A return being returned to sender

[tweetystwades]

I'm not sure how to handle this. I have a buyer returning an item to me, buyer paid return shipping. 

The status is showing undeliverable, and being returned back to the buyer. So now who is responsible for paying to resend. I can't expect the buyer to pay again, and the PO will not pay. So I guess it's me. How do I send them a paid shipping label now? 

[berserkerplanet]

Why did it show undeliverable?

If the address was correct and there weren't other issues on your end (inability to obtain a signature if required, blocked receptacle, vicious dog in your yard, etc), then the PO just plain messed up and should ship it again without charge if buyer takes it to his PO and says "address is correct send it again".

If that won't work, use PayPal shipping to create a label (both the from and to addresses will be yours - just change the "Origination from" zipcode to the buyer's so that the shipping amount is calculated correctly.

https://www.paypal.com/ShipNow

[tweetystwades]

Great, thank you! I have no idea what happened, it was scanned as undeliverable as the same time stamp it was accepted at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport.  I don't know if USPS can intercept it and redeliver to me or not.  I do know calling USPS lately is a nightmare, 1 hr hold time. Not fair that I have to pay for their mistake. The customer paid the return, so now it's my turn. If I offered free returns, I would be paying twice.  Just saying.  

[posh_panda]

Is it possible that the buyer wrote your address incorrectly on the label? Do you know if they printed the label through Paypal to avoid that problem?

[tweetystwades]

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@posh_panda wrote:

Is it possible that the buyer wrote your address incorrectly on the label? Do you know if they printed the label through Paypal to avoid that problem?

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She said she printed the label, so that should not have been the problem. 

[vintagecraze50]

How about that the package is going straight back to the buyer and as far as I would think, then this item has never come back to you with proof through the tracking that the buyer still has it. I seriously doubt you would be required to refund under these circumstances. Let the buyer re send the package it was in their ballpark when they decidied to send it back and to get it to you properly. Flip the tables on this and you would most definatle be responsible if this item had not made it to her.

[vintagecraze50]

Let's assume our seller here has put the wrong address on the package to the buyer--She is then responsible. Let's assume this buyer put the wrong address on the package and it is going back to her as a result. Now who is responsible for that one. Take a few quess.

[vintagecraze50]

A 1 hr hold time is what you get from USPS website at this time. So our seller is going to wait, or should the buyer call and wait to find our what happened to the package THEY sent back.

[castlemagicmemories]

If you have the right address to send it back to you, and furnished that to the buyer, then it is not your fault.

Buyer then made an error and that is why it is being returned to the buyer.  That is not your fault, so yes, the buyer would pay the return shipping again.

Buyer may just decide to keep it.  Wait and see what happens.  If they want to send it back, since they paid to send it to you the first time, they will know they have to pay to send it back a second time.  

[berserkerplanet]

Others has chimed in here, with the general sentiment that the buyer is responsible, but what I was getting at is that at least for me in the past when it happened (and for another seller on the boards here in another thread when we recently briefly discussed it), when you have the right address on the package, and USPS screws it up somehow (substitute carrier on your route that can't figure out how to deliver it to you because lazy or stupid, etc), if the buyer were to take it back to his/her post office and tell them that they checked with you and the address is correct and deliverable, the PO will reship it for free.

At least that's how it worked a few years ago the last time I did it (and that one got delivered to my buyer just fine the second time).

USPS makes mistakes, PO clerks know it, and in my experience they will make it right. You just need to get on the same page as your buyer, make sure the package was addressed correctly which puts the fault in USPS's lap, and that gives all the ammunition your buyer needs to go to their PO and get them to ship it again.

[tweetystwades]

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@berserkerplanet wrote:
Others has chimed in here, with the general sentiment that the buyer is responsible, but what I was getting at is that at least for me in the past when it happened (and for another seller on the boards here in another thread when we recently briefly discussed it), when you have the right address on the package, and USPS screws it up somehow (substitute carrier on your route that can't figure out how to deliver it to you because lazy or stupid, etc), if the buyer were to take it back to his/her post office and tell them that they checked with you and the address is correct and deliverable, the PO will reship it for free.

At least that's how it worked a few years ago the last time I did it (and that one got delivered to my buyer just fine the second time).

USPS makes mistakes, PO clerks know it, and in my experience they will make it right. You just need to get on the same page as your buyer, make sure the package was addressed correctly which puts the fault in USPS's lap, and that gives all the ammunition your buyer needs to go to their PO and get them to ship it again.

