Is this unusual?

Homeagain

I sold a pair of shoes on ebay. The very next day the buyer contacted me to ask if they had been dispatched which they had. The buyer then emailed me for the next four days saying they had not been received despite me assuring her that I had posted them. Eventually she opened a case against me so I immediately refunded her. Quite frankly for the amount of 5.50 I am not really prepared to get into disputes etc. However I did wonder if this is usual - I believed it was rare for stuff to go missing through the post? Or is it easier for the buyer to say 'I never received it'. I suppose I will take it up with Royal Mail.

asajj

You should take up with Royal Mail. However, it is always good to send signed for.

It is not unusual from what I have been reading.

campdave

When sellers refund so easily, it's not surprising that a certain number of buyers claim to have issues with their post.

mrcol1000

campdave wrote: »

When sellers refund so easily, it's not surprising that a certain number of buyers claim to have issues with their post.

So what exactly would you do when you have something you have sold for a couple of quid and have no proof of delivery? If you didn't then Ebay would find against you for a not received case. I do not really blame the OP for doing what they did. There is no way to win this so far easier to refund, block and move on with your life.

custardy

asajj wrote: »

You should take up with Royal Mail. However, it is always good to send signed for.

It is not unusual from what I have been reading.

What have you been reading?

soolin

custardy wrote: »

What have you been reading?

Certainly not these boards

I feel as though I have more INRs than ever before- but when I actually sit and look at my figures it is only because I now sell much higher volumes than I used to. I'm still running at about 1 in a 1000 loss, it's just that the 1000 parcels comes round quicker than it used to.

I do find buyers much more impatient now though - but I blame that entirely on the stupid ebay estimates that tell people they can buy from me tonight at 11pm, have it sent in 1 working day 2nd class and get it Wednesday!

Stormkhan

The temptation for a buyer just to say they've not received their item if they've not had to sign for it is strong.
Yes, you can make a claim against Royal Mail but this is a long process with no guaranteed success - it depends on the "value" of the item.
I'd recommend always paying a bit extra for recorded delivery (or whatever) just so they can't get the goods without signing for it. And even if the goods go missing, it's then far easier to put in a claim to Royal Mail.

jon81uk

Don't bother paying for Royal Mail signed for if the item is worth under £20. Wait at least a week before refunding and get the buyer to confirm it still hasn't arrived. Then claim from Royal Mail (assuming you got proof of postage).

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

It's worth reporting the buyer to eBay, there is a seller dashboard link from the Account tab drop-down menu and on the seller dashboard to the left is a report a buyer link.

From what you've described I'd bet good money they have plenty of past "missing" parcels with other sellers.

soolin

Stormkhan wrote: »

The temptation for a buyer just to say they've not received their item if they've not had to sign for it is strong.
Yes, you can make a claim against Royal Mail but this is a long process with no guaranteed success - it depends on the "value" of the item.
I'd recommend always paying a bit extra for recorded delivery (or whatever) just so they can't get the goods without signing for it. And even if the goods go missing, it's then far easier to put in a claim to Royal Mail.

Signed for is an additional £1.10 and is not a tracked service and in some areas never gets signed for so is not worth using. Also, your sales must be marvellous if you can throw away £1.10 profit on everything you sell. frankly if I thought that there were that many scammers around I would give up online selling completely.

Anecodtally it is also harder to claim from RM for a lost signed for parcel rather than for a standard parcel as if RM know it has been delivered but do not update their system they will not pay, but they also won't update the system which would be needed for PayPal.

Have a read of the sticky postage thread.