MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Who should pay for the lost iPod?

Former_MSE_Archna · 23 February 2009 at 4:39PM

Here's this week's hypothetical situation for you to cogitate on:

Who should pay for the lost iPod?

You’re hard up and in desperate need of some quick cash. Your mate offers to sell your iPod on eBay for you, as you don’t know how it works. (S)he sells it and give you the money, which you quickly spend. The buyer then declares they’ve not received the item and it turns out your mate didn’t pay for recorded delivery or get proof of postage. Who should stump up the cash for the lost iPod?

Click reply to have your say

Previous MMDs:
You spotted the voucher. Should you keep the cash?
Would you buy your neighbours’ repossessed house?
Would you ask for a tip back?

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ovetta2001 · 25 February 2009 at 12:43AM

Pesonally I think it was on what you agreed with your mate.
If you said send it by normal delivery then you will have to refund it but if you told your friend to send my recorded and they didn't esp if they charged on ebay for recorded) then it is their fault.

7db · 25 February 2009 at 1:04AM

Well it's not like your mate was doing a professional service for you or anything (who paid the eBay fees?!) so you're a bit limited in what you can be exasperated with him/her for doing.

Ultimately you are the owner of the iPod and it's been lost before ownership have been fully transferred (technically it is transferred when posted, but it's transferred back when the buyer gets his refund).

There's another issue which is that your mate might only have got you half the value of the iPod by not selling it well on eBay -- that's half as big a problem as the original moral dilemma, but much easier to solve -- you wouldn't expect him/her to cough up the other half if he mis-sold it.

So easy - you owe him for the money he gave you - spent or not.

Seems like another good reason to use a professional eBay seller to do it for you -- pay the commission and know that you're getting a reliable (read: they cough up if they screw up) service!

Taffybiker · 25 February 2009 at 7:26AM

Ebay (unfairly to my mind) insists on the use of PayPal when electronic items are being listed. Naturally, since PayPal is an ebay company it's extra cash in their coffers because the seller has to pay both eBay and PayPal charges. The chances are the buyer would have used this method because it's easy and quick.
I say drag it out and make PayPal work for their stupidly high commission. Make them make the decision. By the time it's all sorted I could have enough saved to pay back (just in case)
Personally, I use CQout instead. They offer escrow where all money is held until the buyer is happy. The seller is much more careful (and honest) then.

tallgirld · 25 February 2009 at 8:00AM

My suspicious mind would be wondering if my mate even posted the ipod in the first place!!!!

I would pay for it and blame myself for relying on help from a "mate"

Dorrie · 25 February 2009 at 8:41AM

I found this a difficult one. Would probably pay back my friend as it was my item, but it would depend on what you had agreed as Ovetta2001 said. As an experience eBay seller, I always send recorded delivery and if it had been me selling the item for a friend, I would not have paid them the money until I knew the buyer had received it and was happy. This is what I do when I sell things for my children - and, thinking about it from that viewpoint, if I sold something or one of my children and it didn't arrive I would make my children pay as it was their item.

echelon101 · 25 February 2009 at 8:54AM

Dumping all the friendship issues.

1 = me
2 = ebay friend
3 = non recipient

By offering to sell your Ipod 2 has made a verbal agreement to 1 that the Ipod will be sold on ebay. This verbal agreement is satisfied when cash is received from 1. The use of ebay is between three parties, the seller/ebay/buyer, this does not include any other people. In this instance 2 is the seller, obviously. Since 2 has not sent the packagre recorded delivery there is not proof of postage which is what Ebay requires in order to mediate non-delivery disputes. If the item was listed with "normal postage" then it is 3's fault for taking the risk. HOWEVER if the item was posted with the postage option of recorded delivery and it was selected then it is 2's fault. At no point is it 1's fault as they have already exchanged the item for cash on sale and it's 2/3 interaction.

I hope that makes sense.

ukmonkey · 25 February 2009 at 8:58AM

Recorded Delivery would only insure the parcel upto 100x the cost of a first class stamp (which is the same cover that ordinary mail with a certiicate of posting would provide).

Recorded Delivery ("Recorded Signed For" as it is known these days) is simply the same as first class mail except it should be signed for by someone at the recipient address upon delivery (not necessarily the named recipient, simply someone at the address), and it can be tracked to see if delivery has been attempted/completed. It cannot be tracked through it's journey, only once delivery has been made or attempted.

Recorded Delivery still won't cover you for the loss cash or other valuables such as jewellery etc.

Special Delivery on the other hand is insured, can be used for sending cash and other valuables, is fully trackable through it's journey and is signed for upon deliver (as Recorded is).

HTH's.

traceyf01 · 25 February 2009 at 9:50AM

I think he should pay for the ipod - he may have asked his mate to put it on ebay - fair enough - but I'm sure he could manage to take it to the postoffice himself! The mate was doing a favour after all - don't take advantage!

AnneWorkman · 25 February 2009 at 10:16AM

I would think splitting the cost would be fair. If the mate was an expert on ebay as claimed, then they should have known better on postage and ensured some proof of posting. However, as it was a mate, I think a show of goodwill would be in order, so paying back half the cost would be fair.

marvic_2 · 25 February 2009 at 11:18AM

:j Bad luck. Put it down to experience

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Who should pay for the lost iPod?

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