Need advice how would you handle a returned package as buyer moved - left no forwarding address

[paintgini]

Sold an item on July 1 - shipped (priority mail)to address furnished by eBay on July 2.  On July 12 Post Office returned package to me with note: "Return to Sender - Attempted - Not Known - Unable to Forward - Return to Sender".   I sent an email to buyer asking to confirm address.  Received a reply with a new address and then 15 minutes later received another new address.  My question is do I have to pay to reship this item or is it the buyer's responsibility??

This is a first for me and I don't know how to handle so "thanks" for any help you can give me.

[southern*sweet*tea · Accepted solution]

It would be the buyer's responsibility to pay the return shipping.

Since the address is different than the one on the Paypal payment, what I would do is refund due to problem with buyer's address, relist and then tell the buyer if they are still interested to purchase again using their new address.

[tarpedge]

I'm as confused as the previous poster. Maybe wait until next month to send return shipping to eBay, and rebuy your item on PayPal as sell-it-now?

[copper.boom]

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@paintgini wrote:

Sold an item on July 1 - shipped (priority mail)to address furnished by eBay on July 2.  On July 12 Post Office returned package to me with note: "Return to Sender - Attempted - Not Known - Unable to Forward - Return to Sender".   I sent an email to buyer asking to confirm address.  Received a reply with a new address and then 15 minutes later received another new address.  My question is do I have to pay to reship this item or is it the buyer's responsibility??

This is a first for me and I don't know how to handle so "thanks" for any help you can give me.

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Normally I would advise sending a paypal invoice for the postage amount to reship and making sure the buyer updates their address in paypal before paying the invoice.

In this situation though - 3 different addresses? Something seems wrong. I would refund minus original ship cost and non-refundable fees and leave it at that. I'd also add the buyer to my blocked list.

Others might cancel due to problem with buyer's address and issue a full refund. I guess it depends on how much shipping was & how much the item/fees were to determine if that's the route you want to take. @paintgini

[johnrj1226]

Just for  clarifcation do you  really mean this transaction happened in June 2017 or in July, 2016?

[arun7500]

Unfortunately, you were being honest about this and notified the buyer. This is eBay, and ' no good deed goes unpunished. ' Officially you're off the hook for additional shipping charges to another address, unofficially, and since you'll be dealing with ebay's bots, when the buyer files an INR, you'll be held responsible because the package was never delivered.

[airsheep]

No the seller won't; the item was marked returned to sender because of a bad address. Then again, who knows what the bots at ebay think?

[solarshift7]

Safest/easiest to just refund through eBay as cancelled-problem with buyer's address then BBL.  Yes, you take a loss on shipping but you get no defect and can move on.