How do I file a claim when INR due to misdelivery?

[academic.ealim.books]

How do I file a claim and get my money back on an item that was never delivered to me because it was misdelivered?  IF I file an INR, eBay will revert to the tracking info which shows "Item delivered at mailbox."  It wasn't. 

To preemptively answer the typical questions: No one else in the household, I checked mailbox within 40-minutes of the time it was stamped as delivered, their are no porch pirates in this neighborhood and they certainly would not have been around at the time it shows delivered as it was a torrential downpour and no none of the neighbors have it.

I checked with the USPS and the GPS tracking shows that the item was scanned delivered on a different street than mine.  So the USPS messed up the delivery and isn't the seller responsible for their shipper and any errors?

I have contacted the seller and heard nothing in response.  Seem like I have already expended energy that the seller should have done?

So how do I work within the eBay system to get a refund?

[academic.ealim.books]

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@berserkerplanet wrote:

OP: Just out of curiosity - why did you tag me on this? I'm not saying it was wrong to do so i any way, just that this sort of thing isn't really my forte, and I find it curious when there are dozens of other posters more on top of returns policy and issues who are normally in the fray.

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Thank you for paging Trinton!  Much appreciated.

To answer your question - Because you are one of the knowledgeable Shipping "gods" on this forum and always friendly & helpful!  Plus you are, the one I could remember (since there are several) at the time I posted. 

Thanks again for helping to get to the bottom of this!

[automotivepartsrecyclrs]

Your post master will bring the package to you. If he/she will not ask for the post masters district manager.

[nc-daydreamer]

Glad to hear the one it was delivered to called you and you got it. 

Before you buy anything else, open PayPal and verify that the address/phone registered on that site is correct - because that is the address which prints on a seller's label and paperwork. Would not hurt to also confirm your eBay profile info either.

Happy shopping!

[muttlymob]

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@academic.ealim.books wrote:

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Would sure like to see a reference to an article or webpage where eBay states seller only has to "get close" and not actually deliver an item!  Can you help with that?

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Direct from eBay's Money Back Guarantee (which every eBay member should read in its entirety - it's your money on the line, learn the details of the protections):

Information required to prove a successful on-time delivery is all of the following:

• The tracking number provided by the shipping company uploaded to the site by the seller before the estimated delivery date;
• A delivery status of "delivered" (or equivalent in the country to which the item was delivered);
• The date of delivery;
• The recipient's address, showing at least the city/county or zip code (or international equivalent) that matches the address in the order details; and
• Signature confirmation, if an item has a total cost of $750 or more.

(emphasis is mine)

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

Note that only the city or zip code is required for tracking, not the full address.  Thus, a seller with tracking showing delivery to the buyer's city/zip fulfills eBay requirements for proof of delivery per the MBG.

[itsjustasprain]

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@muttlymob wrote:

Note that only the city or zip code is required for tracking, not the full address.  Thus, a seller with tracking showing delivery to the buyer's city/zip fulfills eBay requirements for proof of delivery per the MBG.

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Scams of high value items happen when a scam seller ships a trinket to another street address within the buyers city and Zip code. Delivery confirmation does not look at street addresses - only City and ZIP. Buyer will lose the INR dispute because the scam seller can show delivery tracking even though the buyer did not receive it.

Buyer needs to ask his post office if the package with his tracking number actually had his name and street address on it. What was the item being purchased anyway? How much money at stake here?

[muttlymob]

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@academic.ealim.books wrote:

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Second, can the USPS compel anyone to hand over a package that was misdelivered?  Seems like the USPS "gifted" my item to someone.

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Nope.  But the USPS can ask, and hope that someone at the misdelivered address is honest and returns the package.

added note:  as far as you expending energy that the seller should have done.  Contacting USPS is best done by the recipient - not the seller - because the recipient/buyer can give details about where it should have been delivered, what time mail usually comes, maybe even knows the carrier and can ask him/her directly.  It's not a hard and fast rule but it is more effective for the buyer to make contact with local PO.

[academic.ealim.books]

@Anonymous   THANK YOU for the information, however unfortunately to this chair it appears to be incomplete advice.

When I go to the resolution center and file as "Item Not Received" all that appears to do is open an email or message to the seller.  The problem with this is:

1)  I have already emailed the seller independently of this process to let the seller know I did not receive the item AND that the tracking information (GPS data) shows that the items was not delivered to me.  So far, two emails in over a week and a half and the seller has ignored those notes - NO REPLY.  So I have already done in essence what the resolution center process appears to do.

[As a side note, I did indicate to the seller that GPS data demonstrates/proves the item was mis-delivered and that the seller could verify such with the USPS . ] 

2)  There is nothing on that form that allows anything to be uploaded.  I have the complete tracking data, printed out from the USPS which shows the GPS coordinates of where the item was mis-delivered.  So there is no way to upload the "evidence" that eBay requires to provide "protection."  So I do not see how I can follow the advice of "be sure to provide the evidence of misdelivery."  

Therefore, I do not see the value in what has been suggested - filing through the Resolution Center.  As stated, the "tracking information is the primary source we use for a case decision" and therefore this direction is likely to result in immediate rejection of the claim because the tracking information indeed shows, "delivered in or at mailbox".

