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Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

Any suggestions on how to win or appeal a decision by eBay to rule in the Buyer's favor when the buyer is clearly lying and taking advantage of the Buyer Protection Program.  Should I contact Pay Pal and appeal that way?  I called eBay customer service and spoke to a woman who was clearly sitting somewhere in India and could care less about the unfairness of this program.

 

I sold a new linen blouse to a customer, I sent it first Class mail with tracking because that was the cheapest postage available so that I could sell a $28 dollar blouse. 

The package made it to the local post office, eBay tracking updated to Out For Delivery on May 8th.  The customer never contacted me until 18 days later on Friday  night May 26 before the Memorial Weekend Holiday.  eBay gives the Seller 4 days to resolve the issue, how convenient that the Post Office would be closed for three of those days.  The buyer can see for herself that the package was out for Delivery, but she contacts me via email and says "This shirt is taking too long, I'd like to cancel my order."  Highly suspicous, wouldn't you say.  The Post office in her town uses "third party" postal carriers, so people who are not employed by the post office deliver the mail.  This woman lives in a multi family building, with no curb service mail, no post office box at her front door, but instead receives her mail in a room with all the building's tenants locked mail boxes.  What are the chances that she didn't receive her package?  I'd say it is about zero.  Well I called her post office, opened a postal investigation, and asked that the package be redelivered if they happened to have it.  Of course they didn't it and would not update the package as delivered in the tracking.

 

Clearly this woman knew she was taking advantage.  She even said she'd been through this before.  Ebay only requires that the seller provide tracking, the post office doesn't even provide delivery confirmation any longer, and even with Priority Mail, the carrier can fail to scan it at the time of delivery and you have no proof.  So the only option is to have added signature confirmation where the Post Office attempts to deliver three times, and then it goes back to the post office and then back to the seller.  What buyer is willing to pay extra postage for that?  How are sellers supposed to make sales if they charge extra postage or raise the prices to cover it, and buyers can just fail to sign for the package and you get it returned and have to pay for returned shipping.

Seriously, what exactly protects Sellers in eBay's Seller Protection from a buyer claiming they didn't recieve the package, except for Signature Reguired, it's a total lie on eBay's part.

 

What now?

 

Message 1 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

I suppose it's possible it was delivered without being scanned, or the PO lost it. Either way there isn't anything you can do other than keep after the post office. You have no proof the buyer actually received their item.

 

Not scanning delivery is more the exception than the rule with USPS. I've only had that happen one time. I only noticed it because I happened to click on the tracking. Luckily the buyer never noticed it, or they are honest.

Message 2 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

I doubt it was lost, the packages go into the postal carrier's truck directly from the post office.  What happened is the carrier just missed scanning the package when he put it her box.  With a multiple tennant boxes, you can see how that would easily happen as he/she is sorting the mail into the boxes.  This woman has done this before, she's a pro at it and eBay just perpetuates this kind of fraud  by making the Seller pay for it.  You would think an multi billion dollar corporation could actually stand behind the Seller Protection program for this exact thing.  

 

I just think the only thing I can do is start buying my postage directly from the USPS web site, and where allowed to put the mail in as HOLD FOR PICKUP.  That way, I don't have to pay for signature confirmation, which buyer's don't like, and the Priority Mail delivery confirmation is useless if again the carrier fails to scan the package.  It happens all the time in my neighborhood, if I wasn't honest I could get away with making sellers pay for undelivered mail about once a week.

 

Message 3 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

You would think an multi billion dollar corporation could actually stand behind the Seller Protection program for this exact thing.  

 

I'm not seeing how eBay should make the buyer pay when the Post Office says it was not delivered?

 

I just think the only thing I can do is start buying my postage directly from the USPS web site, and where allowed to put the mail in as HOLD FOR PICKUP. 

 

Few buyers will like that. 

 

Lost mail is a rare event.  If it becomes an issue for you, the options are to either purchase insurance, or "self insure" by tossing a quarter in the jar every time you make a sale and pay any mishaps out of that fund.

