Seller Protection

[mr.edwardlau]

I am a new seller and I received mixed message from eBay today. Can anyone please advise?

My Scenario: I shipped my item via USPS parcel select to the buyer and it's in transit and arriving late. My buyer is about to ask for refund and the deadline is 9/9. I filed a service request to the USPS recently and I am waiting an update from them.

1) Online chat with an eBay rep: Refund deadline could be postponed to 9/19 because I filed a research case to the USPS. If the USPS can't locate the item, I could file a claim https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm against the USPS and refund the buyer. eBay also says insurance is automatically covered by purchasing a shipping label from them.

2) Another call with eBay rep: Don't need to refund to buyer as my item is covered/protected by eBay. Since I have provided the tracking number, this is all I have to do as of now and there is not even a refund deadline. Please call eBay again for next action is needed.

My question: I wasn't aware that insurance coverage was always included in my shipping label and the cover is no limit. Is it true? If the item is still in transit without a solid date of delivery by the deadline, should I raise a package intercept request https://www.usps.com/manage/package-intercept.htm ? I read quite a few cases here and found out the worse outcome is refund + buyer will keep the item. I am thinking to cut loss as my good costs >$400.

Thanks,

Ed

[dbfolks166mt]

     There are a few details missing in your post. First which item is this, where did it ship to and what was the expected delivery date eBay provided to the seller? There are current seller protections in place for areas that have been hit by flooding. See the 23 August seller announcement. 

     What does the USPS tracking show with regards to tracking specifics? What was the last scan and where is the package currently sitting? 

     Never believe anything eBay call in customer support tells you. The support is abysmal and they will tell you what you want to hear to get you off the phone. The shipping insurance is provided by the carrier not because you purchased the label through eBay. Parcel select has no insurance coverage and even if you had sent this via a postage class such as priority mail that has insurance it is capped at $100 unless you purchase additional insurance. 

     You have to pay for a package intercept and there is no guarantee that the USPS will be able to intercept the package before it is delivered, again what is the current status of the package? Where is it according to the last scan? 

     Best course of action at this point is to try and work with the buyer as much as possible to update them on the status of the shipment and what you are doing with USPS to try and resolve the late delivery. 

[mr.edwardlau]

Hi dbfolks166mt,

It was shipped to U.S. Virgin Island and I posted a separate question on https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/Shipping-to-U-S-Virgin-Island-Duration-via-USPS/m-p/33197176#... . The original expected delivery date was 9/2. The latest scan was 8/27 in JACKSONVILLE FL NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER , I guess it was on a fleet or it was even in the hub waiting for a full loaded of container.  So far I have no idea how USPS delivers package to those islands and I think it shouldn't be air because of the lowest class I picked. I can't even tell how long it takes to transit according to my recent research. Some old news in 2021 was saying it was first sent to Puerto Rico before further arriving USVI. 

I agreed that the shipping insurance was automatically included seems odd, that's why I am checking here if anyone heard the same lie from eBay. I also understood intercept needs a fee without guarantee per my reading from some other post. The current status is "In Transit, Arriving Late".  I keep working with my buyer every other day with an update and I wilI catch him again once I hear about my service request status.

BR,

Ed

[simply-the-best-for-you]

Also, when was it mailed?  And where/when is the last scan? 

Just a warning about Parcel Select, it's very rarely used, I'm shocked that you sent a $400 item by Parcel Select.   Only PM has insurance, not any of the other services & eBay's labels don't have any insurance, that's not true at all.   Insurance comes from your carrier (or any purchased 3rd party insurance), it does NOT come from eBay. 

I would not use PS unless it was required to be sent ground.  The few times I've checked it's been within $1 of Priority.  There are special instances when it makes sense, but for a run of the mill purchase, it typically does not & is slow & a lower class, so I would stay away, since buyers are not aware of the length of time for ground delivery & buyers expect their items quickly.  Using a ground service makes no sense unless the item is prohibited to be shipped by air.    

When your buyer opens the INR case, all you need to do is upload the tracking into the case.  

