EBay Buyer Messaged Me After Almost One Year Saying Item Not Received
Summary: wicks-n-suds received a message from an eBay buyer nearly a year after purchase, claiming they never received the item. The buyer apologized for the late message, but wicks-n-suds suspects it might be a scam since they never received any previous communication about the issue. Other participants advise that nothing can be done at this point because the claim window with eBay and other buyer protections have expired. They suggest politely informing the buyer of this and possibly blocking them. Some participants share similar experiences, noting that waiting such a long time to report an undelivered item is unreasonable. Others highlight problems with certain countries' postal systems and recommend blocking sales to high-risk locations.
byto253
路1 year agoAnd don't discount the possibility that the person has ordered confused and did receive this one.聽聽
hansatrade
路1 year agoWell, it's what happened to me years ago: "I'am not sure if I got your item, or not" 馃槈
ilikehockeyjerseys
路1 year agoIt's almost certainly not a scam. If it is a scam, it might be the world's worst scam. They have no buyer protection from eBay.聽 You aren't obligated to refund them.
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If you're the nicest guy in the world, you could refund them. I think most people would not. There is a reason why buyers are supposed to contact you within a reasonable time to report an item didn't arrive. It doesn't just involve their eligibility for eBay protection. Had they contacted you sooner, you may have been able to interface with Canada Post or USPS and find the package. Additionally, you may have been able to get a payment from the shipping carrier as an insurance settlement. It's simply not fair for the buyer to expect you to refund them a year later.聽
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If someone gave me reasonable proof of an error I made, and it was a few days after the buyer protection, I am not saying that I wouldn't go out of my way to resolve it to their satisfaction. The point isn't that as a seller you should go "hahaha you have no protection, sucker!" - It's that waiting an entire year makes it impossible for you to do anything to resolve the problem and is completely unreasonable.聽
hansatrade
路1 year agoI had almost identical case last month. My answer was "I am sorry, but I can't do anything. It's too late".聽
I blocked the buyer and his country immediately.聽聽
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A refund? Not possible after 12 moths. Sending a replacement? Why? To have another item lost?聽
marnotom!
路1 year ago聽
Why did you start excluding the buyer鈥檚 country from your "ships to" locations?
hansatrade
路1 year agoHe ordered 3 items from me. The first one about 14 months ago, the last one about 4 months ago. "None or them arrived". Seriously? So why he did keep to order from me? No tracking (Brazil). Thank you! No more shipment to Brazil.聽 聽
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Had a similar case with Bahrain. 3 items ordered, only the first arrived. I refunded the 2 last orders. Then the buyer became NARU.聽 A few months later tried to buy again using another nickname (but the same shipping address).聽 Bahrain is blocked since.聽
wicks-n-suds
OP1 year agohansatrade
路1 year agoDo not forget to block the buyer - and the country, if the order came from unusual location.聽聽
fergua3
路1 year agoHard to believe stuff like this happens.聽 How could a buyer not notice the item they ordered didn't arrive for a year?聽 But then suddenly, after almost a year, notice it didn't come?聽 It's not a scam per se....worst case it could be someone who is desperate for dough contacting every person they've bought something from in the last many months hoping to get some refunds from some of them.
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However, some credit card companies do allow for refunds for INR within a year, so you are not totally out of the woods.
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As an aside, Brazil's postal system is horrible.聽 I had nothing but problems shipping there.聽 Lots of theft and lost packages.聽 When they do get delivered they are usuallly very slow.聽 Brazil Customs is a big part of the problem too, apparently, rejecting and confuscating items.聽 I blocked Brazil and all of South America, many years ago.
recped
路1 year agoWho cares about red flags?
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Just (politely) tell them there is nothing you can do for them given the length of time that has passed.
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They can't open any type of claim with eBay, unless they are a super mega volume user of Amex they can't do a credit card chargeback, they can't leave feedback, all that leaves is annoying you which is easy enough to deal with by simply not responding after your first reply.
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You might want to add their user name to your blocked buyer list.
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dinomitesales
路1 year agoThere is nothing you can do, and also nothing the buyer can do. They only have thirty days from the latest estimated delivery date to open a claim with eBay, and they're well outside of any timeframe offered for buyer protection through PayPal or a credit card chargeback.
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Apologize to the buyer for the item not being received but tell them that unfortunately too much time has passed for anyone to resolve the situation. If they choose to be argumentative then tell them to reach out to eBay for further assistance and stop responding to them.