INR Refund Re-Payments.

[007steveb16]

The past 3 months have been pretty brutal for me with INR claims. Pretty much 50/50, Canada to US percentage of customers making the claims. Of course I've been handing out refunds every time, once a specific time frame passes.

Not ONCE has anyone come back and said their item finally arrived which I of course have no way of knowing is true because all were sent by Letter-mail and Light Packet. But I highly doubt that they all still didn't arrive, especially some of my Canadian ones with my return address on them. There is just no way that many items didn't arrive.

I'm not naive, I know this is part of the game and part of what comes with it but I wish just once I had an honest customer come back and say they really finally got it. My gut tells me some of them did. It would just be a boost for once rather than the constant disappointment and doubt.

How many of you have had the privilege of an honest customer coming back and re-paying?

[jt-libra]

My experience has been the same as yours, Steve.  Many INR's over the years.  It used to be primarily in the U.S. but more and more, recently, within Canada.  And, of course, these should be returned to us eventually, which they never are.  I did have one buyer, however -- a lovely older lady from the U.S. -- who let me know that it had arrived and wanted to know how she could make payment.  I was so shocked and pleased that I told her to pay only half of the original cost but she insisted that I deserved the whole amount and that's what she paid me.

I know a lot of posters advocate "cookie jar" insurance to cover these types of incidents.  But many of us are already subsidizing postage costs and covering all packaging materials out of own pocket so there are no extra 25 cents here and there to put towards losses.  Every "lost" parcel is money directly out of our pocket and it is very discouraging.  If you have a minute, check my recent post "Peace and Goodwill - Bah Humbug!"

[ricarmic]

So far this year:

8 lost packages (7 outside north America)

25% (2) advised later receipt:

   1 from Russia

   1 from Brazil

(Insurance loss rate against sales, so far this year 0.002% so 1/5 of 1% loss rate in terms of dollar value. I do not know the loss rate in terms of number of items shipped)

Keep in mind I'm selling stamps, you're selling "cooler" stuff which is probably more likely to be grabbed in transit.......

[westernstargifts]

I've had only 1 INR recently and doubt that I will hear from him again now that I have shipped the second one.

In 7 years I have only had maybe 2 or 3 at most that ever contacted me to say the first item arrived.

[rose-dee]

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@jt-libra wrote:

I know a lot of posters advocate "cookie jar" insurance to cover these types of incidents.  But many of us are already subsidizing postage costs and covering all packaging materials out of own pocket so there are no extra 25 cents here and there to put towards losses.  Every "lost" parcel is money directly out of our pocket and it is very discouraging.  

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This is a really important point, and as shipping rates rise every year, those "subsidies" will necessarily rise too.  At the moment I'm still charging 2011 (or lower) flat rates on many items.  In fact I plan to make no changes at all to my flat shipping rates in 2014, so each year my subsidies increase.  

The problem as I see it is that eBay has for so long focused on buyer protection that it's forgotten (or hasn't yet recognized) the loopholes it has created that impact sellers.  As we all know, if they make a hole, the scams will come.

EBay needs to take action on this problem ASAP.  In my view, it's as insidious and serious as the shipping cost scams of years ago that resulted in eBay cracking down with FVFs on shipping (remember $10 items with no shipping disclosed until the invoice - then wham!).  

Any ideas on how eBay could curb this dishonest behaviour?  Who knows -- we can only hope somebody at eBay might be taking notes.  

[rosscd57]

I have never had one, I don't sell nearly as much as you guys. The difference is likely that everything I sell has tracking and or a signature requirement.

[rose-dee]

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@rosscd57 wrote:

I have never had one, I don't sell nearly as much as you guys. The difference is likely that everything I sell has tracking and or a signature requirement.

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'ross'-- I think you're right.  Knowing that tracking is involved will probably deter a lot of would-be fraudulent claims.  It may also be the case that there are categories of items that tend to attract a certain type of buyer and are probably more apt to be the target of scams.   

I've been fortunate so far too, but like you, almost everything I sell that is of significant value goes with tracking and/or signature required.  The mid-range items I take my chances on.  The lower value items (vintage/antique patterns) tend not to attract naughty people, for some reason. 

[femmefan1946]

When I use Paypal shipping, which is less often these days since I get a really good deal on discount postage, I put the PP invoice number into my feedback.

Honest customers are pleased to see that the item has been shipped. (Although frankly that is not what the number says.

Dishonest customers think the number means the item is tracked. (Which is not what the number means, but who said crooks are smart?)

It's marketing.

I used my PP discounts  (and now my stamp cost discounts) as my Cookie Jar Insurance.
 More valuable items are covered by my third party insurance account with Hugh Wood International. Other sellers have been happy with shipsurance.com coverage.

About half of my INRs, and I get very very few, have refunded my refunds. About 1/3 of the INR packages show up at my house. (I got one returned this week. The buyer and I think the postie was annoyed that she couldn't fold the package with the stiffener.) Our dear and fluffy lord knows what happens to the rest. 

But we are talking about maybe ten items over the past dozen years.