Postal Order lost?

Umer

I sold a phone on eBay, about £20 including postage (only got 1 bid). The buyer was a new user, and hasn't bid on anything else. At the time I was quite happy because that would save me on the PayPal fees anyway. However, a week after them telling me they had posted the postal order I still haven't received it. I'm guessing that 1) it has been lost/stolen in the post OR 2) that they never sent it.

What should I do next? I'm obviously not going to send the phone without payment, but what should I tell the buyer? Is it possible to cancel a postal order and them get a refund or another get another one from the receipt part?

Any help will be much appreciated!

Cat72

Hi
Contact the buyer has something might have happend and they have not posted it. You get reciept slips when you purchase postal orders and these can be used by the buyer to get a refund , or to tell if they have been cashed . Not sure exactly how this works if the po's were not crossed but this would be the buyers problem. Obviously it is up to the buyer to pay you for the item they have purchased so in my opinion they should get all this sorted and pay you. If the PO's are missing it is not your prob,it is up to the buyer to make sure the payment method they choose is secure, so if they were not crossed they should have sent them recorded. So be sympathetic but they should still be aranging getting your money to you.

soolin

Umer wrote:

I sold a phone on eBay, about £20 including postage (only got 1 bid). The buyer was a new user, and hasn't bid on anything else. At the time I was quite happy because that would save me on the PayPal fees anyway. However, a week after them telling me they had posted the postal order I still haven't received it. I'm guessing that 1) it has been lost/stolen in the post OR 2) that they never sent it.

What should I do next? I'm obviously not going to send the phone without payment, but what should I tell the buyer? Is it possible to cancel a postal order and them get a refund or another get another one from the receipt part?

Any help will be much appreciated!

I hate postal orders as buyers don't know how to fill them in properly and keep the receipt part. I've actually stopped taking them on my auctions.

When I have had them go astray in the post to me I usually email the buyer and just assume that it was filled in and crossed and that they still have the receipt. I suggest they take the receipt and all payee details to the post office and ask there for advice on stopping the postal order and getting a new one.

Put the onus on the buyer to sort out the problem but don't be surprised if the buyer tries to argue that he has sent the PO in good faith and wants his goods.

Stand firm, if necessary go through the NPB process.

Soo

soolin

Cat72 wrote:

Hi
, so if they were not crossed they should have sent them recorded. So be sympathetic but they should still be aranging getting your money to you.

Uncrossed postal orders are not covered on the recorded delivery insurance as they are treated as cash, and cash is not covered.

Soo

Umer

Thanks for the quick & helpfull replies. The buyer had confirmed that they posted it, but I'll email the buyer again to inform them. I get this funny feeling they won't have the receipts anymore, or will say that I've cashed them. Just wait and see I guess.

Cheers for the advice.

soolin

Umer wrote:

Thanks for the quick & helpfull replies. The buyer had confirmed that they posted it, but I'll email the buyer again to inform them. I get this funny feeling they won't have the receipts anymore, or will say that I've cashed them. Just wait and see I guess.

Cheers for the advice.

That's why I stopped taking them. The last one was the final straw, I sold a broken Nokia phone for parts and it went for about a fiver.

Buyer mucked me around, emailed me to say payment would be a bit late as he was a student and was broke. Then a couple of days after that I get an email asking where his phone was. He said he had sent a postal order and wanted the phone ASAP. I sent my usual email telling him to 'claim from the post office' and got a mail back saying he had sent the whole thing in an envelope uncrossed and with no payee.

He got my contact details and phoned me a couple of times wanting his phone and it all got rather unpleasant.

Soo

moneywasternomore!

I paid by PO once - just the once though. Same thing, seller never received them - though I had to chase the whereabouts of the items - and it was waaaaaaaaaayy too difficult claiming from the post office! Which reminds me, they've just sent a parcel all the way back to the States claiming I don't live here! Hey ho.

soolin

moneywasternomore! wrote:

I paid by PO once - just the once though. Same thing, seller never received them - though I had to chase the whereabouts of the items - and it was waaaaaaaaaayy too difficult claiming from the post office! Which reminds me, they've just sent a parcel all the way back to the States claiming I don't live here! Hey ho.

Don't you just love the post office! I sent off some competition entries on the back of a postcard, guess what, some came back to me. The 'To' address on the front of the postcard where the stamp is was overlooked and they used the 'from' address on the back of the card and bought them back.

Soo