Buyer says item wasn’t received that shows delivered

[araveoflove]

Hi everyone!

I sold a printer to someone who is now saying they didn’t receive it although the tracking shows delivered over a week ago. They messaged me, did not open a claim, and I messaged them back like the examples I found on here to check around, ask neighbors and speak to the postal worker and if it’s still not found they will have to file a theft claim with the USPS. They messaged me that they want me to file with the USPS. I spoke to eBay and I know I’m protected since it was tracked and delivered. 

My question is if it really was stolen what are the actual steps that need to be taken for them to get a refund from either the USPS or eBay, when I called eBay he didn’t know that answer said I had to speak to the USPS.

I am not going to refund them myself it was a higher priced item and  I know it could possibly be a scam, but I would like to be educated on the process and do the right thing for the customer if it really was stolen. Thank you!

[myangelandmyprincess]

If you had insurance you can definitely file with them if that's what you would like to do.  They will likely initially deny it because it shows delivered and you will have to appeal.  

[bluelinemetalsllc]

USPS is not responsible for theft after delivery. Ebay is not responsible for theft after delivery. The seller (you) are not responsible for theft after delivery. The buyer however IS responsible for having a safe place for their deliveries to be made to. If you have already asked them to check with USPS regarding GPS location of delivery, look around their property, ask neighbors etc. the next step would be to have them file a stolen mail report with USPS and their local PD. Neither of which will replace the stolen item nor reimburse them for it. It will however notify the correct people of a crime that occurred. They can also check their homeowners of rental insurance to see if they can file a claim.

If you had USPS insurance, file a claim and win it......you were born under a lucky star. However if you had third party insurance, it's possible they would pay as long as the buyer signs an affidavit. Worth a shot I suppose. Above all else, be polite, empathetic and as helpful as possible; your customer is a victim of a crime! (probably)

[itsjustasprain]

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@araveoflove wrote:

They messaged me that they want me to file with the USPS.

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No. THEY can file with the USPS - for all the good it will do them. You need to stay as not involved as possible. I would suggest theyre better off just filing a police report for the theft. At least then maybe the cops can match it to other theft reports or even recently found stolen property. 

[myangelandmyprincess]

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@araveoflove wrote:

They messaged me that they want me to file with the USPS.

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No. THEY can file with the USPS - for all the good it will do them. You need to stay as not involved as possible. I would suggest theyre better off just filing a police report for the theft. At least then maybe the cops can match it to other theft reports or even recently found stolen property. 

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USPS requires the sender to file. 

[ed8108]

Advise your buyer to request USPS to do a GPS lookup of the actual delivery location, before doing a police report for theft.

Perhaps this mail article has been misdelivered, & hopefully it may turn up upon inquiry.

[araveoflove]

Thanks everyone! 

Yes ebay told me the seller has to be the one to file the claim so I am going to call their USPS tomorrow. I did not get insurance on it. Does the insurance even work when it was shown as delivered though? 

I hope it shows up, that sucks if it was stolen and no one will refund them but I’m not going to.

[jeannicho22]

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@araveoflove wrote:

Thanks everyone! 

Yes ebay told me the seller has to be the one to file the claim so I am going to call their USPS tomorrow. I did not get insurance on it. Does the insurance even work when it was shown as delivered though? 

I hope it shows up, that sucks if it was stolen and no one will refund them but I’m not going to.

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Interesting!!!!  Back in September I purchased a dog pen for my pending puppies.  When it didn't arrive I looked at tracking and it indicated it had been delivered.  I went to my local PO and spoke to a supervisor who indicated it had been misdelivered and to check with neighbors to see if someone had it.  He also said that since they had proof it was misdelivered, he would speak to the carrier and see if they could retrieve it.  He also stated that if they couldn't locate it, they would replace it... Yeah, I was surprised too since there was no insurance on the item.

Well, I was getting close to puppy time so I quickly ordered another which arrived the next day.  The thing was the second one wasn't scheduled to arrive for several days.  When I checked the tracking, it was the first one, the second one arrived a few days later.  I spoke to the supervisor again and he stated that the carrier was in fact able to retrieve the pen.

[itsjustasprain]

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@myangelandmyprincess wrote:

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@araveoflove wrote:

They messaged me that they want me to file with the USPS.

