USPS Lost Package and Seller refusing to Refund me.

[aid_in_the_shade]

Hi,  I am trying to figure out if I did the right thing here. I had a seller who was very nice and I asked to ship something out for me quickly because it is something I needed in a certain time window.

So, the seller kindly shipped the package out for me, which i was appreciative of.  However, the package got lost in transit. It was scanned in by the local post office and never scanned at another distribution center or anywhere. It has been 1/2 a month and I never got the package. The item is several 100 dollars(Also, another reason the seller cant be sitting on an item for 1/2 a month and me have no item to show for it). After talking to my local supervisor at my post office he said the package was lost and that there was nothing more they could do.

However, since the seller was so nice to me I kindly asked the seller to file a missing package claim on his end so he can get his money back and refund me through private message so nothing would go against him.  I, also told him I would refuse the package if it showed up one day down the road so he would get it. However, the seller refused to refund me and would never look into the missing package for me. So, now i opened a case against him and he is still refusing to refund me....Ebay should refund me in this case correct?  I did do the right thing by opening a case against him?  His attitude changed very quickly once he learned I wanted a refund.

[myescape]

You agreed to the shipping service and the price of shipping when you bought,If you wanted a different carrier or had a problem w the price should have resolved those issued before buying or not buy.Priority is considered expedited but not guaranteed

[2015mhfashions]

The only lesson to be learned here is to be more familiar with the different forms of shipping, the other package you speak of, you were extremely lucky to receive it so quick, most sellers will tell you the same.

Again no real lesson to be learned on E Bay, they are not involved in the shipping process, carrier, price or anything, you asking anyone for a definitive delivery date is a shot in the dark.

As for asking a seller to " look into it " what do you think they can see that you cannot ? Tracking is the reason it's there, it told you it's arriving late, it didn't say i'm lost refund me.

As previously mentioned the seller cannot file a claim until a full 15 days has passed since the mail date, if i had tracking stating arriving late then it is in transit and i would not be refunding either.

Your PO gave you false information, you might want to fact check them on that.

Lesson is ask to change the service for a guaranteed delivery date, leave nothing to chance, what worked before doesn't mean it will again.

[redlmc]

I shipped an item the end of May to Texas; item was lost in space at one of the distribution centers in Texas.  Never moved from there.  I filed a claim with USPS and I got the price of the item and the shipping I paid.  I asked the buyer if she wanted a refund or a replacement; she wanted a replacement and I sent it.

However, during the time I made sure I was in contact with the buyer the entire time.  Buyer filed a claim with her bank; she was refunded through her bank too!   So she made off like a bandit on this case; got her $$$ back from her bank and got a replacement item.  

Did I mention she was a ZERO feedback user????

I have tried to work with Paypal to resolve this, but have not been successful.  I consider this to be fraud, but I guess since it is less than $100 nobody seems to care.  

[2015mhfashions]

Not sure why people keep saying " track the package down " many times mentioned the tracking stated in transit arriving late, in other words it will update when it's on the move again which it did.

That's the point of tracking in the first place.

So i tell the buyer oh it's in Kansas for example, won't be any quicker by the way, so now the buyer is satisfied because i was able to tell them the exact location, does that solve the problem ?

Whats the point in attempting to see exactly where it is, not that you could, it won't move any quicker because you now know where it is.

[aid_in_the_shade]

My local PO told me that they considered the package lost because the only scan was the origin scan and it was never scanned into a distribution center. He said if this doesn't happen that means an employee made a mistake because it should always happen.  He also said that means it could be lost, stolen or just sitting around in the distribution center.  Additionally they said upon arriving at the first distribution center a picture should have been taken which he said it was not there either.  So, after the allotted time went by he had me file a package search request. He then said to contact the seller and tell him to file a request because he might have information about the package that neither of us were aware of. He/my local supervisor was unable to locate the package and said on their end their advice was I should request money back if that doesn't work.  I then contacted the seller and said please call the post office and get a search started for the package. I was willing to give additional time. He said OK, then 2-3 additional days went by and he did nothing and did not respond back.  So, at this point I opened the case because the package still wasn't here.

So, in case you were wondering or are surprised why I did what I did with this seller since I am a seller myself it is because the post office advised me. The local supervisor's advice was to do so.  I mean I wasn't about to pay several $100 and be out of an item and just hope it shows up one day.

I mean i get that it was not the sellers fault that something happened with the package, but at the same time you can't just hope an item shows up one day. I went on what the post office told me.

[2015mhfashions]

They were not being factual with you, you have to know how USPS identifies what is a lost item and it certainly is not because it did not receive a distribution scan, this happens all the time, ask any seller.

The one thing that should have set your mind at rest is an acceptance scan, that proves something has been mailed, no one suggested waiting around forever, but when it tracks as in transit arriving late then that means exactly that, They have informed you.

If we were all to start refunding buyers because they thought it should be sooner than it is we all may as well pack it in now, and certainly given what is happening with USPS right now and that has been well documented i think you should have allowed time for it to play out, you have 30 days after the estimated date.

I'm still not sure what it is you wanted the seller to look into and what you think they could find ? Track and trace E Mail update is all and something you can do yourself, and something your lackluster PO could have told you.

It just seems to me you wanted it sooner so were attempting to force a refund.

[ebeths_eclectic_collectibles]

Unfortunately I just got burned by the ongoing USPS issues. Shipped on 7/28. Not delivered and customer opened a claim. I had to refund and, of course the package was delivered today after the fact. It’s not COVID or the massive increase in online sales. It is Trumps war on the post office. It would be helpful if ebay could extend tine period for items not received until this issue gets under control.

[glorybells]

Amazon has a special contract with USPS (hence, why Prime packages get delivered on Sundays.

Fedex is tricky because what the seller sees when they’re shipping is an ESTIMATE of the shipping cost, and what they end up actually getting billed for shipping can be MUCH higher (why some sellers refuse to use Fedex).

[glorybells]

Another thing that I wanted to add to my previous comments - I commonly use a CPU (contract postal unit), mainly because it’s on this side of the island, so I don’t have to feel like I’m taking a day trip to mail a couple of packages.  But - also they know me there, and I know they’re going to properly scan my items AND I’ve had pretty good delivery times to my buyers from mailing there.

In the next town over, there’s a large post office that’s actually a major USPS hub.  Guess where I’ve had the best results on delivery times?  Yep, the little CPU.

[kenkayiii]

I am a seller who refunded with ebay's strong-arming, then I called USPS regional after being denied insurance claim, and shazamm, they found and delivered it....now buyer has the refund and item, I'm out shipping and item and paid the refund.... Your post office supervisor is wrong...when prodded, they finally delivered...but outside of ebay's timeframe.  "the American people should be glad they don't get all the government they pay for" (Will Rogers)

[yuzuha]

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@2015mhfashions wrote:

You seem to be under the impression that expedited shipping has some sort of guarantee with it, It doesn't, it has a target time which in this current climate is virtually impossible to be met, target times are an estimate not a guarantee.

Shipping UPS or Fedex would more than likely be considerably more and the time for requesting a different service is before purchase, no idea why you think you should be refunded shipping, you paid for it the seller shipped it you're about to receive it.

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And even they are experiencing delays too.  My mother is currently waiting on two late packages that were shipped UPS, not USPS.