Buyer Notified Me That They Gave Me The Wrong Shipping Address

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

I had a buyer purchase an item on August 3rd. He e-mailed me the other day stating that he made a mistake & gave me the wrong shipping address. He asked if I could intercept the package somehow. I said I couldn't as it was not sent with tracking. He said there was no way he could get the parcel if it went to the wrong address. I told him that if it is returned to me that I would resend it to him but he would have to pay for shipping again. Just wondering if he puts in a complaint about not receiving the item, would eBay take into consideration the e-mails where he admitted it was his fault & that he made the mistake? 

[retroman_studios]

If he sent these to you via the eBay Messaging system, yes, eBay customer service will be able to read these, so be sure not to delete them.

Be aware that if the customer opens a case, you most likely will need to phone eBay as the automated system won't be able to do anything as it will essentially only be looking for tracking info. In your case, a call to eBay should fix it. Just be aware that not all eBay reps are created equal and you may find yourself phoning a few times depending on who you get.

[reallynicestamps]

If he makes a Claim for Item Not Received, you will have to refund, because you cannot prove delivery without tracking.

• He could go to his former address and explain the problem to the current tenants. Most people would be willing to help, if only by re-addressing it to his new address.
• If they refuse it (Return to Sender) eventually it will come back to you.
• This was his error not yours and you should advise him politely to update his Paypal so that it matches his eBay address.

The saving grace is if like most sellers you only forgo Confirmation of Delivery on inexpensive items.

This is where Cookie Jar Insurance comes in handy.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

If you had been advised immediately after shipping the customer could have  put in a change of address and package could get re-directed depending on the timing of the package arriving in his particular city. (There normally is a window before a change of address takes affect.) As the customer as acknowledged it would be their cost either way for the change of address or for you to re-ship if it does happen to get returned to you.

-CM

[Anonymous]

From my past experiences, my buyers turned out to be scammers.  Lucky all packages were with tracking numbers.

[pjcdn2005]

Just wondering if he puts in a complaint about not receiving the item, would eBay take into consideration the e-mails where he admitted it was his fault & that he made the mistake? 

Unlikely that they would take that into account so you would lose the claim.  The buyer is being honest with you that they made a mistake so there is a good chance that they will  continue to be honest and not open a claim.   Hopefully who ever receives the package will return it to you.   I’ve been in that situation a few times and the package has always come back to me.

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

Thanks for your comments. The buyer said they are still interested in the item if it gets returned back to me. Had that happen a couple of times before. Thankfully I know the postal clerk well & she never charges me the return postage.  PayPal & eBay used to be really fussy about a person's Confirmed address & it used to take a while for it to be verified.  Now it seems anyone can sign up with any address & nothing is checked.  I think they should take some responsibility for that.