eBay

icevanillababe · ‎12-19-2014

It's a bit complicated; I am in Canada, I sold a used cartier ring to USA for $600+ and due to Christmas I decided to ship with xpresspost which is EMS. It requires signature. 4 days later on Usps website it shows item "delivered", signature "waived". I was not happy there was no signature and worst of all, the buyer told me she did not receive the ring. I don't know what to do. It doesn't feel right knowing that the delivery process was... Cloudy. And I don't feel I should just refund the buyer since it was "delivered". Also, I can't even file a claim with canada post since it was "delivered". I feel very trapped, can anyone advice me how to handle it? Many thanks.

recped · ‎12-19-2014

You might want to look up the phone number of the buyer's post office and see what you can find out.

What was the tracking number?

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
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icevanillababe · ‎12-19-2014

it's a EMxxxxxxxxxxxxCA tracking number. my concern is because i'm shipping from Canada, once the package left Canada, it's delivered by USPS and Canada post seems to be the only party I can hold responsibility for (since I purchase the insurance, shipping, signature from them). But the finish end is not by Canada post and USPS does not need to answer me.

treasure.hunter.d · ‎12-19-2014

@icevanillababe wrote:
it's a EMxxxxxxxxxxxxCA tracking number. my concern is because i'm shipping from Canada, once the package left Canada, it's delivered by USPS and Canada post seems to be the only party I can hold responsibility for (since I purchase the insurance, shipping, signature from them). But the finish end is not by Canada post and USPS does not need to answer me.

It makes no difference that USPS delivers the item once it is in the USA. Canada Post was the one contracted to deliver the item and they are the ones that are responsible for it. You open a claim with them and they will investigate, co-operatively with USPS. Call back Canada Post and speak to a supervisor and tell them the complete story. They WILL investigate even if they will not open a claim right away. You should still push to open a claim as you have a claim of non receipt despite what the USPS is claiming.

There is also an Ombudsman that handles nothing but Canada Post complaints. You cannot contact the office directly so far as I know but if you contact your local MP they should know how to contact him. I have had to do this in the past to kick Canada POst into compliance on a dispute.

BTW, you didn't mention where/how you purchased your shipping docs ie PayPal or at the Post Office. If you purchased the docs through PayPal there is currently no way to request a signature on delivery for any Canada Post service to the USA. That might explain why there was no signature on delivery. I have made a point of telling PayPal on numerous occasions that they need to fix this but nothing has been done. The biggest issue with this is that people shipping items that exceed the $750 USD limit for seller protection without signature may just assume it is included because the option to pay for it is not there and boom, Bob's Your Uncle, you have shipped an item that no longer qualifies for seller protection because of the value and no signature.

Hope this helps somewhat anyway.

Cheers,

thD

icevanillababe · ‎12-19-2014

Thank you so much. This is very helpful and I will pursue with canada post today. I didn't go thru with PayPal but just local post office so hopefully a good thing? The buyer will let me know today as she's expecting the mail was delivered to her post office, finger crossed.

treasure.hunter.d · ‎12-19-2014

@icevanillababe wrote:
Thank you so much. This is very helpful and I will pursue with canada post today. I didn't go thru with PayPal but just local post office so hopefully a good thing? The buyer will let me know today as she's expecting the mail was delivered to her post office, finger crossed.

Best of luck.

Cheers,

thD

pjcdn2005 · ‎12-19-2014

That's a possibility. I'm heard of mail being scanned as delivered even though it was still waiting at the post office to be picked up.

pjcdn2005 · ‎12-19-2014

If you purchased the docs through PayPal there is currently no way to request a signature on delivery for any Canada Post service to the USA. That might explain why there was no signature on delivery.

Xpresspost USA automatically includes a signature, there is no need to request one. I know that the paypal site doesn't make that clear.

icevanillababe · ‎12-19-2014

i checked my xpresspost USA customer copy and there isn't even a choice to waive the signature so I think you're absolutely right on the signature part. I also hope you were right that the post office did hold off the package; my buyer actually mentioned it's a possibility to me. I just don't understand why would they put "delivered" if that's the case, hence it is a very expensive sale for both me and the buyer and makes this matter extra uneasy for both parties. Thank you so much for all the information provided! I'm waiting for my buyer's good news (finger crossed)

icevanillababe · ‎12-19-2014

just called canada post regarding to the package and told them there was no signature captured at delivery; i don't know if it's because this time of year they're busy but she told me "there is no guarantee to receive signature service once it becomes an international parcel". Hence they cannot promise to provide signature for my parcel and since it says it's been delivered, there is nothing they can do for me. she said she can refund me the postage since it's also delayed but that's all.

