Dispute 'Item not received' - what next

Peter_Lanky

I recently sold an item on Ebay, that the purchaser did not receive (whether or not this is true, I have no idea). I was aware of this possibility, as the buyer emailed me about 10 days after I had dispatched it, saying it had not arrived. I had sent the item by standard 2nd class post, and obtained a certificate of postage. I copied this to the buyer to show I had posted it. They buyer raised a dispute about a week later, though I would have sorted the problem without this had he emailed me again.

What I disliked about the dispute process was that I was immediately seen as guilty. My Paypal account had a block of the total selling price put on it, and I felt like a criminal reading all the threats accompanying the block. I sorted the problem by agreeing to refund the item and half the postage, as he had not chosen a tracked option. I have now put in a claim with Royal Mail.

However, I am interested to hear of experiences from anyone where the dispute has gone further than this, and an amicable arrangement not been agreed. How does Ebay/Paypal treat the seller?

Also, looking from the other point of view, I am interested to know what happens if I don't receive an item (it's only happened with small purchases to me). I read some listings with the seller saying that he/she is 'not responsible for the item once it has been posted', and they will provide a scan of the certificate of posting or the Post office receipt if an item is not received.

My understanding is that sellers cannot say this, and also that the Certificate Of Posting or PO receipt can only be used by the person who posted the item, and not the buyer. Again, I am interested to hear of people's experiences of this and how it was sorted.

cyberbob

Peter_Lanky wrote: »

I sorted the problem by agreeing to refund the item and half the postage, as he had not chosen a tracked option.

It is your responsibility to get the item to the buyer. Tracking is for your benefit not the buyers. If you want items tracked you should work that into your price. You should have refunded all the original payment including all the postage. If the buyer had been experienced he would have escalated the claim and Paypal would have refunded the full amount, Unless you can prove delivery paypal will always do this

You really should have refunded before the dispute then you may have avoided bad feedback and poor DSRs. Any RM claims are up to you as the seller the onus is on you to prove delivery. Sending them a copy of the COP is pointless. You can say you are not responsible but that is a worthless statement as and escalated claim without proof of delivery paypal will always refund the buyer

frivolous_fay

Yeah, I think sending the PoP was a mistake - the buyer could have seen this as you saying 'look, I posted it, tough'

Of course I don't know what accompanying message you sent - if it said 'let me know if it still hasn't arrived by Friday and I'll sort you out a refund', then nevermind!

GregtheHammer

If you only refunded me half the postage for an item not received I am afraid I would be leaving you negative feedback.

Peter_Lanky

To me, these viewpoints make selling on Ebay a very undesirable. The only truly tracked postage option is special delivery, the cost of which makes posting all but valuable items very expensive in relation to its value. Recorded delivery is of little use, and Royal Mail doesn't guarantee delivery and it only benefits the seller if the buyer is trying to be fraudulent in that they cannot say it didn't arrive.

I am not sure I really want to sell on Ebay any more, especially as I have since read a post where Paypal refunded the buyer without consulting the seller.

I did send an email along with the POP explaining that he should contact me again within a week.

The buyer agreed to accept half the postage (it was only £1.50) so hardly a case for negative feedback. I may still lose out more, as I wouldn't put it past Royal Mail to lose my compensation form.

soolin

There seems to be a recurring issue where sellers fail to understand their responsibility to their buyers. Only a seller cna protect themselves against loss or damage en route a buyer is automatically covered by paypal so read the terms and conditions.

It is up to the seller to ensure buyer gets their goods, if they don;t then buyer does (and in my opinion SHOULD) get a full refund, and that includes all the original postage paid.

Yes the buyer might well have been a bit harsh here if the tone of your original mail was polite and assured them that they would get a refund without any recourse to paypal. However not refunding in full is just asking for problems. If I email a seller to say my item hadn't arrived that doesn't mean I am calling them a liar, it just means my itme hasn't arrived. sending me a copy of the COP would annoy me no end, why on earth would I want to see that? I haven't for one moment suggested the seller was a crook and hadn't sent it.

Refund the balance of the payment and try and avoid a neg and poor stars here.

Peter_Lanky

soolin wrote: »

Refund the balance of the payment and try and avoid a neg and poor stars here.

The buyer has given me +ve feedback so must be satisfied. What does 'poor stars here' mean?

soolin

Peter_Lanky wrote: »

The buyer has given me +ve feedback so must be satisfied. What does 'poor stars here' mean?

Stars can actually be more important than feedback for suspension purposes. They are the Detailed seller ratings, the headline ones should all be around 4.7 or more but always keep an eye on the expanded seller dashboard as well in case you get anyone leave a 1 or 2* as that flags you up as a potential failing seller to ebay.

To find your expanded seller dashboard go to your ebay selling page and hover your mouse over the 'account' tab and then click on seller dashboard. You want that all to look perfect, no low stars left and definitely nothing in red.

Peter_Lanky

soolin wrote: »

Stars can actually be more important than feedback for suspension purposes. They are the Detailed seller ratings, the headline ones should all be around 4.7 or more but always keep an eye on the expanded seller dashboard as well in case you get anyone leave a 1 or 2* as that flags you up as a potential failing seller to ebay.

To find your expanded seller dashboard go to your ebay selling page and hover your mouse over the 'account' tab and then click on seller dashboard. You want that all to look perfect, no low stars left and definitely nothing in red.

Ah I see. I thought you were referring to some stars on this forum. Mine are between 4.7 and 4.9 so no problems there.

soolin

Peter_Lanky wrote: »

Ah I see. I thought you were referring to some stars on this forum. Mine are between 4.7 and 4.9 so no problems there.

Always keep an eye on the expanded dashboard though, only you can see that not the buyers. Stars are dangerous things and many sellers underestimate them.

cyberbob

Peter_Lanky wrote: »

Ah I see. I thought you were referring to some stars on this forum. Mine are between 4.7 and 4.9 so no problems there.

Its not just that average you need to worry about. If you get given a certain amount of low stars normally only 2 or 3 within a period of time that can effect your compliance rating. So your average may still be 4,7 but if you get a couple of 1* it could seriously effect your selling