Sent item Post Small Packets USA Air instead of International

[cruze2017]

I sent a package Post Small Packets USA Air from Canada to Malaysia one month ago and the person has not received the package yet...what should I do now?

[momcqueen]

Can you show us the label minus your buyer name and exact address, please? While it’s quite possible your buyer has not received the parcel, it would be difficult if not impossible to send an international package with a USA label.

Ultimately, your only recourse is an apology and prompt refund.

With any luck, the parcel will be returned to you for insufficient postage if that was the case.

[momcqueen]

Oh, I see. You sent it Surface. That takes months to arrive at its destination. Like four to six.

This is an expensive mistake virtually all eBay sellers make at first. (I sure did.) All that you can do now is explain your error, apologize and refund. Ask them to repay you when it arrives late this year or early next year.

[momcqueen]

p.s. I ship to Malaysia but using Tracked Packet. It’s considerably more expensive than Surface Packet but, like the name says, it’s tracked. Even the tracked service Parcel Surface is too slow to win any Item Not Received cases. Sending something Packet Surface is a big no-no. It’s slow and untraceable. Bad for business and bad for buyers. Like I said, a lesson we all learn the hard way.

[femmefan1946]

This is meant more for new sellers than an experienced eBayer like you.

Many new sellers make the mistake of using the cheapest rate instead of the secure rate.

One of the ways we sellers protect ourselves is by using ONLY tracked shipping services.

We are protecting ourselves against Item Not Received claims. Our only defence with those is showing the item has been delivered.

Delivered, not shipped.

I agree that you should reimburse the buyer.

But also put a note in your calendar and check the tracking number, if any, from time to time. When the parcel is delivered, send a cheerful and polite note letting the buyer know that he can return your refund using Paypal's Send Money service.

Without  a tracking number, this is not possible. 

I'm sorry.

The learning curve is steep.

There is also a scam where the buyer asks for a cheaper shipping rate. Unless that rate is also Confirmed Delivery, you have the right to say no. I believe you can also use the request as "problem with address" to cancel the transaction.  I am willing to be corrected on that.

The scam is that the scammer buyer then claims the untracked package never arrived and the naive seller is out the product, the selling price and the postage.

The seller sets a fair price for shipping.

The buyer either can afford it or he can't. That's not the seller's problem.