Package Delayed "In Transit" Buyer Wants Refund

[st.cecilia93]

Hey Guys! 

Please help me! I shipped a set of books to Minnesota at the end of February via Media Mail. They were travelling just fune until 3/6 -- then it got stuck with the update "In Transit to Next Destination." It's been there for 15 days now -- and the buyer opened a INR case about 5 days ago. I've contacted USPS three times asking for updates and yesterday finally got an email back which says that It has been stalled because Media Mail is only ground transporation and, because of the weather for the last 30 days, has probably been stuck. The buyer wants a refund, but I don't know what to do! I know the books will probably end up delievered there, the weather is just postponing them. What do I do? Do I refund the buyer -- do I offer a full refund or deduct shipping costs? Do they get a free set of books that I sold? Or, do I swallow the whole thing and count the $22 shipping costs as a lost, file a "Mail Intercept" file with USPS and get charged $13.95 in addition for rerouting it back to my address? Any advice and tips would be GREATLY appreciated. I haven't ever had something like this happen before. Thanks!

[sam9876]

What is the status of the INR case?

[dtexley3]

Call CS and ask for an extension on the INR, let them know what USPS told you and if possible, get an email from USPS to use as evidence.   You should be able to get at least one extension.

[st.cecilia93]

Still “In Transit to next Facility.”

[st.cecilia93]

Before USPS responded to my inquiry, I contacted thw buyer and asked what they would like to do. I figured after 15 days the buyer was angry at not having receive their item. Then, that same day, I heard from USPS and sent them screenshots of the message from USPS about their item. Then they contacted me back asking for the refund. So I don’t know if they’re trying to get

free books or what. So confused! 

[dtexley3]

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@st.cecilia93wrote:

Before USPS responded to my inquiry, I contacted thw buyer and asked what they would like to do. I figured after 15 days the buyer was angry at not having receive their item. Then, that same day, I heard from USPS and sent them screenshots of the message from USPS about their item. Then they contacted me back asking for the refund. So I don’t know if they’re trying to get

free books or what. So confused! 

---

They could be looking for free items, or they could be tired of waiting.  CALL CS and try to get an extension based on the email from USPS.  There's no movement, but you should still be able to get at least one extension. If the item then moves in the meantime you can get another extension.  Otherwise it depends on the value of the books whether or not you want to pay for an intercept.

[dbmm-media]

you can try to stall with the refund.  unless they get delivered real soon, you will be refunding unfortunately.

depending on the costs of the books. it may be good to intercept the package then refund, that way you will at lest have your books back instead of losing both the books and the money.

[mommadukestreasurehunt]

Contact the post office of the last scan directly by phone to find out the status. I had one of these earlier after I submitted a search request with no response. I don't know what you will do with your buyer; that is your call, but to find out what's holding up your merchandise, I would advise to call direct. If you decide to have it returned to you, you can communicate that to them as well. Best of luck.

[whitehorsequest]

I worked for the post office and I will stop you at $22.00 for shipping. Is that the actual cost of media mail shipping you paid?

Because you are over weight for a single box.

first you have to understand that even though the post office says 70 lbs for a media mail box the people who have to lift it say 35 pounds.

It's best to break those orders into two boxes.

next if you did not secure the books inside the box. it's most likely it broke in shipping.

books slide around you have to wrap a few of them together tightly.

I have one seller who uses seran wrap, another who uses plastic grocery bags and another you uses butcher paper. But you have to keep the books from bashing against the box and just stuffing bubble wrap or newsprint around them doesn't do it.

If you knew the limited amount of time that postal workers have between trucks and the abuse these packages take along the way you would understand. after being sorted by the scanners they come down a long conveyor belt with three people on each side. behind them are these 6ft tall metal cages on wheels that are about 4 1/2 feet wide labeled with the trucks they will be pushed towards on the loading docks. the packages are picked up from the conveyor belt and thrown. YES thrown into the cages. You only have minutes sometimes less than an hour in total to empty these semi's, send the boxes to the scanners,  sort the boxes, fill the cages, get them to the docs and load the trucks.

a $22.00 media mail package is going to gunk up the works. and if someone can lift it and throw it into the cage..... the package will break.

once it breaks it all gets thrown into a bin and then goes off to the damage in shipment center and being media mail you will never see it again.

scanning is automatic. if it keeps saying the same thing it is because tracking has been flagged by the computer and someone is keying in transit. otherwise off the truck and back on the truck is all automatic.

file a report on the item. if it's not broken and hopefully they won't break it that should start it up again.

