Buyer item unreceieved claim

[wonyiduo11]

Hi, my name is Sean, I've sold many CDs recently, and I have a problem with this buyer in Germany. She claims that she has not received the cd that I shipped last month, the buyer did not pay for the registered shipping with the tracking numbers, so I just sent it by air mail, after about 40 days, this buyer opened the item unreceieved claim today, my friends told me that some buyers just open the claim after they get their stuff to steal the money too, fortunately, I have the extra copy of the cd, so I sent it again with the tracking numbers, I already spent $40.00 dollars only for the shipping, I added the tracking information today, but I see that the money is still on hold.. And when I click on "Take action" button, it goes to German eBay site, and I have no idea what it says cause I don't speak German. I did what I have to do as a good seller,, I'm very stressed about this issue and I don't feel like its safe for me to sell on eBay anymore.. Please help me to resolve this problem ASAP!!! Thank you very much and have a nice day!! Item number is 170835062147

[dmil8030 · Accepted solution]

Hell Sean,

My first question is why you would send an item that expensive by regular mail.  No matter, - now you see why it's not a good idea.  In order to maintain your seller protection you are required to send things with Delivery Confirmation.  Some items like cheap dvds are not worth the bother, but you should never put more money at risk than you are prepared to lose.

Your money may be presently on hold for a lot of reasons, - an infrequent seller, the high dollar amount, your shipping fee DSR is 4.1, . . .

You say you sent a second cd with Delivery Confirmation, yes?  That means in all honesty you have sent not one but two items to this person.  Are you therefore able to enter the DC number in the claim she has filed?  That's what paypal wants - a Delivery Confirmation number.

That she did not pay for DC in the first place is beside the point.  On an item that expensive you ought not to offer a choice.  Since it benefits you and not her, a buyer would have to have rocks in her head to choose to pay extra for your seller protection.  She's already got buyer protection.

So, -- take a bit of time and follow through to the German site and phrase by phrase, copy and paste them all here:

http://translate.google.ca/

The translations will not be great, - they never are, - but it will provide you a rough idea of what is expected of you.  Having a hissy fit that you do not speak German may cost you 300 bucks, if it is not already a lost cause.  You may be able to add your Delivery Confirmation number and save yourself, ... with any luck. 

And yes, your friends are correct.  It's one of the beauties of a paypal account, - for people who have a diminished ethical capacity - freebies galore on ebay.  Ebay/paypal will have to somehow close this gaping gap because it is getting worse.  Thieves disguised as buyers file false 'not received' claims.  Thieves disguised as sellers don't send the item and then delay the newbie with lies until the 45 day deadline has passed. 

I hope you are able to give your story a happy ending.  See if that DC number will work, - it may be your only chance.  And in future, for an item that expensive send only with Delivery Confirmation.  In this case you should have absorbed the cost yourself.  Because when it comes right down to it, it was you and not her who was too cheap to spring for the extra.

Best of luck. 🙂

[reallynicestamps]

Of the three possible ways to ship you chose the cheapest. Letter/Light Packet. Normally this is fast (air mail) and the item arrives without problem.

Many EU countries, like Canada, start to charge duty at a very low level.  Do you have this boilerplate on your listings?

Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.

If you are shipping overseas it is useful, both to remind your customer that he may pay duty (which should never be a surprise, but ...) and to cover you if duty is mentioned in FB .

As you say Expedited International, which is Delivery Confirmed is very expensive. You do NOT need ExpressPost International which is tracked. Expedited is all Paypal requires. But eBay/Paypal and Canada Post all use "Tracking" when they mean "Delivery Confirmation" which is sloppy of them and expensive for gullible sellers.

However, Small Packet International Air, while certainly not cheap is probably the best answer for you. I use it for my high priced philatelic literature, much of which sells to Scandanavia for some reason.

SPIA is fast and less expensive than Expedited or ExpressPost. And while it is not Delivery Confirmed, it is INSURED  against loss or damage in transit for up to $100 and more insurance can be purchased.

If an SPIA parcel is reported as not delivered, after some schmoozing with the buyer, you can refund before a PP dispute is opened. You will lose the dispute, so don't let it happen.

Then you phone Canada Post and start an insurance claim. This is not fast, but the phone clerks can cut your cheque fairly promptly within their deadlines.

Keep in mind that most buyers are honest, so you only need protection against a small number of the "ethically challenged". Insurance is that protection. Tracking is not.

[dmil8030]

Uh-oh, hahaha, I didn't mean to say 'Hell' to you, Sean, I meant to say 'Hello'!  Oooooh, sorry, - it looks terrible! :^O

[scifan57]

If you don't have a delivery confirmation number showing that the item was received by the buyer,you will lose an item not received dispute opened against you.It's possible that your buyer will receive a full refund for the first CD as well as receiving the second,replacement CD.It may have been better to have refunded the buyer's payment instead of sending a replacement item.

[femmefan1946]

Another advantage to Small Packet International is that it is NOT tracked.

If your buyer is honest, and the item has not been delivered when the claim is opened, she will win and PP will refund her.

If you then go to Canada Post, and make an insurance claim they will wait until they are sure the item is lost. If the DC is meanwhile delivered, you will lose the CP insurance claim too.

With Small Packet, CP will basically take your word that the item is undelivered and pay out on the insurance claim. Don't abuse this- Americans did and now USPS insurance is useless because they just don't pay out anymore.