Sold Item Returned. Reason: "ATTEMPTED - NOT KNOWN"

[garyfitz999]

I sold an item in mid-May. The buyer paid promptly. I noticed that the shipping address on the eBay auction norification was different from the shipping address in his PayPal account. I sent an email asking which of the addresses to use. No response. I created an eBay/Canada Post label with the eBay address. I sent an email telling him that the parcel had been shipped. No response.

The parcel was returned to me on June 27 with a sticker saying

RETURN TO SENDER

ATTEMPTED - NOT KNOWN

UNABLE TO FORWARD

RETURN TO SENDER

I sent an email to the member asking what is going on. No response. This email is a gmail account. In his PayPal account he has a different email (Yahoo). I tried that, but was kicked back as it was no longer valid.

The buyer has not left any feedback in my account, even though it has been almost 6 weeks since the auction and he doesn't yet have the item he bought. I would definitely like to re-ship to him although, as the initial auction was free shipping, he would have to pay for this second shipment up-front. The only problem is making contact.

Suggestions?

[pinetreecottage · Accepted solution]

You should ALWAYS ship to the address on Paypal.  That's you're only seller protection.  In this case, as you now have the item back, you should refund the buyer.  All fees be refunded to you.  You can then start over with the item.

[momcqueen · Accepted solution]

To the best of my understanding, as a seller, you are obligated to use the paypal address as this is the one in which your Seller Protection covers. At least, this is what was told to me the last time it happened. With the best of intentions, it seems you may have made a misstep. 

Best to call ebay for 'official' advice now. It's a bit of a minefield from here. The error was yours though (see above) you can't ask him to pay for shipping if you resend it. 

Good luck as you carry forward.

[garyfitz999]

Thanks for the response. I was not aware of the requirement to use the PayPal shipping address, but will do so in future. Coincidentally, I finally received an email this morning from the buyer - computer problems had prevented him from seeing any of my previous emails. I will re-ship, at my cost.

[garyfitz999]

Thanks for the response. I was not aware of the requirement to use the PayPal shipping address, but will do so in future. Coincidentally, I finally received an email this morning from the buyer - computer problems had prevented him from seeing any of my previous emails. He still wants the item, so no need to start over. I will re-ship, at my own cost.

[momcqueen]

In fairness to you, the buyer should have matching addresses with ebay and paypal but in moments like this, yeah, you have to go with the address from which the payment was sent. If it were to come down to an Item Not Received case (doubtful here) your Seller Protection would depend on you sending it to the address registered with paypal. Best of luck as you carry forward.