Package never arrived, now I have a "defect" on my record

[bajasierra]

In early March, I received an order and shipped it the same day.    About a week later, the buyer complained that the order hadn't been received yet, so I checked the tracking and wrote her to let her know it said the order was still on its way.   A few days after that, she filed a complaint with eBay that I hadn't sent the item, and eBay put a hold on my payment.  I checked the status, and it said "in transit, arriving late"  so I followed what I thought was the proper procedure and copied the tracking number into the hold request. 

She then wrote back, showing me that she had opened an investigation with the USPS and it said something about how she could file a claim, but the hold remained in place.  There were several more entries on the tracking that said "in transit, arriving late" then on March 18th it said, "package research case closed".  Since she hadn't answered my message, I took no action beyond that and just assumed it would arrive eventually.  Then, the day before yesterday, eBay removed the hold from my account and charged me for the item, and gave me a "defect" as if I had never bothered to send the item. 

So let me get this straight.   I send the item the same day, keep in communication with the customer and now I not only have to pay for the item but I get charged with a defect?  It is possible she got the item or the USPS paid her in addition to the refund she got from eBay.   Did I do something wrong?  What should I have done instead?  Is there anything I can do now? 

[deserdog]

You certainly can ship USPS first class package through Ebay. Done hundreds and hundreds.

[iamalwaysright]

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@neifo_0 wrote:

You can't ship USPS first class through eBay. So if you ship it through eBay, it's insured. If you decide to ship it yourself first class, you're going to get punished because there's  no tracking number. 

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[southern*sweet*tea]

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@neifo_0 wrote:

You can't ship USPS first class through eBay. So if you ship it through eBay, it's insured. If you decide to ship it yourself first class, you're going to get punished because there's  no tracking number. 

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You can ship First Class PACKAGE  through Ebay.  FCP includes tracking. 

You cannot PRINT First Class MAIL (think letters)  through Ebay because Ebay doesn't offer postage without tracking.  You can certainly ship FCM all you want, you just don't have tracking.  Ebay has never required tracking for anything, but if a buyer claims the item didn't arrive you are immediately on the hook for a full refund.  I ship letter mail all the time on another account.  I sell small, inexpensive booklets and paper items using an envelope and a stamp.

[pjcdn2005]

I didn't notice this mentioned earlier though perhaps it was. You didn't get the defect because the package went missing but because ebay had to refund the buyer on your behalf.  When an inr is opened, it shows you the date that the buyer can ask ebay to step in which is usually 3 business days after the claim was opened.

Once the buyer has asked ebay to step in and there is no tracking showing that the item was delivered, ebay refunds the buyer with your funds and you get a defect because ebay had to get involved.  If you had refunded the buyer before they could ask ebay to step in, you would not have gotten a defect.

I'm not sure of the exact timeline but in some cases ebay will put a hold on the claim if the tracking is being updated regularly.  I don't know if that is done automatically  but some reason it wasn't done in your situation.

[yuzuha]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I'm not sure of the exact timeline but in some cases ebay will put a hold on the claim if the tracking is being updated regularly.  I don't know if that is done automatically  but some reason it wasn't done in your situation.

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It is done automatically if you upload the tracking to the case. There has to be actual movement within the past ten days, though, and "In transit, arriving late" doesn't count as movement. It has to be an actual tracking scan showing that it was processed through a facility somewhere.

[pburn]

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@neifo_0 wrote:

You can't ship USPS first class through eBay. So if you ship it through eBay, it's insured. 

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@neifo_0 

I think several other members have posted the correct information in response to your statements. I won't bother to repeat it.

[bajasierra]

So here's the latest.   eBay gave a refund to this seller a few days ago, but she just left me a review that says, "SUPERSELLER!".    I'm guessing that means she got both the refund and the watch I "sold" her  - and I am left with a defect because I was responsible for getting this to her in a timely manner and I failed in that task.    Of course I'm a "super seller" - I give away free watches.   Just shoot me please. 

[petes_toy_den]

If the shipping carrier loses the package it's on them to compensate for the lost package so that the buyer can be refunded. Sellers shouldn't be penalized for things outside of their control and "it's just part of doing business" isn't helpful. Replies like yours fail to put any responsibility on the carrier or ebay for offering zero seller protections for lost packages and nonsense "defects" that have nothing to do with the sellers performance.