eBay

jt-libra · ‎09-21-2015

I tracked a parcel that I had sent to a small town in B.C. It arrived 3 business days after shipment and an "attempted delivery" message was indicated on the website and a notice card left for the recipient. Four days later, it had still not been picked up, so I messaged the buyer in the event she had not received the card (it happens).

After a couple of days, she replied and said, no, she hadn't received a card but she would visit the Post Office to try and figure out what was happening ..... there really was nothing to figure out; she simply had to pick up the parcel.

After a few more days, I received an automated message from Canada Post showing that a second card had been left and if the parcel was not picked up by this Thursday, the 24th, it would be returned to sender.

I sent her another message yesterday, explaining that I had already spent $14.25 to ship the item to her, and if it was sent back to me, I would be charged another $14.00; leaving, unfortunately, basically nothing left to refund her. I closed with "I don't want you to end up with no parcel, and no refund, so this is just a reminder of the due date for pick-up."

I probably should wait until the 24th to see what happens but I want to be prepared. Am I right in stating that I only have to refund her the $2 or $3 that remains after the two shipping costs are factored in? Can she open any kind of case? Surely 15 days is sufficient for her to pick up her parcel.

Has this happened to any of you?

Thanks.

rose-dee · ‎09-21-2015

Hi 'jt' -- I've never had this exact set of circumstances happen to me, but I did once have a U.K. buyer who dragged his heels about picking up a parcel at the P.O. because of taxes/duties owed and I was concerned because it was an expensive item and the shipping was outrageous. Obviously that's not the case here, nor is it the case that your buyer is ill, on vacation, moved, etc. if she's communicated with you about this.

I would hope eBay would treat this as a "buyer's remorse" situation (which it likely is) and not oblige the seller to refund anything but the net value after deducting all shipping costs. However, I'd be very interested to hear if any seller has faced this same scenario and what they (and eBay) did to resolve it. This could happen to any seller, and with shipping costs as high as they are today, it's a concern.

I hope someone who has run into this can give you some advice. Best of luck in sorting this out!

jt-libra · ‎09-21-2015

Thanks rose .... I agree that this could be buyer's remorse and she may not realize how important tracking can be. So I'll hope for the best.

mr.elmwood · ‎09-21-2015

Very small town POs work out of whatever is available. Do not go by the auto-responses you are getting.

Unless the buyer tells their local PO that they do not want the parcel, the PO will hold it until that person comes in. Small town does not operate the same as big city.

When I was still living in Winnipeg, I would just say to my PO manager: "I'm going away for six weeks, anything ya get, just hold onto it, will ya?" "Sure".

Up In Churchill, they would simply hold anything forever.

It isn't coming back to you until the buyer says "I don't want it". Deal with that bridge when you get to it.

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jt-libra · ‎09-21-2015

@mr.elmwood wrote:
Very small town POs work out of whatever is available. Do not go by the auto-responses you are getting.

Unless the buyer tells their local PO that they do not want the parcel, the PO will hold it until that person comes in. Small town does not operate the same as big city.

When I was still living in Winnipeg, I would just say to my PO manager: "I'm going away for six weeks, anything ya get, just hold onto it, will ya?" "Sure".

Up In Churchill, they would simply hold anything forever.

It isn't coming back to you until the buyer says "I don't want it". Deal with that bridge when you get to it.

I'm not losing sleep over this; I'm simply uncertain what the refund policy would be if it is returned to me. (I know you always say you refund, every time, no questions asked.) I, on the other hand, think a question or two is warranted in this situation before I eat $28.00.

My brother works at the Post Office in a small town in Alberta ... the kind of place where a staff member would say to an individual "you know you have a parcel waiting, right?" unless the person hasn't been in a for a couple of weeks, which is not the case here. And they do scan parcels just like the big PO's.

The return might not happen, which is great, but if it does, I want to know what my responsibility is.

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-22-2015

If a buyer refuses a parcel they forgo on ebay buyer protection. I've read a few posts on the U.S. board for when a package was returned because it wasn't picked up and ebay treated it as if the buyer had refused to accept the parcel. From there, it was up to the seller how much they wanted to refund. If you see the package is being returned you should be able to get ebay to open and then close a case for you on the phone so that the buyer can't open a case or leave feedback.

jt-libra · ‎09-22-2015

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

If a buyer refuses a parcel they forgo on ebay buyer protection. I've read a few posts on the U.S. board for when a package was returned because it wasn't picked up and ebay treated it as if the buyer had refused to accept the parcel. From there, it was up to the seller how much they wanted to refund.

Thanks pj! That's good to know. I don't recall this ever being discussed on the Boards before. I had a feeling from the tone of the buyer's message that she wasn't going to pick it up. According to the scan, she has until Thursday to pick it up so I'll check the website to see if it's headed back to me.

If you see the package is being returned you should be able to get ebay to open and then close a case for you on the phone so that the buyer can't open a case or leave feedback.

I would never have thought of that. I was thinking I probably had a fairly good case with eBay, although I wasn't sure, but I just assumed that I could still be subject to negative feedback.

rose-dee · ‎09-23-2015

I'd forgotten about the "parcel refusal" issue, 'pj' is right about that. I seem to recall seeing it mentioned somewhere in a FAQ or on a policy page, but who knows where that is by now!

At any rate, it's good to know you might have options in terms of refunding, and that eBay might support you by opening and closing a case -- I was also unaware of that. Hopefully your buyer messaged you through eBay, so it can be seen by CS that this wasn't your fault.

The thing about small Post Offices, as you say, is that the clerk usually knows everybody in the immediate community. Our local P.O. person even seems to know who is away on holiday (LOL). So I find it hard to imagine this buyer could ignore the parcel forever, if she goes into the P.O. to get other mail. She may have changed her mind about wanting the item, but can't (or won't) pay for the return postage. I guess eventually in that case it will make its way back to you once the postal clerk gets tired of seeing it on the shelf, or of reminding your buyer about it.

Let us know how this turns out!

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-23-2015

It's always good to have the policy in front of you if you do have to phone.

Generally, the buyer is responsible for accepting the item when it arrives. If the buyer refuses delivery, their claim is not eligible for the eBay Money Back Guarantee.

Exceptions:

The buyer can provide, via written proof from the carrier, that they refused the package because it arrived empty or was damaged in shipping
The buyer accepted and opened the package only to determine that it was an empty box
The item arrived COD because it didn't have enough postage on it

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

One thing that I meant to mention....If ebay closes the claim, the buyer can now open a Paypal claim. I'm not sure how they would handle the same situation.

jt-libra · ‎09-24-2015

UPDATE:

I called the rural Post Office yesterday morning, identified myself as the shipper of an item and asked for confirmation that the parcel was available for pick-up.

The agent said, yes, it was there and she noted that it was scheduled to be returned to me today. Then she said, "hmmm, it seems she's been picking up her other mail".

I thanked her and then saw that it had been picked up by the end of the day. Thank goodness!

rose-dee · ‎09-24-2015

Wow, good on you that you had the presence of mind to telephone that P.O. -- I never would have thought of that, brilliant!

What an odd situation. I wonder if the postal clerk told your buyer that you had called, and she had better take her parcel -- pronto.

I'm glad for you that this didn't turn into another (bigger) headache, but I suppose it could happen to any of us, considering the high cost of shipping items back these days.