Seller Shipped My Item Wrongly By Media Mail - Question

[possessed-possessions]

I was informed by USPS that my package is delayed because the sender (seller) shipped my item by media mail instead of parcal post. It's a clock. Obviously not media mail.  So I will be stuck with the extra postage fee when the carrier arrives at my door in a couple of days. I was also told by USPS  on the phone that the box is damaged and they can hear rattling.  If I refuse to pay the extra postage and have the box returned to seller can I file a claim to get my money back? Or do I need to pay for the package and have ownership of it and then file a claim? 

[missjen831 · Accepted solution]

You can refuse the package under both circumstances and file an item not received case & be covered by the money back guarantee. You will need documentation from the PO-either of the postage due or the damage.

[sam9876]

I would simply not pay the postage due and let the package be returned naturally.   Then file an INR complaint.

[gew6463]

Do not accept, as already advised. The Post Office will send it back and require the seller to pay for the unpaid shipping there & back.

I've received 2 packages in the last 2 months shipped by Media mail that were most definitely NOT media. One of those I paid $50 for shipping, and they shoved it in a box & shipped media mail for $7 (and I mean shoved, it arrived damaged).

Sorry you lost out on this item for such an inexcusable reason. You are covered by Ebay MBG, but it is still disappointing.

[mam98031]

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@possessed-possessions wrote:

I was informed by USPS that my package is delayed because the sender (seller) shipped my item by media mail instead of parcal post. It's a clock. Obviously not media mail.  So I will be stuck with the extra postage fee when the carrier arrives at my door in a couple of days. I was also told by USPS  on the phone that the box is damaged and they can hear rattling.  If I refuse to pay the extra postage and have the box returned to seller can I file a claim to get my money back? Or do I need to pay for the package and have ownership of it and then file a claim? 

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If the seller shipped using an online label, USPS should be charging the additional postage directly to the seller.  But of course they could ask you to pay instead.

As others have said, you can refuse the shipment and then open an INR [item not received] claim.  But there are specific steps you need to MAKE SURE you follow to do this or you could lose your coverage under the Money Back Guarantee.  Generally when a buyer refuses a shipment, they lose their Buyer protection with Ebay.  But since you know this one is coming in damaged, you do have some coverage under the policy if you follow certain steps.

Buyer obligations

Generally, the buyer is responsible for accepting the item when it arrives. If the buyer refuses delivery, their claim is not eligible for the eBay Money Back Guarantee.

Exceptions:

• The buyer can provide, via written proof from the carrier, that they refused the package because it arrived empty or was damaged in shipping
• The buyer accepted and opened the package only to determine that it was an empty box
• The item arrived COD because it didn't have enough postage on it

The buyer is responsible for paying any customs and duty fees for international shipping.

Exception:

• The seller overstated the value of the item, which caused customs fees to be higher

So make sure you take a pic when the box arrives and get a note from your carrier of the issues perferably on USPS letterhead or something so that Ebay can tell it was from USPS.

Your seller was wrong in sending it Media Mail to save a few bucks.  I too have had a seller do that.  I tried to explain what he was doing was wrong, but he is probably still doing it.  However USPS can fine sellers doing this, so your seller better stop now that he is on USPS radar for this.  It's called fraud.  And USPS is a federal agency, so that would be fraud on a federal agency which of course is a federal crime.

[lacey294]

Way back, I made a mistake when printing out two shipping labels and reversed the wieghts when plugging in the specs.  Needless to say one package was overpaid on postage and the other didn't have enough.  The underpaid package was refused by the buyer for that reason (a couple $).  That's when I learned that a buyers seller protection is not voided if they refuse a package that comes postage due .  Do not accept it (unless you really want a broken clock) .  You only have to pay once for an item including the shipping.   

[Anonymous]

I apprecite all the responces.  Mam98401 -  I found out on the phone that USPS will not write any notes or letters that I owe postage due and the condition of the box is damaged. I have to take pictures of the box myself with the label showing postage due and the label stating damage.  Is this enough evidence without a USPS letter?  Is it better to file a claim on eBay or Paypal?

