Item Not Received - Giving A Refund

mimi1234

Just a quick question. A buyer has opened a claim. Item sold on 16th for £18 and I posted on 19th of this month via 2nd class normal post. I got proof of postage.

It has not been received and he has opened a claim and wants a refund. I asked him if he could wait a bit longer and he has said no when I sent him the proof of postage via a message on eBay.

Do I just go ahead and refund him before he escalates it or is it within my rights to make him wait for 10/14 days (going to check with RM what the official number of days is before it is classed as lost) before I refund him as it might have been delayed?

I totally get it from his point of view if he wanted the item quickly and does not want to wait around in case it does not turn up.

Thanks in advance.

PS. If I refund him and then the item turns up, isn't it free item and full refund? I'm not saying the buyer is lying or will, it's just something that crossed my mind.

ballisticbrian

Refund before he escalates, but he can't do that for 7 days from opening the claim, so it does give you a little leigh way, but not quite as much as the number of days Royal Mail expect you to wait before making a claim. In other words, eBays system differs from that of the people who actually deliver the mail.

bylromarha

mimi1234 wrote: »

Just a quick question. A buyer has opened a claim. Item sold on 16th for £18 and I posted on 19th of this month via 2nd class normal post. I got proof of postage.

It has not been received and he has opened a claim and wants a refund. I asked him if he could wait a bit longer and he has said no when I sent him the proof of postage via a message on eBay.

Do I just go ahead and refund him before he escalates it or is it within my rights to make him wait for 10/14 days (going to check with RM what the official number of days is before it is classed as lost) before I refund him as it might have been delayed? YES

I totally get it from his point of view if he wanted the item quickly and does not want to wait around in case it does not turn up.

Thanks in advance.

PS. If I refund him and then the item turns up, isn't it free item and full refund? I'm not saying the buyer is lying or will, it's just something that crossed my mind. One of the many joys of ebay

You have very few rights as a seller on ebay - your only right is to sell and for ebay to take their cut.

If your buyer chooses to keep it and not inform you it has arrived, if it arrives after you have refunded, that's how it is.

If your buyer has already received it and is lying that they haven't received it, that's how it is.

You'll need to claim via RM for the lost item - you'll need to wait the RM time stated for lost items but ebay do not put that requirement on the system for issuing refunds for items lost in the post.

soolin

It has not been received and he has opened a claim and wants a refund. I asked him if he could wait a bit longer and he has said no when I sent him the proof of postage via a message on eBay.

I would never risk sending a scan of a POP to a buyer it winds people up as it is completely nothing to do with them, unless they are of course officially accusing you of being a liar and not sending and you are defending yourself.

mimi1234

soolin wrote: »

I would never risk sending a scan of a POP to a buyer it winds people up as it is completely nothing to do with them, unless they are of course officially accusing you of being a liar and not sending and you are defending yourself.

The buyer specifically said in the case details that he wanted to see proof of postage, so I did, but thanks for letting me know. I will bear that in mind in the future. Mind you, once my last few bits and pieces sell, that's it. I'm having a huge clearout, so whatever I can find, will be sold and that's it for me.

Thanks to all for the responses. It really is much appreciated.

luvvlyjubbly

You would think in this day and age everything could be tracked without having to pay a £1 more!

soolin

luvvlyjubbly wrote: »

You would think in this day and age everything could be tracked without having to pay a £1 more!

Seriously? The thousands and thousands of items chucked into mail boxes every day by people as well as the thousands of things going over the PO counters?

Obviously_the_best

soolin wrote: »

Seriously? The thousands and thousands of items chucked into mail boxes every day by people as well as the thousands of things going over the PO counters?

They manage it in Australia, and all priority stuff in the states.

soolin

Obviously_the_best wrote: »

They manage it in Australia, and all priority stuff in the states.

So the States is the same as us then as our priority mail is tracked. Australia do not track everything , even the Australian post web site states that 'much' of their parcel mail is tracked, not all mail.