item not arrived when I posted it

the_gorgeous_one

I'm not sure what I can do about this. I sold an item for 99p plus £10.00 postage, it actually cost me £9.00 postage so I made the grand sum of £2.00 for something that was worth a lot more. Now the buyer says he hasn't received it. I think I smell a rat but I'm not sure. My son also sold something for 99p plus P&P and I personally posted it for him, the buyer opened a dispute and got his money back. I know I will end up refunding my buyer but I wondered if this has happened to anyone else. I sold other items that people paid more for and have never had this problem. Unfortunately it was 2 weeks ago when I posted it and have only just reeceived an email to say it hasn't arrived and I can't find the receipt. I am going to go to the post office to see if they have any record of it but I don't hold up much hope to be honest. I will use this as an expensive lesson at least

kprigg

Unfortunately things do go missing in the post. I don't smell a rat, particularly for such a low value item.

The fact that the buyer waited 2 weeks shows that would say that they have been pretty patient so far. In order to save your DSRs & feedback I would apologise & refund ASAP. If you keep your buyer on side then they may be more willing to help if you can claim. Also you need to avoid them opening a dispute as that will also affect your DSR's.

Although The Royal Mail advise that you wait 15 business days before anything is officially lost you would be best off keeping all Proof of postage for 6 months to allow for a possible credit card charge back.

soolin

I agree, things do get lost, it happens. I wouldn't bother for one instance asking the post office if they have any details, why on earth would they?

So as above, ask the buyer to wait another couple of days and then if the item still hasn't arrived refund them in full. You will however need your certificate of posting to recover any losses from RM

One other thing to realise, selling 99p items that are very heavy and are expensive to post could easily make you a loss. I assume this went 1st class at £8.22 as tbaht is the closest to £9 that I can see. So you have almost certainly covered your fees in this instance with the excess postage charged. However, you must remember that you pay paypal fees on the postage element so you need to factor in all your fees when working out if a hevay item is worth selling.

macfly

Please don't go to the Post Office to see if they can trace it. Or if they remember it. They can't.

Crowqueen

The only way the PO will have any record of it is if you got a proof of posting or it was sent Recorded or Special Delivery.

If you claim through the PO with a proof of posting, you may reclaim something. If you don't have this you may be out of luck as far as reimbursement goes, or get a book of stamps, or something like that.

Two weeks is about as long as buyers are prepared to wait for something that genuinely hasn't turned up; I would only smell any rats if the buyer was contacting you within a couple of days.

As you've had two problems recently, to make sure things don't go missing, there are some things you can do to ensure they get to their destinations safely:

- Use waterproof ink when hand-addressing something. Especially at this time of year, if something gets wet, an address could get wiped off the front. Ordinary biro is OK, as is indelible marker (e.g. Sharpie, which I use on large packets), but felt-tip pen or fountain pen ink is going to run if the packet gets drenched when being handled by the PO. There are times when it could be exposed to damp between your postbox and the buyer's door.

- Put a return address. If it is not delivered, it will come back to you and you can re-send it.

- Make sure your handwriting is clear. If you have bad handwriting, then type address labels or use Paypal postage. Cover large labels with sellotape, again to prevent water-soluble ink from running.

macfly

The Post Office you posted it at will not have a record of it no matter how its was posted. Once the item is posted, the info is in the system but cannot be accessed at the counter. The only report that comes off the computer are item numbers for special delivery, no address or name details. Daft in my opinion.
Without a POF, you will not get a single stamp in compo.

the_gorgeous_one

OK THanks all for your comments I will make sure the gentleman gets his money back and consider it a lesson well learned.

the_gorgeous_one

I sent an email last night offering him his money back but got a short reply back saying 'thanks I just want the stuff I paid for' I am only a private seller but have some of the stuff similar to what he ordered so have offered to send him that or a refund, what do I do if this is not good enough

Alias_Omega

Refund him, and leave it as that..

soolin

Alias_Omega wrote: »

Refund him, and leave it as that..

I agree, what else exactly does buyer expect you to do?

Crowqueen

Frustrating as it may be from the buyer's POV, you can't do much more than that!