Best course of action?

Ted 1

I sold a note to a friend/client for 300. Shipped a week ago.
The note then showed in tracking data, "address unknown", tracking said return to sender, and now the package has yet to appear on his or my doorstep. Tracking indicates it was retried, but he never got it. How long should I give it? I don't want him to be out the note, but it's also $300 on my end. Should I just give it another week and see what transpires, then refund?

Oddly enough, a note was received by him (from me as the sender) to the same address successfully days earlier.

I should add I wrote the return address very sloppily, so there's a Good chance it will never see it's way back to me as well.

Thank you in advance.

sellitstore

It's been several more days. Anything yet?

Yes, I'd say give it a little more time, if the buyer is OK with that, then issue a refund and put in any insurance claim, if insured.

Ted 1

Nothing yet. The note is a scarce one, a serial mismatch star note. Not a note you want lost.

sellitstore

Yes, that's a significant error as is any star error. And this is a replacement on a major error.

At least it should be pretty easy to spot should it turn up for sale again.

synchr

I had a similar sale happen where tracking showed an attempt but nobody home and then nothing for over 6 weeks+ so I went down to my local Post Office that I had sent it from and they had no information on where my mailed package was. A month later it hasn't been seen, returned, or appeared in any tracking so I filed an insurance claim which was paid.

After imagining all possibilities, it seems most likely a lazy employee returned to deliver it a second time at a later date without getting the required signature and the recipient received it. No proof of course, but the simplest explanation so I've decided that I would block that buyer from future sales. This rarely happens and it has been years since an issue but it does occur.

Ted 1

@synchr said:
I had a similar sale happen where tracking showed an attempt but nobody home and then nothing for over 6 weeks+ so I went down to my local Post Office that I had sent it from and they had no information on where my mailed package was. A month later it hasn't been seen, returned, or appeared in any tracking so I filed an insurance claim which was paid.

After imagining all possibilities, it seems most likely a lazy employee returned to deliver it a second time at a later date without getting the required signature and the recipient received it. No proof of course, but the simplest explanation so I've decided that I would block that buyer from future sales. This rarely happens and it has been years since an issue but it does occur.

Unfortunate. Large purchase I may ask?

synchr

A 1935-E $1 SC Star note,
$50 with shipping but then there was the ebay charge of $20 for fees when the buyer lodged a non receipt complaint.