Buyer says item not received - am I protected?

[fenryswulf]

I was just contacted by a buyer in Chile. His message is in Spanish, but from my knowledge of Spanish and what Google Translate says, he's either claiming the package was delivered to the wrong person or it has the wrong address on it. He's asking for a refund. I printed the shipping label from eBay and tracking shows it as processed in the facility in Chile on Oct. 18 (it was shipped Sept. 5). 

Here's what he wrote: "hola, tu carta no me ha llegado y al parecer no venia destinada a mi...me contacte con correros de Chile y me comentaron que esa carta estaba destinada a otra persona.

por lo que solicito me hagas devolución del dinero"

I don't doubt that the package has some kind of problem, but I feel like I did everything I'm supposed to here. I printed the label through eBay and I used tracking. Am I covered in any way by eBay for this loss? This person bought 20 items from me and it is quite a substantial order compared to my usual. I have had to send many refunds over the years for lost mail on untracked shipments but I've never had a tracked package get lost. If I don't give him a refund I could get 20 negatives and that would kill my business. 

[pelqel]

If tracking shows "delivered", Ebay considers it delivered, and will side with you - including the removal of any potential neg fb from the buyer. If the address was incorrect, that is on the buyer.

[fenryswulf]

But what if it never gets delivered? We know I shipped it and it went to Chile and vanished. Am I out of luck? 

[7606dennis]

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@fenryswulf wrote:

But what if it never gets delivered? We know I shipped it and it went to Chile and vanished. Am I out of luck? 

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Do you have tracking that shows the item delivered or does the tracking merely end when the item reaches Chili?  If the latter, you may very well be out of luck.

[emerald1830]

I can read Spanish and what he is saying is that the item never reached him but someone else's address and he would like to know how to get his money back..

Do you have any tracking at all showing which postal area this got delivered? 

I'm not sure how the postal system is in Chile.

[ga-8370]

Check the tracking on Chile post @fenryswulf If it shows Delivered, even if the buyer provided a scam address to misdeliver the 20 items, you're covered for INR when you have eBay go see that tracking.

[fenryswulf]

Tracking shows it as in transit but the last update was Oct. 18 processed through a facility in Santiago, Chile, which is where the buyer lives. 

• Oct 18, 2019
• 11:13am

• Processed through Facility
• SANTIAGO LCAO VILLE

[7606dennis]

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@fenryswulf wrote:

Tracking shows it as in transit but the last update was Oct. 18 processed through a facility in Santiago, Chile, which is where the buyer lives. 

• Oct 18, 2019
• 11:13am

• Processed through Facility
• SANTIAGO LCAO VILLE

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So you do not have tracking showing the item delivered.  That is not very helpful to your cause and I expect that you will end up having to refund.

[oldwestgold]

I would ask the buyer to provide you proof or information as to why he or she believes the address was incorrect or that it was delivered to someone else. As far as the tracking shows, it is still in transit.