Message 4 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails


@veryfineanddimeinc wrote:

Any suggestions on how to win or appeal a decision by eBay to rule in the Buyer's favor when the buyer is clearly lying and taking advantage of the Buyer Protection Program.  Should I contact Pay Pal and appeal that way?  I called eBay customer service and spoke to a woman who was clearly sitting somewhere in India and could care less about the unfairness of this program.

 

I sold a new linen blouse to a customer, I sent it first Class mail with tracking because that was the cheapest postage available so that I could sell a $28 dollar blouse. 

The package made it to the local post office, eBay tracking updated to Out For Delivery on May 8th.  The customer never contacted me until 18 days later on Friday  night May 26 before the Memorial Weekend Holiday.  eBay gives the Seller 4 days to resolve the issue, how convenient that the Post Office would be closed for three of those days.  The buyer can see for herself that the package was out for Delivery, but she contacts me via email and says "This shirt is taking too long, I'd like to cancel my order."  Highly suspicous, wouldn't you say.  The Post office in her town uses "third party" postal carriers, so people who are not employed by the post office deliver the mail.  This woman lives in a multi family building, with no curb service mail, no post office box at her front door, but instead receives her mail in a room with all the building's tenants locked mail boxes.  What are the chances that she didn't receive her package?  I'd say it is about zero.  Well I called her post office, opened a postal investigation, and asked that the package be redelivered if they happened to have it.  Of course they didn't it and would not update the package as delivered in the tracking.

 

Clearly this woman knew she was taking advantage.  She even said she'd been through this before.  Ebay only requires that the seller provide tracking, the post office doesn't even provide delivery confirmation any longer, and even with Priority Mail, the carrier can fail to scan it at the time of delivery and you have no proof.  So the only option is to have added signature confirmation where the Post Office attempts to deliver three times, and then it goes back to the post office and then back to the seller.  What buyer is willing to pay extra postage for that?  How are sellers supposed to make sales if they charge extra postage or raise the prices to cover it, and buyers can just fail to sign for the package and you get it returned and have to pay for returned shipping.

Seriously, what exactly protects Sellers in eBay's Seller Protection from a buyer claiming they didn't recieve the package, except for Signature Reguired, it's a total lie on eBay's part.

 

What now?

 


That's a lot of assumptions. Strange that every one of them assumes the buyer is a criminal.

 

Packages get lost, even when they're "out for delivery". You have no proof that the buyer received the item, and you have no grounds for accusing them of anything.

Message 5 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

@veryfineanddimeinc - this happened to me yrs back, although my buyer did not contact me one way or another.  Without the pkg showing it was delivered, I would have had to refund the buyer.  I filed a Complaint with USPS and the situation was resolved.  PM me if you want details.

Message 6 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

@postingid2017 I would like details of how it was resolved and what you did to resolve it with eBay or USPS. Thanks
Message 7 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

Thanks for your non help
Message 8 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

Some of us have critical thinking skills.
Message 9 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

Some of us have critical thinking skills.

 

Some are just paranoid.  USPS says it's not delivered.  No matter how critical one's thinking skills are, why would he think the buyer should pay?

Message 10 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

How about you comment on eBay's fake Seller Protection program.
Message 11 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails


@veryfineanddimeinc wrote:
Some of us have critical thinking skills.

Yet somehow disregard eBay's requirement for proof of delivery. Think harder.

Message 12 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails


@veryfineanddimeinc wrote:
How about you comment on eBay's fake Seller Protection program.

It requires proof of delivery.

 

Message 13 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

Sent a PM - let me know if you do not receive it, and I will post it here - Good Luck!

Message 14 of 18
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Re: Buyer Seller Protection Program is only Protection for the Buyer when Post Office Fails

First class doesnt have insurance up to $50 like priority mail has.  As a seller you must deliver at the end of the transaction - you get the money or the item not both not neither.  You as the seller can go to your PO and ask if/when/where the package was delivered and maybe they will look into it but unlike with Priority you wont be getting reimbursed for it.  I tailor the method to the value of the item when choosing my shipping and you might consider that yourself.  This wasnt an Ebay screwup this time - it was the PO.

Message 15 of 18
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