Item lost in post??

papalazarou

I have recently sold a phone on Ebay and have sent the item by first class recorded delivery on the 15 March. the parcel has not been delivered so far.
I have tried tracking this item through royal mail but they only track the item after it has been delivered so I must presume the item lost.

The buyer is now demanding a refund off me but I am unsure how to play it. I can get a refund of £28 through the compensation scheme but that is all I will get because there was no higher insurance on the parcel. (I never offered insurance and none was requested).

So if I refund the buyer his £70 then I will be down £42 and a phone!

Suggestions??

stavros_2

The first thing I would suggest is to call the RM number on the back of your recorded delivery slip and make 100% sure it hasn't been delivered. Assuming it hasn't you've got no choice but to refund your buyer and claim the £28 through RM. I know it won't help now but in future I would recommend sending any item over £28 by special delivery. If you're worried about the cost then just pass it on to the buyer and explain why if they query it

biblejohn

Next time only send items with the correct insurance on them. If im selling a phone on ebay I only offer special delivery. It cost me £5.20 to send a nokia phone with special delivery and its insured. The buyer has the added benefit that its next day before 1pm.

Hintza

Check with Royal Mail but as I suspect it is lost, you will be down £42.


You should keep your buyer informed throughout as you can imagine he will be getting very cheesed off!!! And as the others have said you should have sent it Special Delivery.

All part of the great EBay learning experience!!! (which sometimes can be painful)

One other thing to check (Ican't remember) is when the Royal Mail will allow you to claim. I.E. How many days after postage before it becomes officially lost.

katiepops_2

RM recommend you wait 15 working days before claiming the parcel as lost ... considering that we've had Easter in the middle, you've still got a couple of days to go before you get to that point.

You should ALWAYS send anything of value by special delivery - it's only an extra £3 or so on top of the normal postage, but your parcel is insured for up to £250. I think you can also pay an extra £1 and have it insured for £1000.

Kate

vultura

Strange coincidence, today I won a phone in an eBay auction. The seller only lists standard post as the method of delivery.

Have sent a message to him asking about weight, so I can consider options with some protection.

Sorry OP, about your potential losses. Agree with stavros, first port of call is to check and ensure 100% that it hasn't been delivered by post office.

photoman_3

Have to agree with everyone else regarding using Special Delivery in this case. HOWEVER, don't assume that because it doesn't show up on the RM system then it has gone astray. I have had a number of items sent by Recorded and Special Delivery which according to their system have NOT been delivered, but on contacting the user they have confirmed delivery. I have a tendency when sending the buyer the RM ref no to ask them to contact me when they receive the item. That confirms delivery and also gives me an idea of how long it takes.