I'm pretty shocked... i asked her so if USPS delivered to the wrong address and drop off the package WITHOUT the signature, basically there is nothing i can prove it has been misplaced or lost, whatsoever. and she told me "yes, sorry"

I seriously hope my buyer will be able to relocate the package. I feel bad for her because it actually happened to me recently, something i bought was showing "Delivered" and I have never got it.

dutchman48 · ‎12-19-2014

You don't need signature, just on line proof of delivery. What does it show if you put the tracking number into the USPS site?

femmefan1946 · ‎12-19-2014

I agree with dutchman.

Do not refund.

Do continue the investigation.

But being the nasty, suspicious and cynical old biddy I am, I wonder if your buyer noticed she had not been asked for a signature and claimed non-delivery, hoping for a refund.

Until very recently, signature was demanded by Paypal in cases where the payment was $350 or more. That has since been raised to (I think $750). If your buyer did not realize this....

But as I say I am nasty and cynical.

Mention that you will be pursuing this with both Canada Post's investigators and with the USPS Postal Inspectors. Apparently the USPS bunch are scary.

If it comes to a PP dispute, your current proof of delivery should be fine. No signature is actually required on that value at this time.

Which as a seller, I find terrifying.

dutchman48 · ‎12-19-2014

But being the nasty, suspicious and cynical old coot I am

ditto, am glad I am not the only one

treasure.hunter.d · ‎12-20-2014

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
If you purchased the docs through PayPal there is currently no way to request a signature on delivery for any Canada Post service to the USA. That might explain why there was no signature on delivery.

Xpresspost USA automatically includes a signature, there is no need to request one. I know that the paypal site doesn't make that clear.

That is what I thought previously as well but, as in this case, it appears that there is no guarantee. That being said, there is still no way to request a signature for the other shipping services from Canada Post through PayPal and the option for a signature should be there if only for piece of mind on the part of the seller.

pjcdn2005 · ‎12-20-2014

@treasure.hunter.d wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
If you purchased the docs through PayPal there is currently no way to request a signature on delivery for any Canada Post service to the USA. That might explain why there was no signature on delivery.

Xpresspost USA automatically includes a signature, there is no need to request one. I know that the paypal site doesn't make that clear.
That is what I thought previously as well but, as in this case, it appears that there is no guarantee. That being said, there is still no way to request a signature for the other shipping services from Canada Post through PayPal and the option for a signature should be there if only for piece of mind on the part of the seller.

Paypal can only show the signature option if CP has that option available. As far as I can tell, Paypal does have the option listed when it's available. For the U.S., only Xpresspost has a signature, CP doesn't offer it on any other US services.

icevanillababe · ‎12-21-2014

Thank you all. The buyer has finally emailed me and said her neighbor from the other building brought the parcel to her, not sure how it got into his mailbox. What a relief. Unfortunately she thought the ring was too small and decided to return, but still I'm just happy it was found.

I think I'd be really suspicious, until the same thing actually happened to me just two weeks ago. I bought something that's worth $350 from Japan as my husband's Christmas present and it says it was delivered, but I never got it and still don't have it. That's why I actually felt for my buyer. Right now my own lost parcel is still missing, I don't feel it's right to ask the seller to refund me, and usps does not acknowledge the parcel was not delivered. I've lost $350 and had to find another gift.

gorillascalesca · ‎12-22-2014

This is a theme this holiday season.. on both USPS and CAN Post.. regularly marking packages as delivered way before they have been. Most times they do arrive a day late or more. At least it worked out for you.

icevanillababe · ‎12-22-2014

yah thankfully my buyer found hers.... but my own parcel is still missing after 11 days. I went down to my parcel receiving place today and even the local post office to talk to them about the parcel. result is as what i expected - both end points to each other for mis handle and i'm still out for my $350 worth of item that i'm pretty sure i'm not getting it back. i even went as far as asking around the neiborhood... no result.

femmefan1946 · ‎12-22-2014

I'm still being nasty cynical and suspicious.

After learning that her 'non-delivery because no signature' claim didn't work, the customer 'finds' the item but boo-hoo it is too small. Returns for full refund.

Uh huh.

And I am Marie of Romania.

I am so getting coal in my stocking.

icevanillababe · ‎12-22-2014

Lol I don't blame you a bit. I did tell her I'm reporting to canadapost AND USPS to investigate her case and usps has federal agent on the mail case and we will get to the bottom of it! And she found it, lol 😉