Package in transit and buyer requests refund

[parooka]

Sold a buyer an apple watch.  I shipped USPS next day.  For two weeks the package says that it's onto it's next destination. It's stuck. 

Buyer opens ticket through ebay requests refund.  I call USPS inquiring about location, they create a case. 

Question: If I refund the buyer, and the package ends up arriving, there is no guarantee buyer will send package back, and I will lose entire value of item.

If I don't refund the buyer, and wait until package arrives - can he leave me negative feedback?  I'm told that buyers can't leave a neg for slow or lost shipping, and yet i see negatives on profiles for this ALL THE TIME. 

I've reached out to buyer asking if he wouldn't mind waiting a few more days to see if USPS can located it.  No response .

I checked buyers profile and feedback left for others - he only buys and he's left over 10 negatives for sellers over the course of 3 years.    In two of the negatives he writes "package never arrived and seller didn't refund".   Several other neg feedbacks are about packages taking too long or not arriving in time. Seems like this is a normal occurance for him.  

What would you do?  

[reallynicestamps]

First- never tell the buyer there is a problem. Let them approach you.

However- is the shipment past the last estimated delivery date?

Has the customer complained?

 If either answer is no, just keep schtum and wait.

If he opens the case, and the shipment is past the delivery date, he gets his refund.

No case, no refund.

You could try opening a recall with USPS so he never receives it.

And yes, reminding a refunded customer that he now has his purchase and should pay up only works about half the time.

But you can use eBay Messages to solicit payment including asking (politely) for his Paypal ID so you can invoice him.

And USPS is at fault for the late delivery. You can make a Claim with them.

If you do, politely ask the buyer to cooperate with the  PO inspectors. That sometimes shakes a payment loose from the buyer.

[m60driver]

Make like The Donald and delay, delay, delay.  Post updates on tracking to both Ebay and the buyer and then wait until the last possible moment to refund, but refund you must.  Alas, we have all had items delayed in shipping, buyer gets the refund, then item shows up and buyer keeps both the item and the refund.  It is a weakness in the EBay business model to the detriment of sellers.

[parooka]

thank you. After all said and done, giving them the refund, and them potentially keeping the item...can they STILL leave you negative feedback? If so then I believe the system is broken. 

[parooka]

thank you. Yes I noticed it was delayed but didn't reach out, he initiated by filing the claim and yes it's past the expected delivery date, by about a week. 

Buyer has been non-communicative to me, so I don't really anticipate him being honest joe when he does receive the package. 

If I do just ignore the refund request, and wait for Ebay to step in and refund him (assuming the package still hasn't arrived) can he leave me a neg for ignoring his refund request immediately, or for any other reason? In the end this whole thing was out of my control, I shipped on time. 

thanks for your advice. 

[brightlightbookseller]

Ignoring requests is a very bad idea on eBay.  Not only will they refund the buyer, but you'll get a defect for letting them step in, and yes, since the case will be decided in favor of the buyer, they can absolutely still leave you a negative.  If it still shows movement on the tracking, you may be ok to simply update the case with a note that the tracking is still active, but at that long after the shipment, you may be out of luck if the buyer is able to escalate to eBay.  For something like an Apple Watch, unless it was an old model sold fairly cheaply, it's probably best to go ahead and refund but also recall the package, but you still could get a negative feedback I think.  Keep in mind it's your responsibility to get it to him within the time frame shown by the carrier, and you simply contracted out that part of the process to the carrier.  You, not the carrier, are responsible to the buyer.  The carrier is only responsible to you, which if they lose it or damage it, they should repay you, but most (all?) carriers won't pay for a late package except at best to refund the shipping cost itself (rare). You're not going to get them to pay you back if you refund, but you may also have no choice but to refund the buyer at this point.  Just try to avoid eBay stepping in.

[sextons-sweet-deals]

You just got took by a scammer!

Apple watch go to a person who loves leaving negatives. You should have checked out your profile before shipping and shipped with signature required. 

Exactly what was the USPS tracking status showing? You should have cut and pasted that in your response in the open case. 

[parooka]

I had that thought but how would the buyer be able to delay shipping from USPS? He can't open a ticket without the shipping being delayed and how could he control that?  

The tracking shows it's in one location but  "In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late" 

It's said that for like 8 days. 

[parooka]

thanks for your reply.  It's good to know all that info. It's unfortunate that I may have to eat the entire cost through literally zero fault of my own...I guess that's the reality of Ebay.  Luckily this is just a used watch and I can deal w the cost, but can't imagine selling an expensive item on here and this happening. 

[worldcoinauctions]

Usually if you open a "where's my package" request with USPS the item gets moving almost immediately, make sure you have done that.

[mam98031]

When something like this happens and the carrier is USPS, the FIRST thing you should do is go to www.usps.com and call up the tracking number.  Look at what the details of the tracking are so that you are informed BEFORE you respond to a claim or your buyer.

If you see there is an issue and the item is not yet delivered, down a little bit on the screen is an area where you can sign up to get email updates when there is ANY entry to the tracking info.  You really want to do that.  That is how you will know if the buyer gets the item AFTER you refund, if it comes to that.

The next thing to do is file a TRACE on the package.

https://usps.my.site.com/emailus/s/package-inquiry

After doing that, you then inform your buyer that you are on top of it and have filed a case with USPS.  You will keep them fully informed on any information you receive from them.

When a case is involved, make sure you have logged in the tracking number to the claim, even if you already did that in Ebay when you created the shipping label.  And keep ALL communication with your buyer within the claim.  If they write you outside the claim, respond to them, referencing their email outside of the claim, inside the claim.

As long as there is some kind of movement on the tracking every few days, the INR will remain open.  But keep an eye on everything and take care of your customer.

[kensgiftshop]

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@parooka wrote:

I had that thought but how would the buyer be able to delay shipping from USPS? He can't open a ticket without the shipping being delayed and how could he control that?  

The tracking shows it's in one location but  "In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late" 

It's said that for like 8 days. 

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Respond to the case and enter the tracking number.

If there's been a recent update on the tracking, Ebay might put the case on hold for a few days to see if anything change.

[mam98031]

@kensgiftshop 

If there is movement on the tracking within the last 7 days or so, Ebay keeps the INR open.

[slippinjimmy]

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@sextons-sweet-deals wrote:

You just got took by a scammer!

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How is this buyer a "scammer"? According to the OP the shipment is a week past the last estimated delivery date and 8 days from the last scan, how long is the buyer supposed to wait so that you won't call them a scammer?

[brightlightbookseller]

"Scammer" is a very overused word on these forums.  I agree, this doesn't sound at all like a scam.