An item I sold has not been delivered - what do I do?

Legacy_user

Hello All,

Just wanted some advice/opinions please. I sold an item online (not eBay) for over £100. The buyer, concerned that I might take her money and not send the item, suggested she pay half the cost to start with and the other half when the item arrived.

She paid the first half and I posted the item the next day by Recorded Delivery. It's one week later and she claims it still hasn't arrived and the Royal Mail tracker is simply saying it's still 'in the system'.

I know Royal Mail have a habit of not actually getting signatures for Signed For items so I have no way of knowing if it genuinely has arrived (and the buyer is lying) or if it's lost in the post.

I can claim compensation of only £46 after 15 working days, but I am not sure what to do with regard to refunding the buyer her money....

Should I refund her payment in full and hope that she will be honest and pay up if it arrives? Do I only refund her money after I receive the compensation? Do I assume she's lying and not refund her at all (doesn't seem like the best way to carry on, morally)?

Thanks,

Red.

custardy

In_The_Red_2009 wrote: »

Hello All,

Just wanted some advice/opinions please. I sold an item online (not eBay) for over £100. The buyer, concerned that I might take her money and not send the item, suggested she pay half the cost to start with and the other half when the item arrived.

She paid the first half and I posted the item the next day by Recorded Delivery. It's one week later and she claims it still hasn't arrived and the Royal Mail tracker is simply saying it's still 'in the system'.

I know Royal Mail have a habit of not actually getting signatures for Signed For items so I have no way of knowing if it genuinely has arrived (and the buyer is lying) or if it's lost in the post.

I can claim compensation of only £46 after 15 working days, but I am not sure what to do with regard to refunding the buyer her money....

Should I refund her payment in full and hope that she will be honest and pay up if it arrives? Do I only refund her money after I receive the compensation? Do I assume she's lying and not refund her at all (doesn't seem like the best way to carry on, morally)?

Thanks,

Red.

well for starters. is them ite covered by RD given its value?
to even be asking about no refunding. what exactly do you expect as an answer?
are you ready to go to court?

nikki1520

I think you may have been had. Paypal will force you to give a full refund of all money paid if you cannot prove delivery. You will only be entitled to £46 from Roayal mail, so you will probably never see the remainder.

It's probably best to issue the refund before a dispute is opened, and hope the buyer will agree to a cancelleation so you get your eBay fees back. If a dispute is opened, this may affect your account in the future.

Next time, insist the buyer pays in full first (this is why Paypal have buyer protection) and I would recommend a properly insured service to cover the full value of the goods.

jasmineswhiskers

nikki1520 wrote: »

I think you may have been had. Paypal will force you to give a full refund of all money paid if you cannot prove delivery. You will only be entitled to £46 from Roayal mail, so you will probably never see the remainder.

I was informed at the PO if the item is worth £100 you will not get any money back as you used the incorrect service.

nikki1520

Sorry - just read the OP properly - and seen it wasn't eBay. How were you paid?

System

custardy wrote: »

well for starters. is them ite covered by RD given its value?
to even be asking about no refunding. what exactly do you expect as an answer?
are you ready to go to court?

It's only covered up to the value of £46. I wasn't quite aware of the difference between Recorded and Special Delivery when I posted it and I have never had a problem before with items being delivered. In hindsight I made an error by not using Special Delivery.

I asked about not refunding as it is still an option, albeit not one I was actually expecting to follow through with.

nikki1520

For stamped, metered and by account* items a postage refund plus compensation on the basis of actual loss, where evidence of posting and evidence of value can be provided. This compensation is subject to the maximum payable being the lower of the market value of the item and the maximum of £46.00.

Direct from the website - if the amount is worth more, then only the maximum £46 will be paid

System

nikki1520 wrote: »

I think you may have been had. Paypal will force you to give a full refund of all money paid if you cannot prove delivery. You will only be entitled to £46 from Roayal mail, so you will probably never see the remainder.

It's probably best to issue the refund before a dispute is opened, and hope the buyer will agree to a cancelleation so you get your eBay fees back. If a dispute is opened, this may affect your account in the future.

Next time, insist the buyer pays in full first (this is why Paypal have buyer protection) and I would recommend a properly insured service to cover the full value of the goods.

Thanks. I will ask the buyer to wait a few more days then refund the money in full. I suppose £46 is better than nothing. The Post Office clerk did not ask me about the value of the item - if she had then I may have gone Special Delivery. My problem though, I guess.

I didn't sell via eBay but buyer did pay via Paypal.

Thanks for your advice.

System

jasmineswhiskers wrote: »

I was informed at the PO if the item is worth £100 you will not get any money back as you used the incorrect service.

Yes, it seems I did use the incorrect service. A combination of my ignorance and not being told about the differences at the Post Office.

Thanks anyway.

hermum

The buyer won't be able to open a Paypal case, as you have to pay for an item in full in one transaction. I am not by the way suggesting that you don't refund.
How big is the packet, if it won't go through the letter box or the postie wanted a signature it could be at the delivery office waiting for the recipient to collect.
I'd google the nearest delivery office to them & see if you can get through on the phone.
Did you post it 1st or 2nd & when?

System

hermum wrote: »

The buyer won't be able to open a Paypal case, as you have to pay for an item in full in one transaction. I am not by the way suggesting that you don't refund.
How big is the packet, if it won't go through the letter box or the postie wanted a signature it could be at the delivery office waiting for the recipient to collect.
I'd google the nearest delivery office to them & see if you can get through on the phone.
Did you post it 1st or 2nd & when?

The box was about the size of two shoe boxes, but the delivery address was her workplace. I might contact the relevant delivery office but will also ask her to check the post room of her office.

Was posted 1st class last Thursday morning.