No Mail Receptacle

[bigdeals.etc]

The buyer wants me to just give it back to the mail carrier to have them try again free of charge. Will USPS agree to this? I fear that although my carrier will throw it in the mail stream for me, that there will be some other employee along the line that will just reject it and send it right back to me.

[fashunu4eeuh]

It is up to the recipient to provide a mail receptacle for safe delivery of their mail. If they don’t have a PO box to give you and have directed you to remail it, i don’t see how you can do that without paying for shipping again. Otherwise it will come back to you as it is already marked by the post office as essentially undeliverable.  I would recommend UPS or Fed Ex where a mailbox isn't necessary if they insist on reposting. Your postmaster can officially advise you if you get push back from your buyer.

[loveyourimagination49]

What’s she saying happened? Does she have a mailbox?

[lilbama911]

RE:  No Mail Receptacle

Does the buyer have a confirmed address?  Is the buyer homeless?  If the buyer doesn't have a mailbox/receptacle or a place where the mailman can actually deliver mail, and the package was returned to you, then the buyer has to pay the cost of shipping again.

You cannot give the package to the postman and request that the package be reshipped at the expense of the post office.

This transaction is problematic.  Since the buyer doesn't have a mail receptacle, why resend the item.  Refund and move on.

[slippinjimmy]

---

@bigdeals.etc wrote:

The buyer wants me to just give it back to the mail carrier to have them try again free of charge. Will USPS agree to this? I fear that although my carrier will throw it in the mail stream for me, that there will be some other employee along the line that will just reject it and send it right back to me.

---

It would be safer to hand it over "in person" maybe the Post Office or if you have a good relationship with the your carrier. I wouldn't just dump it in with the rest of your order. It might need a zero dollar label with new tracking number to avoid getting rejected in transit.

Have you actually had it returned? This could be a temporary/seasonal worker issue that could possibly be corrected if someone at the delivery po is on the ball.

[bigdeals.etc]

The buyer is pretty vague in their reply. They asked why is it taking so long, then it came back as RTS "No mail receptacle." That's all I told the buyer.

And he replies with "You can't just put it in my p.o box". Ha ha ha. I'm confused at the vagueness. Is that a question, an odd statement, or a mistyped demand? I have no idea. Any guesses anyone?

Btw, the address is a home resident address (if it matters here).

[reallynicestamps]

Did you look at the address on Google Maps view?

Did you use the extended zipcode?

I agree, when the parcel was returned the transaction ended.

You should refund the selling price but not the shipping cost which you gave to USPS, who did their duty.

[chapeau-noir]

I would think that the tracking number would no longer be valid, having not only reached its destination and been undeliverable, but then RTS - all of that would be recorded, invalidating further use. 

Your buyer needs to repay to have it shipped. I wouldn't even worry about where they live or what they do there. 

[loveyourimagination49]

It is an odd response. Perhaps English is a second language?
It could have been scanned wrong and they have no idea what you are talking about. I would verify the address and have the P.O. resend for free. If it comes back again you will have to pay the shipping.
Or you could just cancel and say forget it.

[mtgraves7984]

I try to use the last four digits, and am happy that my eBay addresses include it. If nothing else, the last four reduce the number of times a package is handled and will help minimalize 'misdelivery'. 

I'd recommend refunding the selling price (but also think NOT the shipping cost... as the seller and USPS did their duties)… and I'd be delighted to have unharmed items returned to me sell again! That transaction HAS ended with the parcel's return... relist it today, heck.

In today's eBay, it's truly not a bad problem to have...

[reallynicestamps]

Question from a foreigner:

I've seen buyers complain that they have lost disputes on apparently delivered parcels that went to the right zipcode, but not to the right address.

I understand that zipcodes can cover vast amounts of territory.  (Our Canadian postal codes are a "postal walk". My own covers a city block. Some only cover a couple of floors in a high rise. Some rural ones actually only cover a couple of "community mailboxes " and there is no home delivery).

Does adding the last four digits mean that the number of addresses covered is greatly lessened?  Down to the postal walk (area covered by a single  carrier ) or greater?

Is it safer for a seller to look up and add those four digits if the buyer did not supply them?

[chapeau-noir]

I would write the buyer first, though, and explain the situation and give them the options (refund of purchase price only, etc.) one of them not being "just put it back into the po box" - they may not understand how it works. They may wish it reshipped, but they need to pay for reshipping and provide somewhere for the package to be left securely. You're responsible for getting the package to them, but they're responsible for proper receipt.

[dhbookds]

I resent some a couple of years ago.....took them into the PO as they were marked undeliverable and asked what to do since the buyer insisted the address was ok.........  Clerk said "we'll" just send it back thru.......scratched out the undeliverable note and tossed it in to the hamper.  Said sometimes something will be blocking a mailbox or it will be down (hit by a car, presume).  They were delivered the 2nd time around. 

[chapeau-noir]

---

@reallynicestamps wrote:

Question from a foreigner:

I've seen buyers complain that they have lost disputes on apparently delivered parcels that went to the right zipcode, but not to the right address.

I understand that zipcodes can cover vast amounts of territory.  (Our Canadian postal codes are a "postal walk". My own covers a city block. Some only cover a couple of floors in a high rise. Some rural ones actually only cover a couple of "community mailboxes " and there is no home delivery).

Does adding the last four digits mean that the number of addresses covered is greatly lessened?  Down to the postal walk (area covered by a single  carrier ) or greater?

Is it safer for a seller to look up and add those four digits if the buyer did not supply them?

---

The last 4 digits of the 9 digit zip code shows a specific delivery route within an  overall delivery area, so it does break it down a lot better.  

[chapeau-noir]

---

@dhbookds wrote:

I resent some a couple of years ago.....took them into the PO as they were marked undeliverable and asked what to do since the buyer insisted the address was ok.........  Clerk said "we'll" just send it back thru.......scratched out the undeliverable note and tossed it in to the hamper.  Said sometimes something will be blocking a mailbox or it will be down (hit by a car, presume).  They were delivered the 2nd time around. 

---

Wow - ours are ruthless - we just get it thrown back onto our porch!