My item is returning to sender now what?

botanical

geri1965 wrote: »

I think the seller is partly to blame here for lack of communication. If the buyer had been told when it was sent and given a tracking number, they would have known to look out for it and where it was.

Do you think so? Presumably the seller sent the usual 'your item has been dispatched' message and would have marked the item 'paid and dispatched' Contacting the buyer with the tracking details is not usual at this stage. The first the seller hears that there may be a problem is when the buyers says, where's my item. Then if it's tracked the seller would check on the RM website and contact the buyer with the tracking number too. Tracking numbers usually only become needed if the delivery is late.

hermum

botanical wrote: »

I'm sorry hermum, I cannot agree that Recorded Delivery is such a waste of time. It's 75p. The benefits are great both for the seller and the buyer and if the buyer is willing to pay that, then fine, if it limits my sales because of 75p, it's not been a problem at all.

The time to make postal requests is before the auction, not after.

Just a comment on directing a seller to this forum. Soolin and a few others give correct and accurate eBay advice. Most of the 'advice' on this forum is more opinion from buyers' and sellers' points of view, rather than correct answers.

topcat and the others do an amazing job in the Answer Centre on eBay.

Who made postal requests after the auction?
As a seller paying an additional lump of money to safely get your item delivered would be more understandable if it worked, I have never been asked to sign for anything sent recorded.
As the issue I raised was about the waste of money that recorded delivery is, then directing someone to read this forum is as good a place as any. That way they can get both sellers & buyers views.
Unless Topcat has done an extensive survey on the merits of recorded delivery than I don't believe he-she would have a definitive answer on whether it should be used.
It's of no benefit to the buyer whatsoever, as the seller is responsible for ensuring safe delivery of the item.
If it gets lost in the system then with COP they seller is able to claim for the loss anyway, without having to charge for it.

botanical

Yes, you're right, there's no definitive answer as to whether RD is useful or not.

lindseykim13

Thanks for the replies, the problem comes with me sending a 'where is my item' message today to be then told it is on the way back to the sender already. It was 9 days after i bought it, i don't usually rush to contact sellers but we are going on hols. Recorded is sent back after 1 week so it's not long enough to realise it's missing and then catch it in time before it returns to the sender. Oh well the seller is being arsey and blaming me, refusing to re-send (fair enough) but also refusing a full refund. So looks like an INR although i've given them a chance and asked for a refund first.

hermum

Have you tried the tracking number for yourself?

theonlywayisup

botanical wrote: »

Do you think so?

Yes.

botanical wrote: »

Presumably the seller sent the usual 'your item has been dispatched' message and would have marked the item 'paid and dispatched'

Email templates are exactly that, there is no standard message, it is tailored to suit your sales. Mine include all the postage details including the tracking number and a link to the website.

botanical wrote: »

Contacting the buyer with the tracking details is not usual at this stage.

Usual for you, not for me. The buyer has their purchase email when they pay followed by the full tracking and postal email when it is dispatched, including details of how long the item should take to get to them.

botanical wrote: »

The first the seller hears that there may be a problem is when the buyers says, where's my item. Then if it's tracked the seller would check on the RM website and contact the buyer with the tracking number too.

I don't wait for a problem to happen, I try to prevent them happening.

botanical wrote: »

Tracking numbers usually only become needed if the delivery is late.

Tosh. If something is coming tracked to me, I would like to know what the tracking is and when to expect it. I afford my customers the same.

theonlywayisup

Back to the op.....

If I am a seller and an item is rts, then I would email you and confirm the address is correct and to ascertain if you had a card from RM. I would ask what you would like me to do with the item. As a seller, my duty is to get the item to you and I know only too well that some posties never leave a red card. I would NEVER ask you to pay again. However, taking this approach some customers have offered, but I always decline as I would prefer they came back to me in the future. A lot of my sales are repeat, so my customer service is my future.

If I was the buyer, if no card had been left, I would let the seller know this. I would want the item redelivered and wouldn't offer to pay if I felt I wasn't at fault. I know I cannot force the seller to send it again, but I can still use my feedback and dsrs to mark the customer service.

soolin

hermum wrote: »

Have you tried the tracking number for yourself?

I'm not sure if that would be useful as OP is th ebuyer so know they don't have the item.

soolin

botanical wrote: »

Do you think so? Presumably the seller sent the usual 'your item has been dispatched' message and would have marked the item 'paid and dispatched' Contacting the buyer with the tracking details is not usual at this stage. The first the seller hears that there may be a problem is when the buyers says, where's my item. Then if it's tracked the seller would check on the RM website and contact the buyer with the tracking number too. Tracking numbers usually only become needed if the delivery is late.

On the arre occasions I have to use tracking for ebay (usually special though) I just log the tracking info into paypal and the buyer then gets notified of it. I can see no reason why if using recorded a seller wouldn't add that tracking number to any email they send a buyer.

hermum

soolin wrote: »

I'm not sure if that would be useful as OP is th ebuyer so know they don't have the item.

They would be able to see if it is a real tracking number & make sure that it was sent to the right address.