Item I posted overseas has not arrived - what to do?

westernpromise

I sent an item to a US buyer 2 weeks ago by Royal Mail Small Parcels. I have proof of postage but no insurance as it was a low-value item (about £8).

I emailed the buyer to check he got it OK and he reports it hasn't yet arrived. He has 50 feedback, 1 negative, buys a lot of items like mine.

The proof of posting says that Royal Mail will in some circumstances compensate you if you post overseas and it gets lost. Does anyone know what those circumstances are? If I'm going to be chasing the Royal Snail for a refind I want to be sure I don't prejudice the chances by asking in the wrong way.

mah_jong

I assume you mean it was sent air mail as a small packet.

They dont count it lost till after 25 days for international mail. Then fill out the form for lost delayed damaged mail, you can do this online or from the PO. I have never claimed for lost overseas mail so cannot advise on best approach.


Meanwhile the general consensus from ebay sellers is to refund the buyer.



From the Royal Mail wesite.....

International mail may also be delayed by customs; it’s important to make sure you’ve completed the necessary customs documents before sending mail abroad.


How soon after posting should I consider an International items to be lost?
Please wait 25 days before submitting a claim for loss of an international item. This is to allow time for an item to be delivered overseas - it may have been held at a local delivery office in the destination country and be waiting for collection or redelivery if no one was at home to accept the item when delivery was initially attempted. Or the item may not have been delivered for some reason in which case it will be returned to the sender in the UK. Royal Mail does however require you to submit your claim form within 6 months from the date the item was posted.

How long will my claim take?
As part of our investigation into a lost item, we may ask the foreign Postal Authority for details of what happened to your item when in their country. This process can take up to 15 weeks to complete. When we launch an investigation with a foreign Postal Authority we will always inform you of this and will always provide you with details of the outcome.

Will I have my posting cost refunded?
Royal Mail will only return the cost of postage on our two priority international services: International Signed For & Airsure. With other international services such as Airmail and Surface Mail, only the cost of the contents of the item is refunded.

apprentice_tycoon

The parcel may be held up in Customs so I'd ask your buyer to wait a few more days. Have you sent a scan of the proof of posting? that may reassure him that you really did post it.

soolin

Overseas parcels are not deemed lost by the Royal Mail until 20 working days have elapsed, other than that the claim procedure is just the same as for a UK parcel.

Personally I would try and hang on a bit longer, but once the buyer sounds like he is getting stressed refund then to avoid a chargeback and claim after 4 weeks from the RM.

Soo

kiera123_2

I've had packages take over four weeks to arrive via air mail, so it's possible it's just delayed at the moment.