Buyer says I sent to wrong address (which think is previous address!)

FallenArcher

So the saga continues... I recently sold an item on ebay, and sent recorded delivery at the request of the buyer. Two weeks later the buyer contacts to say not received, I check on RM and can see it has been signed for. Buyer then says I sent to the wrong person as went through sorting office in town x but she lives in town y. She also says she used to live in town x!

I reply and suggest she check whether it has been delivered to her old address as seems impossible that I would send to "the wrong person" who also happens to live in her old town. I asked if this is what happened in previous case she referred to when she requested I sent RD. I asked for previous address so I could check RM receipt and see if it rang a bell.

She then sends a message saying "Hello, I guessed that you sent the item to my previous address as I lived in town x.
Recently one of ebay seller did the same thing like you.
On the paypal receipt it is clearly stated that I live in town y.
I did not asked you to send the item to other address.
I waited so long and out of patience.
You shall locate the item or refund.
I will open a case if you don't solve the problem within a few days." and then immediately opens a case!!!!

Her account doesn't show an address with town x anymore so I think she must have changed it since. What would you suggest I do? Re-ask for previous address so I can write to them to check whether it's there? I'm a bit peeved that I'd have to get them to return it to me, and then re-send to her when it seems pretty obvious to me that she can't have updated her address properly on either ebay or paypal - especially if this has previously been a problem!!

Any thoughts gratefully received.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

If you have proof of delivery to the address on the "View Order Details" page on eBay or the Paypal transaction page you'll win an eBay case with your tracking and eBay should remove bad feedback.

If the customer works their way to a Paypal case you'll need to show delivery to the address on the Paypal transaction page.

Do the two addresses on each match, if not how and which did you send to?

Regardless you should be covered here, as long as you sent to one of the two addresses you've done your bit, too many people on eBay with wrong addresses and so many people say "all the buyer has to do is pay" but a properly written, correct and complete address would be handy too!

Sorry I see she's already opened a case (eBay or Paypal?) so you need to upload your tracking details to the case.

Meadows

If you sent it to the address she has registered on her eBay account then you are in the right and she should have changed details on both her eBay & PayPal account if she moved.

Not sure whether the sale will show she has since changed her address but make sure you mention this as your reply to eBay/PayPal when you get the option to do so in the dispute. Ensure the tracking details are shown on eBay & PayPal.

(Also you could contact the address where it was received if the dispute goes against you and ask them to return to you and send them payment to cover the cost of postage (this all depends on the value and if you stand to lose that much).

porto_bello

You should have received an email of confirmation of payment from Paypal, which is where the item should have gone and should show in large font "This item is eligible for Seller Protection."

Use this as evidence that you sent it to the right place, attaching the internet headers (digital data that verifies it's real, seen by right clicking the email in your inbox and hitting the 'properties' button).

[By the way, by the dramatic email from the buyer reads as though this 'wrong address' scenario is something of a regular routine. I imagine there are a few other sellers who have received it].

FallenArcher

Thanks for replies. Ok so it seems that I posted to the address the buyer had registered on eBay at that time - the email from
eBay saying item sold shows Address as Town X. The one from paypal at the time said Town Y. I obtained the details through "view order details" on my app which must take you to the eBay account details (town x).

Looking now that also shows as Town Y now. So she must've changed it.

When she bought my item she obviously knew that there had been previous problems with her postage (her reason for asking RD!) so why on earth in her message did she not say "can you please ensure the address is my paypal one - town y"? How is the seller supposed to know that you havent changed address properly on eBay *and* paypal???

It's an eBay dispute at the moment, so based on your replies I guess I'd win that (will obv refer to their email with Town Y address in my response) and have to hope she doesn't go to a paypal dispute- because I'd lose that for posting to her eBay address not paypal? Think I'll just wait and see what happens in terms of disputes before contacting her previous address? It had my return address on it so I don't know why they wouldn't have marked it return to sender???

Very frustrating- and all because my buyer hadn't updated her address properly- peeved if I have to take a financial hit because of this. It wasn't a massive amount of money but a fair bit to me atm :-(

Lesson learnt- use address from paypal emails in future!!!!

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Just to add, is the situation that the buyer has input an address of 1 smith street, town x but actually lives at 1 smith street town y?

Regardless of the town the postcode should see the parcel go to the correct place.

As an aside I don't think the buyer can change the address showing on the "view order details" page after payment.

porto_bello

FallenArcher wrote: »

Lesson learnt- use address from paypal emails in future!!!!

Yes, then you are totally covered. Given that in this situation, effectively, you've posted an item to a different address to that on Paypal, as shown both then and now, I'm rather less sure about where you stand.

Another, more experienced MSE user will know more about this specific situation...

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

I've always posted to the eBay address and never had any issues. eBay says you can post to either eBay or Paypal to be covered. Paypal say the address they provide but you may get somewhere with an appeal through Paypal depending upon the level of support you are allocated.

IMO the system should ensure that addresses always match, assuming the buyer uses eBay Checkout, to avoid such issues.

Meadows

FallenArcher wrote: »

It's an eBay dispute at the moment, so based on your replies I guess I'd win that (will obv refer to their email with Town Y address in my response) and have to hope she doesn't go to a paypal dispute- because I'd lose that for posting to her eBay address not paypal? Think I'll just wait and see what happens in terms of disputes before contacting her previous address? It had my return address on it so I don't know why they wouldn't have marked it return to sender??? Lesson learnt- use address from paypal emails in future!!!!

Once a dispute opened in eBay it can not then be opened in PayPal and vice versa. As for Lesson learnt- use address from PayPal emails in future!!!! then only go with the correct address! If it shows one on eBay and another on PayPal get the buyer to respond to a message via eBay to say which is the correct address, that way you have written proof of which address the buyer asks for the item to be sent to. Better yet tell them that as they have two conflicting address can they change one or the other before you send out the goods! That way you know you have two identical address and there can be no dispute.

...Time_for_a_brew_then..

I've heard of quite a few ebay sellers having this problem recently, one in perticular also buys from some suppliers via ebay and her home address 'defaulted' to another address that had once been her home address about 7yrs ago...Luckily for her, the resident was an old friend and contacted her to let her know that many, many parcels had been delivered to the wrong address...If i recall correctly, ebay covered the cost of a courier to get her stock to her because it was their 'glitch' that had caused the problem.

(she's a TRS and power seller though...)

soolin

I have only ever used the paypal address as that is where I need seller protection.

I understand and have been corrected by regulars that the ebay and paypal address cannot differ, but I am still getting addresses that do not match so either my ebay is broken or this is yet *another* ebay glitch.