I don't often have packages that are not received but it happens, just as it does for everyone else. So we just re-ship, refund or whatever the situation calls for and life goes on. But there are times when a transaction just doesn't sit well and this is one of those times.
A buyer made a purchase from me on April 15 & pd by PP on Apr. 18. It was shipped the next day to an alternate address which he provided. On May 10 the buyer sent a message saying it still had not been received. I sent a reply asking if he had checked with the recipient because there was always the possibility that he forgotten that he had provided the alternate address. This was his reply.
"Yes, i have checked with her and she has not received any packages. I am at her house about three days out of the week and also check if anything has come in the mail when i am there, and nothing yet."
Keep in mind that the purchase was for an $8.95 item, not an expensive one. But the question that came immediately to mind was, "why didn't he just have it shipped to him and give it to her himself if he sees her 3 times a week?" Possibly she didn't have an eBay account and he ordered it for her.
Anyway, I did a reverse address search on usa.com to verify the buyer's address and it showed 0 results at that address (I did not include a name). If the address is legit, would it not show someone's name? I did a search for the girlfriend's address and it did come up with a man's name which was the same as hers. There was also another one that matched her name and city but not the address. I re-shipped the order on May 11 asking the buyer to return one of them unopened and marked "return to sender" if both should arrive.
On May 20 the second package was returned to me, unopened and stamped "Return to Sender". I contacted the buyer and told him that I had received it, that I assumed both had arrived and thanking him for returning it. He sent the following reply.
"Wow, actually we havent seen either the first one or the second one. The second one must have gotten auto reshipped somehow, and i have no idea where the first one has gone..
I have been checking in with my girlfriend everyday and when i am over at her house i check the mail myself, and nothing yet.
Im sorry for the confusion, i am unsure on what to do next."
I responded promptly and again asked him to confirm the shipping address. He didn't reply until today when I received this message.
"Hi, i still havent recieved anything. The address is the correct one, i dont know why the second one was shipped back to you. How about try sending it to my house, instead of my girlfriends house?
....(name, address)"
I decided to issue a full PP refund, which I did, because I would just be losing more money if I shipped a 3rd time, especially if it also was "not received". After I did so, I realized that the new address he provided is not the same as the one has registered on eBay. I did a Google search for the new one and it does show up there under the same last name. He didn't mention anything about moving.
Maybe I am just being paranoid but I just had a gut feeling that something is not quite right with this scenario. Although I can't fathom why anyone would try a scam over such an inexpensive item.
Any thoughts?
