USPS RETURN - Buyer used my first class shipping label on a priority box

[zeroblade75]

So, now I'm being prompted with a shipping label cost adjustment.

My Question:

Would I be in the right if I took the new cost out of the buyer's refund because they're at fault for using a different service than what I chose for the return process, or do I have to eat the cost of the adjustment?

[orangehound]

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@zeroblade75 wrote:

So, now I'm being prompted with a shipping label cost adjustment.

My Question:

Would I be in the right if I took the new cost out of the buyer's refund because they're at fault for using a different service than what I chose for the return process, or do I have to eat the cost of the adjustment?

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Two questions:

1. Who generated the shipping label?   Was it eBay, or did you provide it to the buyer independent of eBay?
2. Was the original shipment to the customer a First Class package?

[zeroblade75 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the response--I issued the label through eBay and yes it was sent as a first-class package with no issues since it was a smallish article of clothing; I think I'm good to go now though.

I called eBay customer support and this is what the representative said:

-Upon receipt of the returned item, I need to issue a refund through Paypal subtracting the shipping label cost adjustment

-I, as a seller, will not receive a negative strike or mark for the partial refund since the buyer is at fault

Tl;dr: I am not having to eat the cost of the new shipping method.

[alseyf-73]

TLDR What will you do @zeroblade75 when your buyer opens a case at PayPal for the rest of the refund, or a chargeback for Goods Returned Credit Not Issued?

[berserkerplanet]

If the label you issued through eBay was an eBay generated First Class Package Return Service label, there should be no USPS APV cost adjustment even if the buyer slapped the label on a suitcase and mailed it.

The buyer was unwise, but not at fault - that is why Return Service label systems are set up the way they are - they allow the returns to go through when it is unknown what the buyer is going to do - since they aren't shippers and know or understand nothing about shipping. The seller in the case of an entity like Walmart, or in this case eBay as the label issuer deal with adjustments after the fact.

You should appeal that APV cost adjustment charge with USPS - someone screwed up on their end.

eBay is the one that deals with any cost adjustments on Return Service labels that are issued - that is their Merchandise Return Service deal with the USPS.

[zeroblade75]

Gotcha,

I sent a message to PayPal. I'll go ahead and get in contact with USPS as well.

[berserkerplanet]

Hold on a minute. Thought on this some more and this can't be right.

Was the label a seller paid, eBay issued return label through an official eBay return case, or did you purchase another first class label through the original sale and upload it to the return case?

If it was an eBay issued First Class Package Return Service label through a return case that the buyer downloaded from the return case flow, you shouldn't have received a USPS APV adjustment on it for two reason: 1) I'm pretty sure APV doesn't deal with Return Service labels, and 2) eBay would have/should have been billed if APV does flag that type of label.

If it was an eBay issued return label and was actually flagged by USPS APV you won't be able to dispute it (so again, something is wrong here)

APV should be ignoring them because of what I mentioned before - by their nature, according to eBay, the return labels are adjusted between eBay and USPS as a normal matter of course, and eBay pays for any adjustments. APV is for normal PC Postage (printed through a postage provider like eBay, PayPal, Endicia) "consumer" labels where the adjustments are between the shipper (you or me) and USPS.

Need more information about the exact nature of the label and the details of the adjustment (PayPal, what did it say? etc) to advise further.

[alseyf-73]

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@zeroblade75 wrote:

I sent a message to PayPal. I'll go ahead and get in contact with USPS as well.

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It sounds like OP bought a First-Class Package label at PayPal (hence the APV to @zeroblade75) instead of having eBay issue a tentative service, unknown weight Return Service label (which would have been back-charged at actual service and weight to eBay, the issuer).

[berserkerplanet]

That's what I'm thinking, and pretty sure you are right, but the verbiage used "I issued the label through ebay" wasn't a definitive answer to orangehound's question, and I interpreted the "I sent a message to PayPal" as being in reference to (incorrectly) disputing the APV charge (since PayPal is the one that collect's the charges for USPS).

If OP issued a kludged up FCP label created via PayPal Shipnow or through the PP transaction, and the buyer messed it up, it's really on the OP. I'm going to wait with bated breath to see how this plays out.

If USPS is mistakenly charging senders for postage due on actual eBay issued First Class Pkg Return Service labels then we have a whole new level of fail going)

This topic is of current interest to me:
I just had a sale where I screwed up (I know, you can't believe it 🙂 Sold a tablet and didn't realize it was just new enough that it had Android FRP (factory Reset Protection) on it after I wiped it. Buyer messaged me and said "Uh, I can't get in to set up my account". Uhoh!

Buyer is awesome (apparently, at least so far), had him try a few simple bypass workaround to no avail, and we settled on him sending it back, I'll unlock it (I have access to the owner's gmail account to use to unlock device but didn't want to provide it to buyer since owner still uses it), and if successful I'll return it to him.

Decided to work outside the return system as I was unsure if exchange would be an option (I haven't had a return in 5 or 6 years), but that precludes a real return services label. I sent it in a Regional A, and postage was going to get uglier if buyer didn't use the Reg A for the return. Made sure that the was the case, and created a faux return label using USPS Click-N-Ship. Waiting to get it back and finish that saga.

If my buyer hadn't been as good as he has been so far (communicative, understanding, able to answer questions and follow instructions) I might be in same boat as OP.