Item returned - incomplete address - what now?

[road_warrior.2008]

First time this has happened to me. Buyer bought an item from me, paid quickly and I shipped it. I purchased the shipping label on ebay so it provided the shipping address. I received the item back today marked "no such address". I did check their address on Google Maps and it showed a location at the Hamilton airport. What happens next? Will ebay contact me? I know I won't be obligated to pay for another label as it was the address provided by the buyer to ebay. Any suggestions appreciated. I know the buyer would either have to pay for another label (with corrected address) or may want a refund, of course, less the original shipping cost. Thanks all! Great board.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

If you shipped with tracking to the exact address provided at checkout, you should be covered. It is my understanding that refused packages or incorrect addresses invalidate buyer protection. You may want to contact eBay directly to verify this. If a buyer opens up a case, you should be able to get eBay to close it by contacting them directly. If you haven't already, I would take a photo of the package with the yellow Canada Post return to sender label on it. (You may not need the photo, but it will help depending on what it says on the tracking)

With that said, I think most people would not be comfortable keeping both the item and the money. If the buyer made an error, you could offer a refund minus any unrecoverable costs like shipping.

You could also ask them to provide you with an updated address and an amount for you to re-ship the item to the correct address. You usually do not want to ship to a different address, but if you confirm to eBay that the original shipment return already invalidated the buyer protection, you should be in the clear to ask the buyer for their Paypal address to invoice them for the additional shipping label.

(While using eBay to make sales off the site is prohibited, last time I had a similar scenario, the CSR stated that eBay allows buyers and sellers to exchange Paypal or E-Transfer info to resolve problems after a sale has already been paid for and completed.)

I would suggest confirming the above with an eBay CSR as the policies do change, and this is just based off of what I have been told by them in similar situations in the past. You mainly want to confirm that the buyer protection is voided, and that if you wish to do so you are in the clear to exchange information with the buyer so that they can pay you for a label or flat rate box to re-send the item.

[clemowbooks]

You owe them nothing.

https://www.ebay.ca/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?...
 
This is the part I'm referring to
 
Exclusions and special coverage when the buyer doesn't receive an item 
Items collected by a third party on behalf of the buyer

Not covered

The buyer arranged their own shipping method, such as a courier pickup

Not covered

The buyer provided an invalid or incorrect address at checkout

Not covered

You might decide to refund the cost of the item, but not the shipping just to be polite.

But if not, eBay stands behind you.

[recped]

Step one: Contact the buyer and confirm the address!

It could be the buyer provided the wrong address OR it could be that Canada Post screwed up, until you know the "why" you are just speculating.

If this is a buyer error you have a couple of options, if it is a Canada Post error you have different options.

Have you run the address through the Canada Post system? Google is NOT perfect especially when it comes to newly built housing (of which there is plenty).

FYI - eBay will not contact you, they have no knowledge of your situation.

[pjcdn2005]

Did the item have tracking? If it didn't and an inr claim was opened, it would be difficult to prove that it was a problem with address because there would be no online proof.
In that situation, once an inr was opened you will likely have to refund in full.  You might be able to appeal that but imo the best route to go if there was no tracking would be to refund the buyer less the shipping cost before an inr was opened.  

if you still want to deal with the buyer you can explain that you received the item back so you are refunding the item cost and that they can purchase the item again with the correct address.  Or, you can simply explain the reason for the refund and then block them to prevent them from making another purchase.

if the package did have tracking I would probanly handle it differently.

[road_warrior.2008]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Yes the package did have tracking. The address shows as near Hamilton Airport. I contacted the buyer and sent them photos of the labels and the post office tracking progress where it shows being returned to me. The buyer got back to me stating that the address is correct and they work for DHL Express. A check on Google verifies that this is the address for DHL but I believe that just by having their personal name on it and not "c/o DHL Express", the post office is not going to deliver it. The buyer asked me to take it up with Canada Post but I think it would be a losing battle. Any suggestions on this? Thanks.

[recped]

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@road_warrior.2008 wrote:

Any suggestions on this? Thanks.

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Go back to your local Canada Post, tell them the address is correct and valid and they should resend it for you at no charge.

You might want to add DHL to the address....you should also run the address as it currently is through the Canada Post Find A Postal Code page first to see what result you get.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/tools/find-a-postal-code.page