USPS item stalled in system and buyer wants refund

[goldrushfinds]

What to do. A pair of shoes was sent via USPS on July 21st. Tracking shows it made to a distribution 30 miles from me on that same day. No additional tracking info. since then. It was a Priority Mail Package (which I know is insured) and the post office told me since it was a Priority Mail Box that it is highly unlikely to be lost, but is just being rerouted. Would you refund the buyer and file a claim (pain in the you know what). What if I refund the buyer and tomorrow it shows up as delivered?

[hobbynut-nj]

From my experience, when packages are stuck I file a missing package claim on the USPS website. Almost every time I file a claim, the package seems to move toward the buyer.  I would keep your buyer informed of what you are doing including any updates and thank them for their patience. Hope this helps!

[goldrushfinds]

Thanks for the tip, I will give it a try. Hopefully the buyer is willing to hang in there a few more days.

[monica-sells]

also, make sure if it doesn't show up or start moving, that your BUYER files an INR with ebay....and then you respond to the ebay message with the tracking. This will usually buy you a few more days at least.....

in other words, follow the protocols exactly...only do what ebay tells you to do

no more, no less

if you have doubts, come to this board and ASK

[paraquip]

USPS is functioning like a bankrupt company....... they are struggling on all fronts but mostly their employee turnover at $20/hour is over the top.

These are issues you are going to have to simply deal with.

HK

[boatdog68]

Go to the USPS tracking website and you can ask to get text or email alerts for your tracking #. For some reason doing this gets stuck packages moving again. This works about 80% of the time for me. I know it sounds nuts but give it a try it can't hurt.

[gamersbaystore]

It aint lost, its just hung up. I've had packages take as long as 6 weeks to arrive this summer. If the buyer opened a case against you and the shoes are expensive, I would consider putting in a package intercept with the postal service and refunding the buyer.

That's what I do anyway. If they aren't willing to wait and want their money back, then they cant have my product either.

Besides USPS having a total meltdown and falling apart this summer, it also doesn't help that ebay constantly lies to buyers with junk estimated delivery dates that are not honored by the postal service, and which completely ignore sellers shipping policies.

You can make a sure bet ebay will never remedy this situation either. Sellers have been complaining about these issues with delivery estimates for years, they always fall on deaf ears. Your shipping policies will forever be ignored.

[dbfolks166mt]

     Where was the package headed? Kentucky is flooded and northern California is on fire. 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/eBay-to-extend-seller-protections-to-sellers-impacted-by... 

[ekmadonna]

Don't do anything except file a Missing Mail Search Request, This USUSALLY kicks the package loose. If the customer has not filed a INR claim just message him apologizing for the delay, let him know it is not your fault and reassure him that it will be arriving soon. 

  I just had a package going from RI to Pennsylvania delayed by 28 days. The buyer did open a request which I had to refund. The package arrived delivered 5 days later. The guy said he would pay me by check two times already but it has been almost 20 days and I have received nothing. 

[gamersbaystore]

Its all smoke and mirrors, ebay does nothing but lie. If they were actually out to protect sellers as they claim, they would extend the estimated delivery dates for buyers. They wont do that though, they will refund them and let them keep your product, then trash your account when they're done.

Note ebay states quote, "Extend your handling time on your listings if you expect delays." This is laughable, as ebay totally ignores handing times, they are not honored. I have 3 day handling times for most my listings, yet ebay gives buyers delivery estimates of 3 to 5 days.

I could set my handling times for 30 days and ebay will still tell buyers they're going to receive their order practically overnight.

[dbfolks166mt]

     For the most part I agree with you I have dealt with a couple of late deliveries and it is always a battle with eBay but I have prevailed in all but one instance and that was way back in the beginning of the pandemic and the nightmare of the 2020 holiday season, that package was NEVER found and USPS paid the insurance claim. I literally shutdown for about 4 months while the logistic services, and it was all of them, caught up the backlog. There were so many INR's filed during that quagmire it was unbelievable. 

     I always found it incredible that eBay thinks it is part of the logistic service, Amazon wanna be I suppose, but they have NOTHING to do with the delivery other than the GSP and things that go through the authentication centers and even then it is limited. Still they provide the buyers with the estimated delivery date when the delivery date should be what the delivery service projects and what they slip it to. Extending the handling time just irritates the buyers in this instant mindset mentality that we live in these days. 

[goldrushfinds]

Thanks, doing that this evening...

[goldrushfinds]

This is just insult to injury. I feel like I need a piling penalty to be called ASAP

[goldrushfinds]

Fire and water makes steam. There's the answer

[gamersbaystore]

I've shut down my store for weeks at a time too because of all the issues with USPS. I did back in 2020 because I had packages stuck all over the country for over a month.

As for the extended handling times, I started extending them because ebay consistently lies to buyers over and over with junk delivery estimates. Buyers wont complain when something arrives early, they will complain when it arrives late though.