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Thank you, I appreciate the extra input.  I called USPS (on hold 1hr 10min to speak to someone), she said it appears the buyer did not pay for postage at all. The buyer said she printed a label. If she didn't pay for it, how did she get a tracking number. They told me someone at USPS in my area would call me back with more details. In the mean time I drilled the buyer for more info, where did she print the label from, how did she pay and how did she ship it.  I don't know who screwed up at this point, the buyer or USPS. I do know I wasted 1hr & 1/2 on the phone this morning. Ridiculous!!!  

[berserkerplanet]

You shouldn't have to be doing all that. Customer service only goes so far.

Was it an eBay buyer remorse return buyer paid issued label? Or did the buyer do something else unknown (which is what you are trying to puzzle out)?

If it's a first class pkg return, you might want to just pay for a PayPal label, print it to PDF, and email it to her to get it over with.

Interested to see what the buyer has to say (it's always educational to get a glimpse into "alternative" thought processes if that is the the case here. 🙂

[missjen831]

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@tweetystwades wrote:

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@berserkerplanet wrote:
Others has chimed in here, with the general sentiment that the buyer is responsible, but what I was getting at is that at least for me in the past when it happened (and for another seller on the boards here in another thread when we recently briefly discussed it), when you have the right address on the package, and USPS screws it up somehow (substitute carrier on your route that can't figure out how to deliver it to you because lazy or stupid, etc), if the buyer were to take it back to his/her post office and tell them that they checked with you and the address is correct and deliverable, the PO will reship it for free.

At least that's how it worked a few years ago the last time I did it (and that one got delivered to my buyer just fine the second time).

USPS makes mistakes, PO clerks know it, and in my experience they will make it right. You just need to get on the same page as your buyer, make sure the package was addressed correctly which puts the fault in USPS's lap, and that gives all the ammunition your buyer needs to go to their PO and get them to ship it again.

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Thank you, I appreciate the extra input.  I called USPS (on hold 1hr 10min to speak to someone), she said it appears the buyer did not pay for postage at all. The buyer said she printed a label. If she didn't pay for it, how did she get a tracking number. They told me someone at USPS in my area would call me back with more details. In the mean time I drilled the buyer for more info, where did she print the label from, how did she pay and how did she ship it.  I don't know who screwed up at this point, the buyer or USPS. I do know I wasted 1hr & 1/2 on the phone this morning. Ridiculous!!!  

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Sounds to me like the buyer used an ebay return service label and it landed in the hands of a clueless USPS worker who doesn't know how those labels work.....wouldn't be the first time this has happened.

[tweetystwades]

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@berserkerplanet wrote:
You shouldn't have to be doing all that. Customer service only goes so far.

Was it an eBay buyer remorse return buyer paid issued label? Or did the buyer do something else unknown (which is what you are trying to puzzle out)?

If it's a first class pkg return, you might want to just pay for a PayPal label, print it to PDF, and email it to her to get it over with.

Interested to see what the buyer has to say (it's always educational to get a glimpse into "alternative" thought processes if that is the the case here. 🙂

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Yep, remorse return. She admitted she was new to ebay, but told me she printed the label. I didn't ask any other questions because I thought she followed protocol. It will be interesting to find out what actually happened. Still waiting for CB from USPS. I'll update when I find out. 

[tweetystwades]

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@missjen831 wrote:

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@tweetystwades wrote:

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@berserkerplanet wrote:
Others has chimed in here, with the general sentiment that the buyer is responsible, but what I was getting at is that at least for me in the past when it happened (and for another seller on the boards here in another thread when we recently briefly discussed it), when you have the right address on the package, and USPS screws it up somehow (substitute carrier on your route that can't figure out how to deliver it to you because lazy or stupid, etc), if the buyer were to take it back to his/her post office and tell them that they checked with you and the address is correct and deliverable, the PO will reship it for free.

At least that's how it worked a few years ago the last time I did it (and that one got delivered to my buyer just fine the second time).

USPS makes mistakes, PO clerks know it, and in my experience they will make it right. You just need to get on the same page as your buyer, make sure the package was addressed correctly which puts the fault in USPS's lap, and that gives all the ammunition your buyer needs to go to their PO and get them to ship it again.

---

Thank you, I appreciate the extra input.  I called USPS (on hold 1hr 10min to speak to someone), she said it appears the buyer did not pay for postage at all. The buyer said she printed a label. If she didn't pay for it, how did she get a tracking number. They told me someone at USPS in my area would call me back with more details. In the mean time I drilled the buyer for more info, where did she print the label from, how did she pay and how did she ship it.  I don't know who screwed up at this point, the buyer or USPS. I do know I wasted 1hr & 1/2 on the phone this morning. Ridiculous!!!  

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Sounds to me like the buyer used an ebay return service label and it landed in the hands of a clueless USPS worker who doesn't know how those labels work.....wouldn't be the first time this has happened.

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If there is nothing wrong with the label or the address, USPS better ship this back to me at no charge.