or else send just one message. My Shipping Labels page said, "Error, insufficient address, return to sender", on October 28th. I never contacted the buyer. They never contacted me. They didn't file an Item Not Received case. The package never got another scan and never arrived back here. Apparently, the letter carrier and buyer were able to figure things out locally, in their state, without my intervention.

[dbfolks166mt]

Hi all!

I’ve been selling on eBay since August and buying for a little over a year. I recently made two transactions that make me nervous 

     At this point I would not be worried. But some general comments. 

The first sale was $690 - I insured the package and signature upon delivery. The tracking has the mail carrier with “No Access to Delivery Location” and they left them a Note. This was on Saturday. I have not heard back from the buyer after numerous attempts to reach them.  It was a small USPS First Class box, and the buyer has 100% positive feedback but only 4 since they joined last year. 

     When did you mail the package, what was the eBay projected delivery date and where is your buyer located? If they are in the northeast and one of the areas that have been buried under up to 4 feet of snow that could be the reason for "no access to delivery location" it could also be why the buyer has not responded back if they have lost power and/or internet service. This one should be of little concern since it requires signature delivery if USPS cannot deliver it at some point they will return it to you. 

The second order was $300, and I insured that one (but no signature). I dropped it in one of those Blue USPS mailboxes since it was Thanksgiving Thursday - I should have just brought it in person.  Whoever picked up the mail did not scan the letter and now tracking has it as “USPS Awaiting Item.”

I’ve gotten no tracking updates since then… just praying that it arrives okay.  It was in a Bubble mailer. This buyer has 99.9%  positive feedback and sold over 740 items. 

     Same questions as above when did you mail the package, what was the eBay projected delivery date and where is your buyer located? What class of postage was used on this item. You pretty much identified your own error and at this point I would not panic over the tracking just yet and in reality there is little you can do anyway until the package has it's first scan. 

Has anyone been on a similar situation?

thank you!

     As far as dealing with shipping delays yes I have had my share the worst was probably during the initial outbreak of COVID. As for the initial first scan yes long ago I dropped a package in a bin inside the post office. That package was never scanned, never delivered and I ended up refunding the buyer in full. Since then I have always taken the items in and had them scanned at the counter and obtained a receipt. 

[asset_liquidators]

On the first one. If the buyer doesn't pick it up the package will be returned to you.

On the second one, you can contact the post office that is responsible for that blue box and hopefully get some info. But really, all you can do is hope it gets delivered and shows a delivery scan. It really has only been 3 business days so maybe not much to worry about yet depending on the distance it needed to travel for delivery.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

It is not uncommon for a delivery attempt on a Saturday to be marked no access to location. Usually the carrier attempts delivery on Monday.

If you put a parcel into a blue USPS box, the first scan will probably not occur until the first USPS sorting center. The tracking may show as your local PO but usually the time between that scan and the sorting center scan is closer than the time you can get from one to the other.

Sometimes there is no scan for a long period of time, but it is rare to have USPS lose a package.

As for USPS insurance. It usually pays for missing packages if they have a scan, but does not pay for damage on amateur packed packages.

[rugerskick]

Your first sale, if they cant deliver after a few attempts will come back to you.  When this happens to me I message the buyer and ask them to contact their local post ofc and see if they together can iron out whatever the issue is.  Often they ask them to hold the package for pickup.  And in your case they need to sign for it as well.  So that one should be ok.

Second one, yeah always get a human to scan a package so your metrics don't get dinged and you know a person physically took it and put it in the system.  At the local post of it should be scanned, as well as being scanned at the time of delivery.  So if they do their job right, the package will receive scans.

[antkoz44]

Thank you for your insights!

First order shipped Nov 23 (mailed in person Nov 25 Monday) due Nov 29 - Dec 5

To Colorado from Florida

Second order shipped Nov 28 (dropped in box Nov 29) due Dec 3 - Dec 9 to NY from Florida

I wasn’t aware of any storms - I do t watch much news ! That could well be the issue on the first order !