An item I sent was not picked up from Post Office and now its being returned.

[adk006869]

So I shipped an item to a buyer and they never picked up from Post Office.  This item is being returned to me the seller and now I have to pay fees for the return shipment.  Do I have to refund the Buyer full fees including shipment or can I deduct the postage?  Please help as this is all new to me.

[aubreyclay56]

They will probablly open a not delivered case,so you might have to give the buyer back the item price,the shipping for return i think they will loose being that even though the post office would have left a card in their mail box telling them to come and get the parcell,i think the po usually holds an item for at least a week? i had a similar case that an item was returned to me and i contacted the buyer and told them if they still wanted the item i would re invoice the shipping cost,which they agreed to,im not sure if i just had a good buyer and really wanted the item or what.In your case they may have decided they really didnt want the item {buyers remorse} and the easy way out was to just ignore the notice the po left for them.Or maybe they were on holidays? Im sure someone with more knowledge should respond to your post,im sure it was tracted?Or just give ebay a call and see what their response is,really dont seem fair that you would get dinged for postage in a situation like this,would be interesting to no the end result of this case keep us posted,would be good information for all sellers

[reallynicestamps]

It will take a long time to get back to you.

Returned parcels are not a priority for the PO.

And there is also a chance that your carrier will not bother to charge you for the return. Maybe.

Contact the buyer through eBay Messages and explain what happened.

Explain that it will take some time to arrive back.

Explain that you will be charged for the return postage.

Ask if he wants to have the item and that you would need to charge him for your postage costs if he does.

Now judge his volatility by his answer.

If he is calm, refund only the asking price. Cancel the transaction. Add him to your Blocked Bidder List.

If he is furious, Report him for inaccurate contact information-- an incorrect address. Add the tracking number. Add him to your Blocked Bidder List. 

[dmil8030]

Hello 'adk...', 

<< item is being returned to me the seller and now I have to pay fees for the return shipment.>>

How do you know you will have to pay return fees?  I have never had to pay to get an item back.  If it was an international order and you are mistakenly charged import fees, you can easily get those back because it is a return item, although those doing the processing can generally recognize a returned item and not tack on charges.

If you are having to pay return postage, that's different.  

<<Do I have to refund the Buyer full fees including shipment or can I deduct the postage?  >>

Usually you can deduct the postage.  If a buyer tries to file a claim for "not received" but simply did not pick up the parcel, his claim will be denied.  Buyers are responsible for picking up their packages and paying any import duties/taxes imposed by their country.  Note where the following link says, If the buyer refuses delivery, their claim is not eligible for the eBay Money Back Guarantee

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/policies/money-back-guarantee.html#resolution1

If they buyer still wants the item, you can explain to him what the total shipping charges will be a second time.  On rare occasion a buyer will want the item and be willing to pay again.  Always keep your correspondence sweet and polite.  It will improve business relations and if ebay ever has to review your case, you will look positively wonderful.  

Otherwise deduct your verifiable costs from his refund but not a penny more.  Charge him only the postage costs you have had to pay as a result.  And of course, you will ever-so kindly explain to him why you have had to do this.

If there is a problem, you can always call ebay via the Help & Contact link at the top of the page here, but the information you get that way is not always reliable (believe it or not).  If ever you need to call, you often have to do it more than once, getting different information every time.  

Best of luck