Post Office is at fault for pkg going missing in shipping

[bunchick]

I sent a pkg to Michigan on Feb. 18 and last track was in New Jersey Feb. 23

Since Feb 23 - the pkg has been "in Transit to Next Facility" I did contact & fill out

the USPS form for assistance after 14 days of no delivery (or tracking update)

The pkg is worth $69 - sent Media Mail due to it being DVD's.

Question is - buyer is now demanding his money back, which is understandable

but is this going to come out of my pocket or will the Ebay product guarantee cover me?

(Been 3 days on the USPS form & did get a "we'll help you till a solution is found" )

Bummed that I paid $79 for DVD's brand new and sold for $69 - looking at possible

loss of $148? (Insert VERY sad face here)

[frodobagginskennedy]

If you purchased insurance you will be able to recoup.  If no insurance then no money

[myescape]

May not be your fault but it is your responsibility(you chose the carrier and are their customer so any loss by them you take up w them)ebay protection protects the buyer from loss in cases like this and that means seller either reimburses buyer on their on or ebay will force them to.Seller protection in not received cases is tracking that shows delivery-without that there is no seller protection

[nobody*s_perfect]

As noted in the other post, the seller protection policy does not cover items that have not been delivered.  Without insurance, you will have to give back the buyer's $69.  This leaves you with a loss of your original investment ($79), not $148.

[buzzapparel · Accepted solution]

The post office has cost me thousands of dollars. Mostly due to not scanning mail as delivered going to freight forward companies. Which seems to happen at alarming rates. They are inept, useless and in most cases the lowest cases denominator in employees. Many of whom are unemployable in the “real world”. One of the biggest risks of selling is getting the item to the buyer. 

[aproudparent2010]

Of course the money comes out of your pocket.

[bunchick]

Thanks for clearing that up....did the math wrong!

[bunchick]

That's what I was afraid of...lost 69 bucks & he's gonna give me

negative feedback. (He says its "all my fault" for not packaging it up good")

[mtgraves7984]

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@bunchick wrote:

That's what I was afraid of...lost 69 bucks & he's gonna give me

negative feedback. (He says its "all my fault" for not packaging it up good")

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How does the buyer know how you packaged it if it hasn't arrived?

Granted, a Priority shipment would have beat Media Mail. Experience is something we get just after we need it, no?

[bunchick]

He said his Postmaster (or woman) said the packaging must not have been a "good job"
True about Priority would have been better - but this was 12 DVD's and weighed over 5 lbs.
Yeah....live and learn

[andrew547]

May not be your fault but it is your responsibility (you chose the carrier and are their customer so any loss by them you take up w them.)

Actually, not so much. Who has the standing to claim a USPS package didn't arrive when tracking says it was delivered (a common scenario)? The shipper? No. My claim has no weight. All I can do is say "someone told me this package didn't arrive", to which USPS says "tracking says it did", and that's the end of it.

Instead, it's the recipient who has the sole standing to make this claim. 

All things equal, customers pay for shipping and choose the shipping method. They give you money (unless you don't charge them for shipping) and you pass that on to the shipping company they selected for the shipping method they chose. Your responsibility is to make the arrangements in accordance with the customer's wishes using the customer's funds. Shipping charges are not taxable to you. They are not income. They are simply pass-through funds from buyer to shipper. You only have them because this is the most logical way to complete the transaction given the logistical circumstances.

ebay protection protects the buyer from loss in cases like this and that means seller either reimburses buyer on their on or ebay will force them to.

Maybe so, but that's on ebay and not an indication of some larger imperative, as you seem to imply. There is no inevitable thing here that requires your view. In fact, it's the result of choices and priorities ebay has made for themselves and their business.

Seller protection in not received cases is tracking that shows delivery-without that there is no seller protection.

Yes, but only because of logistical issues and ebay's choices. Sellers need ebay more than buyers do. I think people could answer a lot of their own questions if they kept this in mind.

[little*blackdog]

Sad indeed!

Yes, you will be forced to refund the buyer.

Keep inquiring of the USPS.  Although they can at any time send you an email that says something like: "Sorry but the tracking number you provided has not been found in our system."  And that's the end of that.  It's happened to me.

Also, even if they can find the package, they aren't interested in the value of the contents unless you had it insured,  so even if damaged, it'll just get sent back to you, as is, assuming you put your address in the "Ship to" section of the lost mail form!  Hopefully they'll find it before they give up on it and you can resell it.  Good luck!

[bunchick]

Did refund the buyer today...did hurt to lose $69 cuz of the Post Office's screw up.
I will be inquiring of the USPS every few days ... this is their 1st reply & I have no faith in them even sending a 2nd message.

"This message is to let you know that we have received your inquiry at the United States Postal Service®.
After we review and investigate the information you have provided, we will contact you and work with you until the issue is resolved. "

I have asked the buyer to return the pkg to me if it does get delivered - and I'll pay the shipping cost to return.
But as it is now....I'm out $69 and will be getting a negative feedback (my 1st) just cuz the buyer is that type of
"its all YOUR fault" buyer in spite of my 2 messages to him stating that once the pkg is in the Post Office system,
I have no control on the delivery. (Yet the bozo still totally blames me for non-delivery!)

[picknparley]

"..... They are inept, useless and in most cases the lowest cases denominator in employees. Many of whom are unemployable in the “real world”......."

Boy, that's just not true - and not very nice either.

I have several friends who work for USPS and they're some of the nicest people I know. 

USPS is doing just like every other company out there - less workers, more hours, new workers replacing the older ones who knew what they were doing (and actually cared about their jobs). The new hirees don't particularly care whether you get your package or not.  There are numerous reports of packages ending up all over the place. I had one bounce back and forth across the US 5 times before they caught up with it.

Amazon has put a huge burden on USPS mandating Saturdays and Sundays to put up with Amazon's get-it-yesterday policy.  At the BIG USPS hubs the Amazon trucks get preferential unloading. Our packages come after theirs.

I happen to live in a small town and have great postal service. All my packages get scanned and I get a receipt.  All my claims except one have been honored.  My postmaster is as helpful as she can be when I have a problem, but her hands are tied at times as well. And I'm one who takes a plate of cookies down to the PO sometimes. I appreciate them.  But I do realize that my situation doesn't resemble most seller's.  

Blaming all USPS employees isn't the answer.   

[oldwestgold]

And how is this the Post Office's fault?  They delivered it to to the address you provided, is a freight forwarding company that the buyer provided. If you have insurance then no problem, file a claim.  Why on earth would you continue to do something that you claim has cost you thousands, repeatedly? Duh. If you roll the dice without insurance, that's on you.  Shipping any carrier will tell you that. If you didn't have collision insurance on your car would you expect your insurance company to pay if you wrecked it? Sellers need to take responsibility for how they ship, bottom line.  I have shipped over 20,000 items in the past 20 years and have yet to have an item damaged or lost with the USPS.  That's a miracle.