Shipped item broken by USPS

[grannie1309]

I mailed a fancy resin toilet seat to my customer.  I say it was well protected and customer agrees, but was broken in several places.  this is a hard plastic item made to hold large bodies sitting on it.  Are there seller protections for the seller or do I just refund a fairly large amount of money on something I paid a lot for.  Please let me know.  a

[ebooksdiva]

If the item is broken to the point of being unusable I would refund the buyer in full.

Then write it off as a loss when you file taxes at the end of the year.

You can file a damage claim with the shipping service you used to recoup some of your losses.
There are no seller protection for items damaged in transit. 

[dhbookds]

You are going to have to refund..........however, you should have $100 insurance on the item, presuming you mailed USPS.......  I would ask for pictures of the box......

[titipeo]

As a seller it is your responsibility that buyer gets its order. Having said that, was insurance purchased? Lets start with how you shipped the item, USPS priority mail has a $100 free insurance coverage, not sure on UPS or FedEx are on their particular mode of shipping. If USPS, you need to have seller present its package to his local PO while you file the claim. You do need to refund buyer, but ask for pictures so that you can use for your carrier claim. 

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Toilet seats are usually shipped to retailers in a master carton with individual cartons within that. If you shipped in one of those individual cartons, it may not have been adequately packed, no matter what you padded it with.

There is no seller protection for you beyond the amount of insurance which was included in your shipping cost or any extra you paid for.

YOU are responsible for safe arrival. If you shipped by USPS you may have $100 worth of insurance, but if they deem your packaging to be inadequate, you have no coverage. USPS declares a lot of amateur packaging to be inadequate,

Ebay's sole role in this claim is to make sure you refund the customer.

[kensgiftshop]

Ask the buyer for a few pictures of the item and package, then refund the buyer.
Have the buyer hang on to the item and package so it can be inspected.
You file a claim with the carrier.

[bashort]

Very, very, very, very unlikely that USPS will pay a damage claim, I would not even waste the time filing.

The thing to remember is with the"new" USPS is never trust them with anything important to you. Ship it another way

[tobaccocardyahoo]

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@bashort wrote:

Very, very, very, very unlikely that USPS will pay a damage claim, I would not even waste the time filing.

The thing to remember is with the"new" USPS is never trust them with anything important to you. Ship it another way

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I'm sorry but if you pack properly, any common carrier will be acceptable in avoiding damage, other than FEDEX Ground on a bad day. And although the packaging will take a beating, FEDEX Ground shipments tend to avoid damage when packed well.

As for being reimbursed for a damage claim, USPS has always refused more claims than UPS or FEDEX but both UPS and FEDEX pay on shipments packed by professionals and and sometimes pay for amateur packing also. If you have your own UPS account and daily pickup, UPS pays with minimal delay.

I cannot remember when I last had a damage claim with USPS, but it was long ago. Since I got old and lazy, I ship few items they can break.

[angelno_15]

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@grannie1309 wrote:

I mailed a fancy resin toilet seat to my customer.  I say it was well protected and customer agrees, but was broken in several places.  this is a hard plastic item made to hold large bodies sitting on it.  Are there seller protections for the seller or do I just refund a fairly large amount of money on something I paid a lot for.  Please let me know.  a

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eBay does not reimburse sellers for claims of shipping damage. 

If they did, then they would have gone out of business long ago from fake transactions by unscrupulous sellers and their accomplices.  

[johnrj1226]

Read this about buyer  protection -

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

Sellers are responsible for having the purchased item delivered in the  same condition as  described in the listing - the seller picks the carrier and  service level, packs the item.  Can file and insurance claim with the carrier - which may require the buyer to take the item to  their local PO for inspection of damage and ALL packing and packing material as  received by the buyer.

Buyers are NOT required to take & provide to the seller any pics of the damaged item.

GL 

[toysaver]

"I say it was well protected and customer agrees"

The question is does USPS and professional shippers agree.   The listing claims it was new in open box, in the original packaging which would have been a point of purchase box not a shipping container.   Was it padded and put in another box?  

[dhbookds]

I would always file a claim..........especially if the item is pricey and had box damage......some claims ARE paid.