Solf an item but can't find it, what to do?

[clothesnsuch]

Hello, I need some advice on what to do in this situation.  

I've recently sold an item on ebay and I began looking for the item. I spent the entire weekend looking for the item (a gold color metal vintage belt). Even after all the searching, I did not have any success in locating the item. And I have already messaged the buyer about the situation, letting them know that I will provide a full refund in the item they have already paid. The thing I'm not sure about is canceling the order before providing a refund or having the buyer open a case . Unless there's some other way to go on about this. I don't want to cancel the order yet because I'm not sure if that'll hurt me as a seller, as I've read that it could look bad for me as a seller in canceling a order after payment has been made already. 

[mybigsale]

@divwido 

Are you using eBay Custom Field (SKU) (for location ie S3/3?

If you enter S3/3 at the start of the custom field, you always have the location of the item in eBay with your item (you can use the rest of the field for your item id - I use it to enter shipping weigh and dimensions)

Another benefit is you can sort your items by Custom Field (SKU) print out the list or partial list. Use that to look at location S3/3 and check for missing/extra items using your eBay item list as reference. 

[fuzzface50]

yep, I was going to suggest to put items that are listed in a different spot like others mentioned. I have stuff all over the place waiting to be listed.  But once it does get listed the smaller stuff has it own room in my house that none of the pets are allowed in except the spouse.  Bigger items go in the one special section of the shed and other items go on a rack(labeled). 

Not always fool proof because I am human and can get distracted too but it helps alot. I did lose one item for a weekend.  something that got listed very late in the season but didn't sell to spring. Was happy it sold because it was a  pricier item but I figured it would in spring and it did. anyways according to my title ending characters it was on this one rack in the shed. went to the rack and it wasn't there, empty spot. Sold on a friday night so I had a weekend to find it.

couldn't figure out why it wasn't there. Checked the other sections, not there. then check the other shed, the toybox shed, the shop, the house. couldn't find it. Seeing I had the section marked I kept  thinking/wondering if it walked off and by who? everyone knows here to stay out of that section, those items are off limit unless asked for first. Trying to wonder who is the untrusty person here.   About ready to give up and message the buyer and give them the bad news Sunday night when my wife asked me if I was going to get the Mercedes roadster out soon because the weather is going to be great this week.

Light bulb in my head went off, I ran out up the hill to the shop, popped the trunk and there it was.  Then I remembered everything. I took note of the spot for my title, grabbed it and took it down by the house to take pictures, did my listing and seeing I was putting the car in storage for the winter just put the item in the trunk and drove up there and parked the car. When I put the car away there was a little commotion going on in the shop so I went to see what it was about and it was nothing important just the guys screwing around and went back and finish covering up the car never thinking about taking the item out of the trunk and putting it on the rack where it was labeled.  guys in the shop got me flustered and I just plainly forgot everything i was going to do. 

I sure was relieved when I did find it. Best part I didn't have to figure out who the bad guy was in my shop, it was me for not doing my job all the way.   🙂

[toomuchstuffagain35]

Take a deep breath, calm down, relax and THINK back to when you listed it and had it in your hands. What did you do with after you listed it?

Hint - it's most likely still in the first place you looked.

We've all done it - looked but didn't see.

Ask the buyer if they would give you an extra day to look for it before refunding.

[inhawaii]

What to do?

YOU FIND THE ITEM DANG IT!   😉

You've already got the answer on what you need to do.

Learn from this.  In the future be more careful.

Do inventory regularly.

Make dang sure that what you have listed you actually have in stock.

Come up with a system. 

I'll share mine with you...

I have 10 large bins numbered from "1" to "0".

You could use shelves or cabinets or whatever.

Whatever the last digit of the item number is, I put it in that bin.

So far this system has worked flawlessly.

Good luck!

[stephenmorgan]

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@mybigsale wrote:

@divwido 

Are you using eBay Custom Field (SKU) (for location ie S3/3?

If you enter S3/3 at the start of the custom field, you always have the location of the item in eBay with your item (you can use the rest of the field for your item id - I use it to enter shipping weigh and dimensions)

Another benefit is you can sort your items by Custom Field (SKU) print out the list or partial list. Use that to look at location S3/3 and check for missing/extra items using your eBay item list as reference. 

---

So if the Custom Field is used then something like Box-25 can be entered?  How would you see this information after item is listed the items.

[bashort]

We have a pretty good system of  indexing where the item is using the custom field, every item is tagged with the description, storage location and ebay number.

We still occasionally lose a item, we have had some items that I swear have entered a different dimension, they were listed and never seen again. 

[mybigsale]

Yes!

If you list orders - the custom field is there for you to see.  Custom field is never displayed for buyers to see. You can see with list items (you may need to add field in view) also - it is also visible with edit item.

Another plus - if your item ends and you choose "Sell a similar item", the custom field loads into the new item even though the eBay item number changes. If you end a "Buy it Now" item and then "Sell a similar item" and make it an auction - your "Custom Field" item location automatically carries over. 

No inventory information to lookup - the location stays inside your eBay item.

Always make "Box-25" the first part of Custom Field. That way if you do an eBay sort on custom field, everything in "Box-25" will be grouped together. Easy to Audit your boxes for extra or short items. I include Ship Weight and Dimensions in the same field. You could also include item cost or ItemID.  Easy if you just do it when you first list the item.

As the item location stays with the item - you literally don't need other paperwork or track item number and location. The only relevant item number is the item number in use when the item sold.

[stephenmorgan]

Thanks for your help.  This is really useful information.

I have about 250 boxes that contain my items.  I have my computer file structure set up with each box being its own file directory and then all pictures of a box inventory is in its own file directory. 

When listing on eBay I had been using part of the Description Field to put my box number.  I will quit doing that and use the Custom Label Field instead.  This will also allow a slight bit more information to be put in the Description Field.

Thanks

[divwido]

If you see, my shelves are numbered S3/1, S3/2, S3/3 and so on.  The only real oddity is one shelf is on an opposite wall so I named that shelf 0.  But I didn't name that stupid plastic drawer unit where I found today's sale-it's labeled now.

[mybigsale]

@stephenmorgan 

Custom label field makes it easy to keep your box number and more info if wanted. It makes it easier for me to pick the items by placing them randomly in the boxes and prefer not to keep similar items together (so no mistake of grabbing the wrong item). Easy to see what is in each box by listing items and sorting the custom field. Yes - you want to maximize the description field to make the sale!

If you sort by custom field and the field is empty you know you forget to record the location - a feature that may have helped the original poster.

[katzrul15]

@clothesnsuch 

Have you had someone other than yourself help you L👀K for the belt?

Often, if I cannot find something, I search for the email listing confirmation and see what else was listed that date.  Often, things are together for some reason.  

Murphy's law is that once you refund, you will find the item.  Have had that happen and just shipped the item for free to the Buyer with a handwritten note of apology.  Ended up with glowing FB and a nice repeat Buyer.

Things happen - sometimes it is right where it is supposed to be and you just overlook it.  See if someone else can assist in the Quest to locate the belt.

Good luck!

[the_fancy_fox]

Are there any others like it for sale on eBay? 

[johnrj1226]

Yeah me too.  Thanks.  See the person who set  me straight is nobody*s_perfect and she  is from Venus.. 

Re:  The book "Men are From Mars and Women are From Venus."  A book I read twice and still  can't figure out my "She Who Must Be Obeyed" and newer wife of 38 years..  Sometime ya' just need a little help from your eBay friends.

[divwido]

No, but I'm going to take a look at that.

[dwajoh9904]

I can't find my item on ebay from the same seller.