So it would appear that filing as suggested will result in an immediate and automatic finding in favor of the seller!  I loose!  Then what?  I have to hope that I can file an appeal to the "case closed in favor of the seller?"

Surely there has to be a better way to handle this?

Thank you for your kind attention to this matter and your patience with me as I learn the process.

[edwedw8383]

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@academic.ealim.books wrote:

2)  There is nothing on that form that allows anything to be uploaded.  I have the complete tracking data, printed out from the USPS which shows the GPS coordinates of where the item was mis-delivered.  So there is no way to upload the "evidence" that eBay requires to provide "protection."  So I do not see how I can follow the advice of "be sure to provide the evidence of misdelivery." 

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Grin. We all knew that, but we let it* lie. An INR request does not allow photos to be added; this is by design: You've not received the item, so you don't have any photos of the item. A SNAD request, however, allows up to 10 photos. So there you have it: A choice.

Prediction: You'll be advised to call; they'll read you a script, won't have a clue what you're talking about

P.S. Does the USPS printout show the package label with another name and address? That's your clincher.

*recall "it" is a gender-neutral pronoun

[academic.ealim.books]

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@charity_scents wrote:

Was it a Priority shipment, first class or parcel? If Priority then it is automatically insured up to $100. 

Have you gone online and filed a claim with USPS? Just because you were at the post office and asked for GPS doesn't mean they are investigating it or retrieving your package. 

Have you contacted the address to which the package was actually delivered? One of my UPS packages was delivered to an address on 6th Ave N instead of 6th Ave S. Thankfully the person who received it looked up my name in the phone book and called me.  

BTW, all carriers make mistakes. We are all human. 

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@charity_scents 

The item was shipped via Media Mail so I doubt there is any insurance.

There is no way I am filing a claim with the USPS.  Have you ever done that?  Weeks to get any kind of response and a resolution.  Where is the highly touted eBay "customer experience" in me having to do all of the work?

As far as my request of GPS data not getting an investigation done, er, no that happened immediately.  I sell under another ID as well and have for years, so this is not my first visit to the USPS.  I have a great relationship with them and they try very hard to be helpful.  In fact, on occasion they have called the delivery post office and made direct inquiries. 

So in this case the gent I dealt with is directly responsible for the carriers and immediately apologized because he knew he had a substitute carrier delivering that route on that day.  He knew exactly what the substitute carrier did to mess things up.  He even called the sub on the phone while I was there to try to figure out what happened to the package.  Then he called over the gent who is regularly on the route to ask him, in my presence, to look for the package and ask around while he runs the route. That was over a week ago.  I spoke with my carrier while on the route on Saturday and he had been looking/inquiring and had not found it.

As far a ringing the address where it was "delivered" goes, that won't work.  The supervisor said that this carrier parks at a known house and delivers a loop of houses from that location.  (this is SOP)    Apparently is is known that this sub has a habit of scanning everything as "delivered" while sitting in the truck at that location and then heading out on the loop and making deliveries.  Per the supervisor, the sub SHOULD be scanning as delivered while standing at the mailbox where indeed the item is delivered. 

I get that we are all human and mistakes will be made.   My concern is that in this particular "mistake situation" it appears as though I am left holding the bag.  Why should I have to eat a loss when I didn't make a mistake?  The seller is totally non-responsive to my emails and I just do not get that!  Again, where is the eBay 'buyer experience" in this? 

[academic.ealim.books]

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@automotivepartsrecyclrs wrote:
Your post master will bring the package to you. If he/she will not ask for the post masters district manager.

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@automotivepartsrecyclrs 

Ah if it were only that easy!

No, in this case I dealt directly with the gent who is also the supervisor of the carriers.  Due effort has been expended to locate the package and it can not be found. So not sure how escalating this up the food chain is going to have any different results, er, other than pizzing off those who have been most diligent & helpful in the past and in this case.

Somebody got a free "gift" from the USPS and I am left holding the bag.

[academic.ealim.books]

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@nc-daydreamer wrote:

Glad to hear the one it was delivered to called you and you got it. 

Before you buy anything else, open PayPal and verify that the address/phone registered on that site is correct - because that is the address which prints on a seller's label and paperwork. Would not hurt to also confirm your eBay profile info either.

Happy shopping!

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@nc-daydreamer 

er, um, ah... you replied to a post I made, but it looks like you were referencing OP's post?  No one called me and I have not gotten the package.

As far as the advice to open PayPal and verify the address/phone registration, um, it looks like one is operating off of "old information."  Not to worry this kind of thing crops up periodically on these boards.  The point is that some time ago eBay made a change and now whatever address you cause to be entered at checkout flows directly through to the PP system.  Unlike years ago when this was "a thing" to be concerned with or to check, it apparently has been corrected. 

