Question about shipping with tracking no. on Ebay

[BrickPick3r]

Hi all. I'm abit curious about the importance of posting with tracking number. Sometime the sellers don't provide the tracking because they can save little sum of money. Extra fee will be charged if the buyer want it.

 

So.... What if the item was sold and shipped without tracking and get lost? What if the buyer get the item but they say never receive it? In both cases what will the paypal does if the buyer ask for a refund? Will they get the money back? The only proof that item was sent is the receipt (which is useless i think). 

 

Please also share if you have ever had this sort of experience. It would be very helpful for both buyer and seller. 

[justafrog]

If you ship without tracking and the buyer claims it was never received, you will lose the resulting case and your money 100% of the time as a seller on eBay, whether the case is opened through eBay or PayPal.

 

Additionally, you cannot get TRS+ status and the resulting discounts in fees and postage without uploading tracking within 1 business day of the purchase of 90% of your items.

 

It's a terrible idea unless you are selling very, very cheap items (like a dollar) that can be put in a plain letter envelope (some sellers of patches or decals and similar risk no tracking because they don't have much skin in the game and can afford the inevitable claims they get).

[willy431]

Does anybody else have constant trouble with usps tracking? I shipped 4 packages a couple weeks ago, 2 were showing received that same night, 2 weren't. Next day 3 showed shipped and all had tracking Info. Few days later 3 showed delivered and one was never even showeln as received. I started sweating (it was 300 bucks for an at at walker) and contacted the buyer to see of they received it..no response. Going on 10 days no info. Contact buyer. No response. Then 2 weeks later tracking info updated and showed it had been delivered a week earlier.

Having same issue right now. Dropped off 3 packages last week. 2 delivered, one not a single tracking update yet..not even received.

[justafrog]

I get them sporadically. Try going to usps.com and putting a tracking trace on each item - they'll email you with status updates as the item goes through the various sort centers, etc. It takes a bit of the headache out of manually checking a problem package every day.

 

You can also file complaints, starting with your own postmaster and continuing on up the chain to his regional supervisor, etc. At some level you'll actually get someone who cares - rare in a para-government agency, but USPS is in enough hot water that they want desperately to keep customers, especially commercial shipping customers, and at some point in the chain there is someone who wants to keep your business because it helps him keep his numbers up.

 

If you are dropping your packages at the post office, stand in line and request at least a received scan on the spot. Go up the chain to the post master and beyond if they refuse. Most post offices will oblige - again, the ones with three brain cells to rub together know that regular commercial shipping sellers like thee and me are what keeps their particular location funded for personnel, hours open, etc.

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

Does anybody else have constant trouble with usps tracking? I shipped 4 packages a couple weeks ago, 2 were showing received that same night, 2 weren't. Next day 3 showed shipped and all had tracking Info. Few days later 3 showed delivered and one was never even showeln as received. I started sweating (it was 300 bucks for an at at walker) and contacted the buyer to see of they received it..no response. Going on 10 days no info. Contact buyer. No response. Then 2 weeks later tracking info updated and showed it had been delivered a week earlier.

Having same issue right now. Dropped off 3 packages last week. 2 delivered, one not a single tracking update yet..not even received.

 

I think its where you are at. My USPS is freaking awful. They mess up tracking constantly, will say they left notices when I was home and I know they didn't, and will get packages lost for like 3 days.

 

As an Ebay seller, its pretty frusterating. A lot of times I drive to a farther out post office when I have a lot of stuff so I don't give them a chance to ruin my feedback.

[willy431]

Ahhhh! Don't know why I didn't think to use usps directly to track instead of ebays app. Checked the real usps site and tracking info is there. Checked the eBay track info again...not even showing dropped off---even though usps shows package in Atlanta Lesson learned.

[Darth_Raichu]

^ Also, try logging in to ebay.com from a browser.  The eBay app can be rather spotty.

[akohns]

Ahhhh! Don't know why I didn't think to use usps directly to track instead of ebays app. Checked the real usps site and tracking info is there. Checked the eBay track info again...not even showing dropped off---even though usps shows package in Atlanta Lesson learned.