[nobody*s_perfect]

The image showing the damaged box and the Postage Due notice is fine.  The damage actually doesn't matter in this case.  What you need to have in the image is the Postage Due stamp and both addresses (yours and the sender's). File the INR claim with eBay.

[muttlymob]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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If the seller shipped using an online label, USPS should be charging the additional postage directly to the seller.  But of course they could ask you to pay instead.

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I don't think this works for media mail abuse.  The APV compares package type, dimensions, weight, to what is on the label.  It can't determine the contents of the package.  That is done by human inspection and I don't think there is a means to manually enter an issue with the contents of the package.

[monster-deals]

You can refuse it if you want more hassle.

Or accept it and start a return for less hassle.

If they shipped with an ebay label that extra postage will be charged to your seller.

[nobody*s_perfect]

In order to accept the package, this poster must pay for the Postage Due.  If this was an APV case, the buyer wouldn't even know about it.

Since the item is apparently broken,  the buyer doesn't want to accept the package.  The main question here is how to refuse it while retaining buyer protection.

[Anonymous]

monster-deals,  I thought I read if a package is refused it is harder to file a claim for no matter what the issue is.  So might be less of a hassle to just pay the postal charge then start a claim. I think the seller intentionally didn't use a pre-paid postage label to avoid being charged by USPS.  I thought I read last year that a new policy was stated by USPS,  that if a seller used media mail when they shouldn't they will be charged the actual postage on their credit/debit they used after investigation and calculation of weight etc. This can't be done if no prepaid labeled was used with no charge card.  So sellers that abuse media mail find a way around it.  In this case I have to pay the extra postage to receive it.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@Anonymous wrote:

monster-deals,  I thought I read if a package is refused it is harder to file a claim for no matter what the issue is.  So might be less of a hassle to just pay the postal charge then start a claim. ....  I thought I read last year that a new policy was stated by USPS,  that if a seller used media mail when they shouldn't they will be charged the actual postage on their credit/debit they used after investigation and calculation of weight etc. ....

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The eBay claim process for "Item not received" recognizes Postage Due as a reason for refusing a package and getting a full refund.  If the buyer pays the Postage Due, there is no eBay process for recovering that money.

I think you are misremembering the USPS policy about recovering Postage Due for online labels.  There is a new Automated Package Verification system that detects underpaid postage IF that underpayment is based on factors that can be detected by the sorting machines such as underweight or a dimension-based surcharge.  The Automated system is not involved in detecting misuse of Media Mail.

https://www.usps.com/business/verify-postage.htm

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/ship-smart/ebay-shipping-partners/avoid-extra-postage-costs.html

[mam98031]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I apprecite all the responces.  Mam98401 -  I found out on the phone that USPS will not write any notes or letters that I owe postage due and the condition of the box is damaged. I have to take pictures of the box myself with the label showing postage due and the label stating damage.  Is this enough evidence without a USPS letter?  Is it better to file a claim on eBay or Paypal?

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Your pics should be fine.  Make sure you get the front where the address label is and that the pics are clear.  Also make sure you take complete pics of the damage as well.  Better to be safe than sorry.

For me, I'd file in Ebay.  It is easier and quicker IMHO.

[mam98031]

From USPS rules on APV.

When does a postage difference occur?CollapseFAQ question

Generally, a postage difference occurs when the package characteristics (e.g., weight, dimensions, zone, etc.) used when the Click-N-Ship® or PC Postage® label is created does not match measurements of the actual package mailed as captured by USPS processing equipment. The most common reasons that result in a different mail class or rating category include:

• Incorrect weight on label resulting in a price difference due to different rating or exceeding limitations for the class chosen.
• Incorrect dimensions versus those of the actual package shipped
• Incorrect service or packaging entered for label creation versus actual service/packaging material used (e.g., First-Class™ labels cannot be used on Priority Mail® or Priority Mail Express® packaging).