SO there is no need to do any checking.  For example, recently I bought an item and sent it to a cousin for their birthday.  I entered that information into the eBay check out and that was the delivery address in PayPal!  THE HORROR! As that address that got transmitted to PP is NOT my verified or "official" address.   However, FOR THIS TRANSACTION, my cousin's address IS the "official address" as transmitted through to PP from the eBay checkout process.  So the process does work. Also several years ago I was reading this forum and saw similar advice, so I was diligent to check EVERY sale and never found a discrepancy.  Then I read where this was an old problem that had been corrected and was no longer "a thing."

It does not hurt to verify one's address with eBay, especially if there have been moves.  But whatever address one allows at eBay checkout IS the address of record for that transaction.

Hope this helps?

[academic.ealim.books]

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@muttlymob wrote:

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@academic.ealim.books wrote:

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Would sure like to see a reference to an article or webpage where eBay states seller only has to "get close" and not actually deliver an item!  Can you help with that?

---

Direct from eBay's Money Back Guarantee (which every eBay member should read in its entirety - it's your money on the line, learn the details of the protections):

Information required to prove a successful on-time delivery is all of the following:

• The tracking number provided by the shipping company uploaded to the site by the seller before the estimated delivery date;
• A delivery status of "delivered" (or equivalent in the country to which the item was delivered);
• The date of delivery;
• The recipient's address, showing at least the city/county or zip code (or international equivalent) that matches the address in the order details; and
• Signature confirmation, if an item has a total cost of $750 or more.

(emphasis is mine)

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

Note that only the city or zip code is required for tracking, not the full address.  Thus, a seller with tracking showing delivery to the buyer's city/zip fulfills eBay requirements for proof of delivery per the MBG.

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Thank you for digging this info up and posting it!  Much appreciated!

I hope this is not the end of it and as Paul Harvey would say there is a "rest of the story" as this appears to create a HUGE loophole that could be easily exploited.

[academic.ealim.books]

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@muttlymob wrote:

Note that only the city or zip code is required for tracking, not the full address.  Thus, a seller with tracking showing delivery to the buyer's city/zip fulfills eBay requirements for proof of delivery per the MBG.

---

Scams of high value items happen when a scam seller ships a trinket to another street address within the buyers city and Zip code. Delivery confirmation does not look at street addresses - only City and ZIP. Buyer will lose the INR dispute because the scam seller can show delivery tracking even though the buyer did not receive it.

Buyer needs to ask his post office if the package with his tracking number actually had his name and street address on it. What was the item being purchased anyway? How much money at stake here?

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The printout I received from the USPS for the tracking number associated with this sale does indeed should my correct address.  That said the GPS data proves it was not delivered to that address.  The way this whole thing started is that I got an email from the USPS that my item was delivered.  I was sitting next to the mailbox during a torrential downpour so went to check the mailbox and nada.

What the item was or the value is irrelevant to the key question in the original post.  That information has no bearing on the situation nor its solution.  Are you suggesting that I should be the "Insurance company" for all sellers and just "take a loss" when something goes wrong?  

[academic.ealim.books]

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@muttlymob wrote:

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@academic.ealim.books wrote:

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Second, can the USPS compel anyone to hand over a package that was misdelivered?  Seems like the USPS "gifted" my item to someone.

---

Nope.  But the USPS can ask, and hope that someone at the misdelivered address is honest and returns the package.

added note:  as far as you expending energy that the seller should have done.  Contacting USPS is best done by the recipient - not the seller - because the recipient/buyer can give details about where it should have been delivered, what time mail usually comes, maybe even knows the carrier and can ask him/her directly.  It's not a hard and fast rule but it is more effective for the buyer to make contact with local PO.

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I disagree.  What is suggested is not the kind of "customer service" that I offer to my buyers.  Plus just plain flat out ignoring emails from a customer when a problem crops up appears to fail any standard of good selling practice.

[marielovestoshop]

I am dealing with a similar problem. In my case the seller supposedly shipped with UPS. Ebay notifications show the item delivered. (it was not) When I click view order details there are two different UPS tracking numbers both show delivered and a picture of the same item for both. I only ordered one appliance item yet it shows two delivered to me. I didn't receive any. When I go to the UPS website and type in the tracking number it shows tracking number as one of 3. All 3 tracking numbers indicate items supposedly delivered to me. When I click for additional details it shows that my order was left at the front desk and received by someone with a name other than mine. My address is in a strictly residential area and I don't have a front desk in my home. When I went to the UPS store site near my home they were only able to pull up the same information stating that the item was delivered, left at the front desk and received by a person I don't know.

Also the 3 tracking numbers (showing small appliance supposedly delivered to me) all have different weights.
If I report the INR I have been told by another seller that ebay will close the case as they will look and see that it says delivered and will not investigate further. Looking at the sellers recent feedback score you can see they have received a lot of negatives in the last week or so. Most indicating the exact same scenario I have detailed. Another thing that is strange, when I click on the items that others were giving negatives for, a couple of them show delivered to me??? I didn't receive them even though it shows the items I did not order delivered to me. As far as I can tell there seems to be no way to rectify the situation. I have messaged the seller 3X times, but they have not responded.

As an ebay seller myself this concerns me a lot. This type of activity with no apparent remedy or help for buyers, can and likely will hurt legitimate ebay sellers. Especially sellers who are a fairly new and have lower feedback.