If you choose to try & recall the item, be aware it's a pretty hefty fee, I think around $20, last I heard & it's not guaranteed to work.   Also, you wouldn't win an INR case then.  If you simply let them open the INR & then upload tracking into the case, you will typically win it unless there is some extenuating circumstance. 

[mr.edwardlau]

Hi  simply-the-best-for-you

It's a pair of sneakers which was mailed on 8/19. I am not a frequent seller and I used to include free shipping in my listing, that's why I used PS. PS used to run smoothly for me without a problem, yet it gives me a nightmare this time. A $20 recall bet sounds like a good try rather losing $400 in my opinion. I am trying to look any alternatives other than waiting and praying at this stage.

Ed

[dbfolks166mt]

     It has been 7 business days since the last scan which is not good but at least the tracking shows it is still in transit but arriving late. It appears your buyer has not officially filed a INR case with eBay or their CC company and you are in touch with the buyer. At this point I would see what you get back from USPS with regards to the inquiry it is obviously delayed for some reason although the USPS site does not indicate there are any issues with delivery to the VI's. 

     While you could try a package intercept it may be best to see if you can work this out with the buyer and potentially offer them some time of discount due to the delay once they receive the package. Regardless of the outcome use this as experience with regards to shipping and insurance. Also this forum is probably a better resource with regards to problems/issues that the current dial in eBay customer support. 

[gemarakop_trading]

never ship with parcel select especially to Virgin Islands. Plenty of opportunities to lose the package.You gotta pray when using priority let alone ps.

[cosmicvisitors]

Trust me. There is no such thing as "Ebay Seller Protection". 

[varebelrose]

"Just a warning about Parcel Select, it's very rarely used.."

What do you base that on? I have used PS quite often, its usually significantly cheaper than priority, depending on destination.... and I get quite a few items sent to me by PS as well.

[varebelrose]

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@mr.edwardlau wrote:

"...a pair of sneakers which was mailed on 8/19. ... rather losing $400 ..."

 Did this not go through the eBay sneaker authentication service? I thought any shoes over $100 (150?) had to go through them, and then they were responsible for final destination shipping? 

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

Tropical Storm Earl has been hovering around the Virgin Islands. Could be reason for the delay and completely out of your control.

[mr.edwardlau]

Hi varebelrose,

I thought it went through the eBay sneaker authentication service but there is no such option when I checked out.

Ed

[mr.edwardlau]

Got a reply from the USPS today.

"It is very important that you understand that Standard Post does not offer the benefit of delivery guarantee like our Express mail or estimated date as our Priority Mail service offers. Parcel Select may take from 6 or 8 weeks (sometimes more during high season and weather conditions), to arrive their destination because it travels via cargo, by sea, and not by airmail.  The 7-10 estimated delivery days does not apply for Puerto Rico or US Virgin Islands.  It only applies to contiguous USA. However, please be advised that your article does not depart immediately it arrive the cargo area.  Containers depart once they are 90% full of their capacity."

Lessons learned from the USPS and do not trust the estimated delivery date when sending something to islands.

[kensgiftshop]

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@mr.edwardlau wrote:

Got a reply from the USPS today.

"It is very important that you understand that Standard Post does not offer the benefit of delivery guarantee like our Express mail or estimated date as our Priority Mail service offers. Parcel Select may take from 6 or 8 weeks (sometimes more during high season and weather conditions), to arrive their destination because it travels via cargo, by sea, and not by airmail.  The 7-10 estimated delivery days does not apply for Puerto Rico or US Virgin Islands.  It only applies to contiguous USA. However, please be advised that your article does not depart immediately it arrive the cargo area.  Containers depart once they are 90% full of their capacity."

Lessons learned from the USPS and do not trust the estimated delivery date when sending something to islands.

---

The last time I shipped an item to Hawaii, I wasn't thinking and shipped it ground.

It was a purse the buyer wanted to use when they went on vacation a few weeks later.

They put the thing on a row boat and it took forever to get there.

Me and the buyer stayed in contact and they knew it was on the ocean somewhere, and they were patient.

They were finally able to pick it up at their PO a couple hours before they left for vacation.

[showmecurrency4u]

50  in the business and  22 years on ebay. never used this method ever.