Just to verify - Shipping address - Seller protection

[albertabrightalberta]

I'm pretty sure that as the seller, I'm okay but just want to verify: 

Tracking shown on Saturday, Dec. 2: 

12/2: Latest Update
We could not access the delivery location to deliver your package at 12:39 pm on December 2, 2023 in ATHENS, OH 45701. We will redeliver on the next delivery day. No action needed.

Tracking shown on Monday, Dec. 4: 
12/4: Alert
Insufficient Address
ATHENS, OH 45701

Latest Update

Your item was returned to the sender on December 4, 2023 at 3:12 pm in ATHENS, OH 45701 because of an incomplete address.

Does anyone else believe that the latest update is an error? Why wouldn't the first scan show as "insuffiicient address" and RTS at that time? 

Assuming this isn't a case of a misscan, upon receipt of the return, I would be within my rights to retain original shipping charge and any non-credited fees, right? 

[wastingtime101]

Looks to me like 12/2 was a mis-scan or a placeholder scan (possibly by a sub) and the rest is accurate. Only time will tell.

This is my standard advice for RTS (returned to sender) packages. Take the parts that are relevant to your situation.

You have a few options. You should decide which route you'll be taking and communicate with the buyer, but wait until the item is returned (and delivered) to you before you take any of the following actions.

• You can refund the buyer the item cost minus original shipping and minus a portion of your eBay fees (fee credits are prorated on a partial refund so you won't get back fees on the shipping amount you withhold). Go to your orders page, find the transaction and select "send refund." On the next page enter the amount. After that, relist the item and if you still want to work with this buyer you can tell them to repurchase it with the correct name/address.
• Have the buyer sort out their address issue then pay for re-shipping. Send them an invoice through PayPal or give them your PayPal e-mail. This is post-sale so it's OK to exchange e-mail addresses. It's also OK to ship to a different address because it's technically not tied to the original transaction. You would not purchase the shipping label through eBay or upload tracking to the transaction. You would purchase it from an alternate site like pirateship.com or paypal.com/shipnow and you can send the buyer the new tracking # through e-mail or eBay messages.
• A different way to accomplish buyer payment for re-shipping is to create an eBay listing for the shipping cost (bumping it up to factor in eBay fees) and having the buyer purchase it, entering their correct address at checkout. You could purchase a shipping label through eBay for that transaction.
• You can cancel the transaction "problem with address" which will trigger a full refund to the buyer and your FVF would be credited.
• You can do nothing. The buyer's MBG protection is voided when there's a package delivery attempt. I don't recommend this because even though you'll win an INR (item not received) claim on eBay, there's nothing stopping that buyer from going to their credit card to file a dispute and why deal with all that? I also think handling it before it gets to this stage with a partial refund is the "right" thing to do if you're not going to make reshipping arrangements.
• You might also want to direct the buyer to this page so their address is updated for future purchases: Account Settings: Addresses

[12345jamesstamps]

I got two returns due to an address problem in 30 days...one today.

I just wait it out. The ones I have had in the past...buyers never contacted me.

Refund buyer....what if something happened to buyer? You would be refunding someone who might have past away or other situations occurred not known.I prefer to wait to be contacted. And I do not contact the person. 

I save the item and take a photo in case of buyer contacting me to show proof of an error in address or whatever.

[714ricki]

The first scan could be for a closed office building for the weekend.....the second scan was probably caused by a missing suite number. 

I will say that the parcel will be returned to you due to an incomplete address. This happens quite a bit for buyers who use an office building for their delivery address.....sometimes those building are closed on the weekend.

[wastingtime101]

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@714ricki wrote:

The first scan could be for a closed office building for the weekend.....the second scan was probably caused by a missing suite number. 

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Another good possibility.

[albertabrightalberta]

Thank you for the responses. 

I haven't contacted the buyer nor has the buyer contacted me. 

I sign up for text and email updates on all items and I save those emails.  I know when items are delivered or when there's a "delivery exception." 

Originally delivery estimate was for Saturday and I assumed that the shipping address was the person's place of employment and expected it to be delivered today so it caught me by surprise to see the delivery exception today. 

I won't be contacting the buyer and will wait to see if there was a mis-scan or if it comes back to me, at which time I'll let the buyer know that it was returned. (This is assuming that an INR case isn't opened first!)