Item has arrived at the post office and is showing available for pickup

[brads_ann]

Does this mean it's been delivered or when the buyer picks it up?  Also how long does the buyer have to pick it up before the post office returns to sender?

Thanks.

[beautybylynn]

The item is at the P.o. waiting for the buyer to pick it up. They have 15 days till it is sent back and will get multiple notices.

[phcd1]

Many times the PO will do this when there is no where safe to leave the item. The buyer should pick it up shortly, although I have seen them wait until the last day. If the real question is, are you done? Most likely yes. Buyer's lose their eBay MBG rights if they refuse a package and not picking it up would fall under that.

[brads_ann]

Thanks!!

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

The tracking may not update even if the customer has already received the package. That generally means the clerk simply handed mail to the customer and didn't bother to do a delivery scan.

Keep in mind also that your buyer may have a vacation hold on mail, which can be up to 30 days.

This week, I mailed a First Class Mail package on Tuesday afternoon; it was available for pick-up on Wednesday morning. (The customer has a PO box.) USPS tracking still says "available for pick-up" -- even though my customer has already acknowledged receipt by leaving feedback.

Bottom line: If you wish, request an e-mailed tracking status update via the USPS T&C screen. Human beings field these requests to resolve exception reports. You may get a retroactive "delivered" scan if the issue is simply a missed scan.

~~C~~

[johnrj1226]

Have had that happen a few times and just sent the buyer a nice notice via eBay message that their purchase  is available for pick-up at their local PO and remind thrm they will need to have their photo ID to pick it up.  Most  of them say they appreciate the "heads up" .

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

Postscript to my original response:

Just out of curiosity, I decided to request a tracking status update for a package shown as "available for pick-up" -- but that I know my customer received on Thursday or maybe even on Wednesday. Guess what? Within the past hour, the status was updated to Delivered / Parcel Locker on Friday, August 25.

So it works! An administrative tracking correction for a package that my customer physically received 24-48 hours earlier.

~~C~~

[brads_ann]

Thanks everyone.

I just noticed that just because it's available for pickup that it won't show delivered until it is picked up.  It probably didn't fit in buyer's mailbox so it's sitting at the post office. I had already signed up to get updates when delivered.

So if it went to a P.O. box, it would be considered delivered but if no P.O. box but sitting at post office because too big for mailbox, then it's not considered delivered until it is picked up?

Out of curiosity, what if they don't pick up and comes back to me. Is it mailed back to me free? I wouldn't pay return shipping would I? It cost over 26.00 one way.

And since it's wouldn't be considered 'delivered', I couldn't recoop the 26.00 shipping cost to ship it to buyer?