eBay selling - can I claim from Royal Mail?

ClaraSolis

Sorry if this isn't in the right forum, I wasn't sure where to post this!

I recently sold my very first item on eBay, hooray! I posted it with Royal Mail Second Class Signed For just so I would know when it's been delivered. 
However, it's been two weeks now and the tracking still only shows the time when I dropped it off at the post office. So at the moment I don't know if my item has been delivered or not. I haven't heard back yet from the buyer, but they also haven't marked it yet as being delivered on eBay or left any feedback.

Would I be able to claim for this item as being lost (or at least claim for the postage since I didn't get what I paid for)?
Can I provide a screenshot of my eBay page as proof of how much it's worth? 
Will Royal Mail contact the buyer as well?

Thanks, just not sure what my next step should be in regards to this.

mjm3346

Every Signed For 2nd Class item is covered against loss or damage up to £50 or the value of the item, whichever is lower.

During unprecedented times, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the name of the recipient is taken instead of a signature.

*Compensation for valuables, such as money and jewellery is not available on this service,

MalMonroe

ClaraSolis said:

Sorry if this isn't in the right forum, I wasn't sure where to post this!

I recently sold my very first item on eBay, hooray! I posted it with Royal Mail Second Class Signed For just so I would know when it's been delivered. 
However, it's been two weeks now and the tracking still only shows the time when I dropped it off at the post office. So at the moment I don't know if my item has been delivered or not. I haven't heard back yet from the buyer, but they also haven't marked it yet as being delivered on eBay or left any feedback.

Would I be able to claim for this item as being lost (or at least claim for the postage since I didn't get what I paid for)?
Can I provide a screenshot of my eBay page as proof of how much it's worth? 
Will Royal Mail contact the buyer as well?

Thanks, just not sure what my next step should be in regards to this.

There's some information from ebay here : https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/help-buyer-item-didnt-receive?id=4116&st=3&pos=2&query=Help a buyer with an item they didn't receive&intent=item i sold has not been receved&lucenceai=lucenceai

You could try chasing it up with Royal Mail but I'd wait for the buyer to raise a 'didn't receive item' notification on ebay. Or you could email the buyer, via your ebay account, to ask if they've received it and then take action. If all fails, there's always the option to ask ebay to step in, as per info on the (quite long!) link I posted above.

MalMonroe

mjm3346 said:

Every Signed For 2nd Class item is covered against loss or damage up to £50 or the value of the item, whichever is lower.

During unprecedented times, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the name of the recipient is taken instead of a signature.

*Compensation for valuables, such as money and jewellery is not available on this service,

That's not very helpful, really. 

veravera123

What a shame this has happened to you on your first Ebay sale , thats typical isnt it ? I have been selling on Ebay for years and you have done the right thing by getting signed for. In the past, I have made claims for lost items. There is a form on the Royal Mail site but you have to wait 6 weeks from day of posting. If the buyer does not get the item, Ebay will normally refund the buyer (unless that has changed) or they may ask you to. Then you can claim your money back including your postage from the Royal Mail. I sent copy of the proof of postage and copy of the Ebay sale. May be worth just dropping your buyer an email to see if they have received it, many people dont bother leaving feedback so they may have had it. Good luck.

pokora

Royal mail won't chaise the buyer. Now they are leaving parcels and letters without checking if the recipient at the address. They are trying to avoid as many customers as they can at the depots.

If the customer paid with Paypal you won't rest until 6 months after the payment, because he can claim through paypal during that time.

Did you add the track number and mark as sent on Ebay ?

I'm afraid you will have to wait patiently until the buyer confirm the reception or the time to claim expire. You could drop a polite reminder asking for rating you and asking if everything went fine to get some closing.

olgadapolga

pokora said:

I'm afraid you will have to wait patiently until the buyer confirm the reception or the time to claim expire. You could drop a polite reminder asking for rating you and asking if everything went fine to get some closing.

Probably best NOT to contact the buyer, as they might then realise that the tracking is not complete and raise a claim (I'm not saying that the buyer would but there are some unscrupulous people in the world). 

I'd just leave it be for now and not worry about it. I would have thought that the buyer would have moaned by now if they hadn't received their item.

As an aside, as a buyer, I get really irritated by sellers asking for feedback. A bit like when you're asked repeatedly to complete a "short survey" after making a purchase from other retailers.

OP,  you might like to check out the eBay section of this forum, there's loads of advice from very experienced sellers there.

jon81uk

Best not to contact the buyer. Just wait for them to either tell you it hasn't arrived, in which case you will need to refund within the timescales set out by eBay and then claim compensation from Royal Mail.

All items sent via Royal Mail are covered up to £20 and signed for are up to £50. Even if you only use small parcel you get a code that proves delivery if needed for eBay.
I had an item a few months ago where the tracking didn't update (and still hasn't) to show as delivered, but not heard a thing from the buyer so I've just left it. If they wanted a refund they would ask.

unicorndeva

I have claimed before from Royal Mail. They should refund you the cost of the item plus postage fee up to the insurance limit on valid claims. They should also refund the buyer the cost of the item so that you aren't out of pocket, but both you and the buyer have to make a claim.

soolin

unicorndeva said:

I have claimed before from Royal Mail. They should refund you the cost of the item plus postage fee up to the insurance limit on valid claims. They should also refund the buyer the cost of the item so that you aren't out of pocket, but both you and the buyer have to make a claim.

If you read the rest of the thread the buyer has not said item has been lost, there’s a high probability that it’s just not showing as delivered. Also ‘both’ parties don’t claim, usually it is easier for the seller to do so as they have all the information needed for the claim form. RM only pay out once, and that’s to the claimant, and assuming that is the seller then buyer opens an INR case, seller refunds them via ebay and in time makes the Claim for loss from RM. 

unicorndeva

soolin said:

unicorndeva said:

I have claimed before from Royal Mail. They should refund you the cost of the item plus postage fee up to the insurance limit on valid claims. They should also refund the buyer the cost of the item so that you aren't out of pocket, but both you and the buyer have to make a claim.

If you read the rest of the thread the buyer has not said item has been lost, there’s a high probability that it’s just not showing as delivered. Also ‘both’ parties don’t claim, usually it is easier for the seller to do so as they have all the information needed for the claim form. RM only pay out once, and that’s to the claimant, and assuming that is the seller then buyer opens an INR case, seller refunds them via ebay and in time makes the Claim for loss from RM. 

I did tread the whole thread thanks. The title, however, is asking if she can claim and I gave her my experience of my claim against them, in which both myself and my buyer claimed from RM and were refunded. It was a lost package which my buyer thinks the Postman left in her bin and then got taken by the binmen, so it maybe different to the OP's circumstances.