Hi to all!
We wanted to share some info with our fellow sellers so that you can protect yourselves in the future.
We shipped insured glassware that was broken in transit. The buyer sent pics and asked for a refund. Rather than having her submit a request , we just manually refunded her as we have always done (our fault) and then submitted a claim for damage. Not sure I even knew there was a system for requests for broken items because we always figured we'd be responsible anyway, per common sense and history with the way Ebay handles resolutions. We expressly told the buyer to save the broken items, box and packing for possible USPS inspection, which she acknowledged but said she had never heard of such a thing. Within a week or so, USPS sends us a letter wanting the items to inspect; we made arrangements for the buyer to set them out for her postal carrier so she wouldn't have to go out during the shelter at home scenario (and we saw no reason to pay for additional postage to have broken items returned to us). Buyer then informs us, oops, sorry, I pitched the stuff you asked me to save, even going so far as to check her garbage bin to see if the items were still there (they weren't). Reiterated that she was very, very sorry but did not offer to take responsibility for her actions that eliminated our possibility of a reimbursement via insurance coverage that we purchased (she selected Parcel Select shipping). As expected, Ebay will not intervene, even after multiple pleas. We now know to not give refund until claim is settled, but being long time sellers who don't really stay current with all the new rules--just glimpse at ones that might affect us--our recollection is that Ebay always had sellers refund buyers immediately because well, because that is what Ebay wants. Our appeals to the USPS fell on deaf ears, even though the pictures clearly show damage. Moral of the story: we learned that USPS is now taking the position that they will not issue ANY insurance claims settlements without the items in hand to inspect, period. Pictures and testimony are not good enough anymore, going forward. Perhaps they've had to settle more claims than they want, or perhaps there are an increasing amount of fraudulent claims, but the take home message to our fellow sellers is not to refund until the items have been inspected and approved. We'll still probably be held responsible in the end (by Ebay) and have to refund the buyer (which I would want if I had purchased something), but now the USPS is going to make it more difficult to resolve issues with broken items. PLEASE TELL YOUR BUYERS THAT THEY MUST KEEP THE BROKEN ITEMS, BOX, AND PACKING MATERIALS. Ebay is telling me that if the buyer does not keep the items as instructed until told they can dispose of them, that COULD have a bearing on how they decide the case. Those of us who are long time sellers know how that story usually ends, but at least by telling your buyers that they must keep the items for inspection, you have a little more leverage in getting reimbursed for the insurance purchase. The other option, of course, is to pay shipping to have said items returned to you, but that sometimes isn't worth the cost of additional postage, since USPS doesn't refund postage either way).
Hope this helps someone out there to save you from what we experienced. Stay safe and stay at home :)!
Best regards,
