Buyer claiming item never arrived

stavros_2

Hey people,

I've been using ebay for a few months now and haven't had any problems up til now...

...I sold a dvd on there at the end of last week and posted it out to the buyer on monday (special delivery). The buyer emailed me yesterday saying that he hadn't received it yet and asking if I had posted it. Now because I'd send it special delivery I checked on the royal mail website and it says it was delivered on Tuesday morning.

Do you think the guy is just trying it on?? I haven't heard back from him yet after I sent him an email telling him it had been delivered.

His address on paypal is unconfirmed and his feedback is 'private' so I can't read his neg. feedback to see if he's tried this before.

I'm getting worried because I left feedback as soon as he paid (won't be doing that again) and he could quite easily slam a neg. on my nice 100% record. There's also little point in me leaving a follow up on his as no-one else could read about what a cheeky little ******* he is!

I'll keep you posted...

soolin

Hi Stravos,

Respond to the buyer by letting him have the tracking details and letting him check the delivery notification for himself. It is possible that someone else in the house signed for him. If he wants to take it further it is possible to query the delivery and signature with the post office, but I believe there is a charge for this. I think you have fully covered yourself anyway, so if the buyer does want to take it further maybe talk to him about letting him do it himself with your assistance.

I don't trust private feedback at all and that would automatically make me suspicious. However, even though it is private it is still possible to see the overal percentage, if that shows 100% then he may have another valid reason for hiding it, obviously if it is less than 100% then he may just be hiding it for obvious reasons. To check the feedback percentage just click on the 'private' symbol next to his name.

As for the negative, yes he can still leave one for you and I don't believe there is a way round that unfortunately.

Hope it goes OK for you

Soo

dogsnob

I echo the comments of Soolin. If the buyer does leave negative feedback for you though then a good tip is to set up free webspace with someone like 20m.com and write what you like about the transaction on it with copies of your emails and such like to show what a total **** wit you've dealt with.

All you've got to do then is follow-up the negative feedback left with something like "total lies... see https://www.idiotbuyer.20m.com for full details"

Hope this helps

soolin

Links in feedback are not allowed and will just get the feedback pulled and a warning put on the account.

Just respond in a calm manner and most buyers will understand that sometimes even the best of sellers runs into a scammer.

Soo

EvilMonkey

It can be pretty nerve wracking when this kind of thing happens.

I sent a buyer an item worth approx £500, it had £750 insurance on it, so I was covered (so I thought). Until the guy calls me up to tell me its been wrecked in the post (the gut started churning at this point).

Still no problem, its insured right? The Post Office sent out an inspector (high value claims get one apparently). His report - damaged, but NOT in transit. No payout.

Aparently the item was wrecked, but there was no corresponding damage to the packaging - hence not damaged in the post.

So, I knew it went in fine, the post say it delivered it fine, the only possible thing left was that the buyer was trying a bit of a scam. He had a dead version of what he bought off me and wanted the PO's insurance to pick up the tab for fixing his (quite clever really).

But I spent a nervous couple of days / weeks / months not only expecting bad feedback but a demand for me to pay him back!

In the end I gave him all the details and he said he'd take it up with the PO. Never checked again, as much as I wanted to know, this was very much a case of let sleeping dogs lie....

So, my learning? - Get proof of postage, pack it well if poss in a PO to their satisfaction, copy all serial numbers before you send them!

But on your other point about feedback, I still leave it as soon as I'm paid, too trusting? Maybe but not too cynical yet!

angelcake

I had a seller saying that she didn't receive this top I had sent her! I reckon she was miffed because she got carried away with the bidding, anyway I kept putting her off saying I would check the details etc and that I shall contact the PO to put on a trace...of course I couldn't do any of these as it was a top I popped into the letterbox!! naughty of me really but I knew I had posted it and if she had persisted then I would have paid her a refund. As it happened I never heard from her again!

I think the person you are dealing with is using the neg against you. You can either persevere for a while trying to advise "putting" it off! in the end hopefully the buyer will get fed up and not bother persuing. Or give a refund and put it down to experience, either write a note in your listing saying please expose feedback and this would let you decide whether to allow the bid or cancel! If I were you I would block this person from being able to bid on your items ...just to be on the safe side!

stavros_2

I've got an email back from him saying the following...

"something is extremely wrong..i have checked at reception and in the postbox
and there is absolutely nothing there! i know you have sent it to the
correct address but i still haven't got anything and now its been 3 days,
and i should have got this yesterday is sent by recorded delivery. i can
only conclude that the item has been lost, so i'm requesting if you could
file a claim for the lost item and issue me with a replacement or a refund
when you get compensation back from royal mail."

...so I've said I'll go into my local post office and talk to them on Monday...however I don't know what they can do as according to the website it was delivered on Tuesday! I have a feeling this guy is gonna leave me neg as i have no more to replace the item and I'm not giving him a refund if royal mail say it was delivered. Do you think ebay will remove the feedback if i tell them about it? This is VERY annoying!  >:(

angelcake

Once feedback is left I don't think it can be removed!

tell the person they can claim off the post office for up to £28 give him the information and stick to your no refund because you will be out of pocket whilst he is lining his!

suggest that he check there is no postal strike in his area!

Depends on how much this is worth! tell him it is in his hands now because as far as your concerned and the proof you have is concerned he has recieved the item! say perhaps in a time limit you will investigate if he still hasn't received it!

soolin

Don't be held hostage by the negative, you have proof of delivery you really don't need any more. By all means co operate with the buyer in contacting the post office and seeing what they have to say but at the end of the day the buyer might decide to leave a neg anyway.

Soo

sp41700

I wouldn't worry about the odd negative, but dont put lots of nasty stuff in your reply because the buyer has the last comment.

But if the buyer has more than about 5 feedback I would leave them negative if they have left you negative for the reason u have given.

Feedback can be removed by mutual consent. Feedback comments physically stay but the negative is not counted in overall feedback.

When I am selling I dont leave feedback until ithas been received and i always leave it on receipt. I think it is better if the buyer leaves it first because they are the ones that need to decide if they are happy or not.



Royal mail will pay out compensation of up to £28 for first class mail if item is lost.

If you send via recorded it is also £28 but u get signature and proof of delivery.

Obviously compensation is same but not sending recorded is 65p less.

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?mediaId=12600160&catId=400144

Paypal require a delivery service with tracking otherwise they will refund buyer under a complaint situation.

MOst of the items I sell on ebay are a lot less than £28 and i tend to have more than one in stock. So i send the first one out first class, with a proof of posting (free from post office). If it gets lost i send a replacement via recorded to satisfy paypal, and put a claim into royalmail for first item.

I have found this tends to work. They lose on average 1 item a month lol.

Graham

EvilMonkey

Also just cos the website SAYS its delivered I wouldn't totally believe that. You can demand to see the signature \ name etc.

You paid for a better service, somewhere someones mucked up and this extra service should allow you to see where.