No access to delivery location!?!

[thisalotoftat]

Hi all, I received a message today from a buyer that has not received their package that was sent Priority Mail and should been delivered on Jan 23rd. He still wants the item and he also said he receives packages all the time and never had this happen. I also received a message from ebay today that the buyer opened up a case and that I need to resolve because funds are now on hold and if not resolved that I will need to refund the item to the buyer. HELP PLEASE! I never had this happen before....

[lakefor94]

EBay considers that attempted delivery as "delivered".  Enter the tracking number into the case and you will win the case.

You don't have to bring that up to the buyer. I would work with the buyer to find a solution  as the parcel will probably end back up in your mail.  I would not refund or anything until the item is in your hands.

[thisalotoftat]

Thank You! I could not understand why ebay was telling me to send the buyer a refund after so many days when it is totally out of my hands. I did send the buyer a message today asking him if he talked to their post office and no reply yet.

[wastingtime101]

Hey @thisalotoftat - as lakefor94 correctly advised, attempted delivery earns you seller protection on an eBay item not received claim.

First of all, add the tracking number to the case if you haven't already. Do that right away. It doesn't matter that the tracking is already tied to the order, it needs to be entered into the claim.

When the claim presents the option to ask eBay to step in, click that button. You'll be able to select a reason that you shipped with tracking and you'll be able to add a comment. I'd go with something like:

USPS attempted delivery on [date]. There was no access to buyer's delivery location. Urged buyer to work with post office to pick up their package before PO returns to sender due to buyer's address issue.

If the post office still has the package, advise the buyer to go pick it up. If the buyer fails to pick it up and the package shows "return to sender" tracking updates, then you'll have a few options. Laying it all out for you now just in case you need it later:

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.
• You can do nothing. The buyer's MBG protection is voided when there's a package delivery attempt.

I personally prefer to handle it with a partial refund as I think it's the "right" thing to do if you're not going to make reshipping arrangements. In this case, if the package can't be delivered and the buyer is unwilling to pick it up then reshipping is probably pointless.

You can choose to block this buyer's ID from future purchases to avoid more problems with them:

https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements

[iamalwaysright]

No access to delivery location can mean anything, it's really up to the mail carrier to determine that ranging from a locked gate down to having trash cans in the way. I've found that about half of the buyers are not truthful about following up with their post office when I ask them to and just end up expecting you to issue a full refund. They just want you to fix their issue because they have your attention.

I always go with option 2 from @wastingtime101 . Buyers usually accept or ask for a partial refund which is option 1. If they want a full refund, I tell them that option 1 they received is better than option 3 and then I stop communication with them.

[soh.maryl]

Why not contact the buyer and suggest that he follow up with the carrier who marked this as "no access to delivery location" and find out exactly where they tried to deliver and how there was no access?

[spark-chaser1]

Just adding this as  an example of what receiving a " no access" notice can stem from...

I recently had a "no access to delivery location" notice through tracking on a package because the carrier couldn't extend their arm an additional 6 inches to reach my mailbox due to plowed snow. Literally.... 6 inches. 

During the winter, there will be four or more times that I have to go and pick up mail at the PO because a carrier can't / won't reach my mailbox, if it means leaning a bit out the window. 

Not sure if there is a regulation, but there are times where you just have to wonder what precluded a non- delivery, and the subsequent need for a recipient to now have to find the time to go and pick the package up.