Refund for Item Not Delivered

[ksellerk]

Hello,

Wondering what is my best move in this scenario. It’s been about 13 days (5 of which have been weekends/holiday) since I shipped an item out (a watch) and the buyer opened a refund request for item not delivered. Is it best to refund or respond to the request with the tracking that still shows the item in transit?

I feel like it still might show up and it’s just taking a while. It’s about $150 item so it would sting a bit if the buyer ended up with a refund and the item and I take the loss. I opened a missing mail search 2 days ago since that’s when the buyer first reached out. If the refund is granted, I would need to adjust the missing mail search to return the item to me instead of the buyer (if it’s ever found). I tried to convince the buyer to wait for the missing mail request to be answered, but they went ahead and submitted the refund request.

Side note, I realized the other 3 watches I sold are still in transit even after a week after shipping (different ship dates to different buyers). I saw a random forum mentioning that usps might take items with lithium batteries aside and it might lead to longer shipping times. Not sure how true it was, but it was just a thought of what might be happening since I’ve shipped a handful of other orders that have already been delivered. It’s just the watches that are taking a while…

thanks!

[ckimodog]

@ksellerk 

You may want to contact the seller and explain to them that the item is still on its way.  Several weeks ago we had a lot bad weather across the country which put USPS behind.  My neighborhood had no delivery for 4 days.  Just communicate with your buyer and ask them to please just be patient and hopefully the order will show up soon.  Hang in there.

Happy Selling

[mtgraves7984]

Is it best to refund or respond to the request with the tracking that still shows the item in transit?

@ksellerk 

I choose your option #2. As a matter of fact, I'd recommend that you add the tracking to the claim now. Good luck.

[caldreamer]

Because buyer opened "did not receive item" case you must provide tracking# proving item was delivered.   If you ignore case and don't respond with proof of delivery by EBAY deadline (believe 3 days) EBAY will automatically take your money and refund customer (and allow customer to keep item if it arrives at a later date).   Also, you will get a defect on your account for not responding to "did not receive item" case.

I think this is a flaw in the EBAY system because there is no way to get money from customer if item delivered after refund was given.  Only thing you can do and ask customer to "promise to repay you" through Paypal if item is delivered after refund is given.

[cstpos]

@ksellerk  I read that USPS will only ship items with lithium batteries via ground shipping - no airplanes. I'm not sure how long ago that was started. I would open a Return to Sender or file a claim with the USPS if the buyer has already opened a case on ebay for a refund. If you don't refund i the time specified, ebay will issue the refund and the buyer gets to keep the item.

Did you calculate your handling time and estimated shipping time to see if the item is really late, or just later than expected?

If you issue the refund and the USPS still delivers the item to the buyer, maybe you can file a police report

(in the buyer's location) for theft ? You can also change your handling time on any other listings with lithium batteries and offer ground shipping only. I would add a note in the description letting buyers know the reason for the possibly long arrival. After they purchase, I would send a message asking them to confirm that they are aware of the shipping time and would still like to purchase. Best of luck!

[12345jamesstamps]

Just add the tracking number to the open claim. And I would send the tracking number to the buyer as well. I wouldn't refund yet.

There is an estimated date of delivery on the item you sold....how does a buyer open a claim "before" that date? Do you like have next day delivery or something? 

[moondogblues]

I just got three ACEO's First Class from New York that were mailed and postmarked Feb 1.  20 days from one coast to the other.  The mails are nuts right now, please tell your buyer to be patient.

[dbfolks166mt]

     A bit more information would have helped. You are in Savana, GA where is your buyer located and what class of shipping did you use for the item. Where does it show the package is currently sitting and how long has it been there? 

     As  ckimodog mentioned there have been a number of significant weather events across the country that were, and still are, impacting all types of transportation. EBay generally allows for delayed shipping due to weather related issues. You have 5 days to respond to the case so I would not rush in at the moment and see if the tracking shows any updates in the next few days. One thing for sure is you need to respond to the INR case and as others already mentioned upload the most current tracking form the USPS site no from eBay. Those get out of sync on occasion. 

     In three days open an insurance claim with USPS for the lost item, they tend to respond to those pretty quickly. Unfortunately unless you added extra insurance for priority mail and ground advantage the maximum overage is $100, USPS will also refund the postage cost if they cannot locate the item. 

     USPS is having some difficulties I just filed my 3rd insurance claim with USPS in the last six months and these were not small packages or envelopes they were rather large boxes.