Getting screwed by eBay buyer

[Juli]

I sold an autograph on eBay for $20 January 1st, 2012. The seller did not pay, so I sent him an e-mail on January 2nd asking him when if he could pay by the next day since everyone else had paid and I did not want to make a separate trip to the post office just for his item. I understood if he couldn't pay by then since I allow 3 days for payment. He did not pay but he did respond to my e-mail saying he would try to pay by the end of that week (the 7th). I gave him until the 7th then I sent another e-mail asking him if he would pay since it had now been about a week. He had not responded to this e-mail so I reported him for nonpayment the next day (normally I send the report for nonpayment 4 days after non payment, but I gave him more time since he responded to the first e-mail saying he would pay by the end of the week). He ignored the report for 3 days then on the fourth and final day that he could pay I sent him one final e-mail warning him that if he ignored the report and did not pay that a nonpayment strike would be made against his account. Just a few hours before it was to expire he paid. At the time I was very happy thinking I didn't have to relist the item or sell it to the second highest bidder.

I sent the signed photo inside a large envelope protected with cardboard on January 12th, 2012. Postage was paid in the form of postage stamps. Since I was going to Boston that day I had my father drop it in the mailbox at his work. I've had my father mail many things for me before and never had a problem. They had all arrived at their destinations all within a week.

Today, January 25th, 2012 the seller sends me an e-mail claiming he did not receive the item. I had just sold a bunch of stuff last week so thinking this was one of the items I just sold last week I wrote:

"Please give it a few more weeks and you should have it. The mail has been a bit slow lately."

He responds fairly quick with:

"A few weeks? Mail is not that slow it was to be here a week ago. If nothing by friday I will have to put a claim in."

I responded with:

"I just looked at my records and realized that I sent this over two weeks ago, therefore you are correct in that you should have received this over a week ago. I sent your item to this address on January 12th, 2012. This was the address on the PayPal payment you sent me January 11th, 2012.

(address)

If the address is correct, you should have received your item by now. I have never had a problem with buyers getting their items. Everything sent in the US has arrived within a week of sending it. I will check with the post office and find out what happened and let you know.

I hope you get your item soon. I apologize for all of this trouble, I really do feel bad about it. As someone who is an avid autograph collector, I understand your frustration."

No reply.

Then when I saw my mailman I told him about this. He said mail very rarely gets lost and it should have gotten to him over a week ago. He told me he believes he got it and since it had no delivery confirmation decided to keep the item and pretend he never got it. The only possible thing I could think of is that maybe it got misplaced by his housekeeper or whomever handles his mail. So I sent another message:

"I spoke with my mailman and he told me you should have gotten this over a week ago since it was sent First Class Mail. He said things very rarely get lost in the mail. I am thinking perhaps it got misplaced by whomever may handle your mail in the house."

Then he replied fairly quickly to that and sent:

"My mailman knows I get packages daily it wasn't misplaced. I would like a refund. "

I took a look at his feedback and the feedback he left for others. The most recent feedback he left was a negative for another seller. Another item not received, very strange I think. This was left 3 days ago.

Then I look at feedback he had received. There was a seller who never got payment from him so because eBay doesn't allow sellers to leave negative feedback, the seller left a positive and wrote: over a month and buyer won't pay. This feedback was left just a few days ago. There were also a few older feedbacks from sellers saying that he is a slow payer.

I find it highly unusual that two different items from two different places get lost in the mail on their way to him. Giving that it is very rare to have one piece of mail get lost, it is extremely rare or almost unheard of for two pieces of mail to go missing. I am thinking, and my mailman thought so too, that he got the item and is now trying to get his money back (probably as his payback for giving him a hard time about paying for the item) so he gets the item for free. Since I have no proof that he received it, or that I mailed it, I am screwed.

There isn't much I can do except the following:

1. Give him a refund, take my loss and hope he doesn't leave me negative feedback (right now I am a top rated seller and have 100% positive feedback, if he leaves me negative I lose all that)

2. Don't give him a refund and let him report me and hope eBay sides with me even though I don't have proof I sent it.

3. Find some way to buy another 32 days time (after 45 days he can not report me).

4. Other ideas that I have not yet thought of.

Please give me your input on what you think I should do.

~ Juli

[Juli]

So I talked to my father and he told me to refund him his money and send him this e-mail:

"I have refunded your money. If you receive the item please return it to sender.

I will notify the US Postal Inspector that either mail fraud or larceny of US Mail has taken place regarding this shipment.

To eliminate the letter carrier as a suspect, he will likely be interviewed by the postal inspectors."

