Got a package in from Europe, merchandise not included...*Update

LukeMarshall

A couple of weeks ago I found a nice johnson matthey silver bar on Ebay but the item was in Great Britain. Usually I deal domestic, or local for that mannar but this was a seldom seen piece that I had to have.

Well today the package came in and first thing I see is a slit in the side of it and nothing inside

It has a tracking #leading it straight to my house, and a signature was not required. All kinds of ideas are going through my head on where my bar is at (my postmaster, customs, did he even ship it or made it look that way)

Look at the declaration - " Silver Bar " and the value.... last time I got something from overseas the guy wrote Medallians (much smarter)

Any opinions on what to do?
-Luke

derryb

Bar is gone, you will never see it. Unacceptable packaging for a silver bar. File the paypal claim. If you paid over $250, seller was required by paypal to have signature confirmation. Save packaging.

Did you contact seller and tell him you wanted a refund? It's up to him to file a claim with his carrier, they may contact you for further info.

You may want to call paypal and discuss the situation. 1-888-221-1161, keep saying "agent" until you get a live person.

OnlyGoldIsMoney

What derryb said.

It looks like in transit theft or unwise packaging. Indicating silver bar on the package is asking for trouble. "Die stamped metal" is a better phrase.

Hopefully seller insured his package so he can recover.

Spooly

Idiot..... who writes "silver bar" on the package!

Hope you get your money back.

piecesofme

It's amazing to me that postal employees are now rsiking their pensions, not to mention imprisonment, for a few hundred bucks. Guess it's a sign of the times.
I had 2 such instances this past year that were clearly postal theft, absolutely no other possible cause. All I can say is, thank God for ebays buyer protection.
They were both long and drawn out "disputes", but Paypal/eBay sided with me in both cases.

What really sucks is that 1 of the sellers told me that he took all of the cash out of his PP account and closed/deleted the credit card associated with the PP account before they decided because he had a feeling it wasn't going to work out for him. Turns out it's a good thing he did because PP is now taking him to small claims court because they feel that HE was at fault for not insuring it eventhough it was clearly a Postal worker theft.
This is all what he has told me...so I guess it fallls into the category of believe it if you want to.

Pokermandude

<< <i>Idiot..... who writes "silver bar" on the package!

Hope you get your money back. >>



Agreed. I always write an appropriate euphemism to avoid flagging the package as "PLEASE STEAL ME!"

"collectible" "merchandise" "metal piece" or just about anything else is better than writing "silver" "gold" or "money"

grabba

I like Gainesville Coins return address! Very smart!

streeter

Mikes Plumbing Supply.

At least one person is thinking.

AnkurJ

Paypal should protect you.

nibanny

<< <i>Mikes Plumbing Supply.

At least one person is thinking. >>



Provident has something similar. What I was asking myself is: how can they get the mail given that Mikes Plumbing Supply does not exist?


Back to the OP issue.
Do not throw the package. If you haven't opened it completely, take some pics and maybe a video.
Something similar happened to me few months ago (I received an empty envelope as return) and PP asked my to file a police report. They gave me all my money back and some extra because they originally sided the buyer (which tried to scam me!).

Good luck!

LukeMarshall

Just wanted to let everyone know what happened...

After contacting the seller, he seemed very apologetic about the situation, saying that it had happened to him twice in the past!

He assured me that he would fully refund the entire purchase price without the need for a claim through paypal.

I then gave him a bit of advise about shipping and even gave him some examples of different phrases he could use instead of "silver bar" on the front of the package.

So at least I got my money back... even though I would have rather the bar

DoubleEagle59

Good news!

On a somewhat related topic about how to 'label' items.

I just received a low value coin from a US seller on Ebay and she filled out the customs form "one silver dime...."

I emailed her back kindly suggesting that she be careful and label coins such as "one numismatic item" or "one metallic disc".

She was very thankful and quite appreciative.

Timbuk3

Congratulations on getting this issue resolved !!!

OzzyAndy

Did the customs declaration have a weight on it?

A sad age where we have to 'lie' about the contents just to get the service (ie delivery) we pay for.

DoubleEagle59

<< <i>Did the customs declaration have a weight on it?

A sad age where we have to 'lie' about the contents just to get the service (ie delivery) we pay for. >>



I wouldn't actually call it 'lying'.

There are many different ways of 'honestly' describing an item.

As in my case a 'silver dime' can be honestly described as 'a numismatic item'. This stops the 'uneducated' crook from pilfering your package.

ricko

I have always used 'merchandise', but I never shipped out of the U.S., so did not have to deal with customs. Cheers, RickO

LukeMarshall

It's like when Bill Clinton would talk about something, you kind of had to read between the lines...

piecesofme

It's like when Bill Clinton would talk about something, you kind of had to read between the lines

There once was a girl named Lewinsky
Who could play the flute like Stravinsky
So she played "Hail to the Chief", on a flute made of b***,
without a drop on her chinsky.