USPS Damaged Item

[bostonbrian29]

So i sold a figurine before the holidays and it sat in a warehouse for a couple weeks because of the pandemic. The buyer messaged me with a picture and the item was broken. It was sent first class the total item with shipping was $22.00.

I am curious to know if i should just take the loss and refund her. Or file a claim? Is it even worth it?

[bostonbrian29]

EDIT*** Obviously file a claim with USPS not the buyer lol. Wanted to make that straight.

[klhmdg]

Unless you paid for insurance OR shipped Priority there is no filing a claim.

Also USPS has been for the last few months not paying claims unless the item and packaging are returned to them and show obvious damage. 

As a seller your choices are to refund the buyer or have the buyer file a claim as "not as described" and return the item and you refund once you receive it.

[divwido]

What are you going to lose by filing a claim?  That is, if it had insurance.

Five minutes of time and refund are worth it to me.  And I insure a lot more packages these days.

[johnrj1226]

1.  Yes refund your buyer (full amount they paid)

2.  If you shipped first  class I assume you shipped it in a padded envelope.  A  priority box would have offered more protection for a fragile item such as a figurine plus up to $50 insurance protection for you.

3.  The seller is fully responsible for getting an item delivered to the buyer in the condition it was advertised in their listing.

[no_zero369]

@bostonbrian29 

I'd also take this experience as an opportunity to review  your packaging methods.  Are there places where you could change or adjust?

Me?  I don't ship anything breakable until I test the packaging.  So I take an old glass jar out of the recycle bin, package it as I propose to pack the item I am shipping and then kick that package off the top of the stairs to the basement floor (concrete).  Then if I open the package and the jar survived then that was a good packing method. 

Remember, packages travel on conveyors and could take a tumble on to the shop floor or could fall off the back of a truck, etc.  So while the "test" I do seems extreme, it has worked for me.  That often means double or triple walled boxes with the grain of alternate layers 90-degrees, minimum of 2-in of padding on all sides, or even a box inside a box.

So just some thoughts!  Hope it helps!

[yuzuha]

One of the Hummel figurines? Did you double-box it?