That's what I did. Tomorrow I plan to call the post office and open a case regarding this shipment.

~ Juli

[guest8]

You should always ship through paypal, it has tracking and is iron clad against all claims as long as it made it to its destination. People all too often try to skimp and save a few pennies on shipping and as youre learning now its not worth it in the long run. I ship everything priority with full insurance to avoid issues like this.

[Juli]

You should always ship through paypal, it has tracking and is iron clad against all claims as long as it made it to its destination. People all too often try to skimp and save a few pennies on shipping and as youre learning now its not worth it in the long run. I ship everything priority with full insurance to avoid issues like this.

I don't have a car so I am unable to get rides to the post office as often as I would need if I were to send everything with tracking. I need to go to the post office and up to the counter if sending priority or with tracking. I can't just drop it in the mailbox.

~ Juli

[MoviePosterBid.com]

Juli

#1 just refund his $20 and forget about it. not worth wasting your time on trifling issues

#2 always ship with a tracking number, or this will happen alot

#3 if you do your First Class or Priority postage at Paypal, it automatically comes with a tracking #, you print out a label at home & you can indeed drop it off in any mailbox

[Juli]

I just read up about this on eBay and it all sounds good. However I have a few concerns.

What if the package weighs more than 13 ounces? I need a trip to the post office as it says on their site they will not pick it up if over 13 ounces regardless of what class of mail it's being sent. The nice thing is when you do bring it to the post office they do not need to check weight (as I assume label would say what weight was) and they can accept it and it's done.

I see I can probably send most autographs First Class Mail parcel (and use thick cardboard so that it becomes a parcel rather than a large envelope) with Delivery Confirmation which would be under 13 ounces in most cases so that's good.

However, in order to get a free pickup at least one of my items needs to be sent Priority Mail or Express Mail, so I could do First Class Mail Parcel for all but one and decide who should get that quicker shipping (perhaps the most expensive one).

I wonder though, if I sold a signed 3x5 index card which easily fits inside a regular letter size envelope, how would you do the shipping label if First Class letters and large envelopes are excluded? Do I need to make put the index card in a box to make it a parcel?

And last but not least, how does Media Mail work when making a shipping label? Do you just indicate what's inside and the label now will say what is inside so when you bring it to the counter it's all there?

Thanks

~ Juli

[MoviePosterBid.com]

Juli, I only ship by Priority Mail, though they now offer tracking with first class, we'll be looking into it to see if we can lower shipping costs

we do not get pickup as I go to the post office daily & drop it off
I can put it through the slot or drop it on the counter & walk away
I don't need anyone to examine anything when I drop off mail

[Charlie]

You should always ship through paypal, it has tracking and is iron clad against all claims as long as it made it to its destination. People all too often try to skimp and save a few pennies on shipping and as youre learning now its not worth it in the long run. I ship everything priority with full insurance to avoid issues like this.

+1  Always CYA 1st priority...  And that is why Intl transactions just plain suck...  You can only track up til customs...

[Charlie]

I only ship by Priority Mail...

Thanks for this...

[guest8]

Juli you seem obsessed with saving money on shipping ... I charge $15 flat for a poster in the CONUS .. Why? Because PRIORITY shipping, Insurance and all the little stuff come up to anywhere between $12-14, typically. Its been a while but IIRC the Priority flat rate mailing envelop which I'm guessing is something like 10"x12" only cost like $5 .. and guess what .. ITS PRIORITY .. If ou want to save a dollar here and there that's fine but just realize youre opening yourself to this kind of "rip off artist" and since the buyer pays shipping charges .. Is it worth it in the long run? Because now you, YOU .. Not the seller has to pay $20 and you lose the item that you auctioned.

It feels like youre losing site of the big picture here and that entails taking care of yourself .. There are now multiple people that have a range of experience with selling and shipping.. from weekend seller status (like me) to Rich that does this EVERYDAY! So instead of trying to find a way to keep doing what youre doing or to save $0.50 here or there .. Just up the shipping charges a dollar or 2 and ship it priority with delivery confirmation and insurance .. that will solve ALL of your problems and everyone wins that way !!

[jayn_j]

Also, most legitimate buyers are willing to pay a bit for tracking numbers.  It provides a sense of security to both sides of the transaction.  I am also of the belief that packages with tracking are handled a bit more carefully (possibly wishful thinking).

As Rich and Fallenangel say, just be upfront about the shipping cost, and build the tracking in to it.

[Juli]

I plan to use the PayPal shipping labels which have tracking on them from now on. As long as I don't need a ride to the post office and these can be dropped in a mailbox then this will be fine.

~ Juli