buyer received a broken item but refuses to carry to post office for insurance.

[Anonymous]

A buyer received a broken platter sent Priority mail but refuses to take item to post office

for insurance claim.  This is over $100 that I will loose.

She only wants label to return to me - broken - or a complete refund.

She provided a picture but I do not even know for sure this is the platter that I sent to her

as I contacted her when it was delivered and asked if everything was okay but she did not

respond until notifying eBay 5 days later.

What will eBay decide?

[wastingtime101]

eBay will decide in favor of the buyer, pull the refund from your account, give you an unresolved case defect and keep the final value fees. Unfortunately @Anonymous, eBay does not offer any protections when a buyer refuses to cooperate with an insurance claim.

[dryophelia]

@Anonymous 

eBay will refund her money. The buyer does not have to cooperate or participate in the process.

You must refund, in full, before eBay is called to step in. If eBay has to do it without you, you will get a defect. Enough defects and eBay will sanction your seller account.

Most claims with USPS about fragile items that arrive broken, are dismissed outright because of bad packaging. 
I don’t know how this item was packaged (and it really doesn’t matter) but packages should be able to withstand being tossed down a couple flights of concrete stairs. If it will survive that test, it should arrive safely. 

There is nothing to stop a buyer from purchasing an item, receiving it and taking pictures of the one one they own and broke 3 weeks ago and saying it’s the one you sent. 

[mr_lincoln]

@Anonymous   I advise my Buyers to file a return for refund if they claim damage but always ask for pictures first.  If you cannot make out the pics they sent ask for more explaining you may need them for an insurance claim.

eBay will not help you on this, you are on your own and if you do nothing, as @wastingtime101 points out, your account will suffer.

We've had a few damaged shipments over the years but its a small % of our total sales so its just part of doing business.  We have done 2 successful insurance claims with USPS but that is not to say all claims with them will be successful, we have friends who have lost a number of claims with USPS so there is no guaranty ...

[kensgiftshop]

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@Anonymous wrote:

She only wants label to return to me - broken - or a complete refund.

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If I was a buyer and received a broken platter, I'd be more willing to help the seller if I had my refund.

[richard1rst]

Although eBay detests the term “self insured” that is in fact what we and, I suspect, many others do.

Think of it this way. If you buy insurance and never have a claim you are out the money. BUT is you put a tiny fraction of each sale into a virtual piggy bank then, if you never have a claim, you still have the money.

If you get a claim it comes out of the piggy bank so as to not mess up your sales figures,

In my case, once the buyer provides proof of damage I automatically issue a refund without waiting for the buyer to file a claim with eBay. The added bonus is that the lack of a claim does not affect my metrics. And it immediately gets the problem off my desk so I can concentrate on other things.

As others have stated. They are going to get a refund anyways. Why not make it as simple as possible on yourself.

And then see about packaging better.

[simba6]

That you lose.  Sorry but the buyer does not have to deal with the insurance claim process.  They may not pay it anyway. Unless there is severe damage to the outside of the box, they will say poor packing.

A few weeks ago Fedex delivered a package here. When the driver opened the back of the truck a package fell out into the street a good seven feet. Then well looking for my box two others fell out.  They were all tossed back in and off he went.

[tryno2]

Like others have said, give them the refund.  They will get it anyway.  Now unlike others I'm going to say taken photo you have of it broken to post office.  File the insurance claim.  I really doubt you will get the money through the insurance claim.  What you will do, is you will be putting this situation on the record.  So the post office will have a record showing that this individual refused to cooperate in filing a claim.  If it happens again and again could be the postal inspectors will start looking at your buyer for fraud.  Does you no good, you still loose your money but maybe just maybe someday karma will get the payback for you

[stainlessenginecovers]

Since it's only a 'platter' and not a typical 'high scammed' item; I would try the following:

Tell buyer you will refund in full

Tell buyer they do not have to ship it back (after all, why pay for return shipping for a broken platter?)

"Breakables" will not get any USPS Insurance paid anyways as USPS does NOT insure for 'breakage'. They will simply state 'poor packing'.

[emerald1830]

Not everybody has the time to stand in line and the PO with fulltime jobs during post office hours..I know I don't!

If the platter shows broken in the pics, if buyer sends them...just refund..don't make the buyer jump through hoops..

[fab_finds4u]

Won't the PO accept the picture you submitted when you filed the claim?

 You can require her to return the broken platter so what is the difference if she hands a package over to the po to return it or hand it over for them to inspect it???  She would have to hand it over to them one way or the other. I haven't figured out how some buyers can be so unreasonable.  It's less work to hand it over in the package than to package and tape it back up  to ship it back.

However, it is stupid to return a broken item that can't be fixed and broken glass seems dangerous to return.

Whatever you work out you'll have to refund.  You don't  even know if ins will pay on broken glass. They could say you didn't package fragile breakable items well enough or double box if they broke.

[kensgiftshop]

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@emerald1830 wrote:

Not everybody has the time to stand in line and the PO with fulltime jobs during post office hours..I know I don't!

If the platter shows broken in the pics, if buyer sends them...just refund..don't make the buyer jump through hoops..

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I agree, I'm just saying the buyer might be more willing to help if they had their refund.

Myself, I wouldn't worry about filing an insurance claim, just refund the buyer and learn to pack better so it didn't happen again.

[stainlessenginecovers]

@fab_finds4u   Won't the PO accept the picture you submitted when you filed the claim?

USPS hasn't excepted Pictures for over a year due to many 'could be' fraudulent claims; along with Budget issues, they don't want to pay out unless they have to. 

what is the difference if she hands a package over to the po to return it or hand it over for them to inspect it???  

Because you can do porch pickup without going to the post office. 

[house*of*paws]

Hi @Anonymous 

Sellers are required to file insurance claims.  [It sounded like you expected the buyer to file one for you.]

Ask the buyer to please take photos of the broken plate AND the packaging materials ... and attach them to an eBay message.  [Let buyer know you will refund them in full as soon as you receive them.]

File a case online with USPS as soon as you receive the photos.  You don't know that buyer will be asked to bring in the broken plate to USPS.

Good luck!

[ward_warehouse]

I would never have it sent back, you immediately void the insurance like that. Since it's broken anyway, your best bet is to just initiate the refund and try your luck with insurance with the pictures. 

I've successfully gotten an insurance check even though the buyer already threw the box away.