I always hated the lazy at the post office. even though it wasn't my job I always, on my own time before my shift, went around and collected the boxes tucked in corners and left behind bins for 'the next truck'. I usually ended up with a huge canvas cart full. then I would pull the metal carts, set them up and sort them myself then I would do the same at the end of my shift. but that big of a box could have been tucked under a conveyor belt or behind a machine to get it out of the way and forgotten.

do your best to keep the weight under/around 30 pounds per box and you shouldn't have any problems. most postal workers can lift that with one hand.

ask the buyer to call the post office as well and tell them to find out the hold up. with your claim they will have an inquiry on both sides and people will have to stop and take a look see where it ended up.

The weather would have slowed it down a day or two but not a complete stop those trucks run all day and night and the sorting centers are up and running 24/7. when one group of trucks are leaving another groups is always coming in.  IMO it's been put off to the side and forgotten. 

You have time as long as you keep responding to the buyer. Ask them to work with you and wait a little while longer. if both of you ask the post office to find the package and that doesn't get things going again within the next two days (that is all it usually takes), sadly you may have to face the fact you may never see it again.

It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

I hope this helps

blessings

[whitehorsequest]

oh btw if it ever gets stuck in the black hole of bell gardens (California) pray. just pray.
after years of customers complaining about that place back in 2016 I think it was, they arrested over 30 people for mail theft including I think it was 15 postal workers. It started working well for a while but now things are being held up and disappearing again.

[southern*sweet*tea]

Fill out a missing mail report, have the package directed back to YOU if/when it is found https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm

I've only had one severely delayed package, refunded the buyer after they dropped a neg on me out of nowhere and then filed an INR. I filed the missing package report and refunded the buyer. The package was found and sent back to me a couple of weeks later.  Relisted it for $5 more than the first time and it sold within two days lol

[retrose1]

OP, put the tracking number into the case.  Eben though ebay has the number, you have to reapply it into the case to show ebay you shipped and that it is on it's way.

Then call ebay and get a non accented CS in the US and have them look at the case and put an extension on the time limit for escalation.

Then explain that the box full of their books is waiting on a truck to go out their way, that the delay is both the weather and that Media goes by truck,  and see what the buyer says about that.

If they are just irate and want their money back and don't seem that anything will make them happy - recall the package, make sure it is on it's way back to you so you get your stuff back, and then refund and block them.  If they are unhappy and attempting to get a freebie before they get te merchandise - they will probably find something wrong with it and snad you in the hope that you do not want to spend another 20 some bucks getting it back.

[mcguire-hd]

Ebay will give the buyer a refund and you'll be SOL. 

I recently had an exhaust system (sold for $300 + $60ish shipping) that was delayed by the USPS. The buyer contacted me and I told them I'd look into it. I filed a missing mail request, let the buyer know and told them it may take awhile before I heard anything. A day and a half later they file an INR with Ebay. Ebay sides with the buyer and gives them a full refund. I couldn't provide proof of delivery since the package was still in transit. I got hosed. I was out the money and the exhaust system. 

I decided to check the tracking on it a few days later (a Monday) to see if there were any updates. Sure enough it was delivered that Saturday. I contacted the buyer about it and they said "yep, it's been delivered and is sitting on the front porch". I asked them to either pay for it (since they were fully refunded) or send it back to me. I offered to pay for return shipping too. They didn't want it and told me to have someone come pick it up. They couldn't be botheed to take it to the post office if I sent a return label. I paid $80 to have UPS pick it up and deliver the package back to me. This person also stole a mounting bracket out of the package, but that's a whole nother story that cost me even more money. They knew exactly what they were doing since they very carefully repackaged everything to make it look like the boxes weren't opened. 

Luckily 99.5% of the people I deal with are honest. Every few years I get a serious bad apple like that one that's just a pain to deal with.

Even if the item is in transit but it's past the delivery time Ebay shows, they'll refund the buyer.

[missjen831]

It’s unlikely that eBay will extend the case since it’s been 15 days since the last tracking update. You have to have recent tracking updates in order to get the case extended. 

[st.cecilia93]

Thanks for you advice. I did put the tracking in the case details. Yesterday I updated the buyer and told them what USPS told me. I even sent them screenshots of the emails. This is the message they responded with: “Okay. I have decided it's time for a refund. Thanks for trying to find the order and for being expeditious in responding to my queries. So, process the refund asap. I will still give you a good rating upon completion of the refund since you did what you could - thank you.” I’m not sure what I’m going to do. There’s been so much trouble now that I’m almost ready to just refund it and get it over with. Then maybe file an “intercept mail” case on USPS in hopes that, if ever found, it will be returned to me.