This happens all the time with the tracking "updates" within Ebay's site. Always check the USPS site. Luckily I have a pretty decent local PO as well as one of the most amazing carriers I've ever encountered. She has my cell and has even called me when I was out of town because she noticed I didn't have any packages out for a week. I schedule pickups to pickup at my back door (my driveway goes around to the back of my house and many days she just drive to the back of my house to check to see if I have any packages even if I haven't scheduled a pickup. However I do have 1 or 2 secondary carriers and sometimes they don't even pick up packages when I schedule pickups. They somehow mark it as "picked up" and I'll get an email confirmation even when the packages are still on my porch.

[BrickPick3r]

If you ship without tracking and the buyer claims it was never received, you will lose the resulting case and your money 100% of the time as a seller on eBay, whether the case is opened through eBay or PayPal.

 

Additionally, you cannot get TRS+ status and the resulting discounts in fees and postage without uploading tracking within 1 business day of the purchase of 90% of your items.

 

It's a terrible idea unless you are selling very, very cheap items (like a dollar) that can be put in a plain letter envelope (some sellers of patches or decals and similar risk no tracking because they don't have much skin in the game and can afford the inevitable claims they get).

 

Does it mean that don't pay extra for the insurance & tracking if you're buyer. And don't forget to give insurance and tracking if you're seller. 

 

So next time when I buy from BL and ebay, I don't have to pay them right? I should not worry that the item won't be refund   

[Guest brickcrazyhouse]

Even as a buyer I want tracking.  as for selling everything gets tracking and anything over $100 gets a "signature required"

[justafrog]

Does it mean that don't pay extra for the insurance & tracking if you're buyer. And don't forget to give insurance and tracking if you're seller. 

 

So next time when I buy from BL and ebay, I don't have to pay them right? I should not worry that the item won't be refund   

 

The seller can roll the cost of tracking, insurance, etc. into their shipping price or they can make it part of their item price, or a little to both.

 

As a buyer, no, you are not required to purchase insurance or tracking separately on eBay to be covered by eBay's Buyer Protection. If a seller tries to claim you have to, ignore them, because if the item doesn't arrive or arrives damaged, both eBay and PayPal will back you, the buyer, up and force a refund from the seller.

 

On Bricklink, it would depend on how you pay the seller. If you pay via PayPal, you're covered, and any terms the seller has on Bricklink that state you the buyer are responsible for insurance or tracking will not be supported by PayPal and you, the buyer, will win a loss or damage claim. If you pay via Money Order, etc., you will not be covered as a buyer and will have to deal with the seller under Bricklink's rules as best you can.

 

As a seller on eBay, I pay for (or use free where the USPS provides it) tracking on all packages, and for signature confirmation when required (purchases over $250).

 

I will also say that I completely agree with both eBay and PayPal (and Amazon, for that matter) on these requirements. When someone purchases something from me, it is entirely my responsibility to get the item to them in the condition they bought it. If it's lost or damaged, that's on me, the seller, and/or whatever shipping company or third party insurance I might use, not the buyer's problem.

[exciter1]

I really like it when I get a buyer from the Eastern region of the United States.  It always saves me 2-4 in shipping costs.  Anymore, I immediately look at my email when I sell something to see where the buyer is from.  I've almost felt like excluding buyers from HI, NV, AR, CA, CO, and WA, since shipping to them always seems to cost a few more dollars.  I won't, but I do feel like it sometimes.

[justafrog]

You can't exclude anyone in the 48 contiguous United States. You could exclude Alaska and Hawaii, and US Protectorates like Guam, Puerto Rico, etc.

[exciter1]

You can't exclude anyone in the 48 contiguous United States. You could exclude Alaska and Hawaii, and US Protectorates like Guam, Puerto Rico, etc.

 

I'm pretty sure I have the Protectorates excluded.  I noticed something on a sale yesterday.  Underneath the buyer and tracking information there was an Ebay note, "International sale thru Global Shipping Program".  I never opted in, but yet I still had a sale through it?

[justafrog]

You now have to opt out - everyone is automatically opted in. eBay really, really wants those shiny final value fees from international sales, too.    I've heard that opting out once isn't always enough - you have to keep watching to make sure they haven't secretly opted you back in.

 

(Unless you have a good reason not to want to ship internationally through GSP (like you already offer your own international shipping), I'd recommend you stay opted in - nothing wrong with selling more stuff and eBay offers good seller protections on their GSP program).

[exciter1]

You now have to opt out - everyone is automatically opted in. eBay really, really wants those shiny final value fees from international sales, too.    I've heard that opting out once isn't always enough - you have to keep watching to make sure they haven't secretly opted you back in.

