Buyer Gave Me Wrong Address Late, Already Shipped the item. What do I do?

[theyouthculture]

Title. 

It's my policy to send the paid items to my buyers as soon as I can, so usually that's the same or next day. 

A day or so after being sent, the buyer sends me a message saying the address is wrong, an opens a request after telling them I'd call the post office as soon as possible (which would be tomorrow). 

I understand the predicament, but aside from calling the post office tomorrow, what else can I do? I added the original tracking to the request. How does it get cleared?
I'm just worried my funds will be on hold and worse, the item will be lost too until possibly retrieved,  and not to be callous, but I was just doing what was originally right by what was given to me. 

I'm just hoping it's not some type of scam. Already messaged the buyer on what I can do, but is there anything else to get things moving in the meantime? 

Future thanks 

[greatmidwestcoin]

You can file an intercept online.  Cost $15

[ronsam-197]

What type of request did they open?

It's the buyer's responsibility to check their shipping address at payment.

[simba6]

As long as you shipped to where ebay said to, your covered. If you reroute that package your NOT covered.

[no_zero369 · Accepted solution]

@theyouthculture 

Bottom line is that the buyer is responsible to make sure the address on the order is correct.

We see numerous buyers come here and complain stating they moved and forgot to change their address in eBay.  Tough toenails.  eBay has no sympathy.  PLUS in the checkout process the address is right there and one can see it and make adjustments.

Don't fall for this "PayPal verified address" stuff.  That hasn't been a 'thing' for years.  Any address can be placed on an order.  That is how I can sit in Moscow and send a sweater to Aunt Millie in Seattle - just change the address in the order.

As OP have stated, as long as you shipped to the address in the order (no reason to think you didn't) then you are covered by eBay for an Item Not Received {INR} claim.

So this is either a scammer or an unknowledable buyer.  Scammer wants you to redirect the package, BUT when that happens, the delivery will no longer be to the address on the order and thus the buyer can file AND WIN an INR case: you lose item and money.

If it is an unknowledgable buyer, then this is on them.  Just state that per eBay policy you shipped to the address on the order.  Leave it at that and don't continue to respond.  {scammers want to keep you talking so that they can ear you down}  If you are a #$%^&*( seller, you could tell the buyer to file a Package Intercept with the USPS and have the item redirected to them.  Once buyer does that, it is assumed by eBay that item is "delivered" and you are done. 

Also, this may fall into the FF crack, where once redirected, the buyer loses MBG protections. 

[soh.maryl]

To the best of my knowledge, the USPS has always allowed a person who has moved to file a change of address report with the post office.  You might be able to do it on line now, I don't know.

You shipped to the address you saw when the buyer paid.  You were required to ship to that address.  You did nothing wrong.  

The buyer's neglect to give the correct address when paying does not make this issue your responsibility. 

[a_c_green]

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@no_zero369 wrote:

If you are a #$%^&*( seller, you could tell the buyer to file a Package Intercept with the USPS and have the item redirected to them.  Once buyer does that, it is assumed by eBay that item is "delivered" and you are done. 

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I don't think the buyer can do a Package Intercept; that's limited to the seller. What the buyer can do is file a forwarding order, and he can do that on-line via USPS.com; he doesn't need to walk into his PO. 

[donsdetour]

What kind of request did they send??

Note:  if the do use a forward addy and it is forwarded; you are not covered as a seller.

[monster-deals]

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@theyouthculture wrote:

Title. 

It's my policy to send the paid items to my buyers as soon as I can, so usually that's the same or next day. 

A day or so after being sent, the buyer sends me a message saying the address is wrong, an opens a request after telling them I'd call the post office as soon as possible (which would be tomorrow). 

I understand the predicament, but aside from calling the post office tomorrow, what else can I do? I added the original tracking to the request. How does it get cleared?
I'm just worried my funds will be on hold and worse, the item will be lost too until possibly retrieved,  and not to be callous, but I was just doing what was originally right by what was given to me. 

I'm just hoping it's not some type of scam. Already messaged the buyer on what I can do, but is there anything else to get things moving in the meantime? 

Future thanks 

---

Other than upload tracking into an INR case and BBL your buyer you don't do anything until you get the item back.

[no_zero369]

@a_c_green 

Only way I can respond due to glitches:

I suspected the same thing so went and checked....

[no_zero369]

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@donsdetour wrote:

What kind of request did they send??

Note:  if the do use a forward addy and it is forwarded; you are not covered as a seller.

---

Um, er, ah.....   Don't you mean that IF a BUYER has the package forwarded or uses the Package Intercept, that the BUYER is no longer covered by the MBG?   I think this might apply to the INR case, not sure if a buyer could still file a SNAD case?  Seems a bit grey - similar to FF, but different since it is still in USPS "system?"

[theyouthculture]

Hi guys, I'm reading your messages now. 

As an update. I sent the item and spent personal money to get it shipped to the other address. 
The request still needs to be cleared on their side for me to get my money. 

I messaged them this, and no reply. I asked ebay to step in so I can at least get my payment. Has anyone gone through something like this? 

[theyouthculture]

Hi, thanks for that.

As an update. I sent the item and spent personal money to get it shipped to the other address. 
The request still needs to be cleared on their side for me to get my money. 

Ebay says that the package was delivered twice already. I opened a case, do you think it looks good for me? 

I have no idea who this buyer is, and they had zero reputation, so being a newer buyer, and me a seller. I'm not really sure how to go about this aside from the steps I already took. 

[theyouthculture]

What is the FF crack? 

Also, because a request was open, I updated shipping details with them, and they sent the new address through the request. That has to count for something right? 

both times, the package was shown to be delivered, the first time, back to me as the address was wrong, and the second time, to the buyer's requested address. Ebay has the messages to show that. 

What do you think? 

[netwizz760]

I think if it got delivered somewhere other than back to you and eBay knows it, wash your hands of the buyer.  YOU are protected, and that is what matters.  Do NOT ever tell the buyer to do a package intercept because eBay cannot tell if you or the buyer did the intercept via USPS.  All eBay knows is you are responsible to ship it to the address the buyer provided, and an intercept may look like you did not do this regardless of who intercepts it; I honestly do not know.  It merely would show that event in the tracking details regardless of who creates an intercept, so simply do not suggest that.

You might suggest the buyer file a change of address for mail and package forwarding with his or her local post office because that probably won't reflect in the package tracking and certainly would not show as a package intercept.  It also probably would not cost the buyer anything.

At this point, the buyer cannot open an INR because it shows delivered.  It is also very hard to complain about not getting it then filing a NAD.  If the buyer files bad feedback, ask to get it removed.

The only bad thing that can probably become of this is the buyer opening an NAD and shipping you back a box of rocks or something, and I suspect that is a very rare circumstance, so simply do not think about it nor make any mention.