Who is responsible if a shipment is lost?

[cynicalsaint]

Hi all.

Just curious - if I ship something to a buyer without tracking, and it gets lost (either for real or if the buyer just claims it's lost) - who would be responsible?  If I had proof I shipped it (a reciept, for instance), would I still be forced to refund the item?

Thanks.

[ok_so_im_50 · Accepted solution]

You are responsible for getting the item to the buyer. If you do not have tracking, delivery confirmation or insurance (which are for your protection), you will lose any item not recieved disputes. Proof you paid for shipping is not proof the buyer received the item.

I hope you and the buyer are giving the item enough time to arrive (some buyers are really impatient). You do not want to refund too soon. They have up to 45 days from end of sale to file an item not received dispute.

[cynicalsaint]

Thank you, that's what I thought.

I'm not currently in a problem with a buyer - I just had someone request a price quote who's in Hong Kong (I'm in Canada).  I have no problem shipping there, except that the cost of shipping via Canada Post jumps from roughly $18 to $80 when I add in a tracking number.

It seems ridiculous, and before I answered his request for a quote I wanted to cover my bases and maybe do him a favour.

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

The postal system is very good at getting the mail delivered, eventually.

If the customer is overseas, use Air Mail only. Surface takes so long that you will be forced to refund the entire payment and the customer may or may not ever refund that refund when the item arrives.

Instead of Tracked Mail, you can use a third party insurer like shipinsurance in case of a loss claim.

Or you can self insure by adding a small amount to every shipping and handling charge and putting that "premium" in a virtual cookie jar. Should you actually have a claim, and they are rare, you use those pennies to offset your loss.

And communicate with your customer. Telling her the date and the invoice number (tracked or not) of her shipment, and making it clear that you are in Canada, you can avoid a lot of problems with honest but nervous customers and discourage potential scammers. (eg Shipped 28/2/13 Canada Post Air #415633xxxx222 as a feedback or an email.)