 

(Unless you have a good reason not to want to ship internationally through GSP (like you already offer your own international shipping), I'd recommend you stay opted in - nothing wrong with selling more stuff and eBay offers good seller protections on their GSP program).

 

Thanks for the info.  I don't mind shipping items to a handler.  I just don't like the customs hassles, people asking for shipping quotes all the time, and folks asking you to adjust values and such to avoid VAT.

[justafrog]

Thanks for the info.  I don't mind shipping items to a handler.  I just don't like the customs hassles, people asking for shipping quotes all the time, and folks asking you to adjust values and such to avoid VAT.

 

The GSP was made for you! (And me - I don't like dealing with all that either.)

[BrickPick3r]

Few question arise after reading comments. I'm new to ebay and always curious about these.

 

1. Does the refund mean that the seller giving some portion of money back to buyer as a compensation?

 

2. What if they no longer want the item and want to return? Does the seller has to refund the shipping cost as well?

 

3. What if they intentionally damage the box and make a claim? How Paypal would deal with this?

 

4. What if the seller provide tracking and the status say arrived. Will the seller win if buyer say they didn't receive it?

[justafrog]

1.  Yes, a refund indicates a seller giving some or all money back to the buyer. If you're trying to ask a more specific question than that, I don't understand it, please rephrase/elaborate.

 

2. You set your own return policies on eBay. you can accept returns (in which case you accept returns for ANY reason, including the buyer doesn't want it anymore) or you can state no returns. If you state no returns and the buyer claims the item is not as described, you will be accepting a return or you will be refunding the buyer without a return, however.

 

3. If a buyer intentionally (or accidentally) damages an item and returns it to you, you can report the buyer for abusing return privileges. Depending on the buyer's previous record and your own record on eBay, plus any facts that can be provided (emails back and forth, whatever) eBay will decide who to side with.

 

4. If a buyer claims non-receipt on a shipment under $250 and the seller has tracking that shows otherwise, the buyer will lose. Over $250, the seller must also have a delivery signature.

 

You can read up on a lot of this on the eBay seller help pages. They are extremely beneficial to new sellers, and even old biddies like me occasionally find something we didn't know (or that has been changed) so they're worth making a regular part of your work routine.

 

Edited to add: Since you're in Australia you may want to ask these questions on the Australian sellers forum on eBay. Not all eBay rules are worldwide - there are some differences between ebay.com and ebay.au, etc.

[Brickshopper]

1. You can do a full refund through paypal for a return or offer a partial refund and the buyer can keep the item. These are now options in the item not received claim process that can be initiated by the buyer. These funds may be held by paypal as soon as a buyer makes a claim if you are a new or low volume seller.

2.A buyer can return anything for up to 45 days if the buyer claims it is not as described. You would have to refund any shipping that you charged and even if you offer free shipping you will be out the cost of the postage. You do not have to refund he return shipping this is to be paid by the buyer some will insist they should not be out anyway and depending on the mistake you may want to refund return shipping as well.

3.Paypal will make you take it back if it was damaged intentionally by the buyer or in the mail or however any item can be returned for any reason real or imagined,

4. You will win most of the time if it is over 250 you will also need signature confirmation. USPS delivered status is good in a dispute if it is to the correct zip code only that matches the buyers paypal address you will lose if you ship to another address provided by the buyer. They can also try to do a chargeback through paypal we are waiting on the outcome of one now and we will see chargebacks are tricky and are always a threat fro someone who does not pay with paypal fund and has notifies the credit card company. We are like 3/3 winning chargebacks as a seller so far so...

[BrickPick3r]

Let's say if the box is damaged and the buyer want to have a partial refund. Is there any rule saying that how much could it be claim? Or it's an agreement between seller/buyer?

[justafrog]

eBay does not become involved in partial refunds but does allow them. It's between the buyer and seller.

[BrickPick3r]

Thanks everyone for all the answers. I guess i need to start reading their rules

[exciter1]

I just opened my EBay store. Do you guys have any quick tips, or is there anything I should modify right from the beginning?  I noticed some different views right off the bat.  DNIM, what dashboard was the one you posted a picture of the other day?  Thanks...

[justafrog]

Set up some categories, and familiarize yourself with markdown manager in case you want to run any sales at any point. You can also now set your listings on vacation if you need a few days off, with one button-click.