I bought an item which broke within a week of purchase, opened a return, and seller agreed to a refund upon return, eBay sent a USPS Priority Mail shipping label. I printed out the label, placed it on the package, and scheduled a pickup at my address. I never scheduled a pickup before, but my porch is isolated from the sidewalk, I have never had a package stolen in the ten years I've lived here, and sometimes packages would be on the porch for days while I was on vacation with no problem. So I figured it would be okay. Anyway, I scheduled a pickup for January 23rd, USPS never came to pick up the package. It was on the porch all day. The next day it was snowing/raining, I placed a letter on my mailbox telling the carrier to pickup the package as I scheduled a pickup yesterday and they never picked it up. The package was hidden in the location where packages are usually left on the porch. I left for work around 6 A.M.
At about 8:15 A.M I received and email from USPS saying, "We have successfully completed your package pickup." I texted my housemate and asked him to check if they picked it up. It was still there. My housemate went to work at about 9 A.M, when he returned at 1 P.M the package was gone. We assumed that the carrier picked it up when he delivered the mail (the mail was in the mail box.)
Later that night, I put my pickup confirmation # into USPS's website to double-check, and it said, "Status: Canceled."
The next day I attempted to email and call USPS to figure out if they picked up the package, as the tracking information didn't update. They said that they will contact the local post office. On Saturday the 26th, I got a call from the USPS office at the sending location (in Illinois, I live outside of Pittsburgh.) She said that they need to call my local post office.
On Sunday, the status of the inquiry was listed as "Case closed." Additionally, the tracking number still then (and now) hasn't been updated since the assumed pickup.
I emailed and called USPS again on Monday, and they said the case is still open until the 30th, I'll get an email from them after then.
Yesterday, I went to my local post office and they called the carrier who remembers picking up a package from "1X35" when my address is "1X45" a few doors down. The supervisor said the carrier probably did pick up the package, and just mis-remembers the address. He told me to open up an insurance claim on USPS's website and that will make them look for the package more thoroughly. The insurance only covers $50 on the item (which I bought for $360), but yesterday I opened up a claim, which it said that since I opened the claim too early it might be automatically denied. Will that still push them to look more thoroughly? Should I open up another claim after it is denied?
Today I emailed the seller, telling them that it might take a while for the package to get to them, or the package might be lost for good. I also called an Ebay representative asking about what happens if the seller receives the package in a few weeks (especially now that the weather looks like there might be even more delay.) They gave contradictory information, telling me that it is either the "seller's discretion" or they must give me a refund if they receive it.
My questions are:
- What are the chances that my item is found by the post office assuming that the carrier did pick it up (which seems likely as it is not that likely that somebody would enter the path to my porch and take the package on a rainy day in a four hour time window when I haven't had problem with theft ever, and my street isn't busy.
- If the item does reach the seller in say a week or two and it shows in the tracking, are they obligated by eBay to refund or do they have "discretion" as the representative stated? If they refuse, do they have to send the package back to me?
- Is there a chance that the seller receives the package, but USPS never updates the tracking information? I think the label says that it requires a signature, would that make a difference? The seller is also an organized company and the package is going to what seems like a dedicated returns department. So I don't think that is likely, but I am still wondering if it could happen.
Right now, I pretty much resigned the $360 (minus maybe the $50 insurance) as gone, but I just want to know if there is anything else to do that I haven't done already which will increase the chances of the package being found.
Thank you.
