Slow mail

[moonrocksports]

I'm pretty new to ebay but have been having a very good experience selling until the recent storms caused mail to slow. A buyer with a high rating opened a case against me even though they have the tracking info and understand the mail has been delayed. Is there an outlet when buyers harass you like this? The buyer has a very high rating and many items for sale. I don't understand why ebay allows trolls from big stores to harass the little guys.  Is there a place to expose these buyers/sellers with these types of practicies?

[kensgiftshop]

@moonrocksports 

If it's past the estimated delivery date that Ebay gave them, they can file an INR.

Upload the tracking number to the case and Ebay might put the case on hold for a few days if there has been a recent tracking update.

[mtgraves7984]

Is there a place to expose these buyers/sellers with these types of practicies?

@moonrocksports 

No. I'm sure they're not 'trolling' you... they're simply using their ability to open an Item Not Received claim. Load your tracking number into the case and you'll be fine.

[coastaltechsolution]

INR if past x amount of days eBay allows the buyer to file a INR

There are currently seller protections due to weather 

If the buyer has initiated a INR then you can submit the tracking 

Been a bad few months of USPS as I have had to issue many refunds but always remember it is not the buyers fault, they just purchased and expected an item. 

[luxgoods]

Go to the usps website and open a missing package claim.  I have done that twice now and it actually seemed to get the package moving the next day.  

[stuff4divas]

Read over this ebay announcement for seller protections, etc due to shipping delays>

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/UPDATE-Seller-Protections-for-shipping-delays-from-storm...

[powell-memorabilia]

Even big sellers have rights, too 🙂 Seriously, it is difficult for any of us to judge whether a buyer is being unfair.  I'm a seller, but when I buy, I want an item in a reasonable amount of time, adjusting for USPS issues. 

I'm dealing with one INR right now - I've been waiting five weeks for what would regularly be delivered in a few days.   Seller indicates that I have to wait ad infinitum on the item, and that I can't return it, even if I've mentally moved on from this purchase. 

[anneecakes]

If you end up having to refund them after they file an INR, you will often be covered by eBay if their original item arrives in the next 30 days-- you have to call or email ebay, though and say you would like a courtesy reimbursement of the item you refunded but was actually received by the buyer days later.   KEY TO DOING THIS, THOUGH, is that you have to wait the full amount of resolution days that are noted in the case (which is great--who wants to refund unnecessarily early?).  If you refund the buyer early to appease them, then you probably won't get the seller protection refund I described.  I agree it is particularly painful when a regular seller files an immediate INR during a storm week or similar. I usually re-state the tracking # in the case and then stay quiet for the first day or so . Then if they are stressed and contact me again before I've responded, I usually respond and say "I'm sorry for the stress of your item being delayed/stalled. Of course I will absolutely issue a refund if the item goes truly missing, but--for both buyer and seller protection--I need to wait the prescribed number of days that eBay has set for the case. This will give USPS time to process all the mail that is stalled (nationwide) after last week's storm(s). Please know that I will be watching on my end and (of course) will act quickly to refund you or replace your item after eBay's waiting periods have expired." (Blah, blah, blah.)  

NOTE: I agree with @luxgoods, above, that it's smart to go right to USPS and then "HELP" and then "FIND MISSING MAIL" and file a missing mail case (the option at the very bottom).  The system doesn't know if you've already filed a package research case (kind of useless these days) like it urges you to do. You can go straight to a MISSING MAIL case and those are actually most effective. 

LAST: I think someone above said to do this, but I want to chime in, too:  There are seller protections right now in the form of extended times to resolve cases. Many sellers seem to get automatic extensions of their resolution times, but others say a person has to call in (if tracking shows movement of the parcel in the last 5 days or so) and officially request that the resolution time be extended.  SO--as your first 5 day period is close to expiring, if there has been a little movement shown on tracking, you can call in and CS will extend it for you.