eBay buyer claiming item not received

Cbe2012

Hello,
I was wondering whether anybody could give me any advice to an item going missing.

The buyer has said that the item was not received, although the tracking says delivered to the front door.

I used UPS (through Packlink) as the item was worth around £60. Packlink have given me a Denial of Receipt form for the buyer to complete which I’ve forwarded on.

The buyer is quite clear they want a refund or replacement now, as they have waited long enough (it sold on the 12th) I however don’t want to loose the money if UPS have proof of delivery. 

How long do I have to refund the buyer? 

Thank you 

olgadapolga

Has the buyer opened a case via eBay?

soolin

Cbe2012 said:

Hello,
I was wondering whether anybody could give me any advice to an item going missing.

The buyer has said that the item was not received, although the tracking says delivered to the front door.

I used UPS (through Packlink) as the item was worth around £60. Packlink have given me a Denial of Receipt form for the buyer to complete which I’ve forwarded on.

The buyer is quite clear they want a refund or replacement now, as they have waited long enough (it sold on the 12th) I however don’t want to loose the money if UPS have proof of delivery. 

How long do I have to refund the buyer? 

Thank you 

As you have proof of delivery which you have hopefully uploaded you can win any INR claim made on eBay, so the time limit for a refund depends entirely on how you get on with UPS. 

km1500

Put the tracking details on eBay - if they show item delivered you will win a INR case.

Just tell the buyer they will have to wait until the carrier completes their investigations. If the carrier refunds you then you can refund the buyer. If the carrier says the item was delivered then tell the buyer that is the end of the matter.

Cbe2012

Thank you for replying 
They haven’t opened a case, the eBay tracking shows delivered. 

I used UPS over evri or similar thinking it was the most reliable.

I will just wait then if I’m not obliged to refund. Thank you 

GadgetGuru

km1500 said:

Put the tracking details on eBay - if they show item delivered you will win a INR case.

Just tell the buyer they will have to wait until the carrier completes their investigations. If the carrier refunds you then you can refund the buyer. If the carrier says the item was delivered then tell the buyer that is the end of the matter.

This is exactly what I would do  ^

NBLondon

Cbe2012 said:

The buyer has said that the item was not received, although the tracking says delivered to the front door.

Delivered to the front door is not delivered to the buyer.  If it was left on the doorstep and subsequently stolen; it's the sellers' problem and you should be claiming on the courier's insurance.   This may come out in the investigation.

If the buyer is genuine - they should return the Packlink paperwork promptly to help deal with the issue.  If they are £60 out of pocket - they may well escalate.

Buster_Danog

NBLondon said:

Delivered to the front door is not delivered to the buyer.  If it was left on the doorstep and subsequently stolen; it's the sellers' problem and you should be claiming on the courier's insurance.   This may come out in the investigation.

That's what jumped out at me from the thread. I have had Royal Mail and Hermes leave items outside my door or in the communal hallway of my building. It was my worst nightmare that the item would be stolen but the tracking would state it was delivered. Almost happened but never did. Amazon regularly do this as well. "Parcel handed to resident" is their tracking when they leave things outside the door.

UPS usually take undelivered items to a collection point. However, sending items through Packlink is the worst idea ever. Their T&Cs allow items to be left with neighbours. I don't know if they also allow items to be left outside the door when the recipient is not home. It is not the same as posting with the courier company directly.

I got lucky with Packlink on a return that was left with a neighbour. I almost lost £130. Never again.

km1500

 All this may be true but if you have a tracking number that shows the item has been delivered then as far as eBay are concerned and refunds are concerned then the item has been delivered and you do not have to refund

Cbe2012

Thank you for all the replies. Packlink sent me a UPS form for Denial of Receipt for the buyer to complete, which I forwarded to the buyer on Wednesday, and am yet to receive back. 

On a separate note, I did not realise you would not get the same service buying the service through the ebay Packlink as through UPS direct. That said, customer service has been very helpful from Packlink. 

TripleH

I would never refund a claim fully outside of Ebay channels.

As in this case and stated above, you can defend an item not received claim but still investigate further with the courier.

You can still complete outside of the chain but at least it has been formally logged.

Whilst it is the seller responsibility for the item to be delivered, if they are asking outside of item not received, are they trying to pull a fast one knowing they would otherwise loose and it not be logged?

For all a seller knows, a buyer could do this multiple times knowing it won't get formally flagged and no pattern emerges.