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No. THEY can file with the USPS - for all the good it will do them. You need to stay as not involved as possible. I would suggest theyre better off just filing a police report for the theft. At least then maybe the cops can match it to other theft reports or even recently found stolen property. 

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USPS requires the sender to file. 

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Okay but file WHAT with the USPS? The USPS is going to come right back and say it was delivered. What happens after that? I dont see what the seller is going to acheive here. The buyer might if he asks around. Maybe his carrier can figure out which house he actually dropped it at. 

[itsjustasprain]

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@araveoflove wrote:

Thanks everyone! 

Yes ebay told me the seller has to be the one to file the claim so I am going to call their USPS tomorrow. I did not get insurance on it. Does the insurance even work when it was shown as delivered though?

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If you sent it Priority then you get either $50 or $100 max insurance on it automatically - depending on your seller status. If you sent it Parcel then you would need to have bought insurance for it. I think you are right that you would have kind of a fight on your hands either way because the insurance would be more for damage or a package that disappeared before it got delivered but not after. If you didnt have insurance in the first place AND the package is showing as delivered then I would say you will have a real uphill battle there.

The buyer would have better luck making a stink in person at his PO and getting them to check their GPS data for where it was delivered.

[myangelandmyprincess]

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@myangelandmyprincess wrote:

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@araveoflove wrote:

They messaged me that they want me to file with the USPS.

---

No. THEY can file with the USPS - for all the good it will do them. You need to stay as not involved as possible. I would suggest theyre better off just filing a police report for the theft. At least then maybe the cops can match it to other theft reports or even recently found stolen property. 

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USPS requires the sender to file. 

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Okay but file WHAT with the USPS? The USPS is going to come right back and say it was delivered. What happens after that? I dont see what the seller is going to acheive here. The buyer might if he asks around. Maybe his carrier can figure out which house he actually dropped it at. 

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If there is insurance they file an insurance claim.  Yes they will likely initially deny since it shows delivered.  Then you have to appeal, the buyer signs saying they didn't get it even though it shows delivered, refund is issued.  Had to do it myself. I asked the post master why it was denied and he said they will always initially deny if it shows delivered but that an appeal can be filed.   

No insurance they file a lost package to see If it can be found

[kitschy*loot]

In Chicago I can file claims as the receiver, nobody has ever said it had to be the sender.

[sfginsider]

Once I sold an item that was delivered and the buyer said they didn’t get it. They opened an item not received but bc tracking showed it was deliveries eBay closed in my favor. FYI.

[lightlily_arts]

Unfortunately the incidence of packages that go missing after delivery is quite common.  It could be that it wasn't delivered to the correct address or it could be porch theft.  I've had a number of packages stolen from my doorstep and my mailbox. There are people who actually follow carriers to see what they drop off and brazenly walk up to steal your stuff.  You can attempt a claim with USPS which could be denied since it was delivered and then you can appeal. 

If the buyer contacts eBay they would tell the buyer to open a claim form item not received which you would have to respond to, but it will be closed in your favor once you upload the tracking information.  The buyer would have to file an appeal to see if they could get a courtesy refund from eBay.  This same scenario just happened to me on Sunday.  Even though the eBay CS knew the package was delivered they opened the claim for my buyer since he felt that he should be reimbursed by me or eBay for his lost item.  My buyer also mentioned he also lost a TV and was planning to file another claim form that lost item as well.

[monster-deals]

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@araveoflove wrote:

Hi everyone!

I sold a printer to someone who is now saying they didn’t receive it although the tracking shows delivered over a week ago. They messaged me, did not open a claim, and I messaged them back like the examples I found on here to check around, ask neighbors and speak to the postal worker and if it’s still not found they will have to file a theft claim with the USPS. They messaged me that they want me to file with the USPS. I spoke to eBay and I know I’m protected since it was tracked and delivered. 

My question is if it really was stolen what are the actual steps that need to be taken for them to get a refund from either the USPS or eBay, when I called eBay he didn’t know that answer said I had to speak to the USPS.

I am not going to refund them myself it was a higher priced item and  I know it could possibly be a scam, but I would like to be educated on the process and do the right thing for the customer if it really was stolen. Thank you!

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You take no steps.

This is for the buyer to hash out with the PO.