ebay Refund Question

ElKevvo

Hi,

Mailing stuff out of central Texas has been dicey lately and a couple of my eBay sales have gone south due to the mail. I finally sold a 1979 Mint Set (see...this is coin related!) and shipped it the next day First Class mail on July 9th, it had to go from DFW to Nashville, a 2 hour flight and a 10 hour drive. So it made it to Nashville on the 12th then oddly enough got sent back to DFW and sat there until the 18th and then nothing until it arrived back in Nashville on the 2nd then was delivered to the buyer on the 3rd. The buyer was more patient than I was because on the 2nd before the tracking was updated (still said 'In Transit' which it had said for 13 days) I issued a refund to them for the full amount. It was a low dollar item so not a big deal.

Anyway I have sold a couple of since then with mixed results. Last week I sold a more high dollar item (100.00) and this is again in stuck in Ft Worth. The buyer is not being patient and wants me to refund the money as it was sent Priority and should have gotten there late last week but I am leery because if I refund it and then it is delivered I will be out both the money and the item.

I went down to the local PO and inquired about the item where they looked up the tracking number and told me 1) It says it is in Ft Worth but they are not sure, could be on it's way to the destination in California 2) Flights are reduced out of DFW so not much llift for mail and 3) A direct quote that Ft Worth is a 'madhouse right now'.

So after all of that with the PO having possession of the item and the buyer wanting a refund what is the best way for me to handle this? Let them open a case with eBay or ?? I have not ever had a buyer demand a refund so not sure what the best course of action is.

Oh...I have politely communicated all of this to the buyer and was told 'I don't accept that, Imma gonna get my money back'. Always something!

K

ifthevamzarockin

As long as the tracking shows it is still moving in the USPS system or not delivered yet there is a good chance ebay will back you and make the buyer wait until it shows delivered. I would not refund yet.

bsshog40

I agree. I wouldn't refund until USPS showed it delivered or it gets lost. Mail has been running slow. Just let him sit and wait for a while. Ebay's not gonna force a refund in early stages of mail delivery.

Jimnight

Same as above.

Cougar1978

I would not refund anything in transit or where eBay said delivered. Buyer would need file / win case.

OPA

@ifthevamzarockin said:
As long as the tracking shows it is still moving in the USPS system or not delivered yet there is a good chance ebay will back you and make the buyer wait until it shows delivered. I would not refund yet.

Let him file a non receipt case...you might also want to consider blocking this baboon, but wait until this issue is resolved.

.ebay will back the seller, as long as tracking is available, and most likely add an additional 7 day waiting period before any further actions is allowed.

ElKevvo

Thanks everyone...I appreciate it! I'll advise the buyer to follow up via the eBay system. I know this is a mundane issue but I know there there are folks on here who have been through this before and as always I value the advice I receive here!

K

derryb

Time is on your side. When the claim is filed there are built in delays before a refund has to be made. This will buy you enough time to confirm the item gets delivered or that it is actually lost. The longer your buyer waits to start the clock the more time you have, do not encourage him to file. If item shows delivered during the open claim, just ask him to close it.

OPA

@derryb said:
Time is on your side. When the claim is filed there are built in delays before a refund has to be made. This will buy you enough time to confirm the item gets delivered or that it is actually lost. The longer your buyer waits to start the clock the more time you have, do not encourage him to file. If item shows delivered during the open claim, just ask him to close it.

10 4
Let ebay handle it, Just let them know: tracking indicates item as received. At that time they will close out the complaint in your favor. ....Less communication with this simpleton is advisable.

ElKevvo

And they left me negative feedback...first one in 22 years on eBay! I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later

I did go out to the PO's site and opened a 'Where is my package' item with them as it is still showing in Ft Worth but not holding out hope at this point.

K

mbogoman

@ElKevvo said:
And they left me negative feedback...first one in 22 years on eBay! I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later

I did go out to the PO's site and opened a 'Where is my package' item with them as it is still showing in Ft Worth but not holding out hope at this point.

K

You can get that removed easily, especially since you are a long time seller with a good track record. It is an unwarranted neg and Ebay will respect that

gradeacoinsebay

Yeah eBay is removing feedback related to slow shipping right now for you due to general slowness at USPS for variety of reasons. Also for an item not received case right now if it shows in transit, eBay should give some extra time.

Unfortunately had this happen a couple times myself lately but my buyers have been patient. About to refund one right now though since it's been nearly a month. On higher $ items you can do something called package intercept but it is going to run you around an extra $15-20 but should make sure that if it does get delivered it ends up back in your hands instead.