10-12-2017 05:39 PM
I had a cusomer buy a solid gold watch with gold coins on the band. It sold for $2500.00. He said he did not want to pay the Priority shipping and to please ship it first class. It has never arrived. Right after that, he won a one ounce gold bullion bar for $1400....same thing, then a half ounce of bullion. None of them got to him. I'm out $5,000. I think the whole thing is a scam. Anyone else have this happen?
10-12-2017 05:46 PM
Join the club over the years I've lost in excess of 10 grand dealing with international scammers...
10-12-2017 05:48 PM
10-12-2017 05:51 PM - edited 10-12-2017 05:53 PM
As above: Greece is one of the USPS eDELCON countries, meaning that there's some semblance of tracking and Delivery Confirmation reported back here. How long did you wait for tracking updates on the package before refunding? What does the tracking show now? (On First Class International, your tracking number is the Customs barcode number on the label.)
I also agree that it's either ridiculous or suspicious, or both, for a $2500 buyer to balk at the price difference between First Class and Priority. You should wonder why he was trying to be a cheapskate on shipping. (It appears that he was planning to file an Item Not Received all along.)
Please give us a bit more detail: how long ago did the package(s) go out? What does the tracking show for each one?
10-12-2017 05:51 PM
@judyjudygold wrote:I had a cusomer buy a solid gold watch with gold coins on the band. It sold for $2500.00. He said he did not want to pay the Priority shipping and to please ship it first class. It has never arrived. Right after that, he won a one ounce gold bullion bar for $1400....same thing, then a half ounce of bullion. None of them got to him. I'm out $5,000. I think the whole thing is a scam. Anyone else have this happen?
Why would you continue to sell to a person who is not receiving the items?
10-12-2017 06:17 PM
I successfully sold to a buyer in Greece last year and did receive delivery confirmation. It was a $200 item that i knew i might lose just because it was going overseas and made a choice to send it accepting the risk.
You are a seasoned, experienced seller and yet apparently did not anticipate scamming tactics. Did you insure the watch? (Gold bullion is not insurable when shipping, if i understand correctly.) What protections did you make to cover loss?
10-12-2017 06:19 PM
why in the world wouldn't you take out insurance and pay for it yourself on high $$ sales....???? Especially after losing the 1st time around?
10-12-2017 06:27 PM
@judyjudygold wrote:I had a cusomer buy a solid gold watch with gold coins on the band. It sold for $2500.00. He said he did not want to pay the Priority shipping and to please ship it first class. It has never arrived. Right after that, he won a one ounce gold bullion bar for $1400....same thing, then a half ounce of bullion. None of them got to him. I'm out $5,000. I think the whole thing is a scam. Anyone else have this happen?
No, because I would never ever send such expensive items overseas without delivery confirmation!
As you know, Priority Mail can be tracked/traced.
Did you have any kind of tracking if you didn't send it priority?
Anything? Insured?
Also, if you sent it First-Class Mail International, they have restrictions;
Can send mailpieces up to 4 lbs and up to $400 in value. Restrictions may apply.
https://www.usps.com/international/first-class-mail-international.htm
Also;
Country Conditions for Mailing — Greece
Prohibitions
Coins; traveler’s checks; platinum, gold or silver, manufactured or not...
https://pe.usps.com/text/imm/fh_015.htm#ep1389299
10-12-2017 07:43 PM
You sold a $2500 item and YOU were not willing to pony up the extra out that for secure shipping?
Then you did it again?
I would have been shipping it FedEx Express and been happy to pay it out of my pocket.
10-13-2017 03:53 AM
Greece's Customs is sloooowwww.
USPS FCPI does track, but it takes forever.
This one is PMI that just cleared customs, mailed on September 20 😞
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?tLabels=CF666891437US
And it is Pfaltzgraff dishware, nowhere near the high risk, high value stuff that you are selling.
I agree with the others, I would have just upgraded it myself for such a high-value shipment ... better to have a smaller GPM than a complete loss 😞
10-13-2017 04:08 AM
Take a look at the ELTA (Greece Post) tracking on your packages for extra information:
http://www.elta.gr/en-us/personal/tracktrace.aspx
10-13-2017 05:54 AM
"He said he did not want to pay the Priority shipping and to please ship it first class."
Your automatic response to this sort of request should be: NO!
At those dollar levels, UPS or FedEx or it doesn't ship.
10-13-2017 06:53 AM
First, I am sorry for the loss of your items and the money, very sorry 😞 In the future, never ever let the buyer dictate the shipping method as it is never ever up to the buyer to decide what which shipping method that they "want/desire," ever. For the amounts of each transaction, I would have shipped via Express and/or Priority International, or better yet, Registered Mail, with Signature Confirmation on each and shipped separately. If the buyer really wants the item(s), they will pay, if not ask them to cancel the items.
I am not sure if you could file a Mail Fraud Complaint because I am not sure of the Agreements with USPS & the Greece Postal Service.
Again, I am sorry
10-13-2017 02:02 PM
"I would have shipped via Express and/or Priority International"
Priority Int'l is like a 1/4 of step better, essentially First Class International
with a nice post office supplied box.
Express Mail maybe questionable on very high value packages. I have
had problems with FedEx in Asia. I would go with UPS. If a customer
argues, that may indicate problems ahead.
10-13-2017 02:19 PM
Gee a guy buys a solid gold watch for $2500 and then pleads that he can't afford the tracked service?
Why didn't you ship it with tracking anyway?
The tracking is a Seller Protection.
If you had the shipping set up as a tracked service and he refused to pay it, you can open an Unpaid Item Dispute.
If you had shipped tracked on your own dime, you would have won the dispute.